Bradley Steele Jr

Photograph of Bradley during rally.

**Bradley Steele Jr (Bradley 2000)**(born April 12th, 1920), Was a Lieutenant from before the Japanese occupation and a framer of the Constitution. He was the son of Bradley Steele, former Governor of Southport who committed suicide in prison after being convicted of the murder of a Vassal Commander in Lurem.

**EARLY LIFE**

Bradley Steele was born on April 12th 1920 in the region of Southport to unknown parents where he was later adopted by General Bradley Steele and Jaime Steele. He would later change his name to honour his father. His father being a General meant that Bradley had a rich lifestyle with lots of wealth and a good education in a private school. He studied political philosophy during his teenage years from Marx to Hitler. He liked neither but decided on Democratic Socialism like that of Denmark, Noway, Sweden and the British Labour Party.

He was a health child and was fit and active all his childhood running local marathons and winning the Southport cross-country race.

The political turning point in his life was when he was summoned to see the King with his father. He stayed in the capital for months and studied the politics of the League and his father.

**University**

On his 18th birthday Bradley started at a prestigious University where he studied economic matters, history and politics.

He was a good student always there for every lesson and eager to learn. But worried for the future of himself and the nation he loved as he foresaw the rising tide of Nazi fascism and Japanese Imperialism. He often spent hours in his dorm coming up with all the scenarios of how Japan could easily conquer Echain, often presenting these to his father who took them with consideration.

When he was 20, Bradley was part of a trip organised by the University in tandem with the Royal Minister for Foreign Relations to visit Japan and meet with the Emperor himself, if only for a brief few minutes. While there he studied Japanese military formations and the local culture. When he visited the Imperial Palace for his audience he was only supposed to enter the room bow and leave with no words spoke but of course he disregarded this. The Emperor was the first to talk, "What do you think of Japan?" the Emperor asked "It is quite....aggressive good Emperor" Bradley responded only to be stared down by the Emperor. "How can you claim divinity from the gods while you massacre innocent civilians in China? How can you sit up there so high and mighty with your gold while your people starve? Oh *great* Emperor". The nearest of the Imperial Guard hit Bradley in the face before throwing him out of Japan, banned forever.

He completed his study's at University and was to become an economist for the King, but then the Japanese invasion came he begged his father to join the military to fight. His other father Jaime was too flee Echain and asked Bradley to come with him to London but he simply said "I will NOT abandon my father in his hour of need? how can he fight this war when even his own family abandons him?".

**WAR WITH JAPAN**

Bradley was commissioned with the rank of Lieutenant by order of his father and was placed in Southport when word of the declaration of war was heard. Southport would soon be the first place the Japanese would land and the region was garrisoned with a large amount of men. When the Japanese landed thousands strong Bradley fought in the streets against a clearly superior enemy rallying men to fight when his Captain fell and taking streets back from hopeless situations. The battle was over within a few hours and Bradley was forced to retreat to City Central when he learnt of his father appointment as Acting Commander of the Armed Forces of Echain.

The Battle of City Central was fast looming as the Japanese easily subdued the rest of Echain with no mercy. Bradley was 2nd to his father and drew up plans to help defend the city for as long as possible. They conscripted every man and woman they could and ended up with a force of some 10,000, much less than the Japanese. He and his father held the capital for 2 months which was far longer than anyone ever had expected. When the surrender was signed and power handed over to Major Yokoi Keiji he recognised the man as the guard who punched him in the face at the Imperial Palace, he quipped "Someone has certainly risen in status, no longer the Emperors lap dog but the Emperors bitch instead!". The Major punched him in the face for the second time.

**THE OCCUPATION**

Bradley joined the revolution against his fathers wishes who just wanted peace for at least a small amount of time. He sabotaged railway lines, bridges and garrisons in the various regions often risking his life multiple times. His first command of troops was when he was tasked with assassinating a visiting Japanese official to show how weak Yokoi Keiji's reign over Echain was. The mission was a complete success and the official was killed, however this did not have the intended effect and instead more men were stationed on the island and more civilians killed.

One day he was tasked with attacking an armoury under a resistance leader but when he and the men gathered the leader was found dead with a note that simply said "The Captain". Bradley took it upon himself to lead the operation and so led the men to the armoury. Everything went smoothly until they entered the armoury only to find no weapons and no guards, as they exited the armoury a voice ringed out telling them to turn around. They did as they were commanded and saw 14 Japanese men and at their head a man dressed in the uniform of a Japanese Navy Captain. "surrender now", the Captain said "I killed your leader imagine what I can do too your father Bradley Steele Jr. That is your name yes?". Bradley responded "how do you know my name, who are you?", "No one" the Captain replied "Now will you surrender?". Bradley lifted his gun and downed 3 of the Japanese men before fleeing into the woods with the few men who were not captured.

When he returned home he saw his father who was visibly angry, that is when Bradley Jr learnt the news of Jaime's death in a German air raid and Bradley Sr learnt of the death of his sons men. An alarm went out signalling everyone in the town to go to the town centre which Bradley did. When he arrived he was his men tied to poles about to be shot by the very Captain from earlier that day. His father called out foolishly.

"Halt what you are doing and allow these men to go" challenging the Captain.

"Who do you think you are?" the Japanese Captain responded while his Bradley was freeing the prisoners.

"General Bradley3000 and I will not allow you to talk to me this way" The General responded

The Japanese Captain talked on his radio for a while before shooting the General in the head at which point he blacked out.

Bradley woke up at the resistance headquarters where he had been taken by the freed prisoners after his father had been shot. He would never see this Captain again but heard on an army radio that "The Executioner" had been to see the Emperor in a personal meeting to discuss Echain.

**POST OCCUPATION**

After the war Bradley was instrumental in re-building the battered Echain and was one of the framers of the new Echain Constitution.

The day after the Constitution was passed by the people he was shot dead by a known opponent of the Constitution during a victory parade, the attacker was killed by local bystanders and all that was found on the killers was a simple card with the words "The Captain" on them.