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

by Christopher Kennedy

  “As you may be aware, we have reclaimed the island of Taiwan today, as has long been our right. As the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has always held, the Republic of China (ROC) ceased to be the legitimate government of China when it fled mainland China in 1949. At that time, the PRC succeeded the ROC as the sole legitimate government of China, with the right to rule all of China, including Taiwan. This was confirmed by the U.N. General Assembly, which noted in its Resolution 2758, “the representatives of the Government of the People's Republic of China are the only lawful representatives of China;” thereby recognizing the PRC as having sovereignty over all of China, including Taiwan. Other precedents for Taiwan being part of China include the Cairo Declaration, the Potsdam Proclamation and the Japanese Instrument of Surrender in World War II. Since Taiwan has always been a part of China, any question of its secession should be agreed upon by all one billion Chinese citizens, not just the 23 million who live on the island. The PRC believes that we have the legal right to extend our jurisdiction to Taiwan and have done so today. There is only one China, of which Taiwan is an inalienable part. The people of China are united today in celebrating the reunification of our country, just as the German people were united in celebration nearly 30 years ago with the reunification of their country, which had also been unjustly divided by outsiders.”

  “Unfortunately, the United States politicians have long disagreed with our position and have used military threats to keep us from reunifying our country, as was our right under international law. We did not believe that they would allow us to reunify our country without conflict and bloodshed, so today we have taken measures to ensure that this did not happen. At this time, the People’s Republic of China is currently in control of all of the Seattle area, from Whidbey Island in the northern part of Washington State to the outskirts of Olympia in the south. Any military aircraft approaching within 200 nautical miles of Seattle will be destroyed. Any ship underway within 200 nautical miles of Seattle will be destroyed. We do not want, nor do we intend, to hold this area long-term. We have, however, taken the opportunity to hold it at this time as a guarantee that America will refrain from participating in what is solely a matter of Chinese sovereignty. It also serves as an assurance of American good behavior. We regret that there has been some loss of life in the Seattle area due to the aggressive actions of certain American citizens, but we are happy to say that this loss has been minimal. We would like to keep it that way, but that will be determined by what actions the United States’ military takes. Any combat in such a highly-developed urban area is bound to result in a significant loss of civilian life.”

  “We would ask that the civilian populace of Seattle resume their normal lives and conduct business as usual. If you do not believe me, I have several people here that I hope you will believe. With me this evening are Representative Matt Bennett, the U.S. Representative from Seattle, Senator Jack Turner, the U.S. Senator from Oregon, and someone everyone should recognize, Governor George Shelby from the State of Washington. I believe that Governor Shelby has something that he’d like to say.” The camera panned to another podium behind which three men stood, Representative Bennett, Senator Turner, and Governor Shelby. All three looked scared, as could be expected of men who had rifles pointed at them from off camera. The pistols pointed at the heads of their loved ones off camera also served to help guarantee their cooperation. Senator Turner looked worse for the wear with a big bruise on his temple.

  Governor Shelby moved forward, took the podium, and with a wan smile said, “My fellow Seattleites, I come before you tonight to ask you to remain calm and continue to go about your normal daily routines.” He continued, reading what was written on the teleprompter, “The benevolent Chinese do not want to hurt anyone here. They only want to ensure that our country negotiates a fair and impartial settlement to the Taiwan question. Please do not try to flee the area; doing so will only put you in contact with Chinese soldiers who are enforcing the borders, who will send you back. It is better to remain in your homes and resume your normal routines. In particular, schools will be open tomorrow to try to promote a sense of normalcy.” He looked serious as he continued, “By all means, do NOT try to do anything foolish or cause a disturbance. Many of the soldiers here are Special Forces and will deal with any problems both swiftly and harshly. It is in your own best interest to remain calm and do nothing that will cause yourself or others to be harmed. My friends here assure me that they will leave as soon as they are able, and that will happen quickest if everyone does their part. Thank you for your support in this most trying of times.” He stepped back from the podium and looked at Colonel Zhang.

