New Rivals?
Written by Jonathan Downs, Rachel Ravens and Zack Wanzer
It had been a few months since the Dock Railway was dieselised. Whilst we had all recovered from the initial shock, the tugs were nervous about their future.
"What if a fleet of diesel tugs decided to set up in Bigg City Port and run the Star Fleet out of business?" Misty said worriedly.
"Well, I heard rumours about a new fleet of tugboats coming to Bigg City Port," said Hail. "Penny said she saw a smartly dressed gentleman shaking hands with the harbour master and that some new arrivals would be arriving soon."
"It's probably some film producers coming to film a movie in Bigg City Port," replied Scorpio in annoyance. "If a new fleet was being set up, it would have been announced."
"Captain Zero didn't announce his fleet being set up," retorted Stormy.
"Even so," said Pisces, "we need to know the full facts before we make a conclusion."
Little did they know was that the rumours about a new fleet of tugboats coming to Bigg City were true, and their arrival was indeed imminent.
It was around mid-July when a group of vessels were approaching Bigg City Port, three of which had been before.
"Alright," said one of the vessels. "Cappy will want to do customs inspections. So, co-operate with him and you'll be fine."
Soon enough, Cappy came up and was surprised as recognised three of the vessels. Nonetheless, the group all passed the inspection and were allowed clearance.
It was around 5:45 next morning when the Star Tugs awoke to the sound of a diesel engine.
"Ugh… morning already?" yawned Ten Cents.
"What in the Moonlight Oceans…" gasped Sunshine.
"Gabby, did you have to wake us up so early?" grumbled Zob.
"That wasn't me," insisted Gabby.
"Then who…?" began Zip.
"Hmm? Oh, sorry to wake you, Stars," called a voice. "We just arrived at our new home and, well…"
"Wait! I know that voice," exclaimed Moonlight.
"Theodore?!" called Big Mac.
As if on cue, Theodore came over with George, Emily and two other diesel tugs in the same livery as them; one wore a dark blue hat, and another had a red firefighter's helmet.
"Well, I'll be a seamonkey's uncle!" chuckled Warrior. "Theodore, George and Emily!"
"Well, it's nice to see you again," smiled O.J..
"It's nice to see you as well… in a manner of speaking," said George.
"Eh? What do you mean?" asked Zebedee.
"Our old harbour was so badly damaged by the blitz that work was transferred to another harbour up the coast," Emily sighed sadly. "It's gotten so bad that our harbour has been shut down."
"Oh… we're terribly sorry to hear that, m'dears," said Hercules sympathetically.
"We decided to move here since we got on well with you last time," explained Theodore. "Although… this might mean a new rivalry for you guys…"
"Oh, you'd be surprised," smiled Venus.
"Aye, this new monopoly is actually ower dull," agreed Big Mac.
"Is it?" Emily asked in surprise. "We had a monopoly back in Canada and we didn't have a problem."
"We got used to the Z-Stacks' competition, and we made it into a game," replied Ten Cents.
"Well, except for two certain Z-Stacks, of course," Sunshine added.
"We know who you mean," George said gravely.
"Er… who are we talking about?" asked the tug with the dark blue hat.
"One of the Z-Stacks' harbour tugs, Zak, and their ocean-going tug, Zeus, were absolutely horrid towards everyone else in Bigg City Port," explained Venus. "Even their fellow Z-Stacks."
"They also had the audacity to side with the Nazis during the war," Zebedee added darkly.
"You're joking me! Those monsters!" gasped the tug with the firefighter's helmet.
"I'm afraid it's true," Theodore confirmed. He then explained about how he, Emily and George helped with the rescue mission when O.J., Warrior, Zebedee, Stormy, Hail and Little Owl were kidnapped, and the Star Tugs filled the two newcomers in about the deaths of Top Hat, Zug, Zilly, Kirke, Sally Seaplane, Billy Shoepack and Captain Zero, as well as Big Mac's close call and Zorran's heroic sacrifice in taking out Zak, Zeus and Ursula Zero.
"Goodness!" exclaimed the tug with the firefighter helmet. "That's quite a lot you had to go through, and we didn't think it'd be this serious."
