Ghosts

**Ghosts** is the fourteenth *TUGS: The Bigg City Chronicles* story.

## Plot

Ten Cents, Big Mac, O.J., Warrior, Hercules, Sunshine, Zorran, Zebedee, Zob and Sea Rogue are rewarded with medals for their bravery in the munitions disaster. Top Hat, meanwhile, has lost the trust of his fellow Star Tugs. A funeral is held for Big Mickey at Uptown.

A couple of months later, Winter arrives early in Bigg City Port, and so does the big fog that comes with it. It was much more difficult to navigate through fog in these years, due to the tugs having neither a radio nor radar back then.

One night, Big Mac is travelling back home to the Star Dock, after working with Scuttlebutt Pete, who has been telling him ghost stories. The fog makes everything seem very spooky. Just then, Big Mac sees some tugs – silent tugs, white all over that appear to be ghosts. Big Mac thinks it’s the ghost tugs Scuttlebutt Pete told him about while working. Big Mac rushes home, and while reluctant at first, tells the others. The tugs (except Sunshine who believes he could have seen ghosts) make fun of Big Mac while telling him to get a grip as do Zip and Zug on their way to collect some 'treasure' for Captain Zero. However, they, along with Sea Rogue, encounters the Ghost Fleet and think that Flotsam and Jetsam's ghosts have come for revenge. Sea Rogue fears for O'Malley's safety and leaves whilst Zip and Zug are so scared they lose the 'treasure'.

The next morning, Captain Zero puts Zip and Zug on dredger duty for losing the 'treasure'. Meanwhile, the Star tugs still give Big Mac a hard time, including O.J., after he sarcastically gives him wise advice about the fog. Big Mac wishes he hadn’t told them now. Unbeknownst to him, Zob had overheard.

In a nightmare sequence, Hercules watches in horror as Ten Cents is blown to smithereens and he is unable to save him. Hercules wakes up, panting, but doesn't want to talk about his dream to Puffa and Little Owl as it could give them nightmares too. Puffa then tells Hercules that he needs help, specifically from Captain Lucky, who is a professional counselor. Hercules is hesitant to do so at first, but Puffa assures him that talking about a trauma helps. Hercules relents and decides to go see Captain Lucky.

Later that morning, at Lucky's Yard, Hercules is talking to Captain Lucky, and tells him his nightmares got worse when he heard how many people were killed in the fire: 126 and Ten Cents would have been the 127th victim. Hercules isn't sure to feel guilty, but wonders if they could have saved those people if they had just gotten Bluenose out of there sooner. Captain Lucky tells him not to think on what might have happened, but to remember that they saved many more than being butchered there. Hercules, having taken a tremendous load off his mind, thanks Captain Lucky, who recommends Hercules to talk to the others about it, who will offer their support to him. Hercules then meets up with Zebedee and Sea Rogue, the latter of whom is going to see Captain Lucky as well. Then Zob arrives and informs Hercules after the sightings of the Ghost Fleet. Hercules then informs Captain Star who promises to persuade Captain Zero to reveal the truth.

That night, on Warrior’s way back to port, some shrimpers are using him a guide. Suddenly, Warrior sees a mud-bank, and swerves just in time. But the shrimpers can’t react in time and end right upon the mud-bank. Then, Warrior sees the Ghost Fleet too and quickly reverses in fright.

Further away, Izzy Gomez is about to attempt to get into port free after failing to get a cheap tow, using the fog as cover. Zorran comes across Izzy and taunts him about it. He then sails away from Izzy. Up ahead, Zorran sees two lights in the mist that he thinks is another tramper needing a tow – but it turns out to be the Ghost Fleet. Meanwhile, Izzy Gomez has started away on his own. Before long, he too sees the ghost tugs. A frightened Zorran has traveled right round in a circle, and ends up running straight into Izzy’s hull side . A desperate and frightened Izzy offers Zorran to tow him for any price. Zorran (also scared) says he will tow him in free as he needs some company on the way back to the port.

O.J. is also on the way back to port, after escorting two trampers out to sea. He takes a shortcut through the inlet where old cranes are kept. The fog makes everything look very creepy. Suddenly, Scuttlebutt Pete raises his dredger out of the water, startling O.J. and shouts that he's scaring the other workers. He then tells O.J. to take care and O.J. soon continues on – then sees the Ghost Fleet pass right on by.

