Chapter 1: Tempest's Fury

The storm descended upon the Pacific like an enraged deity, its fury echoing through the night. The cargo ship, caught in the clutches of the tempest, creaked and groaned as towering waves clawed at its sides. Lightning lacerated the sky, revealing the chaos that surrounded it. The ship's crew fought valiantly against the elements, but the sea had no mercy for their struggle.

Amidst the maelstrom, Hiroshi Tanaka, a seasoned sailor with weathered features and a salt-crusted beard, clung desperately to the ship's railing. His eyes squinted against the relentless rain as he shouted orders to his crewmates.

“Hold on to something or you’ll get thrown into the waves!”

The ship pitched and rolled, testing the limits of their resilience.

A deafening crack split the air as lightning struck the mast, sending a surge of electricity through the vessel. Hiroshi's vision blurred momentarily as the shock reverberated through his body. When he regained his senses, he found himself sprawled on the deck, the ship now a fractured carcass adrift in the roiling sea.

“Ugh… It… can’t be…”

Waves lapped hungrily at the wreckage, tearing it apart piece by piece. Hiroshi, clinging to a fragment of the ship's hull, glimpsed the last vestiges of his livelihood sinking beneath the tumultuous waves. As despair threatened to consume him, a final surge thrust him towards an unknown fate.

Unconsciousness claimed him, and when Hiroshi awoke, he lay on a desolate shore, sand sticking to his soaked clothing. Coughing up seawater, he struggled to his feet, taking in the desolation that surrounded him.

“Cough* Cough* Cough* Ugh... huff* huff* huff*. Where, am I? Am I the only one who survived?” Hiroshi takes into his surroundings and slowly gauges in his situation.

A lone survivor on an uninhabited island, he faced a harsh reality. He was stranded on this deserted island with nothing but what he had with him in person. Having no supplies and no bearings of his location, he was now in a dire situation.

Inhales a deep breath* “Haaaaah… This is not good.” ‘I need to find a way to survive somehow. First of all, I need to search for food and water as I’m not sure how long I’ll be stuck here in this island.’ Hiroshi thought to himself calmly as he thinks about his next course of action.

Hiroshi decided to first search for the most reliable source food and water on any island and that is, the coconut. He spent half of the day searching for coconut groves while also searching for a place to make his shelter. He finally found a good spot and decided to make his base camp on a location with easy access to coconuts and a good view of the ocean.

He made his shelter out of the piece of the wreckage of his ship, coconut leaves and ropes made from harvesting coconut husk, that’s how he was able to set himself up for his stay in the deserted island as he searched for other alternatives.

Days turned into weeks as Hiroshi adapted to the island's unforgiving environment. He foraged for food, fashioned makeshift shelter from the wreckage, and learned to navigate the treacherous terrain. Yet, the island held more than survival challenges; it harboured a secret buried deep within its jungles.

One fateful day, driven by an insatiable curiosity, Hiroshi ventured into the heart of the island. As he hacked through dense foliage, he stumbled upon a concealed entrance, camouflaged by vines and rocks.

“Whoa! What is that a secret entrance?” Hiroshi spoke out loud as he marvelled at the strange entrance which he is discovered on this seemingly deserted island. He went straight in curious about where the entrance would lead him into.

As he went in deeper, suddenly out of nowhere, the hallways started lighting up with a hum of electronic tone. He was startled at first but soon regained his composure, as he cautiously inspected his surroundings. His eyes came across a metal door at the end of the hallway which had a scanner attached to it. He went in closer to inspect the door as he noticed that there was a key-card laying on top of a box near the door.

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He picked up the key-card and then flipped it over to the check for any detail on the card with no luck as it was already faded beyond recognition. He then took key-card and tried to insert it inside the card scanner by the metallic blast door. The door then prompted beeped with a positive bing and slid over the side to reveal an elevator inside.

Hiroshi with some hesitation entered into the elevator and pressed on the button of the middle floor which is the 4th flour down. The elevator led him into the bowels of the island, revealing a hidden facility from a forgotten era. His eyes widened in shock as he took in his sight a huge facility with machineries and huge metal crates containing god knows what. As he steps out of the elevator he can see that there appears to be military equipment here and there.

