Iron Curtain

Written by Jonathan Downs, Rachel Ravens and Zack Wanzer

Warning: This story contains mentions of communism, nuclear war and the Nazis.

Thomas and Andrea were overjoyed with the birth of their daughter, Aurora. But there is one thing I didn't mention in the previous story: she was born four months before a massive period of uncertainty had begun. It all started back in March 1947. I had an urgent meeting with Captain Zero and we called our fleets together.

"I say," gasped Top Hat. "Z-Stacks, this is an unexpected surprise."

"No kidding," agreed Zug. "Why are we all together like this?"

"I sure hope we're going to be doing a contract up-river again," said Zip. "It'll be fun to see who gets more work done."

"Perhaps it's information about the upcoming naval manoeuvres," suggested Hercules.

"They've been more manageable since Jimbo took over," said Ten Cents.

"I'm glad I never met that Bluenose," Venus said darkly.

"Me too," added Ariel.

"You are lucky," agreed Zebedee.

"Oh, here comes Captain Star and Captain Zero," said O.J. as we put our megaphones through the windows.

"Star Tugs and Z-Stacks…" I said with a worried tone, "We're afraid we have some grave news."

"That being?" gulped Moonlight.

"… another war has started."

"What?!" Sunshine shrieked in horror, "No! We barely recovered from the last one! Ah can't cope with another attack!"

"There hasn't been any fighting… yet," Captain Zero breathed slowly. "They're calling it the Cold War at present."

"The Cold War, sir?!" asked Venus.

"To explain what happened," I replied, "when we were fighting the Axis powers, the United States, the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union were the Allies."

"Whilst the US and the UK liberated the countries in Western Europe, the Soviets drove the Nazis away from Eastern Europe," added Captain Zero.

"So what's happened?" Grampus asked worriedly.

"Basically," I sighed, "the Soviet Union does not want to give up its territories so Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Romania, Bulgaria and the eastern territories of Germany have fallen to communism and are now satellite states to the Soviet Union"

"E-Eastern territories of G-Germany?" gasped Zilly, "Y-You mean Germany's being s-split in half?"

"What about Estonia?!" asked Zug.

"I'm afraid Estonia was fully absorbed into the Soviet Union in 1940," Captain Zero replied. "As for Germany being split in half, Zilly, I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case."

"How bad is the situation?" asked Penny.

"… it's tough to say, Penny," I replied. "Because of the situation, the western European nations have allied themselves to the United States."

"So we're now the leader of the free world?" Zob asked.

"It would appear so," Captain Zero replied. "Stay vigilant, all of you. If you see anything suspicious, alert the Coast Guard team or the Navy immediately.

"Don't be surprised if a curfew is put in place," I put in, barely keeping it together. "Stay safe, tugs… please, above all else, stay safe!"

"Yes, sirs!" the fleets replied. After we gave out the orders, the Star Tugs and Z-Stacks headed out to work, and my legs gave out. I sat down on the floor. Captain Zero put a hand on my shoulder.

"All those losses and near calls we had…" I sighed. "not just during the Second World War, but those times before that. O.J. ended up in Burke and Blair's yard by mistake and was almost forcefully euthanised; Sunshine and Zug were kidnapped and almost forcefully euthanised; Ten Cents was nearly blown up and sunk; Zelda nearly burnt to death in the fire…"

"And yet…" Captain Zero said quietly, "Our tugs pulled through. Hopefully they can pull through again." My former rival paused for a moment. "We are in this together, Patrick, however this ends."

"Both of us… and our tugs," I gave a weak smile. Somehow… that made me feel just that little bit better.

All the other vehicles in Bigg City Port were receiving the same news from their owners such as Captain Lucky briefing Zion and Zelda on the situation. Both were terrified by this.

"Great!" groaned Zion. "Another conflict."

"Let's hope we don't get attacked," sighed Zelda.

"So do I," agreed Zion. "I was lucky to survive the Pearl Harbor attack."

"We'd better see how the Stars and Z-Stacks are doing," said Zelda. "Come on."

When Mr. Lloyd briefed the engines on the situation, Porter and Kirke were both concerned for Henney.