  The camera followed his look and focused on Colonel Zhang, who nodded and continued, “The city is under martial law at this time, and anyone caught breaking the law will be severely punished. There will be a midnight curfew; everyone should be off the streets from midnight until 0600. We ask for everyone to remain calm while we allow the diplomats to work out a peaceful resolution to this unfortunate disagreement. We wish nothing more than for a peaceful resolution; however, do not doubt our resolve. Your military forces need to know, as they have already found out, that we will use all means at our extensive disposal to repulse any attack into the Seattle area. Any forces within the 200 mile exclusion area have until midnight tonight to leave the area. At that time, anyone that is found armed will be shot on sight, with no questions asked. Similarly, any military aircraft, ship, or vehicle in the area will be destroyed.”

  “Please stay tuned to your local radio and television stations, as more information about procedures to be followed will be announced shortly. Remain calm, follow these instructions, and everything will be fine.” He smiled. “Disobey these instructions and there will be consequences. Thank you.”

  White House Situation Room, Washington, DC, 0230 EDT (2330 PDT)

  “You have absolutely got to be freaking kidding me,” swore the president after watching a replay of Colonel Zhang Wei’s address to Seattle and the rest of the nation. Wearing a t-shirt and sweat pants that he had thrown on to come down to see the video, he could already see his place in history cemented as ‘The President that Let China Invade the U.S.’ So much for his legacy. He would be an absolute pariah. “The unmitigated gall of that man and that country!”

  The president tried to get control of himself. Looking at his Secretary of State, Isabel Maggiano, he said, “Well, if nothing else, I would say that makes it official. We have been invaded. Please advise NATO that we are invoking Article 5 of the Charter.”

  “Yes, sir,” said the Secretary of State, who knew that Article 5 was where the nations said that, ‘an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack on them all.’ “Who would ever have guessed,” she continued, “that the United States would be the only nation to invoke Article 5, much less that we would do it twice. While the other nations didn’t all agree that Article 5 applied after the World Trade Center bombings, it should be readily apparent that this time an armed attack has occurred.”

  “You can let the other nations know that I expect them to honor their pledge,” said the president. “This is one of those times where we will remember who our friends were.”

  “I will talk with the ambassador to NATO and have him invoke Article 5 with the North Atlantic Council, NATO’s principal decision-making body,” Isabel replied. “With the admission of guilt that we just saw on the TV, I would have to imagine that the NATO nations will be in favor of some sort of unified response. Even France is going to have a hard time weaseling its way out of participating.”

  She continued, “I have also held discussions with the Prime Minister of Canada, and he has assured me of their support. They have already begun moving some of their forces to the Vancouver area to support us in whatever action we decide is necessary.”

  “Good,” said the president. “Keep working the phones. The Europeans should be at work shortly; let’s see what suppor
t they can provide, both here and in Asia. I want the biggest possible coalition of the willing to stop Chinese aggression in both Taiwan and in the United States. Don’t leave any diplomatic stone unturned, no matter how small. If the Government of Malawi has a tug boat to contribute, I want it!”

  Onboard Diceman 125, South of Elmendorf, AK, 2245 ADT (2345 PDT)

  “Focus 105, this is Diceman 125,” radioed the division leader, Lieutenant Colonel Dave “Smoke” Sanchez, “We’re checking in with a flight of four.” Diceman 125 was a division of four F-22s that had been launched in an effort to chase down the unknown AWACS aircraft that had been behind the destruction of four aircraft from their base in Elmendorf. They had received the information after they launched that it appeared the Chinese were in possession of at least a part of Seattle, Washington. With the AWACS heading toward Seattle, it was obvious that the aircraft was Chinese and that there were also other fighter aircraft, probably stealth, in the vicinity of it. The mission of the division was to chase them down and destroy them.

  They were unprepared for the first confrontation with the Chinese; this time they would be ready.

  “Diceman 125, Focus 105,” replied the AWACS. “You’re going to be hard pressed to catch them, even at your current rate of speed.”

