Red Tide: The Chinese Invasion of Seattle (Occupied Seattle Book 1)

by Christopher Kennedy

  RED TIDE: THE CHINESE INVASION OF SEATTLE

  Occupied Seattle Duology

  Book One

  By

  Chris Kennedy

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  PUBLISHED BY:

  Chris Kennedy

  Copyright 2013 Chris Kennedy.

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  Discover other titles by Chris Kennedy at:

  https://www.facebook.com/chriskennedypublishing.biz

  or

  http://chriskennedypublishing.com/

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  License Notes

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only and may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.

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  Above all others, this book is for my wife and children. I would like to thank Isabel, Linda, KK, Jennie, David and Jimmy, who took the time to critically read the work and make it better. I would also like to thank my mother, without whose steadfast belief in me, I would not be where I am today. Thank you.

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  Cover art by Genesis Graphic Design

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  Note: All times in Red Tide are given in military time, using the 24-hour clock. To find a time that occurs after noon (12:00 p.m.), simply subtract 12 from the first two digits of the number. For example, 1400 becomes 2:00 p.m. Of note, most countries use this as their standard method for keeping time, with the notable exceptions of the United States and Canada.

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  Red Tide: The Chinese Invasion of Seattle

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  Table of Contents

  Interlude: 2013

  Chapter 1: 2014

  Interlude: 2016

  Chapter 2: 2016

  Interlude: 2017

  Chapter 3: 2017

  Interlude: 2018

  Chapter 4: 2018

  Interlude: August 19, 2018

  Chapter 5: August 19, 2018

  Interlude: August 20, 2018

  Epilogue

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  “Can A Chinese Automaker Succeed In The United States?”

  China ranks as the largest producer of automobiles in the world. The United States has long been one of the world's most welcoming markets. This would seemingly be an ideal match.

  In reality, the Chinese companies that collectively built more than 19 million vehicles last year have been notably absent among the Asian imports that populate U.S. showrooms. Plenty have declared their intent to sell cars in the U.S., but so far none have figured out how to make it work. Despite several false starts, they just keep trying.

  Guangzhou Automobile Group, China's sixth-largest automaker by sales volume, said this week it wanted to expand exports to developed markets as global growth accelerated. Industry analysts said that could include efforts to tap into the U.S. market, perhaps as early as 2015.

  - Bigelow, Pete. AOL Autos. AOL Money and Finance. 15 Jan. 2013

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  2014

  Beijing, China

  “It is the opinion of the committee that the only way forward is war.”

  The President of the People’s Republic of China, Jiang Jiabao, looked around the room as the Premier sat back down. Jiabao was new to the presidency, having recently been selected when his predecessor, Xi Jinping, died suddenly of a heart attack in his first term as president. A vibrant man who radiated an aura of confidence, he had never once failed to accomplish anything with which he had been tasked. China was at a crossroads, and he been selected for one reason, the reintegration of Taiwan.

  As the president looked around the room at the other members of the State Council, he saw that all eyes were upon him, awaiting his decision. In addition to the Premier, State Council meetings normally included the four Vice Premiers, the five State Councilors, and the 29 ministers. The chamber seemed cavernous today without the 29 ministers and all of the staff that normally filled it. Due to the topic of this meeting, they had all been excluded, with guards posted outside all of the doors to ensure their privacy. Among the leaders in attendance, Jiabao was first among equals, as he held the three most important offices in China, serving not only as the President of the People’s Republic of China, but also as the General Secretary of the Communist Party and the Chairman of the Central Military Commission.

  He knew it was his decision to make, therefore, and that history would either applaud or condemn him for his next words. He also knew there was only one way to proceed. “It will be war,” he said.

  He looked across the table and met the premier’s eyes. “Where do we stand diplomatically?”

  The premier, Rong Xiannian, stood back up. A long-time acquaintance of Jiabao, they were ‘fast-movers’ within the party. Sons of influence, they had come up through the ranks far faster than their contemporaries that lacked such patronage. It was no surprise that Jiabao had nominated Xiannian for the position when he was chosen to be president; they were also long-time best friends. Xiannian was slightly shorter than Jiabao, but exuded the same spirit and self-confidence as the president from their long association.

  “To this point,” said the premier, “we have been patient in waiting for the other nations to return Taiwan and the rest of our lost territories to us. We were partially rewarded for our patience when Hong Kong was peacefully restored to us by the United Kingdom in July, 1997, but the nations have been slower to return Taiwan. Instead, they have often actively opposed us, like when the United States’ Congress passed the Taiwan Relations Act, which told their military to defend Taiwan if we tried to take it back by force. As this conflict would probably result in World War III, we have waited, hoping for a peaceful reintegration, but no further progress has been made. In 2005, the People’s Republic passed our Anti-Secession Law which warned the other nations we would go to war over Taiwan if, among other reasons, it appeared that all possibility of peaceful unification had been lost. We made this proclamation to speed up the reintegration process and let the other nations know that our patience was growing thin; however, we were ignored, and a separate Taiwan remains a slap in our faces. With the last election in Taiwan, it is obvious that peaceful reunification will not be considered by Taiwan. We have no choice, therefore, but to go to war to recover it.”