Zak and Zeus were collecting more “treasure” to replace the cargo Zip and Zug had lost the previous night. The two get in an argument over the mishap with the railway bridge and Nantucket when they encounter the Ghost Fleet as well.

Top Hat is now travelling home after a long day. After sounding his foghorn, he is suddenly startled – but soon finds it is merely a goods train crossing the rail bridge. The fog and all (it would seem) is getting to Top Hat’s nerves as well. Upon steering between two idle trampers, Top Hat sees the Ghost Fleet, and docks behind a tramper to hide, thinking he is miles from home. Top Hat wishes he hadn't been so cowardly.

Ten Cents and Sunshine get the worst scare of all. They are taking fuel to Lillie Lightship, but it’s hard-going. Just then, they hear a strange cracking noise. To add to that, the Ghost Fleet passes. As time goes on, the water bubbles and an old galleon slowly rises from the water. Lightning strikes it all over several times, and a freakish face appears in the sky, a face that Sunshine knows: King Neptune. Ten Cents goes into shell-shock and Sunshine gets him away from the galleon. The two switchers encounter Hercules and Zob. Hercules, shocked to see his little brother in a state, instructs Zob to take Sunshine to Lillie whilst he takes Ten Cents back to port.

Next morning, Grampus finds Top Hat and spits some water at him, waking him up with a start. Top Hat pleads for the ghosts to go away, and then sees Grampus, telling him he must have been dreaming. Grampus makes great fun of Top Hat for mooring there, as he is no more than 500 yards from the Star Tugs Pier.

Top Hat heads over to the pier where the Z-Stacks are also waiting and tells the others all about what he saw, thinking his side doesn't matter since they have all seen the ghosts and an old galleon. Ten Cents and Hercules then arrive back from Lucky's where Hercules, Zob, Captain Star and Captain Zero agree it's time to tell everyone else the truth. Hercules explains the floating figures are not ghosts, but the White Fleet, visiting from Northern waters on the trail of an iceberg, often sailing at times with engines off, listening for cracking ice. Hercules then explains that the galleon was simply frozen in the iceberg that melted in their warmer water, but is unsure as to why Sunshine saw Neptune. Sunshine had let the fog get to her, to which Captain Star agrees as everyone had been on edge since the night of the fire and Captain Zero instructs everyone to see Captain Lucky.

Just then, Burke and Blair pass by towing the old galleon, now nothing more than burned, destroyed, and rotten. Captain Lucky is able to talk to everyone about their issues and Hercules and I both agreed to keep everyone in the loop about special assignments in future so incidents like this never happened again.

## Differences between the episode and this version

* In the original episode, Zorran was the only Z-Stack to have an encounter. In the adaptation, the other Z-Stacks had encounters as well. Also, Hercules and Zob were both aware of the White Fleet's presence as were Captain Star and Captain Zero.
* In the adaptation, Ten Cents goes into complete shell shock due to his fears of explosions and Hercules has to take him to port to calm him down. As a result, unlike the original episode where Hercules found the Stars' encounters with the White Fleet amusing, Hercules is more serious in the adaptation.

## Characters

* Captain Star
* Ten Cents
* Big Mac
* O.J.
* Top Hat
* Warrior
* Hercules
* Sunshine
* Grampus
* Captain Zero
* Zorran
* Zebedee
* Zak
* Zug
* Zip
* Zeus
* Zob
* Captain Lucky
* Sea Rogue
* Puffa
* Little Owl
* Jacob Burke and Ebenezer Blair (do not speak)
* Billy Shoepack (does not speak)
* O’Malley (does not speak)
* Boomer (does not speak)
* Finbar (does not speak)
* Peeper Pipes (does not speak)
* Lillie Lightship (does not speak)

## Voices

### Official

* Simon Nash as Ten Cents
* Sean Barrett as Big Mac, Hercules, Zebedee
* Ian James Corlett as O.J.
* John Baddeley as Top Hat and Puffa
* Chris Tulloch as Zorran
* Nigel Anthony as Zug

### Fan chosen

* Peter Dickson as Captain Star
* Jeff Bennett as Warrior
* Michelle Creber as Sunshine
* Tara Strong as Zip
* Richard White as Zeus
* Christian Bale as Zob
* Lenore Zann as Little Owl and Captain Lucky
* Scott McCord as Scuttlebutt Pete
* John Leguizamo as Izzy Gomez

## Trivia

* This marks the first appearance of Captain Lucky.