WCGW Chpt 217

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==Chapter 217 - What Could Go Wrong==
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Thazi (Independent System)
22nd December, 3045
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"Why can't we just go over to Boulsi, round up a couple thousand of those Bison, sheep and goats and just bring them back here? Your telling me that these couple hundred animals we bought and hauled out here will take upwards of ten years to become a viable food source and possibly decades to have the numbers to actually be turned into meat to sell abroad? That is what I am hearing." Major General (President) David Mitchell asked
"Because we have no clue what those animals might bring over here with them. It could cause an ecological disaster that you could not fathom. Plus, it is the same reason those animals we brought out here are under a strict quarantine where we can monitor them at all times, test their blood and all the other small things to prevent us from all dying a horrible death. From the numbers we saw, those animals on Boulsi are immune to whatever might be over there. Better it stays over there. You want to seel their meat for money, fine, you keep them on Boulsi and do it there. The meat samples we have tested are just fine for human consumption. Though none of us are virologists or disease specialists, but some of us do know our way around animals and such.
You want to shear the sheep for wool, fine, go over there to Boulsi and do it. But, no way am I going to let you bring the over here or to any other world. Interstellar transfer of animals is very very strictly controlled for a reason. Even the animals we purchased and brought out here underwent a extremely careful examination by vets on Inner End. They stayed quarantined on Inner End for several months before being brought out here. Now I am keeping them on lock down for possibly 5 more months before I feel comfortable about expanding their range.
History is full of worlds wiped out by some imported bug that reacted badly to some local bug, plant, soil, air, anything at all. Diseases that suddenly appear from nowhere and kill millions because some animal was imported that carried something that was no threat where it came from but suddenly turned deadly on some new planet. I do not want to see it happen here and if you insist, then myself and the other experts want as far away as we can get as fast as we can get. But, I think your too smart to force the issue. Sir." Cole Younger said
"I am not about to start going against your and the others advice. I just needed to actually hear the reason instead a flat NO. For meat, because I am sick and tired of the crap we have been eating, your saying it is safe if we kill them, butcher them but on Boulsi, but we can bring the meat back here. Am I correct?" Major General (President) Mitchell asked
"As far as we can tell, yes, that is exactly what you can do. Probably be more economical to clean up that plant on Boulsi than having several hundred men playing butcher in the field. If you actually open that plant, might want to look around a little more. Sheep make wool, plus meat. Possibly a factory for that too. No telling what you might actually find over there. All these people need clothes, blankets and all sorts of stuff made from wool." Cole Younger replied
"Opening a factory over there means colonizing, that means garrisoning the place. I don't even know how to run a single planet much less two. But we also need what Boulsi holds since it looks like getting fresh meat here on Thazi is going to take a couple decades. Not the news I was hoping for." Major General (President) Mitchell said
"My opinion, your not doing too bad. You listen to the advice and generally do as we advise. That alone is a rare trait for any normal planetary ruler. They usually listen and do the exact opposite like they know best." Cole Younger replied
"Thanks for the vote of confidence. I will have to think about this. Some hard thinking." Major General (President) Mitchell said
Thousands of miles away on the edge of New Hope, Curtis Johnson, Operations Manager of Pattison Marine, watched the engineers finish dredging out six channels that once they had enough concrete, would be formed into six drydocks to build the ships at the same time. They had selected a ship from the database to base their design off of. At 155 feet long (48 meters) and 30 feet wide (9 meters), it would be able to carry 198 tons of live crab in its insulated tanks. With a range of 3,000 km, powered by an 870 fuel cell. Much smaller than they were used to building, but at least they would be building good old ships.
Several of the naval engineers were working on building a converted Kaleen Bay that could act as a mother ship for the smaller fishing vessels. They hoped it would hold around 8,000 tons of live crab which would be able to keep the fishing vessels fishing while it shuttled the catch back to the cannery for processing. But first, they needed to get the crab boats built and catching to determine if their idea would work. They were told one of the marine biologists would be down soon to help advise them with more information on what might be needed.
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