» Fri Jun 22, 2012 8:55 pm 
Also, I couldn't find any trace of who the president was during that time, so I didn't name him. LOL2074
Contrary to their claims of seeking only to retake Alaska from the Reds, American power armor units, infantry, and mechanized divisions are deployed to China, but they become bogged down on the mainland, putting a further drain on American resources and supply lines. http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Timeline
14th November 2075 - Now
General Michael Bradford walked with quick steps down the long corridor and came to a halt in front of a set of white double doors. A secret service agent stood posted to either side and they simultaneously reached for the door handle, to let the General through.
“The President is expecting you,” one of the agents said, to which Bradford only nodded, as he stepped into the room. Behind him, the doors closed with a soft click.
Bradford saw that he wasn’t alone with the President, but that half the cabinet members had joined him in the Oval Office.
“General,” the President greeted him with a nod and waved him over.
“Mr. President,” Bradford replied, as he crossed the room.
Four Star General Bradford had just celebrated his 48th birthday and was by far the youngest four star general in the US Army. For the past few years, he had been a personal advisor to the President, having spent more than ten years in Chinese territories, in a diplomatic position. Bradford knew the Commies inside and out. He was fluent in Chinese and even had made friends among the various regions.
A large computer display of the world map and the locations of various missile silos took up most of the left wall.
“As you know General, the situation is escalating and I have activated “Operation Anchorage”. Our current losses are staggering, but we are in the process of sending a battalion of heavy troopers to Alaska. I’m hoping that the additional troops will be sufficient to fight off the Chinese assault,” he explained.
General Bradford crossed his hands behind his back and nodded. “The red devils will give us a good fight, Mr. President, but I am confident our troops will have no problem in holding Anchorage and sending those commies back out to sea,” Bradford said reassuringly.
There was no doubt in his mind that the US had superior fire power and that they would have the upper hand in any conflict. Word had spread that China was in control of nuclear weapons, but the idea that they would even know how to use them was ludicrous. The commies might have more man power, but the resource war had taken its toll on China. Where they had found the uranium to even produce nuclear missiles was a mystery.
“Excuse us for a moment,” the President said to the assembled cabinet members and motioned for Bradford to follow him into the adjoining room. Once the door was closed, the President turned to General Bradford.
“I want you to personally head to Anchorage, Alaska. Once there, you will board a car that will take you to the coastline, just outside the city. You will find a submarine waiting, which will carry you deep into Chinese territory. You are the only man I can trust with this assignment. Your years of service and military advisor have made a vast difference during much of the resource wars,” the President said urgently.
General Bradford looked surprised, because he had never expected that the President would actually send him into enemy territory. Plus, there was something that just didn’t sit right with him. It almost sounded like the President was holding back vital information.
“Sir, I appreciate your confidence. However, with all due respect Sir, don’t you think we have younger agents who would be more suitable for this assignment?” General Bradford asked with raised eyebrows.
“Nobody knows the area like you do. You have been to China; you know what to look for. You previously infiltrated the People’s Liberation army and you know how they operate. No, you are the only person for the job,” the President sounded like this was his final word and he was not open for arguments.
Bradford stood at attention, but had to suppress a sigh. “Yes Sir, as you say Sir. Where will I receive my final briefing?” he asked.
“Once you board the sub, you will receive a briefcase with final instructions. You will tell no one about this assignment, you will head straight home, pack your gear and board a plane that will take you to Anchorage. Be at Andrew’s Air Force Base at 01:00 hours. That is all,” the President said and reached for the door. However, he paused for a moment and turned to Bradford one last time. “Good luck, old friend,” he said before he left.
Bradford let out a long sigh and finally stood at ease. This was not what he had bargained for, when he answered the President’s call, earlier this evening.
Alaska, here we come, he thought and hoped that the final briefing would shed more light onto the situation.
***
An icy blast of wind hit Michael Bradford in the face and he pulled up the hood of his insulated jacket to shield his head from the frigid temperatures. It didn’t help that it was late November.The President had miserable timing; Bradford thought grimly, as he exited the plane and rushed into the improvised airport hangars in Anchorage. Once inside, he stomped his feet, trying to clear the snow from his black boots.
“General Bradford?” a female voice with a slight accent asked behind him.
Surprised, Michael turned around and came face to face with a short, dark haired, dark eyed, slender Chinese woman.
“Yes, I am he,” he answered in fluent Chinese.
The woman smiled and nodded. “I was told you are fluent in my mother language, but I didn’t believe it. My name is Jin Mei Chen and I will be your advisor. However, if everything else I read about you is true, you might not even need me,” she replied in the same language.
“I am pleased to make your acquaintance, Jin Mei Chen,” Michael returned the smile and slightly bowed to her, a sign of respect in Asian cultures.
“Please follow me,” Jin Mei said now in English. “A car is waiting for us, just outside,” she added as they exited the building and lead Bradford to a black sedan. The windows were tinted black and the back seat was separated from the driver by a thick, dark piece of glass.
Bradford threw his duffle bag into the trunk and then joined Jin Mei in the back seat. The driver had been waiting for them with a running motor, so the interior was nice and warm. However, Michael couldn’t get over the senseless waste of precious gas.
The sedan pulled away and made its way through the back streets of Anchorage, until they reached, what looked like an abandoned warehouse, next to an empty pier. Bradford and Chen got out and secured their bags. The car turned around and left, as soon as the trunk lid fell shut.
The snow had stopped falling, but the sky remained grey and overcast. It was now late afternoon and Michael just remembered that he hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast. With a sigh, he followed Chen into the warehouse. The floor in the center of the warehouse had been removed and dark waves were sloshing against the bricks. A black submarine had risen above the water line and a plank had been extended for their guests.
