The Shark Crusaders' Finest Hour
Under the waters of the Kiribati Atolls, the Shark Crusaders fight to end the reign of the false gods.
Author’s Note: This story was inspired by this image I found on Twitter. Credit to @thejohnwander.
Over the water line, the Kiribati Atolls looked to be a veritable paradise. Clear turquoise sky overlaid calm blue waters and sandy tropical islands. Underwater was a completely different story. A bloody battle was on the horizon.
Brendan Rawaki’tarawa’kirimati was the hero of this story. He shuddered as fear and anticipation came over him. This was what he had trained for his whole life. As the commander of the Shark Crusaders, he knew what was at stake. The battle ahead could spell the end of the tyranny that the Sea Liliputians of Kiribati had chafed under for generations.
The Sea Liliputians were a small race of men, literally, measuring only a few inches, even the largest of them. They were a strange curiosity to the outside world who wondered how such a race ever came to be. The myths of the Kiribati people told of the giant gods who created them a long time ago. However, the gods disappeared, leaving the Sea Liliputians to their devices. They lived in little underwater towns known as the Deep Realms.
But then the giants returned to Kiribati. Claiming to be the gods who left them behind long ago, they exerted their dominion over them and demanded harsh tributes, which include the Sea Liliputians offering themselves up as food for the giants.
For generations, the Sea Liliputians had lived under the slavery of the gods. That was, until the arrival of the missionaries from the East, from a faraway land called Amerigo, and the faraway kingdom of Texarkana. With the exception of the golden crosses they carried, they looked just like the gods who had oppressed the Sea Liliputians. Like the gods, they were also giants, but the missionaries abhorred the practices of the gods, especially the sacrifices which they declared as cannibalism.
A holy man was recorded to have said the following: “some of you are like fish, others took the form of squid, and many others have the accidents of crabs. Even so, it is clear you are all children of Adam and Eve, just like us.”
As expected, the so-called gods did not like this message. They went so far as to murder this missionary, making him the first of the many Martyrs of Kiribati.
Even so, many Sea Liliputians accepted the Good News of Christ brought by the missionaries. And there was a light at the end of the tunnel for the tiny people, for the missionaries were seeking support from the King of Texarkana.
The good news was that the king had agreed to send soldiers to protect the newly converted Sea Liliputians. The bad news was that Texarkana was far away. Furthermore, the Kiribati Atolls were located in what the outside world called the Pacifica Under-Ocean. To a Sea Liliputian, all this simply meant that aid would take a long time to reach Kiribati.
But King Hannegan of Texarkana was kind enough to give the Sea Liliputians a gift in their fight against the false gods: explosive depth charges. It took some bit of smuggling for that gift to reach its intended recipient.
Meanwhile, the gods were at work to strengthen their dominion over the atolls. They knew they had to stamp out the Christian presence from the Sea Liliputians. To this end, they gathered their own army to take control of the Deep Realms.
Strange as it may sound, there were many Sea Liliputians who sided with the gods. To these people, the way of the gods – including the sacrifices – was all they had known. To be eaten by the gods was a great honor.
Brendan found the whole idea to be insane. However, the crusader had been raised as a Christian his whole life, his father being one of the earliest Sea Liliputians to have been converted. Furthermore, he hailed from Dalem Deeps, the one settlement that was safe from the depredation of the gods because it was hidden deep within a trench.
But the gods had discovered its exact location from traitors and tortured prisoners. And now, the gods have sent an army to destroy Dalem Deeps. The Christians sent their army in response, including the newly formed Shark Crusaders.
The battle was to take place at a coral reef at a place known as Dankal Deeps. The stakes could not be any higher. For Brendan and the Shark Crusaders, defeat would mean the destruction of the Christian presence in the Kiribati Atolls and amongst the Sea Liliputians, ensuring the continual dominance of the gods. But a victory would keep Dalem Deeps safe long enough for that assistance from Texarkana to arrive just in time.
