The Kitakami Chronicles

Chapter 2: The First Operation

Kitakami and Ooi arrive at their designated base of operations in Taiwan. They were greeted by their base commander, Lo Yang.

"Greetings. You must be Torpedo Division X. I am Lo Yang, formerly known as Benson and I am one of the head commanders of the Republic of China Navy. Welcome to Naval Base 6. Since you are mercenaries, we'll be paying for your actions depending on the risk. Some of the money will be deducted for services such as repairs and resupply."

"Thank you for the introduction. I am Kitakami, and this is Ooi. We'll make sure to get the job done as long as you pay us well."

"Ah, Ooi. I heard many things about you. You look different as well." Lo Yang realized who she was.

"Well, what can I say? I'm a veteran in the mercenary world and yeah, we do look different. We just got a refit and we've now become torpedo warriors." Ooi answered.

"Well I look forward to your hard and dedicated work to turn this war around. Anyways, I should be sending you to your dock to stay at. You two will be parked at Dock 66. There are a few gifts for you on the house there. I hope this will entice you."

"Thank you. Please lead the way for us." Kitakami thanked.

Lo Yang led the way for the two cruisers to the respective dock. The dock had a large roof for bomb protection and a giant 66 painted on the entrance. Once inside, Kitakami and Ooi encountered a couple of flags. The two were identical and had two golden torpedoes crossed over in the shape of an X, on a black background. Lo Yang, explained to them that this flag will identify the two as Torpedo Division X. Kitakami liked the design and thanked the base commander for the gift, but that wasn't all. Lo Yang also offered the two, one free custom paint job that will help identify the cruisers in battle. Excited, Kitakami and Ooi chose the colours they wanted and applied it to themselves. In the end, Kitakami painted both sides of her hull with dark blue stripes. She was satisfied with the symmetrical design and aesthetics. Ooi however, chose a more unique design with her paint. She decided the paint the entire starboard section of her hull red to signify the time she lost half of her hull during a fight and survived while trying to return back to safety. Before Kitakami could reply how Ooi survived, the sister ship simply said, "it was difficult, but it was all true."

Now that the sisters were set, the pair were called in to report for a briefing made by Lo Yang. They didn't get to know the other personnel yet but there wasn't time. They were needed for a mission and it was urgent. Along with them in the briefing were another two ships named Shen Yang and Cheng An. These two, while Japanese, were not mercenaries and are integrated into the ROCN. Lo Yang then started the briefing:

Alright, listen up. We have a situation on our hands. As you know, the so called People's Liberation Army has captured the entire Chinese mainland. What is left of us are now scattered across several islands with Taiwan being our HQ. Our scouts have discovered a considerable landing force making an attempt to cross the strait. It may not be enough to capture the island, but it will be a serious threat to our base defenses. More attacks on our defenses means we will weaken and the island will soon fall to a much larger invasion force. Intercept them immediately. You are the last line of defense and the Communist invasion must end here. Operation Arrowhead begins now. Dismissed.

All the ships that were briefed prepared for battle and left the base as quickly as possible. Shen Yang and Cheng An were ahead of both Kitakami and Ooi. As they approached the battle area, it began to rain. "It's starting to come down." Ooi mentioned.

"What does that mean for us?" Kitakami asked.

"It means the attacking force will have a difficult time breaking through."