Redshirts Read Online Free PDF

for his lab mates whenever they rattled their mugs. They weren’t obnoxious about it—they got their own coffee more often than not—but they enjoyed exercising their coffee boy privileges from time to time.
    This reminded Dahl that he needed to check on the status of the coffee pot. Cassaway had been the last one to get a cup; Dahl looked up to ask him if it was time for him to start another pot.
    He was alone in the lab.
    “What the hell?” Dahl said, to himself.
    The outside door to the lab slid open and Q’eeng and Captain Abernathy stepped through.
    Dahl stood and saluted. “Captain, Commander,” he said.
    Q’eeng looked around the laboratory. “Where are your crewmates, Ensign Dahl?” he said.
    “Errands,” Dahl said, after a second.
    “He’ll do,” Abernathy said, and strode forward purposefully toward Dahl. He held a small vial. “Do you know what this is?” he said.
    A small vial, Dahl thought, but did not say. “A xenobiological 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