Things Don't Happen in a Vacuum

Senior Captain Zhang Wei stood on the bridge of his ship, the Yimeng Shan a Type 071 amphibious transport dock, and scanned the nearby sea. It was a pleasant day and the weather was spectacular. He once again thanked the fortunes for steering him to a career at sea.

His ship was part of a "show of force" exercise meant to demonstrate to their enslaved brethren on the island of Taiwan that the Motherland was ready, willing, and able to cross the narrow straits, land troops and liberate the island from its capitalist oppressors. Zhang felt that the order to actually proceed with the landings would come soon.

The Americans were engaged in their own internal squabbles, bad enough that UN peacekeepers had been invited in by the ruling regime, to include troops of the People's Liberation Army, to quell unrest in some of the major cities of that land.

He recalled the many times that China's leaders had asserted that America was a paper tiger, it seemed to Zhang that those leaders may have been right all along.

Commander Dick Gregory was just outside the sonar shack aboard USS Massachusetts (SSN-798) watching STS1 Walt Pettigrew as he performed his magic. Gregory understood how the sonar worked and what the displays typically looked like, but he had to really focus to understand what was going on out there in the water.

On the other hand, Pettigrew could tell you exactly what was out there and right now, that was a lot.

"Cap, I've got at least ten different signatures, at least three Yuzhao-class transports, two Yushing-class transports, and four Luyang III-class destroyers. All on course for the Taiwan Straits."

"You said ten signatures Pettigrew."

"Yes Sir, I did, I'm pretty sure there's a Song-class boat out there, shadowing the main convoy. Probably out there to keep an eye out for us." Pettigrew chuckled as he said that.

"You're sure of those classifications Walt?"

"Yes Sir."

"Send 'em up to combat."

"Aye, aye, Cap'n, promoting these to system tracks, sir."

"Torpedo track! Dead astern!!" Came over the internal comms circuit, startling the entire bridge watch.

Zhang turned and headed for the bridge wing, as he did so he barked out, "Get combat to get me more details on that threat! Screaming over the circuit is not a proper reporting..." No sooner did those words leave his mouth than the deck heaved up beneath his feet, shattering both of his ankles. As he fell to the deck he realized that his first command at sea would probably be his last.

The Chinese task force was hit by at least five MK-48 ADCAP torpedoes. Three transports and a destroyer were hit, the Luyang III destroyer breaking in half from the impact. No one saw, or heard, what happened to the submarine. She was listed as "lost at sea" some months later.

The Chairman was furious, he turned to the man commanding the People's Liberation Army Navy and asked, in an icy voice, "So, apparently the United States Navy still has teeth. Would you care to explain what happened Admiral Chang?"

Chang knew that the question was rhetorical, he also knew that he would be lucky to escape from this failure with his life. "I respectfully tender my resignation from the PLAN, Comrade Chairman." He stood and rendered a short bow to the Chairman.

"Do not leave the city Comrade Chang, we will be in touch."

Chang knew then, that his days were numbered.

In Washington DC the midnight oil was burning all across town. When the President had been briefed he screamed over the phone at his Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, "Aren't you people in control over there? First the goddamned Guard runs amok in upstate New York, now the goddamned Navy is attacking the Chinese. I need answers General and I need them now!"

"Mr. President, we have sent a message out to PACFLEET asking which of our captains has gone rogue and..."

"And have they responded?" The President screamed again at the phone.

"The woman at the other end of the phone, a Captain named Mayberry, suggested that we drop dead, then all communications with Pearl went dead."

"Has Pearl been attacked?" The President's Chief of Staff interrupted from the line he was listening in on.

"No Sir, they cut communications on their end and..."

The line went dead.

"You do understand that you'll probably get the gas chamber for this? Do you realize the full consequences of this, this, mutiny? Answer me Colonel, goddamn it I'm your commanding officer!" The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs was shaking with rage, a little fear as well. There was a sergeant in the room who had come in with the colonel and who had his M4 aimed at the General's chest.

The Colonel shook his head, "It's not a mutiny you dumbass, it's a coup. Sergeant Adkins, take the General down and lock him up with the other traitors. General, I'd advise you to keep your mouth shut, anything you say can and will be used against you at your court-martial, provided you actually get one. Go sergeant, get this asshole out of here."

While momentous events were occurring in two of the world's capitals, upstate New York saw its first major snowfall of the winter. Things had been quiet since the fall, the Chinese were staying near their compound and venturing out only to escort supply convoys from one compound to the next. Things in town were not looking good.

"They're starting to run out of food Jack, there's talk of attacking the compound just to get the food the Chinese have stockpiled." Ida looked worried, Billy had gone to town with her and he agreed with his wife's assessment of the situation.

"She's right Jack, we need to do something, the townsfolk don't really have a chance against those bastards. Can we get word to that Guard unit? Aren't they holed up near the old mine near Centerville?" Billy felt they needed to act, and soon.

"I sent Bob Woodson over there during the storm, we should hear something in a couple of days. There's a lot of snow out there but Bob's a good man, winter doesn't slow him down at all." Jack spoke those words almost as if he believed them. Woodson was a good man and he had a snow machine, but those were noisy sons-a-bitches, if the Reds had any patrols out...

"So we wait." Billy said.

"Not much more we can do right now."