Rising Stars
Written by Jonathan Downs, Rachel Ravens and Zack Wanzer
Johnathan Star's Point of View
One evening, Ten Cents had just returned to the Star Dock.
"You've done an amazing job in helping us set up," I said.
"Thank you, sir," replied Ten Cents.
"Tomorrow, a new harbour tug will be joining us," I continued. "He was gifted to me by a friend from Scotland."
Ten Cents was pleased with the news and promised to give him a big welcome.
The next morning, Ten Cents awoke to the sound of an unfamiliar hooter, and he looked to see a large harbour tug painted in the Star Fleet livery with the number two on his stack sail in.
"Hullo," he greeted. "Ah'm Big Macintosh, bit ye kin ca' me Big Mac."
"Hello, Big Mac," replied the switcher. "I'm Ten Cents. The two young men on the dock are Patrick Star and Sean Zero. Patrick's father, Johnathan Star, is our captain and he's in the announcing house."
"Welcome to Bigg City Port, Big Mac," I called from the announcement house. "I trust you had a pleasant journey up here?"
"Aye, sir," replied Big Mac.
"Excellent," I said. "Ten Cents, show Big Mac around."
With that, the two tugs set off.
"So, Big Mac, where did you used to work?" asked Ten Cents.
"Och, juist at a wee harbour aff th' coast o' Scootlund," replied Big Mac. "Ah expect mah new hame wull be much bigger."
"Well, they don't call it 'Bigg City Port' for nothing," chuckled Ten Cents. Just then, O.J. came up.
"Morning, Ten Cents," he greeted. "Who's your new friend?"
"Big Mac, this is O.J.; he's a paddle driven tug belonging to the Dun Fleet," said Ten Cents. "O.J., meet Big Mac, Captain Star's new harbour tug."
"Welcome to Bigg City, Big Mac," said O.J.. "If you need any advice, just ask."
"Thanks," replied Big Mac. "Hae ye worked th' harbour fur years?"
"Yes," smiled O.J.. "We've been working in Bigg City Port for over three decades."
"O.J.'s given me good advice since I arrived," added Ten Cents. "I only arrived recently and had only just been built. I reckon you're more experienced, Big Mac."
"Aye, weel, Ah'll need tae familiarize masell wi' Bigg City Port," replied Big Mac.
Ten Cents and O.J. showed Big Mac the ropes. Indeed, the newcomer proved to be a hard worker and had great strength to match his name. Although he was gruff, Big Mac did have a heart of gold and was keen to help. Although, not everyone wanted it.
"If you even dare try to steal my work," Locust said darkly, "I'll make you wish you were never built!"
"Ah'm nae tae steal anyone's wirk," retorted Big Mac. "Ah'm juist 'ere tae dae mah ain wirk."
"Take no notice," soothed O.J.. "Locust hates it when new tugs show up."
"Ah kin see that," sighed Big Mac. "Yin o' thae days, that attitude o' his is aff tae leid tae trauchle."
A couple of weeks passed. The two engines bought for use on the dock railway had arrived. There was a tender-tank engine named Stanley, or 'Puffa' as he was nicknamed due to the sounds he made; he had been built for a logging railway and was designed to burn wood. Little Owl was the engine from New York. They hit it off with Ten Cents.
"So, Puffa," asked Ten Cents, "what do you think of Bigg City?"
"It's different from my old railway," admitted Puffa. "This is more urban than the logging camp."
"Well, Mr. Lloyd wants to build the new line beyond the harbour," replied Little Owl. "I've heard there's a logging camp at a place called Up River."
"Oh, that reminds me," said Ten Cents. "I need to collect some timber to Mittsville so they can cut it to make sleepers for the tracks. I'll see you two later."
"Bye, Ten Cents," called the two engines.
Ten Cents was coming through Mittsville where he could see a mother and her two children in a rowing boat.
"That's Captain Dun's wife and kids," said Ten Cents. He was about to whistle a greeting when he heard two unwelcome voices.
"Has Captain Dun given you up for scrap, Twinkle?"
Ten Cents looked to see Burke and Blair harassing Twinkle again.
"Leave me alone!" sobbed Twinkle as she ran off.
"Shut up, you monstrous vultures!" snapped Ten Cents. "Twinkle is far too useful to be… Twinkle! Cut your engine now!"