"The United Kingdom is in Europe," he gulped. "If anything happens to her… No, I don't want to lose her."

"Neither do I, brother," agreed Kirke.

The Salvage Fleet had just been briefed on the situation by Captain Salvage.

"Well, this is just great!" snapped Stormy. "Just when we finally got rid of the Nazis, we're now starting a new war with the Communists! What a joke!"

"I guess it was bound to happen," sighed Ember. "Neither Britain nor the United States did anything to prevent this."

"I'm really scared," Misty said, her voice all shaky. "What if they use the same weapons from Hiroshima and Nagasaki?"

"It is worrying," admitted Pisces. "But are we going to let our country fall to the communists?"

"Not in our time!" replied the Salvage Fleet, and that became a motto for the residents of Bigg City Port.

Despite these times of uncertainty, it wasn't all doom and gloom as the birth of mine and Captain Lucky's granddaughter, Aurora Star, proved. Captain Lucky and I would spend our days off with her. But she wasn't the only new arrival. Captain Lucky was building two new diesel tugs, both of whom were switchers. One of them was going to join the Star Fleet whilst the other one would join the Z-Stacks. They would both be given the number 10. Heh, how Captain Zero and I have kept up with each other in recent years astounds me.

When the new tugs were completed in May 1948, Captain Lucky invited everyone to meet them. But there was another surprise awaiting them as they saw a young woman with cropped blonde hair wearing the uniform of Lucky's Yard. They instantly recognised her.

"Jane Zero!" gasped Zip. "Is that you?"

"Hello, Zip," greeted Jane. "It's good to see you."

"Jane!" gasped Captain Zero. "Just look at you. You have grown so much!"

Jane hugged her grandfather tightly and kissed his cheek. "Hello, grandfather! Oh, you and Captain Star are still going strong. That's fantastic!"

"You can't keep us down too long," I smiled.

"What are you doing here?" asked Sunshine.

"Well, I missed seeing you guys," explained Jane, "so I've decided to move back here. I turned eighteen last month, which means I'm now legally an adult. Captain Lucky gave me a job working at my yard."

"Well, I speak for all of us when I say welcome back, Jane," said Ten Cents.

"Thanks, Ten Cents," replied Jane. "So, how are Ariel, Venus and Penny settling in the Z-Stacks?"

"We're doing well, thanks," replied Penny.

"Especially since Zak and Zeus are gone from our lives," put in Ariel.

"Oh, I agree," sighed Jane. "Those two were nothing but trouble and it disgusts me how they and Ursula sided with the Nazis as you guys made the effort to redeem yourselves."

"I take it you don't consider her your grandmother," said Zorran.

"No, Zorran," said Jane darkly. "She doesn't deserve it after the harm and distress she caused and just when you Zebedee, Zip, Zug and Grandfather made great strides to improve themselves. But no, she along with Zak and Zeus allied themselves to the Nazis and had innocent people murdered and tried to murder innocent vehicles as well." She took a deep breath and continued. "All that said, I'm glad you guys survived the war."

"As I am, Jane, dear," replied Captain Zero. "By the way, how are you parents, John and Skiff doing?"

"My parents are doing alright," replied Jane. "They miss all of you too as does Skiff." Her face fell. "Unfortunately, I think John has become rather bitter recently."

"What do you mean?" asked Moonlight.

"Well," said Jane, "he was often bullied at school because of his name and the similarities with a certain gangster who… er…. "

"Oh… Johnny Cuba?!" gasped Captain Zero. "I didn't even realise the similarity until now!"

"Don't worry, grandfather," assured Jane. "It wasn't your fault. Besides, I don't think Ursula's actions helped matters either and because Zak and Zeus were part of that plot as well, John became fully convinced that you were on it too and had even asked her to kill Zug personally. But I know that's not true. You had Zak and Zeus fired for their treachery and told Ursula you were getting a divorce."

"Ugh…" groaned Captain Zero. "Looks like Urusla's bloodline won out…"

"We know you never allied yourself to Hitler, Captain Zero," assured Top Hat, "and as far as Zug is concerned, you were just as relieved as the rest of us when Zug survived that horrific murder attempt. Same goes for Zebedee after he was held hostage."