***
Like the rest of his crusader brethren, Brendan was riding atop his war shark, named Fiji. Because of the Sea Liliputians’ tiny size, the shark was able to carry tens of crusaders on its back. This was not unique to Fiji, since sharks were the main method of transportation between the Deep Realms of the Sea Liliputians.
In the wild, these sharks were the apex predators of the area, eating just about any fish it would come across. And thanks to its size, no creature in Kiribati dared challenge it. It was truly the king of the beasts. That they could be domesticated was a strange phenomenon, something that the gods took credit for.
But enough about the Kiribati White Shark.
The Crusader Army found themselves in the coral reefs known as Dankal Deeps. The corals were in bright colors of purple, pink, yellow, orange, or azure. The equally colorful fish swam about. Down below was a clownfish hanging by a blue anemone. Then, Brendan saw a queen angelfish swimming by Fiji.
Brendan knew that the enemy must be close. It would not be hard to distinguish enemy sharks from friendly ones. Crusader sharks were adorned by a golden cross that hung down from the body, held by an equally golden chain.
That was certainly one way to distinguish one’s units from the enemy’s.
The Battle of Dankal Deeps came upon Brendan very quickly. From behind a nearby reef, enemy sharks appeared. They were clearly not crusaders since they lacked the hanging golden crosses. They were not wild sharks either, given that they were traveling in packs.
Having told his men to give out the signal to attack, Brendan kept his harpoon gun at the ready as the sharks were quickly rushing at the enemy position.
Soon, the sea became red as blood poured out in great volumes. Fiji was the first to rush in; it also drew first blood. With its razor-sharp teeth, the crusader shark struck the gills. The force of the bite was such that chunks of the enemy shark was taken out. The dead shark fell to the seafloor, leaving trails of blood.
The battle was a mess. It was a giant melee of sharks biting on one another. Thankfully for Brendan, his force was able to get the drop on their enemy. And the enemy sharks soon retreated. The crusaders only suffered one shark casualty, one that was now missing its dorsal fin.
“What is our next move?” asked Elmo, Brendan’s friend and second-in-command.
“We pursue.”
And the Shark Crusaders did, chasing after the retreating sharks. But even so, Brendan was cautious, he knew that the army of the gods outnumbered the crusaders. He knew that what they had fought earlier were merely the scouts.
Brendan’s caution was justified when a giant harpoon – giant from the perspective of the Sea Liliputians – flew across the water and pierced through a crusader shark, killing it instantly. That crusader shark was right next to Fiji. Brendan’s own shark could have easily been killed, which would have been a death sentence for the Sea Liliputian.
The Sea Liliputian commander did not dwell on his near-death as he saw the culprit, a giant humanoid figure. His garb was all black, his boots were metal, as was his helmet; said helmet was the most distinctive thing about him, particularly the circular glass at the center, making it looked like that he had only one eye.
Brendan knew that this was one of the gods. And that strange attire was his diving suit. After all, the giant men they call ‘gods’ were not aquatic.
The bad news was that this suit kept him protected from a shark attack. The metal was strong enough to withstand a bite. The good news was that this suit was necessary to keep the god alive. The bulge on its back was an air tank, necessary for his breathing. Surely a key to taking out this god.
Brendan had a plan. But that would require getting the enemy sharks out of the way. Given the way the sharks were positioned, it was clear that they were protecting their god. This would be a tough nut to crack. In truth, Brendan was pessimistic about his chances. However, he knew that retreat was not an option. Not only would they be pursued by the enemy, but he knew that this was a battle that needed to be fought.
At the seafloor of Dankal Deeps, there was a staredown between the two forces. Neither one made their move. Yet. The fishes, perhaps sensing what was about to happen, have abandoned the place. The vibrant coral reefs remained, but there were no fish to be found save for the belligerents.
Brendan knew that the god’s army were waiting for the crusaders to make the first move. They did not want to break off their defensive formation. And besides, they had the range advantage with the god’s harpoon.