Twinkle was so upset by Burke and Blair's taunts that she didn't notice she was heading towards Mrs. Dun and her kids until it was far too late. Immediately, Twinkle cut off her engine, but her bow hit the boat and pushed it sideways into the quayside. The boat and the Duns were crushed between Twinkle and quayside.
"Oh no," she gulped. "What have I done?"
The emergency services and Captain Dun were quickly on the scene, but Mrs. Dun and her kids were dead.
"I d-didn't mean to," sobbed Twinkle. "Captain Dun, I'm s-sorry…"
"Sorry? SORRY?!" thundered Captain Dun. "You took the love of my life and our pride and joy and snuffed them out in seconds, and all you can say is 'sorry'?! Sorry is not going to cut it this time!"
"Hey, it wasn't her fault!" snapped Ten Cents. "Those two scrap dealers were bullying her again and…"
"I don't want to hear any excuses, especially from a tugboat of a rival fleet!" snapped Captain Dun, as if saying the words "Star Fleet" would make him puke. He then turned back to Twinkle. "Go to the Dun dock, No. 7, and you can stay there for the rest of the day!"
Without another word, Twinkle ran off sobbing.
Ten Cents told me, Patrick, Sean and Big Mac what had happened.
"Poor Twinkle," said Big Mac. "Bein' yelled at 'n' dehumanized lik' that!"
"I tried to tell him about Burke and Blair," replied Ten Cents crossly, "but that jerk refused to hear it. Even had the nerve to call as a rival fleet, as if we were threatening his business on purpose!"
"Weel, Ten Cents," sighed Big Mac, "it may nae be oan purpose, bit we ur competition. It's a' a maiter o' wha gets thare first and… though thare ur less o' us, we ur quicker 'n' mair powerful than thaim ."
"That… does make sense, Big Mac," Ten Cents said quietly. "Still, I don't want to make enemies out of the Dun fleet, least of all O.J.."
"Neither dae ah, lad," said Big Mac. "A'm sure hings wull calm doon wi' time."
"I'll have to give Captain Dun a stern talking to at some point," I said. "But first, he needs time to grieve."
"Understood, sir," said Ten Cents. With that, he and Big Mac went to sleep whilst Patrick, Sean and I prepared to go home.
The paddle tugs all had an indignation meeting.
"The nerve of that man!" snapped Lady Luck. "Blaming poor Twinkle like that and dehumanizing her!"
"Hear, hear," agreed Striker.
"I say we pay him out!" snapped Locust. "No one dares to bully us tugs and get away with it!"
"Yeah, but how?" asked Twinkle.
"We're going on strike," replied Moonshine. "No more work until he treats us right. All in favour, say 'aye'."
"Aye," replied Twinkle, Lady Luck, Locust and Striker.
"No!" snapped O.J. and Evangeline.
"No?" asked Moonshine. "What do you mean, no?"
"I understand you're all upset with Captain Dun, but a strike would be a terrible idea," said O.J.. "Do you know what sometimes happens when a strike goes on for a long period of time? If it goes on for too long, that business shuts down, the employees are unemployed, no income at all and everyone including families loses."
"Well said," said Evangeline. "You may all want to stand up for Twinkle in order to teach Captain Dun not to make scrap remarks like that, and I appreciate you all trying to stand up for your rights. But a strike is not the way to get your voice heard out! I do hope mine and O.J.'s engines don't give out doing all your work, because we won't be taking part in your strike."
"Fine," snapped Locust. "The rest of us will go on strike tomorrow."
As the paddle tugs went to sleep, no one was aware that someone had overheard them.
"Going on strike, eh?" the figure sneered. "We'll see about that!"
The next morning, the paddle-driven tugs were awake.
"I know you're upset, but we shouldn't go on strike," said O.J.. "We should get Lenore to give Captain Dun a good talking to."
"I agree," added Evangeline. "It wouldn't be fair on our clients."
"Well, Captain Dun should have thought of that before dehumanizing Twinkle like that," snapped Lady Luck.
"If you two want to work, fine," added Moonshine, "but think about poor Twinkle here."
"Hold on a minute," said O.J.. "I've not heard a word from Twinkle."
