A Type VI Secretion System (T6SS) is a bacterial killing mechanism found in many Gram-negative bacteria. In an active T6SS, a cell injects a “needle-like” apparatus into a neighboring cell. This needle, coated with toxic molecules, promotes death of the prey cell. Some strains of Vibrio fischeri, however, may be using a bacterial “escape mechanism” to avoid killing by T6S. I am investigating environmental factors that may play a role in this proposed escape mechanism.