  “Diceman 125 understands,” Smoke replied. “We can give you a little bit more speed. Do you know if we’ve been cleared to land in Comox?” The Raptors were currently in supercruise, going about one and a half times the speed of sound. They were able to go faster by using afterburner, which basically entailed dumping gas into the engines’ exhausts to achieve extra thrust, but it meant using their fuel at a prodigious rate. If they used afterburner, they would not have enough fuel to return to base. The Canadians had a base in Comox, British Columbia, which was located about 150 miles to the northwest of Seattle. If they had permission to land there, they could use afterburner and still have enough fuel to make it to the airfield. Landing anywhere in the Seattle area was probably now a ‘bad thing.’

  “That’s affirmative, Diceman” came the reply from the AWACS. “You are cleared to land at Canadian Forces Base Comox, British Columbia. They are expecting you and are trying to get an AWACS of their own to Comox, but it probably won’t be airborne until tomorrow morning.

  “Roger, 105, we are cleared to recover at Comox,” repeated Smoke. He switched to the squadron’s tactical frequency to talk to his wingmen. “Let’s boogey,” he said, as he advanced his throttles into afterburner. The two Pratt and Whitney F-119 turbofans replied with an extra kick of acceleration, boosting the speed of the division beyond double the speed of sound. Luckily, they were over water, so they didn’t have to worry about damage from the sonic booms they were making. They probably wouldn’t have cared anyway.

  Eagle 602, 100 Nautical Miles SSE of Seattle, 2355 Pacific Daylight Time

  “Eagle 602, this is Seattle Center on Guard. If you hear this transmission, switch to frequency 134.95 and ident.” The control facility had been calling the E-2D for 15 minutes. After about 5 minutes of no response on its primary frequency, the ARTCC had switched to the emergency distress frequency (“Guard”) that all aircraft were required to monitor. By telling the E-2D to “ident,” the Center was telling him to push a button on his Identification, Friend or Foe (IFF) system that would let the Center know that the E-2D could at least hear him, even though the Hawkeye’s radio was broken and couldn’t transmit.

  “Continue to ignore them,” said Commander Anthony Sutton over the E-2’s intercom system. Commander Sutton, the Black Eagles’ commanding officer and the mission commander for the flight, had told his crew not to respond to the Center when it had first called 15 minutes previously. “We have no intention of turning back, so there isn’t any reason to talk to them,” he said. “They will just have to assume that our radio is broken and clear out the traffic in front of us.”

  “What about the Hornets?” asked Lieutenant Kristen Reynolds, one of the Hawkeye’s pilots.

  “They don’t have their IFFs on, so the Center will have a hard time seeing them,” said Commander Sutton. “I had the Hornets file a separate flight plan, too; hopefully, no one will even be aware of their presence.”

  “Eagle 602, this is Seattle Center on Guard. You are entering restricted airspace. Turn back to the south now or risk being fired upon!”

  “Who do they think they’re kidding?” asked Lieutenant Charles Sileno, one of the air control officers. “Since when does the Center have a surface-to-air missile capability that they can use? The only way they could shoot us down would be to scramble some fighters…and no fighter is going to shoot us down without visually identifying us first…and no fighter is going to mis-identify an E-2 or the two Super Hornets that are flying racetrack patterns around us. That is just ludicrous!” He laughed.

  “Continue to the north,” said Commander Sutton. Looking at his watch, he asked, “How close are we to Seattle?”

  “We’re about 200 miles out,” said Lieutenant Sileno.

  “Eagle 602, Falcon 300,” said one of the Hornets on the Black Eagles’ squadron frequency. Falcon 300 was flown by Commander Brandon Read, the commanding officer of the Kestrels. He was known as a ‘by the book’ kind of leader. There wasn’t a lot of grey area with him. “I’m getting kind of uncomfortable not talking to the Center.”