The other paddle tugs looked at their friend and were shocked to see that her face was frozen in a neutral position. Her eyes did not open and her mouth remained in a still position. Not even a sound could be hard out of her.
"Oh, Moonlight Oceans!" gulped Striker. "She's…"
"I'll get Captain Lucky and Lenore," said Evangeline.
Captain Lucky and Lenore looked all over Twinkle and made a horrifying discovery. It was Lenore who broke the bad news.
"I'm sorry to tell you this," she said, tears welling up, "but Twinkle is dead. She was given a Final Firing."
"Oh, dear Neptune, no!" cried O.J..
The news quickly spread around Bigg City. Everyone was shocked to learn about Twinkle's sudden death.
"Loch sakes!" gasped Big Mac. "This is surreal."
"Who could have done this to her?" asked Sean.
"My top suspect is Captain Dun," said Ten Cents.
"That's a serious accusation to make, Ten Cents," I replied. "I know Captain Dun was rude to her, but surely he would never do that… would he?"
"We'd better keep an eye on him," suggested Patrick. "If Ten Cents is right, the rest of the Dun Fleet could be in danger."
"I don't care what you lot say!" snapped Captain Dun. "No. 7 is not getting a funeral service!"
"But… Captain Dun, sir…" began Striker.
"But nothing!" interrupted Captain Dun. "The rest of you claptraps should get back to work right now!" It was at the moment Burke and Blair arrived.
"Ah, Captain Dun," said Blair. "Mr. Burke and I overheard that one of your tugs has died, and so we were wondering if you'd be interested in selling her to us."
"We'll take her for a quick sale, let's say… one hundred and fifty?" offered Burke.
"You can have her for free for all I care," insisted Captain Dun. "She's useless to me."
"Right, Mr. Burke," said Blair. "Let's take this scrap pile and add her to our collection."
With that, Burke and Blair placed the "SCRAP" flag on Twinkle's mast and towed her away. The Dun tugs were saddened to see their friend taken for scrap.
"Now listen to me, you scrap buckets!" snapped Captain Dun. "There is too much work to do to mourn the losses of your friend! I'm telling you to leave! Now!"
"He's right, everyone," sighed O.J. "We've got to get back to work now."
With that, the paddle tugs set off to work with saddened expressions. The idea of a strike had been abandoned.
I'm sorry to say that the Dun Fleet's troubles weren't over. Striker was towing in a barge when her engine started making funny noises. Then, with a loud bang, her engine gave out completely and she came to a sudden stop. Worst still, Felicia was coming right towards her.
"Striker!" she called. "Get out of the way!"
"I can't!" replied Striker. Ten Cents appeared and just in time pushed Striker out of the way. The two tugs were unharmed.
Meanwhile, Lady Luck was towing a tramper up to Lucky's for repairs. But her mind was on Twinkle and she failed to spot the current until it was too late. The tramper swerved sideways and rammed into Lady Luck, crushing her between ship and quayside.
Once again, Burke and Blair found it quite easy to buy the now-deceased Lady Luck off Captain Dun, but just before they left, Ten Cents came up with the broken down Striker.
"It's okay, Striker," soothed the switcher. "You'll be–" Ten Cents gasped in horror. "L-Lady Luck?!"
"Oh… Moonlight Oceans Above!" cried Striker. "Lady…"
O.J. and Evangeline tearfully explained what had happened. Poor Ten Cents… thought O.J.. You were much too young to see that…
"Broken down again, Striker?" sneered Captain Dun.
"Her engine stalled out and she was nearly sunk by Felicia," said Ten Cents.
"My engine's only good for scrap, Captain," sighed Striker. "We all know that."
"Oh, you're right there," agreed Captain Dun. "And I'm afraid, Striker, for you it means you'll be joining Lady Luck on the scrap heap."
"Well, well, well," Burke said greedily. "Two scrap heaps in one day!"
"Mr. Broke will be pleased," said Blair evilly.
"You can't do this!" protested Ten Cents. "Striker deserves a better fate than this!"
"Very commendable," replied Captain Dun, "but words like that coming from a rival fleet are empty and meaningless, aren't they?!"
"It's no good arguing," sighed Striker. "My time has come. Thanks for trying, Ten Cents, and… I'm sorry I was so unwelcoming to you when you first came here… You and Big Mac do your best to help O.J. and the others, won't you?"
