Ocean: War of Independence

by Brian Herbert

  V. Oil Spills and Oil Drilling.

  Severity Level—Extremely High.

  Subject to phasing down, in a timetable established by OMA, all operations described in this section will gradually be prohibited from occurring in or near the ocean. At the end of the specified period:

  a) There shall be no transportation of oil or other hazardous cargoes across any body of ocean water, or inland ocean waterway, or body of water that connects with the sea, or on any river that flows into the sea.

  b) There shall be no drilling for oil, natural gas, or anything else through any ocean seabed, or under any ocean seabed from any angle, or within 25 miles of any ocean shoreline, or inland ocean waterway, or body of water that connects with the sea, or river that flows into the sea.

  c) No oil refineries may be located within 25 miles of any ocean shoreline, or inland ocean waterway, or body of water that connects with the sea, or river that flows into the sea. Safety precautions will be taken to prevent the seepage of oil or other contaminants into streams, rivers, lakes, and aquifers.

  VI. Marine Pollution.

  Severity Level—Extremely High.

  Subject to phasing down, in a timetable established by OMA, all operations described in this section will gradually be prohibited from occurring in or near the ocean. At the end of the specified period, there shall be no dumping of oil, treated or untreated sewage, garbage, junk, industrial waste products, harmful chemicals, agricultural wastes, nuclear wastes, or any other transfer of hazardous materials from the land to the sea, whether directly into these waters or into rivers or other bodies of water that are connected with the sea.

  VII. Damage Caused by Ships and Boats.

  Severity Level—High.

  Subject to phasing down, in a timetable established by OMA, all motorized vessels will gradually be prohibited from operating in the ocean and connecting waters, including but not limited to a prohibition against backup motors for sailing vessels. This edict will apply to watercraft of any nature, including but not limited to hovercraft, private vessels and jet skis, commercial passenger and cargo ships, and military vessels (including submarines). All motorized watercraft of any nature will be banned on a schedule of removal that will be determined by the Ocean Management Authority.

  At the end of this specified period, only approved watercraft will be permitted in the ocean and connecting waters—non-motorized sailboats, windsurfing boards, human-powered craft (such as paddleboats), and the like. Alternative energy sources such as solar power or steam power might be acceptable for propulsion, but only if they can move vessels through the water without discharging pollutants, and at noise levels meeting OMA standards. Nuclear-powered vessels will never be considered under any circumstances, because of their potential to contaminate the water.

  Sea Warrior-inspected and -approved vessels will be marked with flags that are electronically imprinted, so that they can be checked remotely from the sea, from the air, and by satellite for authentication.

  And, effective immediately, except as permitted under close Sea Warrior supervision, no hazardous products of any sort may be transported in the ocean or connecting waterways by watercraft, or over these waters by aircraft. This includes, but is not limited to, a ban against the transportation of petroleum products, radioactive materials, harmful chemicals, and military supplies. All motorized navies in the world are hereby declared illegal, because by their very nature they carry hazardous products, and have a history of wreaking destruction on ocean waters.

  Special Note Regarding Aircraft: All airspace over the ocean is considered Ocean Airspace, and as such is subject to the jurisdiction of the Ocean Management Authority. No aircraft may fly over any portion of the ocean without first obtaining a proper permit from OMA. To the extent possible, airborne vessels must cross the ocean over the poles, or by the shortest routes separating continents, and must take all possible care to avoid dumping or spilling fuel into the water. Any aircraft that does release fuel into the water will be subject to an OMA investigation, in which the pilot and crew must prove that the action was necessary in order to protect the safety of the aircraft and its passengers and crew. A special exception to the non-motorized rule may be granted by the OMA when it is necessary to rescue the passengers of downed aircraft or foundering vessels. Seaplanes and other aircraft with pontoons are not allowed to fly over the ocean, or land on the water.

  Cruise Ship and Ocean Liner Violations. All requirements specified in Section VII also apply to cruise ships and ocean liners. In addition, effective immediately, all passenger ships and other watercraft are prohibited from traveling to ecologically sensitive marine area, locations that are to be specified by OMA.

  VIII. Cruelty to Marine Animals.

  Severity Level—High.

  Effective immediately, no one shall harass marine animals, ride them, or interact with them in any way, except under the close supervision of the Sea Warriors.

  Because of numerous problems involving persons diving, snorkeling, and swimming in the sea, such activities will only be allowed after special training by the Sea Warriors, and the issuance of permits. Each permit holder will receive a whale tattoo on the arm—made with a greenish, iridescent ink that can only be obtained from the deepest trenches of the sea, and is easily recognizable as authentic by the Sea Warriors.

  IX. Imperiled Coastal Ecosystems and Shorelines.

  Severity Level—Extremely High.

  Effective immediately, no one is permitted to enter any ecologically sensitive marine area (such as mangrove forests, salt marshes, estuaries, beaches where turtles lay eggs, or coral reef formations), except under the close supervision of the Sea Warriors. It is strictly prohibited to log mangrove trees, or to remove any plant, piece of coral, or marine organism from such areas.