“After you,” Bradford said and stepped aside to let Chen walk across the metal plank, leading up to the Conning Tower. Bradford then stepped on to the plank and followed suit.
He had some rudimentary knowledge of the various submarines, currently in service. Therefore, he could see that they were aboard an Alpha Class Submarine, a design stolen from the Russian’s a few years ago. The Alpha was of a hunter/killer nuclear powered vessels, because to date, they were the fastest and deepest diving class of military submarines built. They were designed to meet the demanding requirements - sufficient speed to successfully pursue any ship; the ability to avoid anti-submarine weapons and to ensure success in underwater combat; low detectability, in particular to airborne MAD arrays, and also especially to active sonars; minimal displacement and minimal crew complement.
A special titanium alloy hull would be used to create a small, low drag, 1,500 ton, six compartment vessel capable of very high speeds (in excess of 40 knots) and deep diving. A high-power liquid-metal-cooled nuclear plant was devised, which meant extensive automation would also greatly reduce the needed crew numbers to just 16 highly trained men. Bradford remembered the spec sheet and wasn't surprised to find only a small crew on board. The sub’s maneuverability was unmatched by any other vessel.
“Welcome aboard the USS Ulysses. I am Captain Morris and these fine officers here are my crew.” The captain saluted Bradford, while the sixteen men crew stood at attention, as soon as he stepped off the last rung of the ladder. He returned the crisp salute.
“At ease,” he then said and turned to the Captain. “Captain Morris, this is your vessel and I will not interfere with your operation. Please carry on as usual and if you will, show me to my quarters,” Bradford made it clear that, even so he out ranked the Captain, there was no need to defer to him in any way. He was just along for the ride.
Captain Morris nodded and turned to the commander, “Rig for dive, we need to get underway.”
“Aye Captain,” the second in command replied, dismissed the crew to their stations and spoke into a communications device. A brief whistle tone preceded his “rig for dive” broadcast. A moment later the diving alarm blared through the submarine – two klaxon sounds for diving, three for surfacing.
By the time they had reached Bradford’s assigned quarters, the sub was underway. The diving motion was a new experience for the general, since the sub slightly tilted down, to clear the “warehouse turned boat house”. He had to adjust his balance, to compensate for the strange sensation of standing on a moving and slanted surface.
His quarters where rather cramped. However he didn’t expect anything different on a sub. Plus, it would be only for a few days. Bradford dropped his duffle bag on the floor and turned back to the captain, who now handed him the briefcase that contained the details of the mission. It was still sealed and locked. A small, brown envelope had been taped to the top of the case, and Bradford assumed those were the keys to open it.
“Chow is served in two hours. Let me know if you need anything else, Sir,” Captain Morris said and returned to his duty station.
Bradford was about to close the door, when Chen poked her head in.
“I hope your accommodations are to your satisfaction, General Bradford?” she asked with a smile.
“As comfortable as it can get for a Six foot guy on a tiny tub,” Bradford jokingly replied.
Jin Mei laughed and then her eyes wandered to the briefcase, Bradford had set down on a nearby table. He followed her gaze and nodded in the direction of the briefing documents.
“I guess I’ll finally find out why I’m here. How much did they tell you?” he asked nonchalantly, trying to gauge how deep she was involved.
Chen shrugged. “All I know is that I’m to accompany a US Army general into China,” she said.
Bradford frowned, “Yea that sounds pretty much what they told me as well.”
“Well, I will let you get back to your mission briefing. I’ll see you in two hours in the mess,” Chen said and closed the door.
Finally alone, Bradford sat down at the desk, retrieved the keys from the envelope and broke the seals that had been placed over each key hole. Two clicks later, the briefcase snapped open and the general retrieved the manila envelope contained in it. He closed the case and placed it on the floor.
The soft whirr of the engines drifted into his cabin, which Bradford found strangely relaxing. He opened the folder and began to read:
Department of Homeland Security and Foreign Threats
- TOP SECRET UMBRA –
Over a year ago 373rd Battalion, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel West, infiltrated China south of Shanghai. Their target was the Village of Nanping near the Min River to recon the area and to destroy any nuclear facilities they could locate in that region.Based on a report received from Captain Stenson of Charlie Company, the battalion encountered massive resistance near Fuzhou and took heavy casualties. Six hundred soldiers entered China and only one platoon of forty men survived.
One of those survivors was Ben Schilling, the son of Senator Todd Peterson. Your mission is to find and extract Corporal Schilling.
Current location of the Platoon: unknown
Current location of Ben Schilling: unknown
Last known location: Fuzhou, near the South China Sea, approx. 488 miles south of Shanghai.
Do not engage the enemy and under no circumstances reveal yourself as a member of the armed forces.
Signed: President of the United States of America
Bradford re-read the missive three times and even after the third time, he still couldn’t believe his eyes. They were sent into hostile territory in order to retrieve some Senator’s brat? Michael threw the folder onto the table and stood up with a huff.
How dare the President abuses his power to order a four star general on such a ridiculous task?
He was of a mind to inform Captain Morris to turn this sub around. On the other hand Bradford was not about to throw away his long and illustrious military career, because the government had not disclosed the full truth of the mission. It wouldn’t be the first time.
Urgent mission… you are the best… years of service, the President’s words echoed through Bradford’s mind and he let out a harsh laugh. Maybe they should just head into Shanghai, spent a few days in a comfortable hotel and then head back home.
We regret to inform you that we couldn’t find any trace of your son, Senator. He is presumed dead.
Bradford rubbed his neck and then his temples. He could feel a headache coming on and it wasn’t because of the increasing hull pressure of the diving sub.