"We'll try…" promised Ten Cents, trying not to cry. It wasn't long before Burke and Blair towed away Striker and Lady Luck. Locust and Moonshine saw all that and were furious.
"Oh, that is it!" snapped Moonshine. "Captain Dun has gone too far this time!"
"And it's those propeller tugs' fault!" growled Locust. "I say we destroy the Star Fleet!"
Ten Cents and O.J. were near a warehouse telling Big Mac what had happened.
"Ah'm sorry tae hear aboot Lady Luck 'n' Striker," sighed Big Mac.
"Dead…" sobbed Ten Cents. "She was dead… and Striker chose to die too…"
"Ah shuid hae towed in Striker…" Big Mac said to himself. For a brief moment, Big Mac wished he and Ten Cents were humans, so he could hug the young switcher. He was little more than a child…
"If you were really sorry, you and Ten Cents would have left," sneered an unwelcome voice. The group looked to see Locust and Moonshine.
"Left?!" cried O.J.. "Ten Cents and Big Mac only got here recently and did nothing wrong!"
"But them being here brought down several members of the Dun Fleet!" retorted Moonshine.
"And you, O.J.!" growled Locust. "You have gone downhill since those two got here! By helping that switcher, you were bringing the rest of us down!"
"No, he wasn't!" cried Ten Cents. "O.J. has done nothing but be kind and helpful toward us. We could all share the workload at Bigg City Port."
"Share?!" Moonshine hissed. "You mean you take all the work for yourselves because you're quicker than us."
"And there is no way that's happening!" With that, Locust and Moonshine advanced onto the two propeller tugs.
"Ten Cents, Big Mac, get back!" cried O.J.. He launched forward to try and protect them, but his new friends drew alongside. "That's not getting back–"
"If you go down, we all will!" Ten Cents said firmly.
"Aye, united we staun, th'gither we fall," added Big Mac. Together, the trio of tugs all pushed their weight against their enemies. Evangeline, who was coming in from her last run, gasped in shock.
"This place is far too dangerous now…" she said to herself. "Captain Dun has lost it, Locust and Moonshine have lost it… I have to leave…" The white paddle steamer took advantage of the chaos, and scampered away.
The five tugs all continued to fight, when they approached an old warehouse.
"Hey, Moonshine," said Locust. "Do you remember that there is–"
"I do!" grinned Moonshine. "We can take care of all three of them at once."
O.J. gasped in horror, and dropped his voice to a whisper. "Ten Cents, Big Mac, when I say so, get clear."
"So long as you get clear too, O.J.," Big Mac replied.
"I promise," assured the paddle steamer. "Okay… one, two, three, go!"
With that, all three tugs raced away at once, but O.J. was considerably slower than the other two.
"I gotcha, O.J.!" called Ten Cents, throwing him a line. The little switcher was just in time.
"Hey, where'd they go?!" exclaimed Moonshine.
"Oh no!" cried Locust. "I can't stop!"
"Neither can I!" gasped Moonshine.
The two insane tugs screamed in fright as they collided with a fuel barge inside the warehouse, which exploded. Big Mac and O.J., moving in front of Ten Cents, looked on in shock. Locust and Moonshine had survived, but they were badly damaged.
"Ugh, that was painful," groaned Locust.
"Well, don't expect Captain Lucky to authorize any repairs for you both!" called a voice. The tugs looked to see two small vessels approach them. One of them was painted in an all-over white livery and wore a white sailor's cap with a blue stripe. The other vessel had a blue superstructure with the top half of his hull painted blue and the bottom half was painted white. He wore a brown cap.
"I'm Peeper Pipes, the official Coast Guard vessel," said the white vessel. "My associate, Davy Jones, is the Coast Guard Messenger. We've come to keep law and order in this port and we overheard the commotion."
After Ten Cents, Big Mac and O.J. explained the situation, the two Port Authority vessels approached Locust and Moonshine.
"Locust and Moonshine," Davy Jones said sternly, "you two are under arrest for attempted murder. Report to Dry Dock, immediately, okay?"
"Ten Cents, Big Mac, O.J.," said Peeper Pipes, "I'll need a statement from you three."
The three tugs agreed and, after helping to escort the two villainous tugs to Dry Dock, each gave a statement before going to find Evangeline.