The shark crusader grimaced. He knew that he had only one choice. But first he made sure to arrange the other sharks to face Fiji. Then, he turned towards his men, and he spoke:
“Crusaders! The battle ahead of us looks to be impossible, I will not lie. We seem to swim to our certain deaths. But this is also an opportunity…”
Brendan was interrupted as he suddenly lost his footing and had to hold on to his shark’s dorsal fin. Fiji had suddenly moved to avoid a harpoon. Having ascertained that he and his men were all fine, the crusader continued his speech:
“As I was saying, before I was rudely interrupted…”
The Sea Liliputian paused, having elicited laughter from his men.
“… we have an opportunity. Today, we can kill a god! In the name of the One True God, one who gave His body for us to eat, we shall overthrow this false god. That one who takes our flesh to consume. I tell you this, Shark Crusaders: we will deliver God’s judgement on this…god or die trying. Victory or defeat, this will be our finest hour!”
Elmo, who was standing next to Brendan then chimed in: “Death to the false gods!”
The response was a raucous cheer throughout the Crusader Army. And a chorus of “Death to the false gods!”
***
Despite the wave of enthusiasm all over the Shark Crusaders, their commander was much more sober. Brendan knew full-well that a frontal charge would mean certain death for many, perhaps even most of his men. Briefly, he thought of retreating. But he quickly put that out of his mind.
In the generations that follow, the Charge of the Shark Crusaders would be immortalized in the epic poems of Kiribati. But for the men taking part, it was nearly a slaughter. Crusader sharks fell in great numbers to the god’s harpoon gun, and with them, the crusaders being transported. As the crusaders began to close in on enemy sharks, enemy Sea Liliputians fired with their own harpoons.
Given its size, the Liliputian harpoons were mostly aimed at other Sea Liliputians. Though some stray harpoons would hit the sharks, buffeting them somewhat.
The battle was going terribly for Brendan. The Crusaders had lost more sharks than the enemy. Not that the commander would know for sure. The water was red with blood. And visibility was not the only issue, as the volume of blood spilt made it hard to breathe.
Meanwhile, Brendan was in a fight for his life, having to fight off Sea Liliputians who were now boarding Fiji. The crusader shark itself had sustained multiple wounds, having fought off so many enemy sharks and killing two.
But despite Fiji’s heroics, Brendan was not making any headway towards the god. It certainly did not help that the giant’s harpoon had killed yet another crusader shark.
At this point, defeat seemed all but certain. Either the crusaders would flee the battle in panic, or they would be killed to the last man. Brendan, for his part, was ready for the latter.
But then salvation came from the unlikeliest of sources.
The blood had drawn unwanted guests: wild sharks. They too entered into the battle and quickly they were frenzied. Suddenly, it became a three-way battle. But this turn of events benefitted Brendan, as the army of the gods, with their larger number of sharks became embroiled in fighting the wild sharks.
“What’s going on?” Brendan asked.
“Wild sharks entered the fray, commander,” responded Elmo. “We can use this confusion to escape.”
But Brendan shook his head. “No, this is our opportunity.”
“You can’t mean…”
“I do. Right now, the enemy army is in chaos thanks to the wild sharks. They can’t tell friend from foe. But we can.”
“Right. Because of our golden crosses.”
“We need to gather up what’s left of our sharks and beeline for the god,” Brendan said. “I have a plan.”
***
Inside of his diving suit, the giant god still was busy shooting his harpoon gun. With the red fog all over the water, he could barely see what was ahead of him, which did not do his side any favors. And then there were the wild sharks which just made things more confusing. He was certain that he had shot down some of his own worshippers, but such was the confusion going about.
Amongst this chaos, he was not ready for a pack of crusader sharks heading his way.
***
The wild sharks were a blessing to the Shark Crusaders, Brendan wondered if they had been sent by the Almighty. Regardless, the crusaders were able to cut a path through distracted enemy sharks and straight into the harpoon-wielding god.
Despite his wounds, Fiji still took point. With lightning speed, it charged the god and headbutted it. Brendan had planned accordingly, knowing that a bite would do nothing against this enemy. The crusader shark struck so hard and so quickly that the god dropped his harpoon gun.