  Beachcombing is not allowed anywhere, not even by those persons who are specifically granted permission to be on beaches. Due to past littering, habitat destruction, and other problems, permits for entering beach areas will be similar to those for diving, snorkeling, and swimming under Section VIII.

  The construction of new saltwater piers, docks, bulkheads, and bridges is prohibited, and any existing structures will be removed, on a timetable to be determined by the OMA. Other requirements will be developed, on a region by region basis, for increased setbacks from shorelines for new building construction, and for phasing out existing structures that are too close to the water.

  X. War and Preparations for War.

  Severity Level—Extremely High.

  Effective immediately, all military operations and weapons testing are prohibited on or in the ocean, in the air over the ocean, and on any area of land that will impact the ocean. All military vessels are to be removed immediately from the ocean, including the U.S.S. Arizona war memorial in Pearl Harbor and any other sunken-ship memorials around the world, which must be relocated to the land. These requirements also apply to waterways and bodies of water that are connected to the ocean.

  ***

  APPENDIX IV

  Some of the Marine Weapons Developed by the Sea Warriors

  (From the confidential journal of Jimmy Waimea)

  It is impossible to say what started the move toward ocean independence, but all evidence points to a great confluence of events. Certainly, the birth of the unusual hybrid-human Kimo Pohaku had a part in it, as well as his association with the wavemaster Alicia Ellsworth and the oceanic brain, Gwyneth McDevitt. The rise of sea creatures on their own was also a strong factor, as box jellyfish, stonefish, and other organisms began to independently attack tropical beaches, making human swimmers flee.

  When Kimo and his group of fledgling Sea Warriors took it upon themselves to lead the marine animals, there were initial complications—such as the rebelliousness of Gwyneth, and the stubbornness of the whales and other large animals that she employed against humankind, when they refused to disperse even though she commanded them to do so. This alone brought the organization to its knees.
Added to that, the murderous rampage of two Sea Warriors—Vinson Chi’ang and Emily Talbot—had an adverse, nearly disastrous effect on the organization, and removed certain fighting assets (warrior crabs and other crustaceans) from the Sea Warrior arsenal, making them unavailable in the crucial Battle of the Hawaiian Sea.

  It is known that Kimo learned how to command all ocean creatures, while a number of his followers held jurisdiction over specific species, and even over the seawater itself. These specializations (such as Jacqueline Rado’s sub-command of fast-attack sharks and barracudas) proved to be important in all battles, as did the involvement of Dirk Avondale, who had formerly been a U.S. Navy officer in charge of training military dolphins. Some of these things are known from previous news accounts.

  The story of Kimo’s unusual birth in the sea has been covered extensively as well, along with his original conversion into a hybrid by the Goddess of the Sea, Moanna. But other details are less clearly understood, and are useful for historians and students of the ocean to know. I shall make a few preliminary comments about Kimo’s special affinity for all living things in the ocean, and then move on to details of his fantastic arsenal of fighting marine animals….

  New species of animals and plants are discovered regularly, sometimes in out-of-the way places around the world, such as the Amazon rain forest or the jungles of Africa. But nowhere on the planet are there more unexplored regions than in the vast, deep ocean, which harbors creatures that can hardly be imagined, or even believed when they are seen. In 1938, the coelacanth, a strange-looking fish thought to be extinct tens of millions of years ago, was discovered in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Africa, and intensive searches afterward turned up more of them. Some species, such as sharks, have changed little in 100,000,000 years, and are still living in the sea.

  It should not be astonishing, then, that Kimo Pohaku, with access to benthic ocean regions, encountered numerous species of marine animals that were either unknown to humankind before, or which had been thought to be long-extinct. In the deep ocean, he saw Jurassic-era plesiosaurs, long-necked monsters who looked like the sea serpents of lore, but which really existed, and still lived in their hidden-away realm. He also saw ichthyosaurs, which looked like dolphins with crocodile jaws and dangerous teeth, and roifosteuses, creatures with long snouts and powerful, prey-crushing jaws. These three species were available to the Sea Warrior fighting force when they confronted U.S. Navy warships in the Battle of the Hawaiian Sea, and were utilized in varying degrees.

  Other species, completely unknown to humankind, also came to the attention of Kimo before the battle, and he employed them in recruiting and assembling his force of hybrid Sea Warriors, the radically modified humans who made up the officer corps of the force. Among these additional species are skatefoils, large whitefish that can skim over the surface of the water with human passengers on their backs, and jetfish, creatures capable of amalgamating themselves into watercraft that can provide oxygen to people and transport them underwater at high speeds. He also had access to bubblefish and colossal clams, both of which are capable of carrying human beings safely to the deepest trenches of the ocean. These four species are the only ones that were previously unheard of by marine experts. Everything else—including the creatures thought to be extinct—were either known to the experts from fossil records or from knowledge that they still lived in the sea.

