Holographic Musings

Posted on 01 May 2012 @ 5:09am by Lieutenant Commander Pola Ni Dhuinn M.D. & EMH Mark X-C "Shirley"

2,144 words; about a 11 minute read

Mission: Episode 01 - Project Sienna
Location: Sickbay - USS Galileo
Timeline: MD4 2300hours

[ON]


Placing a hip against edge of the biobed, Pola sat staring at the LARS primary console. She couldn't get her mind off of the hologram who seemed to have been nothing but problematic since he was installed. The problems all seemed to have been sorted now...at least she hoped so. She wondered if this would end up causing her more of a headache then intended.

"Computer, please activate the EMH."

With the command from the doctor, the computer immediately leapt into action and engaged the holoemitters, bringing together the collection of subroutines and algorithms that controlled the Galileo's EMH, before it coalesced in the centre of the room.

"Please state the nature of the medical emergency."

Taking in the hologram standing in front of her, Pola noticed for the first time that he was actually substantially taller than her; from her vantage point against the medical bed this was even more evident. Deciding to stay where she was, the young Doctor rested her hands behind her back. "Um...there is no medical emergency...I just wanted to say hi."

The hologram looked visibly confused as to why someone would have activated his program if there was no need for it. Operating an EMH took up a large section of the main computer's memory space, and to run it without the need for medical care was very unusual.
Taking a moment to look around the room at the empty biobeds and deactivated medical displays, the EMH for a moment felt that it would be best if he was deactivated until needed again. However, even though the Mark X had control over its own activation subroutines, the Doctor thought it would only be right of him to list.

"No...medical emergency? I....I'm not programmed to fraternise Doctor?"

Starting to wonder if this had been such a good idea, Pola gently cleared her throat. She had figured it might be a good idea to get to know her colleague better but not being human, she forgot to factor in that it might be difficult. "Well I figured that given we are going to be working closer together it would be easier if we knew each other first. I'm Doctor Ryan, the assistant chief medical officer."

"Doctor Ryan? Are you feeling well ma'am?" The EMH once again looked confused as he continued thinking about the current situation. Having compared her face structure to the scans that he had on record as being members of the Galileo crew, the EMH had already confirmed her identity, but was unsure as to why she would give a false name.

"According to the Starfleet database, your identity is Doctor Pola Ni Dhuinn. Is there an error with my program?"

Realising her mistake, Pola raised a hand to rub her forehead, trying to figure out how to cover up her mistake. All the extra hours she'd been pulling and lack of sleep must have been getting to her. No one knew that her name was actually once Paula Ryan. After the death of her Grandmother, she had changed it to the Irish of Pola and taken her Grandmother's Irish surname, Ni Duinn. It was easier to just start a brand new life then to explain who she was before.

Looking up at the EMH, allowing a natural smile to form, the young Doctor tilted her head sideways, "I was just trying to test your programming subroutines. After all the issues we've had with you I just want to be doubly sure everything is ok now."

"I'm...glad to hear that....my program wasn't designed to be integrated into a starship so quickly...I...apologise if the engineering teams had...problems finishing off my installation, I assure you, my internal diagnostics report me as being fully functional as of now."

The EMH almost seemed to breathe a sigh of relief as he was confirmed to be fully operational. He had been designed by some of the greatest doctors and holoengineers in Starfleet, and to find out that his program was faulty had been the equivalent of telling an organic lifeform they had a terminal disease.

"Tell me....why...did you feel the need to....chat....with me?" He asked inquisitively.

Pola looked in shock at the EMH. She knew that there was something different to this one compared to others! That Will op guy knew nothing! He was showing a sense of emotion, a sense of wanting to understand more than just medical information. Grinning, Pola hoisted herself up to sit on the bio bed and indicated for the EMH to sit on the bio bed in front of her. "Well first and foremost, I can't keep calling you EMH Mark-X...Do you have a name? Or a preference of a name?"

At the mention of a name, the EMH looked a little bashful, then returned to bus earlier confused look as he thought on the subject that had been brought up. Normally, a hologram wasn't given a name except in the various entertainment holoprograms. With an emergency doctor, there was no need for a name as it was never anticipated he would be active long enough to need one.

"I...wasn't programmed with a name ma'am. It's not within my parameters, anything apart from just Doctor or EMH wasn't deemed necessary....would it be preferable if I did have one?"

Watching the emotions cross through the holograms face, Pola wondered what was going through his mind, he had a mind right? Well she supposed his brain was his mainframe. Realising she was going off on a tangent, Pola pulled herself back to the matter at hand."Hum....Well a name makes everyone an individual, means you are your own...well your own person. My name is Pola which is the Irish for Paula....my name means....well small." Blushing, Pola looked down at the ground.

"An intriguing thought....I know the relationship between names and the owner of that name means a lot to organics...but to a hologram....they're just an additional identity....no differnt to EMH, or Doctor. My personality as you so put it...is nothing more than a collection of algorithms designed to make it easier for my program to interact with patients and ascertain the best course of treatment.."