"And although Zorran lost his eye and my grandfather is now wheelchair bound," said Jane, "I'm glad everyone is safe and sound." Then she laughed. "You know, grandfather, my parents would often tell me that whenever one of the Z-Stacks messed up, you would often have angry tears moments."

"Oh, I did," replied Captain Zero, "but I grew out of that after I turned myself around. You know, I'm proud of you for the woman you're becoming."

"Thank you, grandfather," replied Jane. "Oh, it looks like the two new tugs are about to be revealed."

With that, Captain Lucky, Captain Zero and myself stepped forward.

"Thank you all for coming," said Captain Lucky. "Twenty-five years ago, we built Jimbo as an experiment to test out the reliability of diesel tugs. Although there were initial teething troubles, the experiment has been successful and since then, the technology has improved. Therefore, two new diesel switchers have been built, one of which will join Captain Star's fleet and the other will join Captain Zero's. So, without further ado, meet the newest residents of Bigg City Port."

With that, the doors opened and two small tug emerged from outside. One of them was painted in the Star Tug corporate livery with the number 10 on her smokestack and wore a cyan cap. She also looked quite excitable.

The second tug was painted in the Zero corporate livery and wore a salmon pink cap. She had a friendly look on her face.

"Greetings, m'dears," said Hercules. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Hercules of the Star Tug and Marine Company. These are my shipmates, Ten Cents, Big Mac, Otis Jones - or O.J. for short, Top Hat, Warrior, Sunshine, Grampus and Moonlight."

"I'm Zorran of Zero Marine Bigg City," said the Z-Stacks leader. "These are Zebedee, Ariel, Zug, Zipporah - or Zip for short, Venus, Zob, Zilly and Penny."

"The Star Tugs and the Z-Stacks!" exclaimed the yellow tug in excitement. "I can't believe it's really, really you!"

"How in the Moonlight Oceans did you know who we are?" asked Sunshine.

"Know who you are? Know who you are?!" replied the yellow tug, "Why, I've heard about you from everybody in Lucky's! I'm so excited to meet you, I could just explode! I'm Gabriella, but you can call me Gabby since we're friends now! Pleased to meet ya!"

"Gabby was built to a similar design of a British tug named Kennet," explained Captain Lucky.

"And a very good build as well," I replied. "Welcome to the Star Fleet, Gabby."

"Oh thank you, Captain Star, sir," Gabby replied. "I can't wait to get started!"

"And I'm Melody," replied the other tug. "It's very nice to meet you all."

"Welcome aboard the Z-Stacks," smiled Zug.

"Nice to meet you both," replied Pisces. "Welcome to Bigg City."

"Ten Cents, Sunshine and Moonlight," I said, turning to my switchers, "I would like you three to show Gabby the ropes."

"Same with you for Melody, Zip, Zug and Penny," added Captain Zero.

"Zelda and Zion will be coming to help you," said Captain Lucky.

"As will I," said Jane as she hopped on board Gabby.

"Come on then," said Ten Cents. "Let's get started." With that, the ten tugs set off whilst everyone else got back to work.

Along the way, Gabby and Melody were filled in about everything that had happened from Sunshine joining the Star Fleet right down to the hardships of the Second World War. Both tugs were shocked by what had happened in the way.

"Sorry you guys had to go through all that," said Melody.

"It's not your fault," assured Ten Cents. "Although we lost many of our friends, there were some bright spots like Ariel moving to Bigg City full time after the war ended."

"I'm glad that you are together at last," smiled Zip. "I had romantic feelings for Ten Cents but you know what they say: times change, romances change."

"Besides, Z-Stack/Star Tug romance isn't uncommon around here," chuckled Zug. "Me and Sunshine are a couple and apparently, there are romantic signs between Big Mac and Venus."

"Aww!" giggled Melody. "Good luck to them."

"Yeah, the lucky ducks," agreed Penny.

"Hopefully, you two will settle in here," said Sunshine.

"Thanks, Sunshine," replied Gabby. "I can't wait to start working with you and the rest of the Star Fleet."

"I'm looking forward to working with the Z-Stacks too," said Melody, "although… these naval manoeuvres sound scary."

