The freighter incident shocked the international community.
Because the freighter was a joint Chinese-British venture and had quite a few British crew members aboard, Patrick immediately ordered two aircraft carriers to cross the Atlantic and enter the Americas, likewise launching a maritime blockade against the United States.
Naturally, the United States could not sit by and ignore such a move, so two aircraft carriers from the Atlantic Fleet also approached Panama. The two sides began a standoff in the Caribbean Sea, and for a time, the situation was extremely tense.
At this moment, despite the United States' strong opposition, the Soviet Union launched three more rockets in succession, carrying hundreds of magic satellites into the sky.
The Pentagon.
In a video conference room, everyone's expression was grave.
"If we launch missiles to destroy their satellites, it will very likely be seen as a signal for war," one chief of staff said. "That could lead to nuclear war. But we are far behind the Soviet Union in the development of space weapons. Once total war breaks out, the odds of us losing are very high."
"But if we don't strike back, the Soviets can keep launching satellites into outer space," another chief of staff said. "When their satellites fill the sky above our heads, we'll completely lose any chance of victory. By then, we'll only be led around by the nose!"
"What are the chances of destroying the satellites by means other than nuclear warheads?" a White House staffer asked on the screen.
"The environment in outer space is unique. Ordinary weapons have very limited lethality, and satellites travel extremely fast. If we want to destroy enough satellites, we may need to launch thousands of short- and medium-range missiles. That could cause even greater alarm and lead to unforeseeable consequences."
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