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On deck and below it, close-in weapons systems spun to life—automated cannons calculating trajectories faster than any human could blink. They spat streams of tungsten into the air, building walls of metal against incoming threats. Electronic warfare teams flooded the spectrum with jamming signals, deploying decoys meant to seduce missile guidance systems away from steel hulls and into empty sea. Every layer of defense activated in concert, a symphony of countermeasures refined through decades of doctrine.
By minute five, the first intercept flashes bloomed high above the water—brief bursts of light as incoming missiles were struck and torn apart mid-flight. Debris rained harmlessly into the Gulf. By minute twelve, more than half the threat had been eliminated. A few missiles penetrated deeper into the defensive envelope, skimming lower, forcing close-range engagements. Decoys splashed into the sea. Radar locks broke and re-formed. Yet none of the incoming weapons found their mark. Not a single missile reached the carrier.
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