No time for celebration, though. Even with the red fog, enemy sharks could be seen approaching their position. With all the chaos about, the worshippers knew one ally for sure.
Now was time for the next part of the plan. Armed with harpoon guns and tridents (Brendan himself had a secret weapon in his armor pocket), the crusaders began to jump off from their shark and onto the shoulders of the god. It was a rushed transfer, however. There were only about twenty men who were able to make it before Fiji had to break off because of enemy sharks.
No matter, Brendan thought. By his estimation, this should be enough men to get the job done. And besides, his second-in-command Elmo had made it too. And he knew him to be a skilled fighter.
And fighters Brendan would need as enemy Sea Liliputians began to descend on their god to defend him. First, the crusaders and the false god worshippers traded shots with their harpoon guns. But Brendan knew that he was fighting on borrowed time, so he had his trident-wielders charge the enemy.
Elmo was on the forefront as the crusaders charged. The valor and the spirit of the crusaders were such that though outnumbered, they were fighting their enemies to a stalemate.
It was at this point that Brendan revealed his secret weapon: underwater grenades, made from the depth-charges given to the people of Dalem Deeps by the King of Texarkana. Brendan then threw the grenade from behind his line over his own men. The grenade landed right in the middle of enemy ranks before it blew up. The resulting chaos was enough for Brendan and the Shark Crusaders to steamroll enemy Sea Liliputians; some of the enemy even abandoned their god, jumping off and swimming away.
Now the way was clear for Brendan to finalize his plan. Enemy Sea Liliputians have abandoned their god, who himself was still trying get his bearings straight, still being harassed by crusader sharks.
At this point, Brendan was looking down on the giant’s oxygen tank. He took out another grenade and threw it to the air tube that connected the oxygen tank with the rest of the suit. Brendan and his crusaders held on to one another, bracing themselves for the explosion.
The plan was a success! Brendan could see air bubbles coming out of the back of the giant’s suit. It would only be a matter of time before the so-called “god” would drown to his death.
And with that, the Shark Crusaders were ready to leave. Having previously been harassing the god, Fiji was now nearby ready to take in passengers. The Sea Liliputians could have easily just jumped off the giant and swim off, but they wanted a quick getaway from the battlefield given the frenzy that was still going about.
As the leader, Brendan decided that he was to be the last to get to the crusader shark. But just as he was about to jump, he was grabbed by the giant.
Held tightly by the giant hand, Brendan squirmed to free himself. But deep down, he knew that he was about to die, and just as he had achieved his victory too. He could see Fiji and other crusader sharks attempting to free him, but to no avail. In front of him was the glass helmet of the dying giant.
Though now a prison, the diving suit still protected the giant from the shark attacks. It was clear that the giant knew that he was going to die and now he only wanted to spite any Sea Liliputian he had come across.
At this point, the commander of the Shark Crusaders almost panicked. Almost. With his arms still free, he took out a grenade, his last one, from his chest pocket. With explosive on hand, Brendan stared down the eye of the false god and said one final sentence before he threw the grenade: “Death to the false god.”
The ensuing explosion was enough to destroy the giant’s helmet glass. But shrapnels, though slowed down by water still flew by. One struck Brendan on the head and everything went dark for him.
***
Brendan could feel the sandy seafloor on his back when he woke up. His first thought was whether or not he was in heaven. He was sure that he was killed by whatever had struck him in that explosion. It must have been a blunt shrapnel that had struck him. Or perhaps his Guardian Angel had protected him.
But his thoughts were interrupted when he felt his foot being tugged. He looked to the source and screamed – it was a queen angelfish, and it was trying to eat him! Brendan tried to get himself loose, but he was not strong enough to lodge off the bluish-yellow fish.
It would be a shame for the Commander of the Shark Crusaders to have survived the Battle of Dankal Deeps only to be killed by a stray fish.
Thankfully for our hero, such a thing did not come to be. The fish soon swam away. And Brendan quickly found out why. Fiji the crusader shark had come to his rescue, along with Elmo and all the other Sea Liliputians he was proud to call his brothers.
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