The medic glanced from her to Seth and back again.
"Thanks, Seth!" Danika said hurriedly since it looked like the two might be considering physical violence and it occurred to her that that might escalate into an actual exchange of blows once the medic started probing her wound. "Do you think you could wait outside?"
He looked reluctant and somewhat outdone that she'd suggested it but after a moment he nodded, turned, and strode from the room.
"That was helpful at any rate," the medic said coolly. "At least I know what to look for. The hab-suit is punctured but it seems to be intact. I do not believe the projectile will have carried any fibers inside, but I will check for that, as well."
The scan, naturally enough, wasn't painful, but since the medic discovered that there were particles of bone and a few fibers inside the wound, cleaning it out went way beyond a 'little discomfort'. Danika gritted her teeth while he spread the wound, probed it with something like long tweezers and then poured it full of antiseptic to flush out anything he might have missed. She thought she was going to pass-out when he closed it.
He patted her shoulder. "Lie here while I examine the material under the microscope for bacteria."
She was happy to do so. She thought she might really pass out if she tried to get up.
He was smiling when he returned. "There is bacteria present. We must assume that we did not remove it all."
"Well! That's certainly good news!" Danika snapped, both frightened by the news and pissed off at his cheerfulness in delivering the unwelcome information.
"It is good news. The bacteria is familiar and you have been inoculated. I will give you a booster injection--just to be certain."
The other good news was that the weakness had passed--somewhat--by the time he'd finished.
Apparently, she still looked pale. The medic frowned at her. "You do not have nanos. You should return to crew quarters and rest the remainder of the day, I believe, rather than returning immediately to your duties."
* * * *
Danika had managed to convince Seth, Dane, and Niles to return to work and had just begun to drowse when she sensed a presence that brought her awake again. Reuel, she discovered, was standing beside her bunk.
She jackknifed upright reflexively and then winced at the burning pull along her wound and the protest of her battered body.
"Be still," Reuel commanded. After looking around, he settled on the bunk across from her. "Under other circumstances, I would allow you to rest and report at some later time, but I feel that an attack so close to the base warrants immediate attention. It seems that I underestimated the intelligence and/or aggressiveness of the natives. I had thought the retaliation upon our arrival must drive them back for some time so that we need not concern ourselves with them--not at once, at any rate.
"I believe I have figured out what transpired, but I would like to hear your version of events."
It was unfortunate that it occurred to Danika just then--and not before so that she had time to invent a plausible story--that her squad hadn't been where they should have been or occupied with what they should have been doing. She felt her color fluctuate while that ran through her mind and she began a frantic search for a response that wouldn't get them into trouble. "Well ... uh ... after I got back to camp from our meeting, I noticed the guys weren't in the base perimeter and figured they must be out collecting more plants. So I went to look for them."
"And they were busy collecting?"
Danika reddened. "Uh ... they had decided to get in a little sparring--to keep in shape, you know?"
"Ah! We must certainly keep in good fighting form! So that no doubt explains the newly cleared area beyond the perimeter. Continue."
"Well, they'd finished by the time I got there and decided to rest. I examined the ... uh ... area ...."
"The new area they decided to clear?"
"Uh ... yes, that one. And I was just about to point out that you'd sent me to collect vegetation anyway to see if we could use it to camouflage the hab-suits when I happened to catch a glint in the distance. My first thought was that it was metal, but then I realized it was a body of water and decided to investigate since the stream is hardly sufficient for our needs--I mean with so many of us now.
"So I ... uh ... left them resting."
Reuel's lips thinned. "Instead of summoning your squad."
Danika squirmed. "Yes, Sir. Stupid, I know, but it didn't look that far and I had my weapon."
"That was the act of a green recruit--not a seasoned officer--which you are now ... or should be. You have not seen enough combat to know better than to go off alone, Captain?"
"It was poor judgment," Danika responded uncomfortably.
"Very poor! We are in enemy territory--still. The natives had already displayed their hostility." He stood. "I will hope that the wound is sufficient to inspire better judgment in the future. I will not comment on the fact that you led your squad into unnecessary danger since, from what I can determine, it would be hard to say who led whom. But I will point out that your judgment last eve was no better and that it is up to you to make certain that your squad continues to perform as a team and does not disintegrate due to ... favoritism--into warring factions that will create further disturbance and could endanger not only your entire team, but others, as well."
