Forbidden Pencils and Weaponized Math

The entire Edenian fleet came to a halt a couple hundred miles southeast of Taiwan and all of the ships came to general quarters. Red lights flashed in every compartment and passageway as an alert message sounded on repeat for every Poseidon sailor to go belowdecks and prepare for vertical launches.

Less than two minutes later, the alert message ceased as all departments in the fleet reported ready, leaving only the flashing lights. Following that, the launch tubes of the Vertical Launch Systems on the Thor class missile cruisers opened their top hatches, revealing row after row of forbidden pencils.

Another automated announcement rang out from the loudspeakers. “VLS firing in three... two... one.”

“Firing.”