"I understand," said Moonlight. "It's the uncertainty that we can't control. Plus, given what almost happened to Ten Cents on the day of the munitions disaster, what almost happened to Zion at Pearl Harbor and what almost happened to Top Hat, Zorran, Zilly, Kirke and Sally…" He trailed off, thinking about what could have happened to her.

"Well, thankfully, they're still around," said Zip.

"That was definitely a lucky break," sighed Zion.

"I had a bit of a lucky break on the day of the attack as well," said Zug.

"Oh yes, Jane and Captain Lucky told us how those monsters tried to enthusiase you," said Melody darkly. "Thank the Moonlight Oceans it was green water they picked up."

"It turned out that Mr. Broke couldn't tell the barrels apart in the dark," said Ten Cents.

"That explains a lot," said Gabby.

"Oh, Melody," said Zelda, "If it helps, Zion and I could work with you for a while until you feel confident to do naval manoeuvres by yourself."

"Would you?" replied Melody. "Oh thank you."

Soon, the group approached Dun Tuggin' where the two tugs were introduced to Boomer who explained about the story of his jinx.

"Ever since I became a houseboat," Boomer finished, "I've never felt happier, especially since the jinx has gone and life is really peaceful here… I mean… after Corona went missing of course."

"Missing?" said Gabby. "What do you mean? Why was she here at all?"

"Long story short," replied Boomer. "Some people wake up to a rooster crowing. I woke up to the geese putting Corona in her place."

Everyone had a good laugh.

"However," said Moonlight, "Corona went missing sometime after Ursula and her team disbanded. We haven't seen her since."

"At least she's not a bother to us anymore," said Zug.

"Still, I can't believe Corona would try to murder Sunshine like that," said Melody.

"Oh, I know," Ten Cents said darkly. "Anyone who tries to kill my best friend is an enemy of mine."

"Too bad you weren't the one who rammed Corona onto the mudbank," said Penny, remembering how Meridian stopped Corona, Burke, Burke, Hans and Mr. Broke from escaping. The No. 1 switcher just smirked at that.

Over the next few days, Gabby and Melody were shown the ropes on what they had to do. The tugs had to do a contract Up River at the logging camp, so they were able to see Sea Rogue, O'Malley and Billy Shoepack who was slowly but surely becoming more like his old self.

"So, Melody," Billy was saying, "The trick is to go carefully and make sure the dynamite is properly secure. If you do that, nothing will go wrong."

"The same thing applies for munition loads," said Sea Rogue, "Or logs, or… basically anything you are taking."

"Okay," replied Melody. "I'll get the supervisor to make sure the loads are safely handled before I leave."

"Atta girl, Mel," smiled Zelda.

Meanwhile, Gabby was working with Ten Cents and Sunshine with logs. Gabby was so excited that she didn't check her barge to see if it was secured. As such, as soon as she started, some logs fell from her barge.

"Oops!" said Gabby. "Sorry." Ten Cents was annoyed by this, but managed to keep his temper in check. Gabby was young after all and he didn't want to upset her.

"You need to be careful with logs," said Ten Cents, and he explained what almost happened to Sunshine.

"Oh my," gasped Gabby. "Poor Sunshine."

"Ah'm just glad to be alive," replied Sunshine. "Come on. Let's try again."

As the days went by, Gabby became more careful and Melody became more confident with more dangerous loads.

Little Owl was arranging a goods train at Uptown when she noticed something. It was an elderly woman talking to a group of men. Little Owl decided to listen to this conversation in case there was something serious.

"Listen up, gentlemen," said the woman. "It's been about five years since those tugs killed my sister Ursula. Now, we're going to finish what she started. We're going to plant a series of bombs around Bigg City Port and set off coordinated attacks."

"But, Morgana," said one of the men. "What if these engines and tugs catch on? The plan will be ruined."

Morgana just laughed at that. "Ursula made the mistake of recruiting tugs they knew were threats and tying herself to a discriminative ideology. This time, we've tied ourselves to an ideology that actually creates equality for everyone. Tonight, we will break into the munitions factory and steal the equipment."

Little Owl listened on in shock and disbelief.

