Redshirts

it back. Now go. Save the day, Kerensky. Save the day.”
    Kerensky nodded, took the tablet, and ran.
    Dahl lay there, pinned through the liver, and in his final moments of consciousness tried to focus on the fact that Hester would live, the ship would be saved and his friends would make it through the rest of their lives without being savaged by the Narrative. And all it needed was one more dramatic death of an extra. His dramatic death.
    It’s a fair trade, he thought, trying to reconcile himself to how it all played out. A fair trade. Saved his friends. Saved Matthew Paulson. Saved the Intrepid . A fair trade.
    But as everything went gray and slid into black, a final thought bubbled up from the bottom of what was left of him.
    Screw this, I want to live, it said.
    But then everything went to black anyway.
    *   *   *
    “Stop being dramatic,” the voice said. “We know you’re awake.”
    Dahl opened his eyes.
    Hester was standing over him, along with Duvall and Hanson.
    Dahl smiled at Hester. “It worked,” he said. “It’s you. It really worked.”
    “Of course it worked,” Hester said. “Why wouldn’t it work?”
    Dahl laughed weakly at this. He tried to get up but couldn’t.
    “Stasis medical chair,” Duvall said. “You’re regrowing a liver and a lot of burned skin and healing a broken rib cage. You wouldn’t like what you’d be feeling if you moved.”
    “How long have I been in this thing?” Dahl asked.
    “Four days,” Hanson said. “You were a mess.”
    “I thought I was dead,” Dahl said.
    “You would have been dead if someone hadn’t rescued you,” Duvall said.
    “Who rescued me?” Dahl asked.
    Another face loomed into view.
    “Jenkins,” Dahl said.
    “You were right outside a cargo tunnel,” Jenkins said. “I figured, might as well.”
    “Thank you,” Dahl said.
    “No thanks necessary,” Jenkins said. “I did it purely out of self-interest. If you died, I would never know if you ever delivered that message for me.”
    “I did,” Dahl said.
    “How did it go over?” Jenkins asked.
    “It went over well,” Dahl said. “I’m supposed to give you a kiss for her.”
    “Well, maybe some other time,” Jenkins said.
    “What are you two talking about?” Duvall asked.
    “I’ll tell you later,” Dahl said, and then looked back to Jenkins. “So you’re out of your hiding place, then.”
    “Yes,” he said. “It was time.”
    “Good,” Dahl said.
    “And the great news is we’re all heroes,” Hester said. “The ‘message’ was extracted out of my body and broadcast by the Intrepid, ending the religious war on Forshan. How lucky is that.”
    “Amazing,” Dahl said.
    “Of course, none of it even begins to make sense if you think about it,” Hester said.
    “It never has,” Dahl said.
    Later in the day, after his friends had left, Dahl had another visitor.
    “Science Officer Q’eeng,” Dahl said.
    “Ensign,” Q’eeng said. “You are healing?”
    “So I’ve been told,” Dahl said.
    “Lieutenant Kerensky tells me it was you who cracked the code, so the rightward schism leader’s last will and testament could be broadcast,” Q’eeng said.
    “I suppose it was,” Dahl said, “although I can’t honestly take all the credit.”
    “Nevertheless, for your bravery and your sacrifice I have written you up for a commendation,” Q’eeng said. “If it’s approved, which it will be, then you will also be advanced in rank. So let me be the first to say, Congratulations, Lieutenant.”
    “Thank you, sir,” Dahl said.
    “There’s one other thing,” Q’eeng said. “Just a few minutes ago I received a highly classified message from the Universal Union High Command. I was informed that I was to read it to you, and only to you, out loud.”
    “All right, sir,” Dahl said. “I’m ready.”
    Q’eeng pulled out his phone, pressed the screen and read the words there. “Andy, I don’t know if these words will reach you. Nick wrote this scene and we filmed it, but obviously it won’t be shown on TV. I don’t know if just filming it will be enough, and I guess there is no way for you to tell us if it worked. But if it does work, I want you to know two things. One, I’m sorry for everything you just got put through—Nick felt we had to really push the action in this one or the audience would start to question what was going on. Maybe that’s not a great argument to you now, considering where you are. But it made sense at the