  The premier turned to his right, where his Executive Vice Premier sat. A thin, waspish man, he was also not lacking in confidence, although he looked far more intellectual than either the president or Premier with his horn-rimmed glasses. “I asked Vice Premier Li Min to brief the Council on the current status of the United States’ treaties to defend Taiwan,” said the premier. “Vice Premier Li?”

  Vice Premier Li stood and addressed the Council. “The Americans have prepositioned enough forces to mount a credible defense of the island if they are given enough warning of an impending attack. The United States’ Seventh Fleet has a number of its units forward deployed to bases in Japan, led by its only permanently forward-deployed aircraft carrier, the USS George Washington. Although the United States has never stated the reason for the carrier’s forward-deployed status, it is obvious that it is based there to either deter us fro
m attacking Taiwan or, failing that, to aid in Taiwan’s defense in the event of an attack. As such, it represents an additional slap in the face by foreign powers thousands of miles away, forcing us to kowtow to their perceived preeminence. It is like the upstart nation has placed a guard dog just outside our property to make sure that we do not leave it.”

  A low growl permeated the council chambers at the affront.

  “Unfortunately, the United States is not alone,” continued Vice Premier Li, “as they have concluded treaties with both Japan and South Korea to aid in Taiwan’s defense. Japan is the bigger threat of the two, having embarked on a rearmament program in 2000 that continues to this day. They obviously believe that we will eventually invade Taiwan, and they are looking to bolster their forces, just as they did prior to the first Sino-Japanese war. Their planners probably expect us to launch preemptive strikes on their bases and are also worried about keeping the shipping routes open, for, if we take Taiwan, we would be able to shut off a large portion of their trade should we decide to do so. Taiwan’s capture makes our traditional enemy much more vulnerable. South Korea, while not as capable as Japan, also has some naval forces that would be able to participate in a conflict.” He stopped and sat down, although he looked like he had something more to say, but thought better of it.

  “Was there something else?” encouraged the president.

  Vice Premier Li stood back up. “Yes, sir, I am not sure if it is my place to say so or not, but our analysts note that these nations, whether together or on their own, would not be able to stop us, without the participation of the United States.” Vice Premier Li sat down.

  The president looked back to the premier. “Do you have a status report on the United States?” He had previously coordinated with the premier for how he wanted this meeting to go, so he knew that the premier had additional information to present.

  The Premier looked down at his notes. “Yes, I do. I have asked Vice Premier Sun Juan to discuss the current state of affairs in the United States.”

  Sun Juan, the only female Vice Premier, stood up. She was small of stature, but burned as intensely as the sun. Although the president knew she normally saw her position as a balance on the excessive testosterone of the war council, today, for the first time, he saw that she was in full agreement. “It is a very favorable time to proceed,” she said. “The Americans’ economy is in shambles and it is their own fault! Not only have they not passed a budget in two years, they implemented a mandatory budget cutting process two years ago that is crippling their military. With mandatory cuts in effect, they have postponed deployments, canceled required repairs and reduced training and operations. They have even wrapped their airplanes in plastic so that they do not have to maintain them. How can they expect their pilots to remain proficient if they do not fly? Their readiness is the lowest it has been in a long time. Now is the time to proceed, while their focus is on internal matters.”

  The president nodded his head. “Good,” he said. “If they want to do our work for us, we shall let them.” He looked back to the premier. “Do we have the correct people in place?”

  “Nearly so,” answered the premier. “Vice Premier Zhu?”

  Vice Premier Zhu Jie stood. Tall and heavy, the Vice Premier was the direct opposite of Sun Juan, large where she was small, loud and outgoing where she was quiet and reserved. President Jiang knew that Zhu had come up in the intelligence community and was familiar with the PRC’s efforts to place people into key areas where they would be needed for an attack.

  “We have the majority of the people needed for Operation Lightning in place now,” Vice Premier Zhu stated, “with the last few positions soon to be filled. As far as hardware goes, the equipment required to carry it out is either already in place or expected to be there soon. We should be ready in no more than 2-3 years.”

  Premier Rong stood back up as Vice Premier Zhu sat back down. The president had placed him in charge of the planning for Operation Lightning, so it was his duty to give the final summation. “We recently became aware of a 2008 report by the RAND Corporation of the United States,” he said, “which analyzed a theoretical attack by us on Taiwan. The report suggested that in the year 2020 the U.S. would likely not be able to defend Taiwan because of the new technology that we are developing, including our new cruise missiles that will enable us to destroy the United States’ aircraft carriers and bases. The report found that the United States’ claims of being able to achieve air superiority were questionable and largely unproven.”