Oh no, she thought to herself. I've got to raise the alarm. A stern look crossed her face. I'm not going to make the same mistake I made last time.

Once Morgan's group had left, Little Owl spoke to her crew. "Engineer, stoker," she said, "I think we've got communists in Bigg City Port."

"I think you're right," gasped her engineer. "We've got to alert the authorities."

"When we get to Mittsville, we'll inform the stationmaster," said Little Owl determinedly. With that, the conductor blew his whistle and Little Owl raced out of the yard.

Ten Cents' group were near Mittsville when they heard the frantic whistle of Little Owl.

"Oh thank goodness," the goods engine panted. "You guys are here too."

"Little Owl, what's wrong?" Moonlight asked with concern.

"Some communist sympathizers are plotting to destroy Bigg City," replied Little Owl. "And Ursula Zero's sister, Morgana, is their leader!"

"Moonlights Oceans above!" gasped Sunshine.

"I'll contact the authorities!" said the stationmaster, rushing into his office.

"We've got to stop them," said Ten Cents determinedly.

"Sunshine and I will alert the Salvage Fleet," said Moonlight.

"I'll go to the nearest phone and inform Captain Star," said Jane as she hopped off Gabby.

"Well done for telling us, Little Owl," said Ariel.

"I just don't want a repeat of what happened last time," replied Little Owl.

"What do you mean?" asked Melody.

"I'll explain later," sighed Little Owl.

Soon, Sunshine and Moonlight returned to the Salvage Fleet. Then Hercules and Venus showed up with the Coast Guard team. Hercules and Venus had been at the Docks when Jane alerted me and Captain Zero to the situation.

"Alright, Pisces," said Zip. "You came up with a good plan to capture Corona and the Poison Plant trio. Have you got any ideas to stop these Communist sympathizers?"

"We'll need to see a trap for the villains," replied Pisces.

"Hmm," said Sunshine. "Ah might have an idea. Geese are sometimes used to ward off intruders. Maybe we could borrow some from Dun Tuggin' and use them to frighten them off."

"Guard geese?" replied Stormy. "That's an interesting idea."

"But how do we sneak the geese into the factory without alerting the bad guys?" asked Hail. "If they see the steam from our funnels or hear us coming, the plan is doomed."

"And our engines could frighten the geese," pointed out Melody.

"What about rowing boats?" suggested Gabby. "They'd be quiet enough."

"That's a possibility," Jane said thoughtfully. "The farmer near Dun Tuggin' does have boats for hire as a side business. I'll have a word with him."

The farmer was only too glad to help and instructed some of his farmhands to escort some of the geese to the munitions factory. Meanwhile, the tugs and Little Owl worked quickly with Sea Rogue and O'Malley to store the munitions away to a safe area so that there was no serious incident.

By evening, everything was set. Morgana and her henchmen arrived at the munitions factory.

"Listen up, men," she said. "We're going to load those crates onto our trucks and place them around Bigg City Port. We'll ignite the dynamite and cause mass casualties to the point they surrender to communism."

With that, the men went to get the crates, but just as they approached them, they heard loud hissing.

"The dynamite! It's been set off! Run for it!" shouted the men. That was a big mistake, for no sooner had they started running away, some of them found themselves attacked by angry geese. If you try to run away from a goose, they will attack you.

Others ran towards the railway but Little Owl was there, having built up a good head of steam. "NOW!" shouted her engineer and the goods engine wheeshed steam.

The rest of Morgana's men tried to escape via boat but the tugs were ready to spring the trap on them. Soon enough, the villains were surrounded. Morgana's attempt to escape only saw her encounter Jane.

"Well, well," she sneered. "If it isn't my great-niece!"

"Shut up, you!" snapped Jane. "You don't deserve to be my great-aunt! You're no better than your sister, you awful sea witch!"

Morgana just growled and charged at Jane, but the latter was able to dodge the attack thanks to her practising gymnastics in school.

"You're pathetic!" snapped Morgana. "And weak just like your grandfather!"

"Don't you dare speak my grandfather's name in ill!" roared Jane.

"You speak kindly of that crook?" sneered Morgana. "The same Captain Zero who tried to pull underhand tactics to get ahead of Captain Star!"