"Indeed, old darling," replied Hercules. "So, what are your names?"
"Oh, I'm Hank, Theodore's best friend," replied the tug with the dark blue hat.
"My name's Foduck," replied the other tug. "I was the official safety tug at our old harbour."
"Pleased to meet you," replied O.J..
"Say, how are the Salvage Fleet, the engines, Ariel and Penny doing these days?" asked Emily.
"Well, the Salvage Fleet, Ariel and Penny are fine," replied Ten Cents. "But… the dock railway has been dieselised after Mr. Lloyd was killed in a road accident and his successor deemed steam to be outdated."
"WHAT?!" gasped Theodore, George and Emily.
"But… what does that mean for Puffa, Little Owl and Porter?" asked Theodore.
"Puffa and Little Owl are alright," replied Sunshine. "They've been sold to the Indian Valley Railroad where Tillie works. But Porter's gone missing." Tears welled up. "We think he might have been stolen by scrap thieves."
"Oh… that's horrible," winced George.
"Yeah," agreed Warrior. "I'd hate to imagine what Henney is thinking right now."
"She must be heartbroken," said Emily, "and given what happened with Kirke as well…"
"I should have stepped in more!" I sighed, sticking my megaphone out. "Maybe then, I might have found Porter a new home."
"Captain Star?!" gasped Ten Cents. "What are you doing here so early?"
"I couldn't sleep last night," I explained. "I still had Porter's fate on my mind. Mr. Lloyd was a dear friend of mine, and yet… I couldn't keep his promise like I did for Captain Zero."
"That wasn't your fault, sir," insisted O.J.. "That new manager, Mr. Hobbs, was too set in his ways."
"I'd like to give him a piece of my mind," growled George. It was then that I noticed the new arrivals.
"Just a moment… Theodore, Emily and George? What are you three doing here?"
"Their old harbor's closed down due to severe war damage and they and their friends have moved here," explained Moonlight.
"Wait! Where did you set up in the first place?" asked Zip.
"I'd like to see too," I said.
"Jump on, sir," said Hercules. With that, I took my megaphone back into the announcing house, climbed down downstairs and hopped aboard Hercules.
"Well…" said Theodore as he and his friends led the group to where the other members of his fleet were docked, and we were shocked as we recognised the location.
"Our old dock?!" gasped Zebedee, Zip and Zob.
"Of course," added Ten Cents. "It had been long abandoned after Zero Marine Bigg City was shut down."
"Huh! Looks like we're literally having competition on our doorstep again," Big Mac said.
"So, who are the other tugs?" asked Sunshine.
"Their names are Lucy, Molly, Benjamin, Tex, Owan, Jasper and Donald," replied Emily. "Lucy is a harbour tug like Theodore and Hank. Tex and Owan are ocean tugs like me, George and Foduck. Benjamin and Molly are railway tugs. Jasper and Donald are switchers."
"Uh-huh," replied Donald.
"Yessireebob!" agreed Owan.
Just then, a man came up to the dock. He wore a blue sailor's cap and a yellow suit and had a black mustache. Heh, for a split second, we all thought that Captain Zero had come back from the dead.
"Hello," he greeted, donning his cap. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Denny Judd, captain and owner of the Great Ocean Tug and Salvage Company."
"Hello, Captain Judd," I greeted as I stepped off Hercules' dock and went to shake his hand. "I am Patrick Star, captain and owner of Star Tug and Marine. The five switchers are Ten Cents, Sunshine, Moonlight, Zip and Gabby, the four harbour tugs are Big Mac, O.J., Warrior and Zebedee, the railway tug is Zob, formerly Pennsylvania Railroad No. 9, the two ocean-going tugs are Hercules and Venus and the submarine is called Grampus."
"Nice to meet you all," greeted Molly.
"How about we give you guys a tour of the harbour?" offered Ten Cents.
"We'd appreciate that," said Lucy.
"Although Emily, George and I have been here," said Theodore, "it would be nice to see how much things have changed."
"Perhaps you could help me with my garbage duties, Theodore," suggested Warrior.
"Oh, that reminds me," said Theodore. "The garbage barge from back home, Guysborough, was bought by Jack and Lord Stinker's owners. Just to warn you – he's very grumpy."
