"There's no question where the responsibility lies," the Black Doctor
said, his face darkening. "This was a surgical problem, and Dal Timgar
made the decisions. I don't see anything to argue."

"There's plenty to argue," Tiger said. "Dal, don't you see what he's
trying to do?"

Across the room Dal shook his head wearily. "You'd better keep out of
it, Tiger," he said.

"Why should I keep out of it and let you be drummed out of the patrol
for something that wasn't even your fault?" Tiger said. He turned
angrily to the Black Doctor. "Dal wasn't the one that wanted the
hospital ship called," he said. "I was. If you're going to relieve
somebody, you'd better make it me."

The Black Doctor pulled off his glasses and glared at Tiger. "Whatever
are you talking about?" he said.

"Just what I said. We had a conference after he'd examined the patient
in the operating room, and I insisted that we call the hospital ship.
Why, Dal--Dal wanted to go ahead and try to finish the case right then,
and I wouldn't let him," Tiger blundered on. "I didn't think the patient
could take it. I thought that it would be too great a risk with the
facilities we had here."

Dal was staring at Tiger, and he felt Fuzzy suddenly shivering violently
in his pocket. "Tiger, don't be foolish--"