The cavalcade arrived outside the Munitions Dump. Andrews held up his hand and the group halted. “So, what’s the plan?” whispered Skarloey.
“You engines hang back,” said Hanako as she and Flora left Rheneas’ cab. “Yamta and the Lords are ours to deal with.”
“Hold on, this is our railway!” snapped Duncan.
“Exactly. If any of you were to get harmed or worse…this place would shut down. Hang back and stay alive.”
“She’s right, my engines,” said Mr. Percival. He then removed his coat and hat, hanging them on Skarloey’s lamp irons. “I promise you; we WILL be back.”
“Move out!” Andrews called to his men. Everyone then left the bewildered engines behind.
“He…he IS coming back, right Granpuff?” Peter Sam asked Duke.
“…I certainly hope so, Stuart,” replied Duke as he used Peter Sam’s old name. “…I really do.”
Yamta and the Lords stood by. She had the detonator in her hand, ready to blow up the railway. A Lord then approached her. “Yes?” she asked.
“The enemy has been spotted coming here,” reported the Lord. Yamta then put her helmet on.
“Take up your positions,” she ordered through her helmet’s voice synthesizer. The Lords scrambled around the Munitions’ Dump and hid behind various objects as Hanako led everyone into the area. She looked around with a grim look on her face.
“…We know you’re here, Yamta,” she called. “There’s no point in hiding from us.”
“Not one step further, Hanako,” warned Yamta as she made her altered voice bounce off every object, confusing the Kitsune. “Things won’t end for the Skarloey Railway unless you agree to let us leave with Bounty.” Hanako smirked
“Your bombs have been disabled thanks to Boulton telling us once he learned the truth. Go ahead and press the button. The railway will still be safe.”
“Idle bluffs are dangerous. Just know this; the railway’s demise is on your head.” Yamta pressed the button on the detonator. The Lord next to her widened his eye in surprise.
“They…they didn’t go off!” he reported.
“An idle bluff, was it?” taunted Hanako.
“THAT’S IT!” shouted a female Lord. She fired at Hanako’s group, prompting the rest of the Lords to open fire.
“TAKE COVER!” shouted Andrews. Everyone was quick to obey that order.
“STOP SHOOTING! STOP!” Yamta shouted to the Lords. She then grabbed the one near her and got into his face. “I gave you an order to cease fire!” The Lord quickly sent that order through the Collective. “The risks at an ammo dump are clear! One shot could have blown us sky-high! Who fired the first shot?!”
“…Lieutenant Sophia Nevel, Four of Twenty.”
“She’s demoted to Sergeant. The plan’s a failure. All forces, return to base. The Skarloey Narrow Gauge Railway’s too strong for us. I’ll draw their attention away from you.” The Lord nodded and sent the order through the Collective. Yamta then charged at the heroes as the Lords abandoned the Munitions’ Dump. The soldiers were knocked down like bowling pins while Hanako and her friends were more steadfast. Eventually, Yamta plowed through them and made her way to the engines. “…Time for some boilers to explode!” she hissed. That scared the engines. Someone then swung a large branch onto her head from behind her. She had to take her helmet off to massage the area and looked behind to see Mr. Percival looking very angry.
“NOT MY FAMILY!” he shouted as he swung the club again. Yamta then vanished in a pillar of light, then it died to reveal that she was gone. Mr. Percival adjusted his tie, then simply retrieved his coat and hat from Skarloey’s lamp irons as everyone else returned.
“The Dump’s been cleared of the enemy,” said Andrews.
“Then we’ve beaten her back sufficiently,” replied Hanako. “But I know her. She’ll be back in some capacity.”
“When she does, I’m sure you will be ready for her,” remarked Mr. Percival. “…In the meantime, we must go home.”
Everyone made it back to Crovan’s Gate and just sat there, processing what just happened on the railway. “…At least she wasn’t willing to sacrifice her troops,” muttered Duke.
“She never did like using her troops like pawns,” replied Hanako.
“Like I don’t like doing so with my engines,” mumbled Mr. Percival.
“…I know I complain a lot,” remarked Duncan, “but I never felt like a pawn. Ever. Still don’t.”
“None of us do, Sir,” said Skarloey.
“Even those who just started working for you,” chuckled Flora. Mr. Percival smiled.
“That’s very reassuring to hear, everyone,” he said. He then stood up. “Hanako, you and your friends have proven yourselves to this railway a hundred-fold these past three days. Please, enjoy a week-long break. Catch up with your friends.”
“Will do, Sir!” Hanako and her friends then gathered, and Flora called up Richard.
“Richard, we have the SKR’s trust. We’re returning to the ships for a week-long break.”
