"Great East Command Center calling Star Virgo. You are about to enter the exercise zone. Leave immediately! Repeat! Leave immediately!"
They called repeatedly, but the cruise ship did not respond. It barreled straight into the Sky Pit exclusion zone, drawing ever closer to the dangerous Sky Pit like a clueless brat trying to poke a hornet's nest with a stick.
"Commander, they disconnected the line!"
"Disconnected the line?"
The commander frowned. This was far too suspicious. The cruise ship had brazenly passed through the defensive perimeter formed by American warships and approached the Sky Pit. In another thirty minutes, it would enter the Sky Pit's interference zone!
Once inside, radio communications would fail completely, leaving only laser communications.
"Immediately pull up all information on this vessel, as well as satellite spectral imagery of the Sky Pit area!"
"Yes!"
The clatter of keyboards rang out as the technicians retrieved all available information on the cruise ship, along with weather conditions around the Sky Pit for the next forty-eight hours.
Weather had an enormous impact on combat. In severe, extreme weather, aircraft simply could not take off or land on an aircraft carrier.
Star Cruises Limited Vessel Name: Star Virgo IMO Number: 9124422 (Fictional) Great East Passengers on Board: 146
Judging by the information, this cruise ship was an old vessel. The company had ordered it from a foreign shipyard, and its systems were American as well. Back then, luxury cruise ships were still considered "jewels of industry." It operated the Hong Kong → Hawaii → West Coast route.
The commander's gaze sharpened. It had passed through the US Navy's cordon with virtually no obstruction!
"Pull up its route."
"One hundred and five hours ago, the vessel disconnected from the Beidou System. System error code. Unable to retrieve! Requesting access