Doctors Duty

Posted on Sat Jun 16th, 2018 @ 6:52am by Civilian Resident Akio Itachi (NPC) & Civilian Resident Judah Capek (NPC)

1,975 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: Meanwhile...
Location: Infirmary
Timeline: Prelaunch

-Start-

{Infirmary- Morgue}

"Joyous Effort," The Tonglen taught this among the other perfections. Judah lay on the table, his body inert, but necessary to maintain the various biological interfaces. His nervous system had turned into an extension of Judahs brain, willpower from him had turned persistent Coma into Digital life.

He had sacrificed everything in the experiment, and it had worked. Death, suspended long enough, diverted into a computer the result was in his opinion alive. The Federation, and his family disagreed. Kidnapping, murder, biogenic experimentation, defacing a corpse... The recitation of charges was impressive.

=0=Quinton Beck to Akio

"Go ahead Captain." He ran his fingers through Judahs hair, the neural uptick showing a mild rise. He felt it.

=0= CMO is on his way. We didn't tell him anything, but let us know how it goes.

"Acknowledged Captain. Judah makes a good first impression, I don't imagine we will have a problem."

Akio Itachi had survived much worse, he needed to convince the man that Judah was alive and happy, thriving even. Pressing gently onto Judahs forehead, Akio closed his eyes in meditation.

Quill was in his Medical Long Lab Coat; he was being summoned to the morgue; not exactly among the First Jobs that he would have desired but within the realm of his duty functions. The experiment Quill had been working on did not need constant following, it was more just the type of 'Bell Jar' experiment to see if the hybrid; some might call a cross-mutation' of Fauna to achieve a desired result.

Walking into the Morgue he went to the 'Doctor' Itachi; one of a dubious background. The reports and papers that were published showed very interesting theories. One thing that was not really in the notes but with Quill's being of above average intelligence, he was a high level and he used that for his own Doctoring and cures, but some of Quill's own experiments were not approved by Federations binding paperwork and the need to have theories verified. Itachi was decades ahead of Quill in that regard Quill pondered as he had known that face before Quill entered.

Ferengi Rule; know customers before they enter your store and possible points of Profit loss. Quill knew the name Itachi and the line of experiments the man had proposed to deaf ears. Quill had struck out from under the Federation's binding regulations into the Private circuit as well. The 'medical research community is not all that large; the 'Major Players' of both sides of the Street are known, Itachi had a reputation and some wanted posters. But the Captain had brought this man aboard so Quill would give the man a chance to speak; and secretly Quill wanted to know why the man was here on the Second Star.

"Good Day Dr. Itachi." Quill kept his hands behind his back but spoke with respectful tone. "Fancy meeting someone of your ... experiences in the Morgue." Quill commented. "What might I do for you Doctor; I am presuming this is not a routine autopsy?"

Akio felt his pulse quicken at the mention of autopsy. It was a literal nightmare he had many times a year. Judah was a corpse by modern medicine definitions, the cybernetic additions were only using his nervous system, and they weren't exerting their own will at all. However, what he knew Judah could do made him alive, he thrived. He was alive and the notion of a Y incision and breastplate, the cutting through skin and bone that could feel pain, it made his stomach turn.

Quill had said one thing though, one thing which he heard as a joyous omen for this important moment.

"You called me... Doctor. I have not been called that in some time. My thanks."

"You have done research that is still to be followed as well as other work still being followed up in the research field." Quill complemented. "I can understand some of the restrictions of Federation's hesitation in the research department, it is why I departed myself." He told. "I prefer the civilian sector."

Akio dared not to dream so far, and kept a humble approach to this affair. Nodding in agreement he indicated to the young Human on the table between them. "This a member of our crew, he appears to be dead, but I can assure you, he is not. I have used a variety of means to interface his nervous system with a living computer and the result is a conscious program trapped in glial cells and circuits. Judah is alive, despite evidence to the contrary, and any member of this crew would stake their lives to protect his."

"Is he registered as Brain dead?" Quill asked while looking at the the Tricorder probe. "If there is brain activity and a mechanical support system the point could be of debate." Quill glanced over at the 'Doctor' and thought for a second. "Would it be a stretch to call this crew member a cybernetic entity by basic definition and therefore alive but not independent of his life support?" He was looking for a definitive to base his appraisal of the person here in regard to what Dr. Itachi's line of experimenting?

The deterioration of the body compare to a 'average patient' left the rating of Coma or invalid several times over. Being on life support makes this a tricky diagnosis.

It was surprising to hear such open minded candor. Quill had zeroed in on the problem right away. Judah was very much cybernetic. Borg technology was at the heart of his interface and that made any doctor of merit run for the hills. Borg research was high Intel and doing well in it meant you would be conscripted to fight the borg in some way.

