Redshirts

sample,” he said instead.
    “Very good,” Abernathy said, and handed it to him. “As you know, Ensign, we are currently above the planet Merovia, a planet rich with artistic wonders but whose people are superstitiously opposed to medical practices of any sort.” He paused, as if waiting for acknowledgment.
    “Of course, sir,” Dahl said, giving what he hoped was the expected prompt.
    “Unfortunately, they are also in the throes of a global plague, which is decimating their population,” Q’eeng said. “The Universal Union is concerned that the damage caused by the plague will collapse their entire civilization, throwing the planet into a new dark age from which it will never recover.”
    “The government of Merovia has refused all Universal Union medical help,” Abernathy said. “So the Intrepid was secretly assigned to collect samples of the plague and engineer a counter-bacterial which we could release into the wild, burning out the plague.”
    Counter-bacterial? Dahl thought. Don’t they mean a vaccine? But before he could ask for clarification, Q’eeng was speaking again.
    “We sent a covert two-man away team to collect samples, but in doing so they became infected themselves,” Q’eeng said. “The Merovian Plague has already claimed the life of Ensign Lee.”
    “Damn plague liquefied the flesh right off her bones,” Abernathy said, grimly.
    “The other Intrepid crew member infected is Lieutenant Kerensky,” Q’eeng said. At this, both Abernathy and Q’eeng looked at Dahl intensely, as if to stress the sheer, abject horror of this Lieutenant Kerensky being infected.
    “Oh, no,” Dahl ventured. “Not Kerensky.”
    Abernathy nodded. “So you understand the importance of that little vial you have in your hands,” he said. “Use it to find the counter-bacterial. If you can do it, you’ll save Kerensky.”
    “And the Merovians,” Dahl said.
    “Yes, them too,” Abernathy said. “You have six hours.”
    Dahl blinked. “Six hours?”
    Abernathy angered at this. “Is there a problem, mister?” he asked.
    “It’s not a lot of time,” Dahl said.
    “Damn it, man!” Abernathy said. “This is Kerensky we’re talking about! If God could make the universe in six days, surely you can make a counter-bacterial in six hours.”
    “I’ll try, sir,” Dahl said.
    “Try’s not good enough,” Abernathy said, and clapped Dahl hard on the shoulder. “I need to hear you say that you’ll do it.” He shook Dahl’s shoulder vigorously.
    “I’ll do it,” Dahl said.
    “Thank you, Ensign Dill,” Abernathy said.
    “Dahl, sir,” Dahl said.
    “Dahl,” Abernathy said, and then turned to Q’eeng, turning his attention away from Dahl so completely it was as if a switch had been thrown. “Come on, Q’eeng. We need to make a hyperwave call to Admiral Drezner. We’re cutting things close here.” Abernathy strode out into the hallway, purposefully. Q’eeng followed, nodding to Dahl absentmindedly as he followed the captain.
    Dahl stood there for a moment, vial in his hand.
    “I’m going to say it again,” he said, again to himself. “What the hell?”
    *   *   *
    The storage room door opened; Cassaway and Mbeke came out of it. “What did they want?” Cassaway asked.
    “Checking inventory again?” Dahl asked, mockingly.
    “We don’t tell you how to do your job,” Mbeke said.
    “So what did they want?” Collins asked, as she briskly walked through the outside door, Trin following, cup of coffee in hand.
    Dahl thought hard about yelling at all of them, then stopped and refocused. He held up the vial. “I’m supposed to find a counter-bacterial for this.”
    “Counter-bacterial?” Trin asked. “Don’t you mean a vaccine?”
    “I’m telling you what they told me,” Dahl said. “And they gave me six hours.”
    “Six hours,” Trin said, looking at Collins.
    “Right,” Dahl said. “Which, even if I knew what a ‘counter-bacterial’ was, is no time at all. It takes weeks to make a vaccine.”
    “Dahl, tell me,” Collins said. “When Q’eeng and Abernathy were here, how were they talking to you?”
    “What do you mean?” Dahl asked.
    “Did they come in and quickly tell you what you needed?” Collins said. “Or did they go on and on about a bunch of crap you didn’t need to know?”
    “They went on a bit, yes,” Dahl said.
    “Was the captain particularly dramatic?” Cassaway asked.
    “What is ‘particularly dramatic’ in this context?” Dahl