With that, Warrior and Theodore set off.
Meanwhile at the garbage dump, Lord Stinker and Jack were looking at a new garbage barge that had just arrived. This was Guysborough, and as Theodore said, he was very grumpy.
"Just my luck!" grumbled Guysborough. "I've spent an entire night traveling the ocean, and I wake up to stinking, smelly garbage!"
"Oh, it's not so bad when you get used to it!" replied Lord Stinker cheerfully.
"Yeah, it's useful for saving railway engines from falling into the sea," agreed Jack.
"I don't care if it catches little owls or not!" snapped Guysborough. "It's filthy, rotten, and I hate the smell! So, leave me ALONE!"
Lord Stinker and Jack wisely said nothing so as not to aggravate Guysborough further. Just then, Warrior and Theodore arrived for garbage work.
"Good morning, Guysborough," greeted Theodore.
"Morning, Jack, your Lordship," smiled Warrior. "Nice day for garbage."
"Oh no! It's a horrid day for it!" snapped Guysborough.
"Oh, don't mind that grouch, Warrior," assured Jack.
"So that's Guysborough," said Warrior. "You were right, Theodore. He is really grumpy."
"You're right there, Warrior," replied Theodore. "Once, he got so grumpy, I ended up feeling grumpy as well and so did everyone else in the harbour."
"Really?! That's surprising!" exclaimed Lord Stinker.
"Hey!" snapped Guysborough. "Are you going to sit here talking or are we going to get to work?"
"Perhaps we'd better get to work before someone starts complaining about any bad smells," said Warrior.
"Good idea," said Theodore. "Otherwise, it could make everybody in Bigg City grumpy."
With that, Warrior and Theodore attached themselves to Lord Stinker and Guysborough, respectively. On the way, they saw a schooner who looked friendly.
"Hello, Theodore, Guysborough," the schooner greeted. "Nice to see you."
"Hello, Bluenose, it's nice to see you two," replied Theodore.
"Oh no. It's nice to leave you," grumbled Guysborough.
"I'm Warrior," replied the harbour tug, "and this is Lord Stinker, my favourite garbage barge."
"A pleasure to meet you, Bluenose," said Lord Stinker. "You know, we used to know a naval tug we called 'Bluenose'. His real name was Enterprise, but he had a blue nose, hence his nickname. He was notorious for bossing us around, believing that orders came before common sense. But he was later executed for causing a disaster with the munitions in 1922 and replaced by a diesel tug named Jimbo."
"Well, don't worry, dearie," said Bluenose. "I'm more pleasant than that tug."
"It's true," said Theodore. "She's something of a mentor to us."
"Well, on behalf of myself and Lord Stinker, welcome to Bigg City," said Warrior.
"Thank you, dearie," smiled Bluenose as she set off for another sail.
Zob showed Molly and Benjamin to the Railhead.
"So we take these car floats straight across the canal, right?" asked Molly.
"Correct," replied Zob. "There was another railway tug here named Top Hat who belonged to Captain Star whilst I was working for the now-defunct Z-Stacks, but he was killed in the war."
"Oh, I'm sorry," gasped Benjamin.
"What happened?" asked Molly.
"There was an enemy bomber aiming for Zip," explained Zob. "At the time, we were searching for Zug who had gone missing, not realising he was killed via a Final Firing. Anyways, Top Hat shoved Zip out of the way, but couldn't get out of the danger zone himself before being struck in the wheelhouse."
Molly and Benjamin shuddered at that. They had close calls with Hank, Foduck, Rebecca and Northumberland, but for Bigg City to actually lose someone?
Amongst the other changes to Bigg City Port: Northumberland the naval submarine from Theodore's old harbour joined Jimbo and Admiral Cardona at the naval base along with Nautilus, who was a long overdue replacement for Kraka-toa; Felicia was joined by two ferries named Phillip and Filmore (both were twins), the Coast Guard got a new recruit in the shape of Constantine, and there were two pilot boats who would help to patrol the harbour and sometimes helped the tugs with docking ships.