"Hmm…" said Ten Cents. "I thought I heard her voice while we were fighting Locust and Moonshine…"
"Aye, same 'ere," Big Mac agreed. "But… whaur cuid she be?"
"Oh…" winced O.J.. "Maybe… maybe she got sunk from getting too close to the explosion!"
"You'd better go and let Captain Dun know about this," said Ten Cents. "We'll get Captain Star, Patrick, Sean and Lenore and see if we can find any clues."
With that, the three tugs split up.
After explaining the situation, we looked around for any clues regarding the whereabouts for Evangeline, but we had no such luck. Ten Cents, Big Mac, Patrick, Sean, Lenore and I met near the Dun dock.
"It's a pity we don't have a submarine," sighed Patrick. "We'd be able to find out if Evangeline was sunk by the explosion or not."
"We shall hold a service for Evangeline regardless," I assured. "Same for Twinkle, Striker and Lady Luck. They all deserve to be remembered for–"
Just then, there was angry yelling coming from the Dun Dock.
"Eh? Big Mac, what's going on down there?" asked Ten Cents.
"Something tells me O.J.'s in trauchle," gulped Big Mac.
"We'd better go and help!" said Ten Cents.
"I'm coming with you!" said Patrick.
"So am I!" said Lenore.
"Wait for me!" said Sean.
"Jump on, you three," said Ten Cents. Patrick, Lenore and Sean hopped aboard the switcher.
"I'll continue looking for clues as to what's happened to Evangeline," I replied. "Good luck!"
The five of them raced over to the Dun dock where O.J. was fighting back tears. "Y-you can't do that!" he begged.
"Shut up, you useless piece of junk!" snapped Captain Dun.
"Captain Dun!" exclaimed Sean. "What's in Neptune's name is the meaning of this?"
"Ah, great, you brought along your scrap heaps too," sneered Captain Dun.
"Don't you dare talk about my father's tugs like that!" snapped Patrick.
"You're gaun tae tell us exactly what's gaun oan, or we'll git Peeper Pipes involved," growled Big Mac.
"Well, I was going to invite Burke and Blair over here to take away the last junk heap," replied Captain Dun.
"WHAT?!" Ten Cents, Big Mac, Lenore, Patrick and Sean exclaimed in a mixture of horror and anger.
"Ten Cents, Big Mac, get out of here now before he gets you too!" pleaded O.J..
"No, O.J.," replied Ten Cents. "We won't let you be scrapped!"
"He's goin' tae hae tae gang thro' us tae git tae ye!" agreed Big Mac.
"And they're not the only ones," Patrick added.
"Don't make me laugh!" sneered Captain Dun.
"Shut up, you ogre!" snapped Lenore. "I will not let you hurt my friend!"
"I might have a mischievous streak, but this is too cruel, even for me!" agreed Sean.
"Pah!" scoffed Captain Dun. "If I can get away with giving Twinkle Black Water in her sleep and sabotaging Striker enough, I can get away with this. The fact that Lady Luck was crushed to death and that Moonshine and Locust will likely get the death penalty is a mere bonus."
"I knew it!" snapped Ten Cents. "You did kill Twinkle, and weaken Striker!"
"Lenore, go report this to Peeper Pipes and his team," ordered Patrick. "Sean, if things get too ugly, get the tugs back to the Star Dock. I'll take care of this guy."
Lenore nodded and headed down the dockside to the nearest phone. Once there, she picked up the phone. "Operator," she said, "get me the Coast Guard."
"As for you, Captain Dun," snapped Patrick, "how dare you harm our friends, especially one who has been nothing but a big help to Big Mac and Ten Cents!"
"You've been helping our rivals?!" exclaimed Captain Dun.
"Uh… maybe a little…" O.J. replied nervously.
"I was fresh out of the workshops when I got here," replied Ten Cents, "and O.J. showed me the ropes. And we both showed Big Mac around the port."
"Wi'oot him, Ten Cents 'n' Ah wouldn't ken hauf th' stuff we dae," agreed Big Mac.
"Of all the– You are really done here, Old Jones!" growled Captain Dun.
"OH, THAT IS IT, CAPTAIN DUMB!" roared Patrick, and he kicked Captain Dun in the stomach.