"AT LEAST HE TURNED HIMSELF AROUND!" shouted Jane. "IF IT WASN'T FOR HIM, CAPTAIN STAR WOULD HAVE BEEN DEAD!"

The two women were engaged into a wrestling pose, but after a few minutes, Jane was able to overpower the older woman.

"It's over," said Jane. "Turn yourself over to the police and no one will get hurt."

"NEVER!" roared Morgana. With that, she charged at Jane but again, the latter dodged the attack and Morgana, unable to stop herself, tripped over a stray rope and twisted her leg before falling to the ground. Morgana was defeated.

"Well, that's one way to stop a villain," Jane said, dusting herself down.

Soon, an ambulance was called and Morgana was placed under heavy security. Once she was discharged from hospital, she was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison as were her henchmen.

An award ceremony was held for the tugs, Little Owl and Jane for stopping the communists.

"Well done, dearies," praised Captain Lucky. "You saved Bigg City Port from communist occupation."

"You were especially brave," complimented Zob.

"You make me proud to call you my granddaughter," smiled Captain Zero.

"Thanks, Zob, thank you Grandfather," Jane said with a smile. "Hopefully we'll never see Morgana again."

"One thing is certain," I said. "Gabby is going to make an excellent addition."

"She is indeed, Captain Star," agreed O.J. "Welcome to the Star Fleet, Gabby."

"Oh, thank you, O.J.," replied Gabby excitedly.

"And you are a welcome addition to the Z-Stacks too," said Captain Zero.

"We're proud to have you." added Zorran.

"Thank you, sir, thanks Zorran!"

"I'm proud of you, Little Owl," said Mr. Lloyd, patting the goods engine' bufferbeam. "Far from the old Little Owl who would have turned a blind eye to danger, you took the threat seriously and raised the alarm before it was too late."

"Yes, well done, Little Owl," agreed Puffa, Porter and Kirke.

"Oh, thanks," smiled Little Owl.

Indeed, both Gabby and Melody have proved to valuable members of Bigg City Port. Gabby soon became best friends with Ten Cents, Sunshine and Moonlight.

"Come on, Sunshine!" called Gabby. "Last one to the waterworks is a sunken barge!"

"Right behind you!" called Sunshine as the two switchers raced off.

"I'll reckon Gabby will be the winner," said Ten Cents.

"Mmm-hmm," agreed Moonlight. "I wonder how Melody is doing."

Melody was making some deliveries with Zip, Zug and Penny.

"Well done, Melody," grinned Zip. "Keep up the good work."

"Thank you, Zip," called Melody.

"It's great to have you as part of the Z-Stacks team," said Zug.

"Thanks," smiled Melody. "You know something? Sometimes I like to dream about being a mermaid with a salmon pink fishtail and swimming with all sorts of sea-life."

"Now that would be something," chuckled Penny.

Over on the Dock Railway, Mr. Lloyd was speaking to his engines.

"You four have done very well to keep up with the workload since Henney left for the United Kingdom," he said. "But I feel you could do with some help."

"I have an idea," suggested Little Owl. "Why don't we trial diesel power on the line?"

"Diesel power, eh?" Mr. Lloyd said thoughtfully. "That's an interesting idea. What do you think, Puffa, Porter and Kirke?"

"I like the sound of that," said Puffa. "From what we've seen of the diesel tugs, they've certainly proved their worth."

"Puffa's right," agreed Porter. "Plus, we would be able to run more trains since diesels are quicker to start up."

"I'm down for that," said Kirke. "Heh, wait till Henney hears about it in the next letter."

"In that case," said Mr. Lloyd, "I'll ask around for any diesels to bring here on trial."

With that, Mr. Lloyd turned on his heels and walked back to his office to make arrangements. But I mustn't say anymore or I'll spoil the next story.

The End

Arthur's notes: Not too many changes this time. Melody joins the Z-Stacks (making them 10 each), and Captain Zero sees his granddaughter return to Bigg City. Plus... I love the timelines where old business rivals are now friends. Captain Star and Captain Zero comforting each other during a hardship is... really sweet.

Next time, we're in for the Diesealisation of the Dockside Railway.