There was also a cabin cruiser named Carla who only worked to please herself, a research vessel named Rebecca, a container ship named Catherine, a cable ship called Digby, a supply ship called Sigrid, a gloomy rowboat named R. Boat, and an Irish sea trawler named Shamus.
Aside from Guysborough, the new barges consisted of a salvage barge named Bobby, Barrington, who delivered pipes to the oil refinery, a sea barge named Shelburne, a crane barge named Bayswater, and two general purpose barges called Bonavista and Brunswick. Last but not least, a container crane named Clayton was set up near the old dock.
For a few weeks, the V-Tugs, as Theodore's fleet was nicknamed, got to work learning the ropes and the Star Tugs were very helpful. But as I mentioned, diesel-powered vehicles had an advantage over steam, and soon enough…
"Hello, Jack," Warrior called. "I've come for another… oh! No more garbage?"
"Sorry, Warrior," the waste dump owner called. "Theodore and Guysborough finished off the last of the loads."
"Are you sure there aren't any more carfloats?" asked Zob.
"Afraid not," said Sean. "Molly and Benjamin finished all the work."
Indeed, the Star Tugs soon found themselves beaten in various contracts. Even the Salvage Team was struggling for work since the V-tugs could also handle salvage work. Once again, the Stars found themselves with less work to do. Not even giving silly orders could shake that nagging feeling at the back of their minds that they weren't useful anymore.
"Ah guess this is it," sighed Sunshine. "The Star and Salvage Fleets have finally been beaten."
"Perhaps it's for the best," O.J. said thoughtfully. "I've been sailing in this harbour for many decades, and with the advantage of diesel technology, perhaps I'm getting too old for this…"
"Please tell me you're not considering the Final Firing," begged Ten Cents.
"No-no-no-no-no-no, I'd never do that!" assured O.J.. "Asking to be preserved isn't out of the question, though. It might be nice to give people tours of the harbour, not having to worry about stringent timetables, just leisurely enjoying the day."
"That wouldn't be a bad idea," Zob said thoughtfully. "Plus, our histories do deem us to be preserved."
"Well, you've certainly got an awesome career," said Penny. "Working for the Pennsylvania Railroad, the Navy, the Z-Stacks and the Star Fleet. Plus, Hercules and Venus saved Captain Star's life. If that's not worthy of preservation, I don't know what is."
"Well, whatever happens, I'm sure we'll face it together," said Hercules.
"Indeed," agreed Venus. "So let's do our best to keep our wheelhouses held high."
"Whatever you say," said Stormy. "Still, it'll be a miracle if we can all be saved."
"Yeah," agreed Misty. "Look what happened with Top Hat, Zorran, Zug, Zilly, Kirke, Sally Seaplane and Billy Shoepack."
"That was different," insisted Ember. "They were killed via war damage, or a forced Final Firing in Zug's case."
"Regardless," sighed Ten Cents, "we'd better get back to work."
Everyone else did so, unaware that Theodore had overheard and he went back to his dock.
"Captain Judd," he called, "I need to talk to you."
"About what, Theodore?" asked Captain Judd.
"The Star Fleet and the Salvage Team."
A couple of days passed. Theodore, Hank, Foduck and George were helping to dock Queen Stephanie, an ocean liner from the United Kingdom. She had visited their old harbour multiple times and was good friends with them.
"It's good to see that you and your friends have found a new home, Theodore," she said.
"Yes," sighed Theodore, "but I'm worried it might have come at the expense of the Stars and the Salvage Team."
"Let's hope Captain Judd can get this problem sorted out," sighed Emily.
"I'm sure he will," assured Queen Stephanie.
Meanwhile, Sunshine, Hercules, Venus and Stormy were heading from clearing up debris from another ship, when all of a sudden…
"Wahay!" cheered Carla as she rushed by.
"Hey! Watch it, you idiot!" snapped Stormy.
"Looks like Peeper Pipes and his team have a new regular guest for dry dock," sighed Hercules.
"Moonlight Oceans above!" gasped Sunshine. "Theodore and his friends are bringing in Queen Stephanie. Carla could cause an accident!"
"There's no time to lose," said Venus. "Come on, you three!"
