Ch 3: Broken Chip vs Katana

The area ruled by the Broken Chip gang was pleasant enough. The regular ebb and flow of extortion, loan sharking, and low-key prostitution were all just part of a typical day for the north side of Paw City. Cat Punks put up with it since they were promised safety in return.

Everything was running smoothly until the Katana gang decided it needed to expand its territory Northward. From a purely strategic perspective, it made sense. The new alliance between the All-Nighters and Kabutowari now presented a daunting presence tucked up against their southern border.

Without knowing the intricacies of the new alliance, all the true facts were hidden from the public eye; the Katana decided a hostile takeover would be best.

They began by sending an armed squad into the northwestern edge of Broken Chip territory, figuring to capture and maintain the many tailor shops and haberdasheries located there. They felt it would make an excellent stronghold as they widened their advance. Their confidence was boosted because all their spies had told them the Broken Chip was all talk and no action.

The next morning, after the shops were secured, a group of black-clad, masked commandos appeared as if from nowhere and killed every Katana in every shop. Then they piled the bodies in a truck, drove it to the border, and dumped them.

The message was clear enough.

That evening the upper echelon members of Katana met in a safe house to discuss what had happened. While there were numerous calls for revenge, many heartfelt, cooler heads prevailed. They didn’t have accurate intel, and that had doomed the mission. Far from being the pushovers they’d assumed the Broken Chip had proved formidable. Unlike the Katana, who were overt in their aggression, the Broken Chip kept their power reserved until absolutely needed. While not spoken aloud, many of the board members were impressed.

Rather than trust spies, all of the last batch were now being used as fertilizer; it was decided that four elder members of the board would visit Broken Chip territory and see what was happening.

The next few days were eye-opening for the Katana. The shops they’d so recently held were being rebuilt, completely at the expense of the Broken Chip, and people were walking the streets openly praising their extorters. The methods used by the Broken Chip seemed to work with the assistance of the populace, and this was an entirely new concept to the Katana.

They mulled this over and returned home.

After a lengthy discussion with the board, a consensus was reached.

The same four returned to the border of Broken Chip. This time they each wore their signature swords. An equal number of black-clad warriors met them, and they surrendered their katanas, bowed, and asked for a meeting with those who would benefit from a truce.