This post is the 4th of the ten chapters of the speculative fiction scifi story Orussian Quarantine. If you havn't read the first 3 chapter yet, it is available here.
Depths
What do you mean 'transplanting a small sea to Woldera'? We are dealing with delicate ecosystems! With all due respect, have you considered all the potential problems that could create for both ecosystems? This was the kind of response Raphaël had gotten used to in his many years as climate engineer in the bioengineering guild. Climate engineers were looked upon as trouble makers by much of the guild. Some even suggested openly that climate engineers had no place calling themselves bioengineering guild members. No one would dare make such a statement in the presence of a guild master like himself, but when he was still only a mere member, he heard them often.
Aldrich was a respected level 3 guild member that had the misfortune of completing his promotional mission at a bad time. In other times Aldrich would have long been assigned to a master post on Uhm. If only it hadn't been for the quarantine. Relations between the bioengineering guild and the mining guild had grown to be rather delicate since the bio engineering guild had been forced to cease ant-monkey production. Aldrich, while being one of the smartest and most respected bioscientists in the guild, had been known for being less than diplomatic at times. A trait that at this point in time kept him stuck on this watery moon and kept him from a well-deserved master of the guild title. Aldrich wasn't the kind of person to be pressed by the delay. In fact, he had gotten so attached to this watery rock and its rich marine life that he wasn't even sure if he was ready to return to civilization.
Mara was a relatively big sea-moon for a mid-sized, class B planet like the forest planet Orus-3. There wasn't any land mass anywhere on Mara. The science base on Mara was a medium-sized standard sea-dome that housed four guild members, Aldrich being the most senior. Mara had a relatively rich variety of sea-life for a sea-moon. It had exotic forms of most well-known sea fauna categories. There was even a large family of predatory fish unlike any species on any of the four famous Agma system sea planets. Aldrich was proud of his Mara. He had singlehandedly categorized the genomes of all of the ten thousand sea species on Mara before the Council sent him 3 assistants to help with the paperwork.
While all was on short notice, Raphaël had prepared well for his visit to Mara. Maarsoly was dying and Woldera held too few large bodies of water to sustain many of Maarsoly's species, most importantly the pre-civ species. If the guild allowed a pre-civ species to go extinct, there would be political consequences that would dwarf the Lilith incident in its impact. The guild might lose all of its seats in the Senate. A guild without Senate seats, now that would be a blow from which the guild might never recover.
Mara was the only viable option. Although Raphaël outranked Aldrich, Aldrich’s rank was due only to the current political circumstances. Aldrich had the respect of many on the guild’s main council and if the RELI-gene research paid off, Aldrich would likely be a member of the Council long before Raphaël could even hope to become eligible for such a post. Thus the situation demanded respect and patience.
Mara and its marine life were precious to Aldrich, They would all have to be preserved, if not on Mara than on Woldera. If on Woldera, than the transplanted sea would need to be bigger than what he planned for initially. And worse, its salinity levels would have to be maintained. Bioengineering wasn't an option here. Woldera had some nasty freshwater fish and reptiles that would gladly eat most of Aldrich’s precious ecosystem for breakfast. No, Woldera would need a saltwater sea of ample proportions, as some of Mara's ecosystem would need to be relocated there. “How can we work that in with the other plans?”
"We will be combining 3 eco systems."
“Madness!” Aldrich exclaimed.
“There is much to think about indeed. Many factors to consider. I shall be needing your extensive expertise on the Mara ecosystem on this one. It will be a hard nut to crack, but with your expertise and that of the scientists on Woldera, we must find a way to do it. A planet is dying and with it a whole ecosystem.”
“No need to remind me of that,” Aldrich responded. “I'm fully aware of the urgency of the matter.”
Continue to Chapter 5