“Good to hear, Flora,” replied Richard. “We’re halfway there to gaining the island’s trust. We’ll see you later.” The call then ended.
“Time to go,” said Flora. Hanako then made a teleport circle under everyone, and they all vanished.
“…I’m never gonna understand them,” muttered Duncan. “…Still, at least Swalmu had taste in comedians.”
“That was a near victory for us,” remarked Duke.
“I’d like to think of it as a near defeat.” The engines and Mr. Percival stared at Duncan in confusion.
“…Beg pardon?” asked Rusty.
“Well, a near victory implies that a person almost won, but didn’t. We almost lost, but we didn’t, so it’s a near defeat.”
“…Have you been listening to George Carlin again?” asked Mr. Percival.
“Aye, I have.”
Everyone returned to the ships and met with Richard. “So, how was SKR life?” asked Richard.
“Quite…thrilling,” sighed Hanako.
“Well, we’ve got id on Yamta,” said Richard. “Thundercracker’s doing an air patrol for her right now.”
“How’s Boulton holding up?” Richard sighed.
“Riddled with regret. He’s not happy that he’s been duped.”
“Have you seen him?”
“Yeah, I have. I just got out of the brig when Flora called. He’s holding up, but the experience isn’t something he can easily wish away.”
“I know the feeling.”
“Sounds like Yamta’s a nasty piece of work.”
“You mean she’s a pig-headed idiot,” corrected Swalmu. “She’s a woman, not a machine. A nasty piece of work could mean anything.”
“…That sounded like a comedian my dad and I like.”
“Yeah, my husband, for reasons that elude me completely, is a fan of George Carlin!” hissed Flora.
“Well, why not?! The guy told it like it was!” protested Swalmu.
“I’d say he’d be happy to know that we talked about him while on Sodor,” chuckled Richard. Swalmu arched an eyebrow.
“Did he perform here? I don’t think his material would have been appropriate.”
“Nah, it’s something else. Follow me.” Richard led Swalmu to the Ark’s bridge. “Tell me, have you heard about a t.v. show centered around Sodor?” Richard asked while they walked through the corridors.
“You mean the one with the models of the engines? Yeah,” replied Swalmu. “I never really cared for it myself. I don’t know why they kept Donald and Douglas in their black paintjob or why they named the whole thing after Thomas. You’d think he was the sole engine of Sodor!”
“Well, I liked the series when I was a little boy.”
“I don’t see why. I mean, it sounded like the narrator was an Elf high on something.”
“Oh, I didn’t grow up with Ringo Starr as the narrator.” They arrived on the bridge. “Teletraan, mind playing Donald and Douglas’ debut episode in Thomas and Friends? US narration, please.”
“Sure thing,” replied Teletraan. He pulled up the video and the narrator began the story.
“Donald and Douglas are twins and had arrived from Scotland to help Sir Topham Hatt, but only one engine had been expected.”
“THAT’S HIM!” gasped Swalmu. “THAT’S GEORGE CARLIN!”
“He narrated the first four seasons of the show for American audiences, so little boys from my home country could grow up with Sodor on their minds. Thank goodness too. I don’t think I’d be as interested in Thomas if I heard Ringo Starr. The few times I DID hear his narration, I nearly fell asleep.”
“Well, I’ve got some catching up to do! Teletraan, pull up the entire George Carlin library! I’m spending my break watching them!”
“Got it!” chuckled Teletraan.
Over with Igura, I’m sorry to say that she wasn’t happy with Yamta’s report. “WHY WERE MY ORDERS DISOBEYED?!” she shouted at Yamta.
“A traitor within the Lords,” replied Yamta, “revealed the bombs’ locations to the enemy and someone opened fire within the ammo dump, causing my unit to forget the risks. We had to abandon the base.”
“Where’s the traitor?!”
“With the enemy.”
“And where’s the Lord who fired that shot?!”
“Currently serving KP and demoted.”
“Give me their name!”
“They’ve been punished accordingly.”
“Their name!”
“I’ve already demoted them and put them on KP!”
“GIVE ME THEIR NAME!” An ashen gray hand with blue veins then grabbed her and whirled her around to face an Elf of the same skin tone and eyes glowing blue like the veins. He sported flaming red hair and looked angry.
“The soldier has already been disciplined accordingly!” he hissed. “There is no need for further punishment. You’ve clearly never learned how to command a unit properly. Yamta and I did during the Final War. We sowed fear and discord among the Realmfleeters with our command styles. I’ll prove it to you with the Arlesdale Railway.” He then made his way to the door.
“Yulduk,” Yamta called after the Elf. Yulduk then turned to her. “Good hunting.” Yulduk smiled.
“Always,” he said as he left.