Alone

Posted on Tue May 5th, 2020 @ 11:25am by Emergency Medical Hologram (Adam Power) Mk X & Death & Lieutenant JG Tovanna Mah
Edited on on Tue May 19th, 2020 @ 12:36pm

Mission: Return to the Core
Location: Main Sickbay
Timeline: 2397

Dr. Mah felt the ship pass through a disturbance as she waited for patients to come trickling into sickbay from the recent consequences of their red alert activities. She immediately knew her medical area would look chaotic with roaming and disheveled patients. Dr. Power, herself and the nurses would work through the crowd quickly despite the onslaught of patients.She knew from the murmurs of what seemed to be a crowded sickbay, but when she looked around the noise level exceeded the people present. She focused to realize these were ephemeral voices, not those of the people around her. She could hear the whispers of voices with no distinct words or conversations, merely an underlying hum of background noise.

Tova quickly did a med scan to ensure she was not suffering from stress, hormonal imbalances, or other medical issues that might be interfering with her cognitive senses. Her body had increased cortisol levels in line with her stress level, but was not above acceptable levels. It seemed her murmurs were coming from somewhere outside of her. She looked around at the sickbay crew, saw it was under control, and went to her office. She sat at her computer and going over patient files as the humming of voices grew louder and she was becoming light sensitive. Her head was beginning to throb and she closed her eyes to regain control of her senses before going for something to relieve her headache.

As she opened her eyes she no longer heard the voices. It was blessedly quiet, though the change in ambient sound however was discordant for her so she went into sickbay. It was empty of all personnel, but had been cleaned up. She was surprised at how quickly her staff was able to clean up after the mass of incoming injured. She wasn’t ready to close up her recent reports for the Captain so she called up to the bridge to check on the current status of possible incoming wounded.

=^=Medical to Commander Paris=^= she waited

=^=Medical to Commander Paris=^= she waited

=^=Medical to the Captain=^= nothing

=^=Dr. Mah to Security =^= still nothing, she was beginning to get worried

=^= Dr. Mah to Security=^= she headed to the bridge as she called to other departments

=^= Dr. Mah to Engineering=^= she had no answer and was now running to the turbolift

The turbolift arrived at the bridge where she found the entire crew gone. The main viewer showed nothing but a nebula in space. She looked around and went to the science station, looking for the readout of life signs onboard, it showed none.

=^= Dr. Mah to Dr. Power=^= still nothing but a weird buzz

=^= Dr. Mah to Emergency Medical System=^= the results were the same

She looked around stunned and then felt Rei, her friend also known as Death behind her. Tova turned around relieved to see a familiar face. “Thank the gods, you are here. Do you know what happened? Where is everyone?”

Rei looked at Tovanna with sadness, “Yes, I know where they are and what has happened.”

Tova’s face dropped, “Rei, what’s going on? Why are we alone?”
Rei looked down, “My time has come Tova and I need to entrust you with a sacred duty, a favor.”

Tova stepped back shaking her head, “Rei you can’t ask this of me. I’m a healer, a doctor.”

Taxes stepped up beside Rei, “I had another chosen to take my place, but the cost right now would be a loss to her partner, her children, and her crew. You have no one, are bonded to no one, you are alone. You are a long lived species and can serve in this duty longer than most avoiding others this fate for centuries, nay millenniums. You can save her, you can save others this pain and you know the impact of what you are doing. You will honor those who blink out of the existence and remember them as they do. You will mourn them and can bear the burden. I ask this of you because you can shoulder the weight of such a responsibility. You have given up so much already for your family, your species, your friends, even strangers, now I ask you to do so one last time.”

Tova sat in one of the bridge chairs hearing Rei’s well stated plea. She shook with the knowledge of her decision and looked up at Rei. “Why now?”

Rei placed her hand on Taxes, “I have fulfilled my duties after the Hera entered the vortex and this place is one of transition so it can be done with greater ease here.” She walked up to Tova, “You are the best candidate Tovanna, you are already extinct and you know it. Being Death will make no difference.”