Looking around the Sickbay walls, the EMH began to pace around a little. Although he had been designed with the schematics for ever model of sickbay in the fleet, it was as if his program was studying and learning every contour and facet of the room, from the holoemitters that made his existence possible, all the way through to the hyposprays and dermal regenerators on the equipment trolleys.

"I could think of a name? I have access to an extensive Starfleet database cataloguing several thousand species from hundreds of worlds as well as their cultures, myths, historical references and modern cultural understandings...perhaps something suitable would be in there?"

Feeling the flush in her cheeks lighten, Pola turned her attention from the floor back around to the EMH, watching as he seemed to be analysing everything he was looking at. "Please do....I'd like it if you had a name." Smiling, the Doctor remembered the previous question he had asked, "As to why I felt the need to talk to you...well there was a few reasons. First of all we'll be working closely together, I prefer to know the people I work with so that in emergencies I know what to expect from them, where they are best suited to be positioned. I know you're a hologram and you're programmed to know every single piece of up to date medical information, but still I prefer to know you."

The hologram seemed to be relaxing a little bit now that he had been given an instruction, his program much happier knowing that it had a purpose, something to achieve, something to work on, rather than having endless subroutines sat around doing nothing.

"Then I shall spend my time in the memory buffers searching through the records....the life of a hologram never stops after all! Is there anything else I can assist you with Doctor?"

"Just one....what are you thinking? I mean aside from a name? What were you thinking the two times something went wrong with your programming?" Pola realised that this sounded very silly but she'd seen how he seemed to be curious of his surroundings, showing curiosity. Then the time he had gone AWOL throwing things, in all honesty he hadn't been hostile, he'd seemed more confused. And then the time he became translucent, it the fear which he had shown.

"Right this moment I'm...thinking, as you put it, about several things. How long it will take me to search the entire Federation cultural database, the probability of medical intervention being required during the current mission on board this vessel, the probability of a new anti-viral medication being developed on Andoria of successfully treating a standard chromo-viral infection, as well as running several diagnostics of my program."

For a moment, the EMH looked rather proud of his abilities to work on several different tasks at once, of course it wasn't strictly all of him doing the brain work, a lot of it was being processed by the Galileo's computer on his behalf, but with the level of integration between the software and the hardware on board this starship, there was very little difference between the two.

"When an error occurred with my program, I was...concerned. Should I have had to go offline for any substantial length of time, then there would have been a possibility of the crew not having access to suitable medical care in the event of a shipwide disaster. Thankfully, the crew were able to repair my program, and that latent fear became lessened."

Pola looked in shock at the programme in front of her before genuinely smiling. She wondered if Will had gotten to reprogramme the personality sub routines but either way the EMH had just shown her that he had the attitude of why a person should be a Doctor, to help and save as many people as a Doctor can. The fact he was concerned about not being available should the crew need him already showed knowledge of how a Doctor should be and should act. Standing up to walk over to the EMH, Pola gave him a hug before pulling away. "I'm going to like working with you. Can I ask that you add Cahill to your list of names to consider? When spelt with a C it's Irish and means strong in battle, a strong warrior. When spelt with a K it's Arabic and means honourable comrade."

The holographic doctor looked once again confused as he received a hug from his organic companion, he had done nothing to warrant a show of affection, which would have been out of place even if wasn't just a hologram. Her request for him to consider names was certainly outside of his program, and already he was calculating a high probability that he would be unsuccessful in coming up with an answer to her question.

"I....will think on the matter Doctor. Now if that is everything, I feel its only right I stop taking up so much of the operational memory of the main computer unnecessarily?"

Stepping back, Pola nodded her head. "don't worry about the main computer, this is the Beta shift, most systems are in hibernation due to the Skelton staff. I wouldn't have activated you outside of an emergency otherwise. Take care of yourself until we next meet." The Doctor smiled gently and gave a little wave. She knew she came across as young and naive but she would never do anything to put the ship at risk. Just as she knew her job, she knew the equipment she had to work with. She may not know how the EMH worked but she was aware of what was required to provide it.

"I....am always taking care of myself...the diagnostic subroutines within my program prevent me from causing intentional harm to my program without it being absolutely necessary. Good night Doctor."

Nodding to his colleague, the hologram took one last look around sickbay before mentioning those fateful words that sent him back into the computer memory until he was called upon once again.

"Computer deactivate the Emergency Medical Holographic Program"

Watching as the EMH disappeared; Pola wondered what name he would manage to come up with and when an opportunity would arise for her to find out. Taking one last look at the spot where he had stood, the Doctor turned around, deciding to go check on Drusilla.

[OFF]


Lieutenant JG Pola Ni Dhuinn
Assistant Chief Medical Officer
USS Galileo

EMH Mark-X (played by John Holliday)
Emergency Medical Hologram
USS Galileo

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