  “Falcon, Eagle,” replied Commander Sutton. “Don’t worry about it. We’ll call him when we get to about 100 miles out. By then we’ll have an idea of what’s going on in Whidbey.” The Hornets could leave if they didn’t like it, thought Commander Sutton. He’d been given a mission to find out what had happened to the earlier flight and, by God, he was going to do so.

  “Eagle 602, this is Seattle Center on Guard. This is your last chance to turn south now and contact me on 134.95, or you will be destroyed.”

  “Hah,” said Lieutenant Sileno. “Good luck with that!” The rest of the air control officers laughed at what was obviously a hollow threat.

  “Eagle 602, this is Liberty,” called CAG Waters on the satellite radio. “Where are you at the moment?”

  “Liberty, this is Eagle 602,” replied Commander Sutton. “We are about 180 miles south of Seattle.”

  “TURN SOUTH NOW! THE CHINESE HAVE CONTROL OF SEATTLE!”

  But it was too late. The clock struck 0000, followed shortly thereafter by the 40N6 long range missiles from the HQ-19 SAM system striking Eagle 602 and Falcon 303. With a range of 240 miles, the 175 mile shot was easily within the performance envelope of the missile, and the initial barrage of six missiles, two at each aircraft, was able to reach out and take out two of the three aircraft.

  Falcon 300, flown by the Kestrels’ Commanding Officer, saw the missiles coming right as they were almost upon him. Not having time to transmit a warning, he released several bundles of chaff to help confuse the radar and pulled a hard, 8-g turn at a right angle from the direction of the missiles’ approach, succeeding in breaking the radar lock of the missiles and causing them to miss. Using this maneuver to decrease his altitude, he dove behind Mount St. Helens, using the bulk of the mountain to protect him from the radars that were searching for him.

  The flight back to NAS Fallon was long and lonely.

  Terminal 46, Port of Seattle, Seattle, WA, 0005 Pacific Daylight Time

  Captain Ma Gang, the company commander for Company A, 2nd of the 489th, watched as the container was offloaded from the M.V. Hanjin Kingston. Unlike the other containers that had been offloaded during the afternoon, this one was being unloaded very carefully. It could have been the talk that Captain Ma had with the crane operator prior to the operation, in which he promised a wide variety of punishment if anything happened to the container. It might also have been due to the large ‘Danger’ sign painted in red on every side of the container that had his attention. Either way, the captain didn’t care, just so long as the crane operator got the container to the pier safely and carefully.

  The process was slower than wh
en the earlier containers had been offloaded, but there was no longer the same sense of urgency. A slow, careful offload was far more preferable with this container, in any event.

  The container reached the pier and the two ZBD-08 infantry fighting vehicles waiting there. Captain Ma took a quick look around the pier to ensure that there wasn’t anyone around that shouldn’t have been. The pier was generally quiet, although the ship continued to unload the last containers of supplies that it had brought to America.

  Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the key to unlock the container. He was the only person that had the key; no one else in his chain of command even knew what his mission was. Captain Ma had been given the key personally by Vice Premier Han Yong, who was his uncle and knew that he could be trusted with the mission. Ma opened up the doors of the container and looked inside at the five foot long wooden box that was strapped to the floor of the container. It was hard to imagine that one little box could do so much damage.

  Moving out of the way, he had his men unstrap the box and load it into the vehicle that was waiting for that purpose. With it safely stored inside, the captain and his men got into the other vehicle that was waiting, and the two IFVs drove off for the short trip back to Safeco Field. They had a special delivery to make at the stadium.

  Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Tacoma, WA, 0025 Pacific Daylight Time

  Top and the rest of the infiltrators let themselves into the twins’ apartment, where they were welcomed back by the same group of soldiers that had been there earlier. Suzi’s right sleeve had a huge gash down it. “Are you all right?” asked the XO.

  “Yes, sir,” replied Suzi. “Sorry, lack of sleep made me a little uncoordinated. I lost my grip going over the fence and caught my sleeve, and the fence shredded it. It was a new shirt, too, damn it.”