The truth of Rei’s last statement broke Tovanna. She felt more alone than ever and absolutely useless. There were students coming out doing what she was every year at Starfleet Academy. She was never going to save anyone of major importance; she would never make a real difference. She was just a listener watching others live their lives with none of her own. Tova held back her tears and stood before Rei with resignation nodding, “You have served your time. I will not cost another their life when I have no one who will miss me. What do I need to do?”

Rei looked at Tova, “Do you want to know who it is you are saving? What you are giving up? The future you might have had should you chose differently?”

The doctor’s head cocked to one side, “Does it matter who I am saving? I am giving up nothing at present other than a career I have had for over half a century and family back on Earth who are strangers. As for my future that is always a series of what if, not what is so there are no guarantees. Why are you asking this if your time is up and you need to pass on?”

Rei’s face turned dark, “I wanted to take measure of the person who would replace me. Would you give up so easily? Would you give life away so easily? Are you so hopeless and easily swayed, so spineless?” Her face shifted to the more neutral face of the bony plated featureless creature from her culture’s view of Death. Uncaring, unfeeling Death now looked upon their more true to form and no longer the warm creature known as Rei. “Life is a gift, which you value for all but yourself. Can you find any value within yourself beyond the service you render to others? Are you so worthless?”

Tovanna Mah stepped back as the presence of Death grew before her. “N..no, I just meant I was willing to save another…”

Death swept their hand before them, “Enough woman. I’ve heard such arguments before, the nobility of self-sacrifice, the aspirations to help others. I am asking you Tovanna Mah, what more is there beyond doctor and daughter? I swept through your people with ease and left a mere handful scattered in the galaxy, is there anything worthy within you to be kept among their number?”

She looked confused, “But I thought you said you needed to find a replacement, that I…”

Death cut her off again, “Do you honestly think you are the only worthy option in the entire universe?” Death’s hollow laugh was harrowing, “How arrogant of you Tova, there are others. There are others of planets untold who are just as worthy if not more so. They value life starting with their own. You value everyone’s life but your own. How sad and pathetic you are Tovanna Mah. All you have are titles and only two at that.” Death shook its head, “No, you will not do. You should have died with the others in the Nexus. It is merely a shame you did not exist until after. There were so many others more worthy than you….” Death faded away into nothing with Taxes.

She was left on the empty bridge alone looking into a nebula shaken by what had transpired. How would she go anywhere? Was she doomed to the ship and for how long? She looked at the ship’s heading as best she could gather and it seemed they were at a full stop. She set up a distress signal per regulations and attempted to return to Medical. When she stepped off the turbolift however she was near her quarters. Upon entering she found a ghostlike vision of herself, reading a book alone nothing more. She backed out only to see herself alone again and again around the ship in the same ghostlike fashion never interacting with anyone, never speaking to anyone, just alone.

It seemed like days of this went on as she explored the ship finding no one, not being able to interact with the ghostly versions of herself and never seeing Death return. Her heart grew heavy as time passed knowing she had only time, endless time to learn how to operate the large ship alone. Nothing changed, no one came, the world was much like her world before only now there was no family to call on her, no patients to define her life. The El-Alurain listener had no one to listen to.

She returned to her desk at sickbay with a headache from the deafening quiet after a long day and closed her eyes before getting something for her headache. She awoke to a hypo applied to her neck while lying on an exam table, looking up at Dr. Adam Power. When she saw him she burst into tears at the overwhelming emotion of no longer being alone and the realization she needed to change some things within her life. She sat up and hugged the poor hologram fiercely not give one iota about professionalism, “It’s good to see you again.”

"It's only been 5 minutes since you lost consciousness at your desk Dr. Mah," Dr. Power looked confused.

She pulled away shaking her head, "I'm sorry, I had the worst nightmare."

"That would match your neurological readouts," Adam nodded.

She slid off the biobed, "We should check to make sure I'm not the only one with this issue..." she continued almost hitting the floor as Dr. Adam Power kept her from landing on her butt.

He nodded, "After you can stay on you feet. We have a great number of incoming injured and will need all hands possible, including yours."

Dr. Mah nodded her head with a look of great concern toward Dr. Power and let out a deep breath, "I fear we are going to have a great deal more than on our hands than we even realize."