"Patrick, stop!" yelled Sean, jumping off Ten Cents' deck. Ten Cents, Big Mac and O.J. exchanged a concerned look.
"Haes he acted lik' this afore?" asked Big Mac.
"Not to my knowledge," replied Ten Cents.
"Only when someone really got his goat…" sighed O.J..
It was at that moment Lenore came back. "Okay, done– huh?!"
Then to everyone's shock, Patrick pounced on Captain Dun. "I have had it up with here, you… you obnoxious bully!" He was about to strike him, but Lenore grabbed his hand while Sean stared Captain Dun down.
"PATRICK, NO!" cried Lenore. "If you do this, you'll be no better than Captain Dun!"
"Dear Neptune…" gulped Patrick. "You are right… I… I almost killed someone…" He then broke down crying.
"Patrick… come here…" replied Lenore, pulling him in for a hug.
"How could anyone do this…" sighed Sean sadly.
A few moments later, Peeper Pipes showed up with myself on board.
"Captain Tiberius Dun, you are under arrest for the illegal scrapping and attempted scrapping of your tugs!" Peeper Pipes said sternly.
"What?! No, I… I'm innocent! It was…" Captain Dun replied in horror.
"Save your excuses for court," said Peeper Pipes as his sailor went to arrest Captain Dun.
"Patrick, are you alright?" I asked, hopping off his deck.
"N-no, father. I almost killed him," sobbed Patrick. "He threw an insult at O.J. and I lost my temper. It was only thanks to Lenore and Sean…"
"Okay, son. Okay," I said gently. "I think you'd better attend anger management classes so this never happens again."
"Okay, father… I will…" sighed Patrick.
"In the meantime, Captain Star," said Sean, "we've got another problem."
"Captain Dun was going to sell O.J. to Burke and Blair," explained Lenore.
"He wouldn't!" I gasped.
"It's all true, Captain Star," replied Ten Cents.
"Bit noo that Captain Dun's arrested, we dinnae ken whit wull happen tae O.J.," added Big Mac.
"Maybe… I will be sold to them anyway…" sighed O.J. sadly. "Where else am I supposed to go?"
"How about you come and work for me?" I suggested.
"A-are you sure?!" asked O.J..
"Of course," I replied. "I've been looking for another harbour tug for a while, and you, O.J., fit the bill perfectly. Where would my tugs so far have been without your guidance and wisdom?"
"So, we're getting another member?!" Ten Cents said excitedly.
"It sure looks like it," replied Big Mac.
"How about it, O.J.?" I asked.
"I'd be honored, Captain Star," said O.J. happily.
"Excellent!" I replied. "Lenore, contact your father-in-law and let him know that O.J. will be coming to be repainted in the Star Fleet corporate livery and given the number three."
"Right away, sir," replied Lenore.
"Thank you, Captain," smiled O.J.. "You won't regret this."
"I reckon you're right, O.J.," I replied.
Captain Tiberius Dun was found guilty of his crimes and sentenced to spend the rest of his life in prison. Ironically, two years later, he was killed in a prison brawl. I doubt he would have gone to the Moonlight Oceans after his wicked deeds, and I reckon his wife and children would have been ashamed of the monster he became.
Locust and Moonshine were also found guilty of attempted murder and were sentenced to a compulsory Final Firing.
As for O.J., whilst he missed his old friends, he was grateful to work for me, especially with Ten Cents and Big Mac. Because of his age, he had to take on lighter jobs compared to Big Mac. Nonetheless, his age and wisdom have proven invaluable, and every time Burke and Blair tried to make an offer, I would rebuke the offer and send them on their way.
By this point, the Star Fleet was becoming more like a family.
As for Mr. Lloyd, his railway opened and proved successful. However, the underwater tunnel was causing problems due to the smoke and steam from Puffa and Little Owl's chimney. Fortunately, I was about to find the perfect solution to that dilemma, but that's another story.
The End
Athour's notes: Well, this was where both Big Mac and O.J. joined up the Stars. Unfortunately, all of O.J.'s fellow tugboats were all scrapped or ran off, and in the actual TUGS timeline... this does make Quarantine harsher in hindsight. But I also headcanon the events of Quarantine to be Captain Star's biggest regret in his life, so there's that.
Next time, instead of counting dollars, we'll be Counting Stars.