"A cortical node allows his glial cells in the gray matter to coincide with the Bio Neural circuitry." Holgraphic data which was controlled by Judah, present but silent so far. It showed his inert body in cross section.

"His brain activity is only measurable in the interface rate of data exchange, but it is effectively sourced to these gel packs. He is alive, but this body is necessary for his brain to function, these machines keep them both alive. The interface lets him live something of a life."

"Quite the Moral question in so many ways." Quill thought aloud as he walked around the person here scanning. "The Doctor creed to do no harm yet what were we saving from death, is it the person's physical form or do Humanoids want more out of life." He glanced over to Itachi. "Does he have anything to look forward to in this kind of a life, hooked to a computer and able to be almost split in two between the physical and ethereal planes?"

Akio was pleased Quill was open to hearing the argument, Judahs own family didnt even acknowledge his right to choose.

"You could ask him yourself... Doctor."

Judah popped into existence, though the morgue had only one emitter and his appearance was ghostly.

"Hello Dr. Quill. I am Judah."

Quill did not show in his face the errie feeling this apparition gave him; the lack of better Holographics coupled with the knowledge that in many of the defining laws the man's image before Quill was a dead man by most standards.

"It is interesting to say the least." Quill glanced to the Doctor responsible for this metamorphosis. "I suppose you can guess the questions that I am going to ask you?" He rubbed his chin. "What would you guess I am going to ask you?" It was the first question and an important one.

Judah knew what Quill was getting at. Any answer he made was diagnostic material for the doctor, but he also enjoyed spicing up the Gumbo.

"Well, Doctor, I usually get the holy trinity, that is... Am I alive, Am I dead, Is there an afterlife? You though... would want to know if my prescience lies in algorithms generated from a computer based simulacrum of intelligence versus emergent biological intelligence. For that I can tell you this... I feel happy right now, a little scared, more nervous really."

"I was raised near Earth and have experienced those who have tried to save my soul." Quill shrugged. "We have Androids that are given sentience; they work towards artificial intelligence and I see you more as I would classify a cyborg; there is a connection to your biological form; you have elevated your consciousness into another form perhaps." He shrugged again. "But what makes you nervous; I am here to learn and to evaluate where medically you stand." HE smiled. "In other words if you are the ship's computer I am not a mechanic; if you are a cyborg I can maintain the body as life support and if you are something else I must get to know you to find out." He laughed. "I find it a study of humanity of sorts, but thus far you seem quite alive by most standards."

Judah was relieved, though in a digital sense. Terry Pratchett a long time favorite for Judah, described emotions as belonging to the living due to glandular chemical signal. Once dead, there were not emotions, as there were no glands. This was always in the currents of his thoughts, and it concerned Judah greatly for the day his body died. That day was inevitably coming, even if he had a normal life span, the digital consciousness would far exceed its time.

Akio heard much of what Quill said and took it to heart. There was one distracting moment though, when Quill said he was not a mechanic.

"Dr. Biogenic, and cybernetic augmentation are illegal. Doing so in this manner has turned me into a modern Frankenstein, and my poor creature here would be dissected or worse if discovered. I am the mechanic of this whole affair, but will need your cooperation as well. Judah is alive, I care for his soul as he cares for mine."

Vicente's voice piped over Akio's badge,

=0= Akio, Starfleet is coming your way heads up.

=0= Acknowledged, my thanks.

To Quill who watched in wide eyed wonder as Akio scurried more swiftly than he imagined possible.

"Farewell Doctor, please consider what I have told you, when Starfleet asks, I am not here!"

He shuffled at a run into the main corridor outside the Infirmary. Next door was a radiometric lab, and a sensor proof particle collider he called home this last week.

With practiced ease, he opened the toroidal studio apartment and stepped in. The slow moving arm closed the shape and he let himself breathe. In here he was invisible to Starfleet, but the irony of locking himself in a cell to avoid being jailed was not lost on him.

He recited to himself, trying to stay above the temptation to panic.

"We acknowledge, touch, and embrace our personal and collective suffering."

He took in a deep breath.

"We do not run away."

He breathed out. The cramped space echoing his whispers.

"We do not turn the other way."

Another deep breath in, and he continued speaking, eyes clamped shut in the dark and terrifying space.

"We develop a more tolerant and compassionate relationship with it."

Out....

"We learn to meet and embrace reality— naked, open, and fearless."

In...

"We touch and embrace suffering, we can finally understand what causes it."

Out. A shudder in his voice forced him to double down on his meditation.

"When we understand the cause of suffering, we can eliminate it and be liberated."

A shaky breath in. He heard voices in the lab.

"There is an end to suffering..."

He stopped the deep breathing, and felt a ragged terror cut across his consciousness.

In again...

"We acknowledge, touch, and embrace our personal and collective suffering...

-End-

Austen
Darell
Shane

 

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