The EMH

Posted on Sun Mar 30th, 2025 by Lieutenant JG Elle Hayashi & Lieutenant Choyi Zaimu

1,155 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: M02 - The Sixteenth Rule
Location: Chief Medical Officer's Office, USS Hooke
Timeline: Present

Elle stared at her computer monitor while holding a PADD in her other hand, she had just spent the last four hours trying to get her medical experiment set up. It was difficult on a starship, this wasn't a space station after all where she'd probably have the time to conduct medical research and write a paper. It also didn't help that she was both the only doctor on the ship as well as the most senior in her department. She sighed and put the PADD down before continuing to sort out the intricate details.

It took a moment for Elle to realize that she wasn't alone and when she looked up the ship's Counselor was standing there looking at her. She frowned almost immediately when she noticed the Bajoran woman there, "I'm so sorry," She said and pushed herself to the left. Elle turned her full attention on the Bajoran, "How can I help you Counselor?"

Choyi smiled warmly before she slipped past the opening and sat down across from the desk, "Oh it's all right. I've only been standing there for a few seconds at the most Doctor Hayashi." She leaned back and made herself more comfortable. "What are you working on?"

Elle sighed, she wasn't going to get an answer right away and get back to work. It wasn't as if she couldn't use the distraction anyway and so she decided to bite. "Just some medical research, it's a gene therapy study that I've gotten nowhere with." She found herself shrugging, "I'm not trying to save the universe or anything, but sometimes I wonder if I would have been a better fit on a station instead of a ship.

"Don't misunderstand me, I do like it here sometimes." She used both hands to indicate the small office and her surroundings such as the ship itself. "The crew seem nice and all," She added, "I just could accomplish more research if I was on a station."

Choyi nodded slowly, "I can certainly understand that." She placed both hands on her legs, "Have you thought about asking to have one of the science labs converted into a medical lab?"

Elle nodded, "I thought about it. But, I'm the only doctor on board the ship, if there's a medical emergency or something wild like that then I'm going to need to be here. Besides, my research paper is mostly computer driven anyway so I can, in theory, work on it from here." She found herself smiling warmly, "It's the interruptions," Then she raised both hands in defense, "Not you Counselor."

"I understood," Choyi told her confidently. "You could have your enlisted personnel do more of the work or a nurse if you have one assigned in here yet." She suggested for the medical officer. "I know you're not the only medical person on board the ship after all, at least I would hope that."

"I'm not," Elle replied. "For the most part the rest of my department does most of the work for me and I'm relatively undisturbed. The medical facilities on this ship are more than adequate for what the ship needs, and I'm more than confident in my abilities. This is more of a side project anyway," She rotated her head slightly to indicate the screen in front of her.

Choyi nodded, "What about the ship's on board Emergency Medical Hologram?"

Elle scrunched her face and turned up her nose slightly, "That thing? Gross." She added, "I wouldn't use that thing unless the entire ship was on fire and I was half dead with no hair left to pull out." She may have been a bit harsh in her words, but Elle meant every word of it. "I hate those things. They're just so..." She couldn't find the word, "Inhumane."

Choyi resisted the urge to laugh and instead provided the doctor with a playful smile. "Oh I see," She said. Choyi hadn't experienced the Emergency Medical Hologram, "Is the one on this ship just that rough around the edges? I would have thought in the last fifteen years or so they would have ironed out the bugs by now."

Elle shrugged, "They probably have," She answered. "I've never activated the one on board the ship, nor do I want to activate the one on board the ship. I'd rather do surgery on myself before I activate it, and I'm being oh so serious right now too." She added a vigorous nod to the end of her statement just for additional context. "Sorry if I sound really harsh about it, but the person responsible for those things was a total whack job if he thought they were a good idea."

Choyi did finally let a small snort, "I'm sorry." She said.

Elle grinned, "Oh it's okay." She told the Counselor because Elle knew she was being kind of silly about it. "If I were desperate enough I would probably use the one on board the ship. But, for something small like a cut or a bruise I'll treat it myself thanks. Besides, I think they're really only useful in the most extreme situations and so far we've not had one of those. Knock on wood." She tapped the desk.

Choyi had seen that sort of behavior from humans before and as such ignored both the comment and the motion instead she focused on other matters. "You know I probably could come up with about three dozen psychological reasons for your disdain toward the EMH right?"

"Oh I bet you could." She replied with her grin still intact. "Aval would have told me all three dozen of them too if she were still here."

Choyi had little choice but to agree the more she spoke to the crew, the more she came to realize that Aval was a terrible choice by Starfleet Personnel. "Well, I won't tell you all three dozen of the reasons why you hate the EMH because it would be utter nonsense." She chose that moment to lean all the way forward and be a little softer with her voice, "Truth be told those things give me the absolute creeps." She leaned back in her chair once more.

Elle laughed a little bit, "I get that." She nodded. "During one of the Borg invasions I heard the one programmed on the Enterprise was actually useful. They used it to confuse the Borg drones."

Choyi thought that was interesting, "Probably the only time, besides the Voyager EMH where one was actually useful for something." She stood up, "Let's go get something to eat you've got to be starving."

Elle looked at her research that had largely been left alone for the last little bit and saved it. She appreciated the distraction, she could always come back to setting up her experiment later. "All right," She said and stood up. A little bit of food wouldn't hurt her.

 

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