One Week Prior

“Maybe if you sang to them, they’d grow faster.” Namid peered over their labmate’s shoulder, a wild grin plastered onto their face. “Seranade them with a classic Trill melody and lull them to sleep with piano.” They reached out to adjust a petri dish, only to have their hand swatted away by a disgruntled Trill.

“Touchy,” they frowned and inspected their gloved hand for any sign of injury. “What are you doing, anyway?” Namid squinted at the rows of bioactive vivariums and their companion Petri dishes. “You’ve practically lived here for the past week. I doubt the specimens need adult supervision.”

“With lab assistants running around like chickens with their heads cut off,” Visrian huffed and leaned over the microscope. “I’d beg to differ.”

“Okay..” Namid knit their eyebrows together. “..then we increase security measures in our absence. But that still doesn’t explain what you’re doing here.” Their labmate was hardly a formidable creature, so they had little reason to believe she would attack some overzealous lab assistant looking to get their grimy hands on their specimens.

“I’m observing fluctuations in biofilm gene expression,” Visrian curtly informed.

“Okay.. so you’re doing the scientific equivalent of watching paint dry.” Namid plopped down beside her and cast a crooked glance at Visrian’s work. They were under the impression a computer could observe bacterial, viral and fungi growth, but they supposed Visrian would find any way to be close to her work. “I’m not getting the whole ‘scientific breakthrough’ vibe. Please enlighten me.”

“Do you recall that conversation we had about quorum sensing and A. Fischeri?” Visrian pulled back, a look of irritation passing through her baggy eyes.

“Of course.” Namid tilted their head in mild curiosity. “But A. Fischeri’s quorum sensing is primarily observed in its luminous factors and in response to a symbiotic relationship, like with squid. What does that have to do with medicine?”

“Well, nothing, really.” Visrian shrugged. “But, quorum sensing serves a greater purpose than promoting bioluminescence. I mean, 21st-century researchers thought that, because bacteria naturally grew in tumours, they could use them to detect and treat malignant growths- “

“-by producing a signal when in contact with high-density cancerous populations. Right. But Pyong Ko basically demoted cancer from ‘lethal’ to ‘treatable’ with the discovery of an anti-metastasis sequence.” Namid wrinkled their nose. “Why continue to labour over something that isn’t a present issue?”

“Because I’m not thinking about cancer, but the bacteria themselves.” Visrian’s disgruntled look manifested into a smile. “It’s the 24th century and we’re still facing antibiotic resistance in a multitude of pathogens. Of course, we are steadily developing newer antibiotics with less potential for resistance; but, the more anti-resistant these medications become, the more damage they cause to the body’s natural microbiome.”

“So..” Namid regarded her experiment for a second. “Instead of creating a medication that attacks ‘good’ and ‘bad’ microbiota,” they rolled their wrists in an interpretive gesture. “You want to design one that-“

“-impacts specific, high-density populations of pathogenic bacteria,” Visrian finished.

“Great,” Namid leaned back in their chair. “How does this relate to biofilm analysis?”

“Well, microbiology is not my strong suit. So, I figured I’d approach like an engineer-” Visrian gestured to her set up “-study the mechanism in various environments, and replicate it. Plus, it’ll give me something to do while my lab partner is off gallivanting the stars.”

“Oh.. you heard?” Namid’s cheeks flushed a little pink. They visibly recoiled in their chair.

“It’s hard to miss when you’re approached by a random man claiming to be your new partner.” Visrian threw them a pointed glance. “When were you going to tell me?”

“Soon..” Namid sighed and rubbed the back of their neck. “I was just trying to find the right thing to say.”

“Please,” Visrian got up to dispose of her specimen in a biohazard bag. “I knew when you took this job that it was temporary. You are way too energetic to stay cooped up in this stuffy lab.” She paused and threw Namid a soft look. “When do you become a thorn in somebody else’s side?”

“Three days?” Namid closed their eyes in preparation for a lecture.

And that was when all hell broke loose.

A week later, Namid stepped onto the Manhattan.

To suggest the past four days were a ‘breeze’ would submit every last second to a kind of patience that Namid lacked. They were not overly fond of formalities but they understood their gravity. Whether they appreciated them was an entirely different story. Nevertheless, Namid wouldn’t knock an opportunity that promoted them from a stuffy, desolate laboratory to a starship.

It was a change of scenery Namid equally craved and needed.

Passing through metal doors, Namid stepped into the hallways and threw a glance in each direction. They chose left. In their stride, they attempted to familiarise themself with the world around them. Starships weren’t new to Argimeau, but hailing from a field where their work often landed them on colonies or stations, Manhattan would take some getting used to.

It was bound to be a learning process.

– Argimeau, Scientific Intelligence