  He paused. “Since then, everything has continued in our favor. Our forces have continued to grow stronger, while theirs have grown weaker. With our new plans in place, we are more ready than we have ever been.”

  The president agreed. “It is time,” he said. “Let the Lightning strike!”

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  “From Concept to Production”

  Chinese auto maker Guangzhou Automobile Group Co. (GAC), Ltd., announced today that it would be building its first American automobile assembly plant in Seattle, Washington, later this year. GAC will be the first of at least three Chinese firms that will begin manufacturing cars in the United States in the near future. GAC will be building on the relationship with Chrysler that it developed building Jeeps in China, which it calls crucial in moving forward.

  GAC made a name for itself three years ago when it showcased three vehicles at the Detroit Auto Show. The most exciting vehicle was its E-Jet, a derivative of which it intends to build at the new plant in Seattle. Not only is it stylish, it’s also a range-extended electric vehicle along the lines of the Chevy Volt (although its appearance will probably be more appealing to the general public). The car has evolved somewhat from its initial exhibition, claiming a pure-electric range of about 100 miles, or roughly 160 kilometers. It has a top speed of about 100 miles per hour and uses a 1.0-liter gasoline engine as its range extender.

  Although public opinion has been very favorable on the plan to build the facility here, there has been some dissent, as GAC purchased the Interbay Golf Course and will be building its facility on it. GAC justified its purchase because of the site’s proximity to Seattle’s northern port facilities and its access to the railroad lines there. In an effort to improve its public relations, GAC purchased memberships at the Broadmoor Golf Club for all of the current Interbay members, which has gone a long way toward smoothing things over with them.

  - World News Online. Posted February 27, 2016 by Sam Simmons

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  2016

  VFA-34 Ready Room, Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia Beach, VA

  Lieutenant Shawn “Calvin” Hobbs stood outside his squadron’s ready room, his head pounding, as he waited for Captain’s Mast. Captain’s Mast, a form of non-judicial punishment, was a proceeding where the commanding officer (CO) of a military unit dispensed justice to those under his or her command for a variety of relatively minor offenses, ranging from unauthorized absence to destruction of government property to the illegal use of drugs. At a Mast, the CO listened to the facts of the case, gave the accused a hearing as to those offenses, and then disposed of the charges by either dismissing them, imposing punishment under the provisions of military law or by referring the case to a court martial.

  “What are you here for, Torch?” he asked Lieutenant Junior Grade Steve Berkman, who was standing nearby. He spoke softly so his voice didn’t carry down the hall to where the accused sailors were waiting.

  “You know I hate it when you call me that, right?” asked Torch, violating one of the cardinal rules of call signs. Aviators were usually given call signs based on either a play on one of their names (from which “Calvin” got his) or by doing something stupid. Berkman’s was earned the second way; he had landed his aircraft when it was too heavy, jumped on the brakes too hard and had caught them on fire, burning up the wheel assemblies and earning the call sign, ‘Torch.’ There were three rules regarding call signs: (1) if you don't have a call sign, it is the duty of you
r ‘friends’ to give you one; (2) you probably won't like it; and (3) if you complain about it too much, it will either become permanent or you’ll get a new one you’ll like even less. By continuing to gripe about ‘Torch,’ he only ensured that it would continue to stick to him like glue.

  “Of course I know that,” Calvin said. “That’s why I do it. It makes me smile.” Calvin smiled to show he meant it. Calvin was six feet tall, blond and had a smile that the ladies loved, although he knew that he needed to spend more time at the gym than at the bars. He was starting to put on a few extra pounds and was worried that, if he didn’t start exercising more, and soon, he would be over the maximum weight allowed for his height on the next physical fitness test.

  “In any event,” Torch said, answering the original question, “I’m here because Airman Jones was late for duty again last week.” Calvin knew that Torch was the Line Division Officer, responsible for the enlisted men and women that kept the planes serviced and ready to fly; Airman Jones was one of his assistant plane captains.

  “Yeah, hard for plane captains to stay focused when there aren’t any planes to work on,” Calvin remarked. “I’m here because Airman Sanders was late for duty and showed up still under the influence of alcohol. This is his second Captain’s Mast and my third Captain’s Mast in the last two weeks, which I’m sure the XO is going to let me know is not a great testimonial to my leadership.” The squadron’s second-in-command, or executive officer, was generally responsible for training and disciplining the officers. In the “good cop/bad cop” tandem of CO/XO, the XO was the bad cop. As the Ordnance Division Officer, Calvin had a somewhat similar responsibility for the members of his division, of which Airman Sanders was a part.