Ariel and Penny had just delivered a supply of engineering parts for Captain Lucky when the three spotted Theodore and his friends passing with Queen Stephanie. Then, Penny spotted something.
"Everyone, look out!" she called, blowing her hooter.
The tugs looked to see Carla racing too fast around the corner. By the time she saw the ocean liner, it was too late. Carla crashed into the rudder of Queen Stephanie.
"Oh no!" cried George. "We've lost control!" Then there was trouble; Hank was pushed aside.
"Help me!" he cried as he drifted towards Warrior and Lord Stinker. Hank braced himself for the crash, but…
"Gotcha!" called a voice. It was Sunshine; she had lashed a towline in the nick of time. Then, Stormy, Hercules and Venus rushed in to help.
"Don't worry, m'dears," called Hercules. "We've got her!"
"We're not out of the woods yet!" called Foduck. "Queen Stephanie is drifting towards Lucky's Yard. There could be a serious accident!"
"Not if we can help it!" called Ariel as she and Penny charged forward and began to help.
"Well done, dearies!" cheered Captain Lucky. "Keep it up!"
Thanks to the extra help, the tugs managed to stabilize Queen Stephanie. Then, they heard several whistles and looked to see the rest of the Star Fleet, the Salvage Team and the V-Tugs rushing over to help.
"Moonlight saw Carla rushing about too fast," called Pisces, "and he said we'll need all bows on deck."
"We sure do!" called Emily.
With that, the tugs all threw towlines, and with their combined strengths, they were able to guide Queen Stephanie safely away from Lucky's Yard. Then, slowly but surely, the tugs brought Queen Stephanie to her dock and made sure she was docked safely.
The passengers and crew were shaken, but thankfully, no one was severely injured. There was a massive applause for the tugs for saving the day.
"Oh, thank you, everyone!" Queen Stephanie smiled. "You've saved me, my crew and passengers; you're our heroes!" The tugs from all four fleets didn't say anything, but they all smiled.
Meanwhile, the Coast Guard team were having some stern words with Carla.
"When are you going to learn to be more careful?" Constance said sternly. "You could have gotten all those people severely hurt, or even killed!"
"Oh, come on, Constance!" argued Carla. "Don't be such a spoilsport. I was only having fun."
"No excuses!" snapped Peeper Pipes. "Constance is right! Speeding around harbours is dangerous! Consider yourself under arrest!" Carla just groaned.
Later on, Captain Lucky, Captain Salvage, Captain Judd and myself praised our tugs for their brave efforts today.
"A fine piece of work," I said. "You acted so quickly you prevented an accident from turning into a major disaster."
"The city council have agreed you will be rewarded with medals for your brave actions today," said Captain Salvage.
"Goodness me," chuckled O.J.. "We've really got to stop making a habit of this."
"Now then," said Captain Judd, "it's come to my attention that the Stars and the Salvage Team have been getting less work due to my fleet. On behalf of myself and the V-Tugs, I apologise for any concerns caused. Let me assure you that we don't intend to run either of you out of business."
"We would never dream of doing that," agreed Theodore. "You guys have run this harbour long before any of us V-tugs were built."
"To that end," I said, "Captain Judd, Captain Salvage and I have met with the various contracts and we've agreed on… joint contracts."
"Joint contracts?" asked Zip.
"That means we will share the work between us," I explained, "and hopefully, this will prevent any more worries about going out of business."
I'm pleased to say that the new arrangements worked out perfectly. The Stars, the V-Tugs and the Salvage Tugs would often take on big jobs together and compete for more local contracts in a friendly way. This arrangement continues to the present day, and I'm pleased to say that Theodore and his friends settled in well in Bigg City Port and are now welcome residents. Hank was so grateful for Sunshine saving his life that he started growing feelings for her, but that's another story.
The End
Okay everyone, this is the anticipated return of Theodore, Emily and George, as well as the introduction of many more characters from TT like Foduck and Hank. We also have Molly, an unseen character who joined the team; Lucy from some of the books; and revamped characters of Jasper, Donald, Owen, Benjamin and Tex.
Next time, it's Lights, Camera, Action, Wiggles! (welcome to our TV show)... heh... sorry, got carried away. It's actually O.J. the Movie Star.