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Description
This is another of my TUGS OC, this time on Captain Zero's good-natured niece, Zoot. Her life with a Uncle was a cross between Matilda and Cinderella; highly-intelligent, honest and yet underestimated, ignored and enslaved.
Her father, Sylvester Zero, is a modest, well-spoken and successful businessman, but she couldn't help having a light dislike for him, despite his great wealth. She just had to put up with it, like her adoring, yet suffering, mother.

She soon found out that some of her father's business was underhanded and was known as "Sneaky Sylvester" due to his cunning tricks and his ability to dodge the arm of the law. It seemed that her uncle and father were no different at all from each other - the only difference was Sylvester was successful with his underhand work, whilst Uncle Sheldon was not.
Her father had grown sick of having a "no-account-bookworm" (as he called her) around the house and sent her to learn some decent work for a change. He had her sent to his brother, Captain Zero, in Bigg City Port to teach her the ways of the Tugboat.
The only problem with that was the telegram about Zoot's arrival came on the day Zoot turned up on Zero's doorstep.
Poor Zoot really despised her abusive uncle and his conniving Z-Stacks (minus Zebedee because he wasn't there), always pointing out her "flaws", shouting at her, making her do all the work they hated or put off (like balancing the books), treating her worse than dirt, not really teaching her anything good about their businesses at all, and generally boasting about how great they were when she guessed how dumb and crooked they really were.
She does prove to have some of their traits in her when she secretly gets back at them for their behavior towards her, like switching Zorran's paint vanish so it bleached his coat (see here; ccb-18.deviantart.com/art/Zorr… ).

Then one day, some of the Star Fleet returned to Bigg City to collect some barges to take to Stymouth harbor. They find Zoot waiting outside the Bridge Cafe, and Top Hat goes into the dramatic life of the Star Tug (à la Disney's Honest John) and then he, Warrior, Big Mac and Hercules take her back with them to show her the proper ways of the Tugboat with a sing-song. Of course, Zip and Zug arrive late to collect Zoot (Daylight Savings and Zip forgot to alter the clocks/altered them the wrong way) and had to face their Captain wrath upon returning to the Zero Dock.

Upon arrival in Stymouth, Top Hat offered Zoot to Captains Star & Cajun as a new pupil to learn the ways of the tugboat - the only thing was he never asked the girl what her name was. Zoot then revealed her name and who her uncle was, Top Hat then of course blamed Warrior for bringing "the enemy into our midst" and then refused to have any more to do with her.
Everyone else on the other hand liked her, especially Captain Star's daughter Mary since they were blood-cousins. She was a fast learner and stuck well to her training.

Upon the day of her test her parents, her Uncle and the Z Stacks turn up and accuse Star of kidnapping - which was further from the truth. Star certainly brought Zero down about or two about his guardianship and Zoot proved that she could be as great as Star and passed her test with flying colours - despite the Z Stacks trying to mess it up for her and getting caught up in their own tricks(!)
By now, Zoot has proved her worthiness, and would qualified to become the next captain of the Z-Stacks - much to the dismay, outrage and horror of Zero and his tugboats.

Afterwards, her father relented and offered Star a business proposition - which he refused. Instead, thanks to her mother, Star got legal-guardianship of Zoot instead - which both niece, daughter and Captain were very happy with.

Description
This is another of my TUGS OC, this time on Captain Zero's good-natured niece, Zoot. Her life with a Uncle was a cross between Matilda and Cinderella; highly-intelligent, honest and yet underestimated, ignored and enslaved.
Her father, Sylvester Zero, is a modest, well-spoken and successful businessman, but she couldn't help having a light dislike for him, despite his great wealth. She just had to put up with it, like her adoring, yet suffering, mother.

She soon found out that some of her father's business was underhanded and was known as "Sneaky Sylvester" due to his cunning tricks and his ability to dodge the arm of the law. It seemed that her uncle and father were no different at all from each other - the only difference was Sylvester was successful with his underhand work, whilst Uncle Sheldon was not.
Her father had grown sick of having a "no-account-bookworm" (as he called her) around the house and sent her to learn some decent work for a change. He had her sent to his brother, Captain Zero, in Bigg City Port to teach her the ways of the Tugboat.
The only problem with that was the telegram about Zoot's arrival came on the day Zoot turned up on Zero's doorstep.
Poor Zoot really despised her abusive uncle and his conniving Z-Stacks (minus Zebedee because he wasn't there), always pointing out her "flaws", shouting at her, making her do all the work they hated or put off (like balancing the books), treating her worse than dirt, not really teaching her anything good about their businesses at all, and generally boasting about how great they were when she guessed how dumb and crooked they really were.
She does prove to have some of their traits in her when she secretly gets back at them for their behavior towards her, like switching Zorran's paint vanish so it bleached his coat (see here; ccb-18.deviantart.com/art/Zorr… ).

Then one day, some of the Star Fleet returned to Bigg City to collect some barges to take to Stymouth harbor. They find Zoot waiting outside the Bridge Cafe, and Top Hat goes into the dramatic life of the Star Tug (à la Disney's Honest John) and then he, Warrior, Big Mac and Hercules take her back with them to show her the proper ways of the Tugboat with a sing-song. Of course, Zip and Zug arrive late to collect Zoot (Daylight Savings and Zip forgot to alter the clocks/altered them the wrong way) and had to face their Captain wrath upon returning to the Zero Dock.

Upon arrival in Stymouth, Top Hat offered Zoot to Captains Star & Cajun as a new pupil to learn the ways of the tugboat - the only thing was he never asked the girl what her name was. Zoot then revealed her name and who her uncle was, Top Hat then of course blamed Warrior for bringing "the enemy into our midst" and then refused to have any more to do with her.
Everyone else on the other hand liked her, especially Captain Star's daughter Mary since they were blood-cousins. She was a fast learner and stuck well to her training.

Upon the day of her test her parents, her Uncle and the Z Stacks turn up and accuse Star of kidnapping - which was further from the truth. Star certainly brought Zero down about or two about his guardianship and Zoot proved that she could be as great as Star and passed her test with flying colours - despite the Z Stacks trying to mess it up for her and getting caught up in their own tricks(!)
By now, Zoot has proved her worthiness, and would qualified to become the next captain of the Z-Stacks - much to the dismay, outrage and horror of Zero and his tugboats.

Afterwards, her father relented and offered Star a business proposition - which he refused. Instead, thanks to her mother, Star got legal-guardianship of Zoot instead - which both niece, daughter and Captain were very happy with.