"MEDIC", Lt. Scott screamed again, the sight of his mentors life leaking out into the dry desert soil causing him no small amount of anxiety.
VanTedly who had just unleashed his weapons with deadly effectiveness on the rocky outcropping from which Reed's injury had been dealt. He pushed Number Two out of the way, grabbing the bandana from around
his neck. He pressed the cloth firmly against the gouge on the side of the Commander's head.
"Hold this.", he told the bewildered lieutenant, his voice filling the blaring silence that followed the bark of his guns.
Number Two came forward tentatively and applied pressure against the wound. VanTedly uncorked his canteen and began to pour its contents onto Reed's injured cranium. He wiped the blood away with his
sleeve and inspected the wound. It was shallow, and would require some medical attention when they returned to the ship, but it didn't seem life threatening.
"It doesn't look too bad", the ensign observed with a puzzled expression, "but he's not waking up."
Lieutenant Scott gingerly turned Reed's face toward the sky and noted swelling on the side of his head opposite the bullet wound. "He must have hit his head on this rock when he fell.", Number Two
said, pointing to a large smooth stone where Reed's head had been.
"What are we going to do now?", VanTedly asked reverting back to a more characteristic level of ineptness.
"Hey!", a voice called loudly from the brush and rocks to the north, "If you're all done with your little picnic, we could use a little help."
VanTedly already had his guns drawn as Number Two looked up to see Broski striding toward them. He held his hands high, not wanting to tempt the relatively simple but nonetheless deadly junior officer.
"The commander's been hurt", Lt. Scott said, "and we're not sure if we should move him."
Having dealt with similar situations in the past, Broski stepped up to examine the commander. He grasped Reed's head in both hands, feeling both sides and probing the gunshot wound with dirt-caked fingers.
"What do you think?", Proteau prompted.
"He'll live.", Broski remarked dryly, reaching into his pack. He produced his infamous canteen cup and a cloth pouch. Pouring the contents of the package into the cup, he handed it to Corporal
Orwig. "Put some water in there and mix it up really good."
"What's in it?", Lt. Scott asked.
Broski shrugged. "Just some herbs and anti-inflammatories", he replied, "nothing big, but it should wake him up."
Orwig was looking around the group, having exhausted his personal canteen on their hike. "Does anybody have any water left?"
"No", Proteau said, shaking his head, "mine is gone."
"I poured mine on the commander.", VanTedly insisted in his defense.
Number Two merely hung his head miserably. "What do we do now?"
Their collective gaze shifted to Broski. "Not a problem", Broski assured them, "I've got just the thing."