  The sea creatures under Kimo’s dominion included small animals of delicate beauty, such as the leafy sea dragon, and various types of seahorses—species that could not imaginably be utilized in any fight for control of the water. These, and small flying fish, reef fish, turtles, and other seemingly benign aquatic animals were nonetheless present during the epic war and known to the frontline fighters, and each contributed in some way.

  Some marine animals have received the lion’s share of the publicity about being aggressive man-killers, and are known to people all over the world. Other creatures, however, and the totality of the danger they present, have not been understood at all. In fact, before the emergence of true ocean power—natural ocean power—the average person had no idea of the extreme perils lurking beneath the surface of the sea, and how much more dangerous they were under the central command of the Sea Warriors.

  The ocean has knife-fighters, sword-fighters, and boxers. Surgeonfish have sharp, knifelike spines on their tails that can cause fatal injuries when they snap out the hidden weapons and lash forth with them. Swordfish, sailfish, and marlins—all billfish with long spears on their snouts—are fast, powerful swimmers, and quite deadly, with the potential to impale any person who is in the water near them. Hound needlefish are also dangerous impalers, and were used to terrifying effect in the Battle of the Hawaiian Sea, fatally piercing the chest of a Navy frogman. Praying mantis shrimp—commonly referred to as boxing shrimp—are so accustomed to breaking shells open with their front claws that they can easily deliver bone-crushing blows against humans, striking with tremendous force.

  The Sea Warrior armada included not only the whales and other large marine animals that received so much publicity, but flesh-ripping great white sharks, hammerhead sharks, lemon sharks, tiger sharks, and great barracudas. And, while a stingray received notice for whipping its tail and firing poisonous barbs into a Navy frogman off the coast of Oahu, there were other creatures in the ocean force capable of firing lethal projectiles. A large colony of Portuguese man-of-war jellyfish draped curling tentacles beneath their floating, purple-colored gas sacks, with the tentacles concealing tiny nematocysts that were capable of firing venom-filled, harpoon-like barbs into prey or into a battlefield enemy. Hawksbill turtles swam forward with colorful sea anemones attached to their shells—anemones that also had poisonous nematocysts to fire. On the bottom of the sea were cone shells advancing onto the battlefield, each of them containing their own stinging, poison darts—and domed tiger-cowrie shells, capable of firing sulfuric acid into any enemy that ventured near. Even some tiny worms were capable of firing harpoon-like projectiles, while other worms could infest the waters and burrow into human skin like ticks, causing itching and rashes—even bypassing wetsuits.

  In the Battle of the Hawaiian Sea, a large humboldt (jumbo) squid rocketed forward and used its sharp beak to rip away pieces of a Navy frogman’s flesh, tearing his body apart. In reserve, the Sea Warriors had other horrors for the unsuspecting enemy that could have been used—such as large sawfish and smaller longnose sawsharks that were capable of cutting apart a human body with chainsaw-like snouts that had sharp saw teeth on each side.

  When Kimo presented his Declaration of Ocean Independence to the United Nations, he mentioned having many additional weapons in his arsenal that could still be used, such as lampreys that could clamp onto a human face with suction and digest the flesh, as well as small cookie-cutter sharks that could attach themselves to human torsos and cut off large, neat chunks of flesh, and sea spiders that were capable of sucking blood out of humans like vampires. He also had methods of sinking small boats—by employing billfish or needlefish to pierce the hulls, or inundating the craft with swarming schools of flying fish (sinking them under the load of the creatures), or forcing boats onto rocks where they would break apart.

  The ocean is potentially the most dangerous place on the planet, with more deadly organisms than anyone could possibly list in a document such as this. There are poisonous sea snakes that can inject much more venom than a cobra, huge lion’s mane jellyfish with tentacles capable of stinging and killing a human in minutes, scorpionfish with venomous spines, and tiny blue-ringed octopuses whose bite is so poisonous that few humans are able to survive it. There are electric rays and eels capable of delivering more voltage than humans realize, bluefish that can go into piranha-like attack frenzies, tearing apart human flesh, foul-tempered moray eels, and even an air force of sharp-beaked gulls and other shorebirds that are under the command of the Sea Warriors.

  As of the date of this journal entry, there are rumors that the Sea Warr
iors also have secret weapons that they will not discuss, including a giant saltwater crocodile, much larger and more deadly than any known species, and a huge shark that is more than fifty feet long, and was thought to be extinct.

  In addition, there are unconfirmed reports of new weapons that are under development by the organization, including a boxfish that will use its natural armor to shield other marine animals, as well as archerfish that can fire projectiles (instead of the tiny bursts of water that their species now use to knock insects out of the air), large snails that secrete acid to stun opponents, and large warrior crabs that are independent of the dangerous thrall of the mass murderer Vinson Chi’ang.

  It is also known to a small circle of people that Alicia of the Ocean continues to practice with her wave-generating powers, in remote locations where there are no outside witnesses. Reportedly she has been successful in creating a wall of water more than forty feet high—and keeping it under full control.

  Because much of this information is potentially harmful to the Sea Warriors if their enemies were to obtain it, I am hiding this journal in a place where it cannot be found for many decades.

  ***