REND A NOU LA MER 

Write 6000 characters using the process of uchronia: Uchronia is a factory of random truths. Imagine for a moment that the great Normandy landing never took place... the face of the world would have been changed: welcome to the magical territories of uchronia!"

The room was packed. Willy had informed his collaborators that it was a matter of the utmost importance and imperative to gather. The summonses had been printed urgently, in large letters one could read: Meeting at Cap La Houssaye on July 2nd, 2013: the survival of the species and individual well-being are in danger! His communication advisor had insisted on the mention of "individual" to attract the younger generations who, as a rule, were disengaged from collective efforts.

The elected official from Saint Paul tested the microphone in front of an audience composed mostly of bull sharks who had traveled from Saint Gilles, and tiger sharks with slightly smaller measurements but whose powerful jaws were nothing to scoff at compared to the sedentary bulls.

- Test, test... can everyone hear me? Thank you all for coming in such large numbers. As you know, the recent attack by Raymond here in the front row... Raymond! Raise your fin so we can see you! he insisted.

The individual gladly complied and the leader resumed his speech:

- Raymond's attack on a young human in the bay last week was a success. He killed his prey while she was swimming in difficult-to-access conditions and managed to escape the fishermen despite his tag...

In the audience, a few timid applause echoed. With a half-hearted smile, Willy hastened to add in a strained voice:

- Following this mission, we had hoped for a permanent closure of the ocean to non-residents, but we have seen that no such measures have been adopted. The city council has chosen to prioritize human freedoms and will do everything to thwart our efforts.

A murmur of exclamations filled the room. A ten-year-old bull shark raised his dorsal fin to speak and addressed the assembly:

- At Les Aigrettes, they're still around, I confirm it! It's getting difficult to keep the kids safe!

The young father was about to stop there, but a stern look from his partner made him continue:

- My female is due to give birth in the next few days, but we're seriously considering moving! You promised us a paradise without predators! With seventy shark pups on the way, where are we going to go now? Offshore maybe? Not a chance! It's far too dangerous out there, he admitted.

- I, added an elder who exhibited some war wounds, saw one of them carrying a rifle!

The audience began to stir noisily, so the elected official decided it was time to regain control before things got out of hand:

- Quiet down! It's true that some areas are now open to hunting, but I repeat, humans are currently prohibited from eating us! However, I must emphasize that the latest studies have confirmed that the two-legged creatures can still behave like hunters even without nutritional need! For this reason, I would ask you all to show the utmost pru...

- But I thought we were protected? interrupted a young tiger shark barely five feet tall who had not been given the floor.

- Well, not us, potato! Only the "Whites"! Guys like you aren't endangered as far as I know, mocked his neighbor while cleaning his teeth with a piece of stuck turtle.

The juvenile was about to make a remark along the lines of "it's always about the Whites" but was afraid of being labeled a racist, so he asked innocently instead:

- Is there maybe a way to convert then? To become "White"? To stay at the top of the pyramid?

As the others debated the question, Willy glanced up at the surface and took a gulp of water before diving back into the fray. He feared that his population would succumb to panic, but today he needed to stand firm and denounce the crisis they were facing. So, he continued bravely:

- As you know, the buoys installed along the coast were previously harmless. They only counted and recorded the passage of tagged individuals. But we are at war, he added gravely. The invader will use any means necessary to protect themselves from our presence and our attacks. A first deception will be to replace the data buoys with beacons... bait.

Apart from the juveniles who didn't understand much of the adults' affairs, the majority of the sharks seemed to have been hit by a harpoon. A preemptive fishing expedition then? To drive us away against our will?

Old Bruce, sitting in the front row among the elders, took advantage of this moment of truth to ask the question that everyone dreaded, the one on which the future of their families in the Reunionese waters depended:

- Shouldn't we expect further reprisals? he said hesitantly. Could we fear the disappearance of protected areas? The end of marine reserves? he finally uttered in an almost inaudible whisper.

A heavy silence fell over the gathered community. One could hear the jellyfish contracting in their umbrellas. The leader opened his mouth, but the words, as if surprised, remained stuck. Of course, he knew it. This would be the next step. This project, conceived over 10 years ago, was not meant to be permanent, but they had all believed in it. Even him. Willy pulled himself together, puffed out his chest, and convinced, prepared to deliver a historic speech. No, they had nothing to be ashamed of! Yes, they had done everything in their power to delay the inevitable fate of the minorities, arguing their right to peaceful coexistence on the coasts, justifying attacks as minimal collateral damage in light of their growing population, and finally denouncing mankind's disproportionate quest for freedom to exist on land as well as at sea. Yes, they were weakened. No, they were not defeated!