The underground complex held relics of a bygone military project, its corridors echoing with the whispers of secrecy. Hiroshi inspected the huge underground facility with amazement and caution as he walked around the facility taking in all the information he can until he noticed something strange. At almost the half way point of the facility, there was a large rectangular empty looking space in between.

Curiosity driving him he ran walked the distance until he laid his eyes on what was inside the huge space. His eyes widened in disbelief as he stumbled upon the hidden gem—a remarkably well-preserved Takao-class heavy cruiser, adorned with advanced technology that defied the era from which it hailed.

“Whoa! Is… That a Takao-Class heavy cruiser? Wait, no. It looks a bit off.” Hiroshi runs around the space what he now identifies as a dry dock and notices some peculiarities on the ship’s design as he views it sideways.

“The base design is obviously that of the ww2 era heavy cruiser but it seems to have been modified quite a bit.” Hiroshi noticed that the third turret of the ship has been replaced by 4x8 VLS cells and the two frontal turrets has been oriented further to the front in order to compensate space for the VLS Cells.

Not only that, there appear to be no smoke stacks and there is a different structure in the place of the smoke stacks. The aircraft hanger is also now on the stern side of the ship like a modern destroyer and the two turrets are oriented further behind its original place to accommodate the flight hanger with an additional 6x8 VLS cells between turrets and the forecastle. There were also 8x24 inch torpedo tubes on quadruple mounts, one mount on each.

Defensively, it had four CIWS type weapons mounted in a rectangular orientation, covering the ship with good close-in air-defence. It also had several Harpoon missile launcher cells on the deck for further defence. This ship was literally armed to the teeth.

"Well this is interesting. I wonder how a facility like this can just be left abandoned without any reason." Hiroshi thought to himself as a growl from his stomach brought him out of his thought. "Ugh, I have been walking all day today and I haven't eaten anything yet. Lemme go and check around if there is any food storage in this facility, and let's hope that they have a working kitchen too"

With hunger on his mind he left the dry dock area in search for the kitchen. But unbeknownst to him, his arrival had awaken something in the facility which had laid dormant for a very long time

*30 Minutes Later*

After inspecting the exterior of the Takao-class cruiser, he felt the persistent pang of hunger. Opting for a detour, he ascended to the third floor, discovering rooms filled with mysteries, including a well-stocked kitchen and food storage areas. Hiroshi, resourceful as ever, prepared a meal and savored it in a makeshift lounge area he stumbled upon.

Resting against the cold metal walls, thoughts swirled in his mind. He pondered the possibilities of this hidden fortress and wondered if there was a way to communicate with the outside world. Consulting the map again, he discovered that the control room lay one floor above—the second floor.

Climbing the staircase he found while searching for the elusive elevator, Hiroshi reached the control room entrance. The heavy door slid open, revealing a room filled with panels and screens. At the center, a holographic display flickered to life, and a soothing voice resonated through the room.

"Welcome, Hiroshi Tanaka. I am April, the advanced artificial intelligence system designed to manage and oversee the operations of this facility," the voice declared, as holographic screens displayed information about the cruiser and its dormant systems.

Surprised but intrigued, Hiroshi acknowledged April's presence. "April, huh? What's the story behind this place, and why was I chosen as its new owner?"

"You hold the master key card, Mr. Tanaka, a key to both the physical and digital realms of this facility. As the rightful owner, you have the authority to activate the dormant AI system within the Takao-class cruiser, along with its physical human Android model for enhanced interaction," April explained.

Hiroshi, his curiosity piqued, considered the implications. "Why not? Let's bring this cruiser back to life. And the Android model? Sure, why not have some company in this hidden world. What's the process?"

April guided Hiroshi through the intricacies of reactivating the cruiser's AI, ensuring that the transition would be smooth and secure. As lines of code flowed across holographic screens, the dormant systems awakened, and the Takao-class cruiser began to hum with newfound life.

"Now, Mr. Tanaka, shall we proceed with the reactivation of the Android model to enhance your interaction with the cruiser?" April inquired, its virtual presence awaiting Hiroshi's decision.

To be continued in the next chapter