Medical matters

Posted on Sunday September 1st, 2019 @ 3:32am by Lieutenant Commander Freya Mannerheim & Ensign Erica Hartmann

1,172 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Departure and Trial Run
Location: Sickbay, Deck 7, USS Poseidon
Timeline: Pre-Poseidon launch; Pre-Senior Staff briefing
Tags: Sickbay, pre-launch

Freya smiled as the next sword dropped. But just as she was to engage the next opponent, she lost her balance and tumbled. "Computer pause programme!" she shouted out, and the combat simulation duly froze. She tried to sit up, and found that her leg would not respond. "Shit," she swore under her breath, as she dragged the prosthetic towards herself and tried to evoke any form of movement - without success. This was the third time in a week she was having issues with the leg, but it had never gone this bad. She reached for her combadge, before realising that she was in exercise wear - her combadge, and the rest of her uniform, were in her quarters.

"Just my damn day," she cussed. "Okay, computer, get me someone who can help me get to the medbay!"

Luckily, an enlisted crewmember was just passing by outside the holodeck as the alert lamp lit up, and walked into the by now cleared holodeck.

"Lieutenant?" he said, approaching Freya. She sighed. "Prosthetic froze. Get me to medbay. Please."

A few moments later, Freya, still supported by the crewman, limped into the medical bay, and sat down on the nearest bed, before thanking her helper and dismissing him.

"Okay, is there anyone here, or do I need to summon the EMH?" she exclaimed into the silence.

Erica popped out her from around the corner. "Erm... I'm here" She said. "Can I help in some way?" she asked.

Freya looked the young woman up and down. "Ah, Ensign. Say, do you have any knowledge of the workings of cybernetic limbs?"

"Absolutely no idea at all" Erica said with a smile. "But it can't be that hard, I mean Ikea flat-pack furniture is not that hard. It must be similar right?" Erica asked. "And the EMH isn't working right yet, so let me have a look and see what I can come up with"

Freya laughed. "I like the attitude. Well, it seems the neural interface has failed. Grab a medical tricorder, Ensign, and I am sure that we can get this thing fixed somehow." She looked down at the grey metal leg attached below her left knee. "Well, at least I don't have to bother with changing clothes, one good argument for exercise shorts!"

Erica smiled. She found a medical tricorder and began to run it over the protestic leg. "Erm... I have to warn you. I'm not even a full officer yet. The captain gave me an Ensign rank, but I'm still in my first year at the Academy" she explained. "So forgive me for being a bit slow and all..."

"Don't worry, Ensign. It's a minor issue I am sure. You will do fine." Freya held her hand up as the tricorder began to beep. "I think we may have found something there. Let me have a look." She leaned over and glanced at the screen. "Looks like the neural connectors have become depolarised. Should be an easy fix, should it not, Ensign?"

"Erm..." Erica thought. "I hope so" she added with a small smile. "Between us we should work it out" she explained.

Freya nodded. She was pretty sure she knew how to fix it - and she had the detailed schematics of the prosthetic on her Imperial PADD hidden in her locker - but she was determined to let the Ensign figure this one out. The girl seemed to need a confidence boost. "Okay," she said, "how well do you know your biosynthetic neurocircuits?"

"How well do I know them..." Erica replied. "Never seen one before in my life. I've not had that training yet. Are you sure you want me to do this? I don't want to mess it up..." she asked. She was trying to get out of it, she didn't want to hurt her.

"Okay. It's not that hard, really, Erica. Okay if I call you Erica?" Freya put on a reassuring smile. "This can't hurt, the interfaces don't actually connect to any pain receptors." She placed her hand on the Ensign's hand. "You want to be a medical officer, don't you? You need to be a bit more confident in your own abilities."

Freya wondered why she was being so kind to the young officer, and then it hit her - her little sister also wanted to be a medic - and she had acted exactly the same way the first time she had had to help Freya with the leg. Well, Sora had become a lot more confident the next time it happened. Freya hoped she would have the same effect on Erica.

Erica nodded and smiled. "Well yeah, I suppose so. Better than the alternative" she explained. She held the tricorder and scanned the leg. "I think it's a matter of just a little bit of maintenance"

"Exactly. Now, the way the charges work is exactly the same as with fully biological neurons. So repolarising them is also the same process. You know how that works, right?"

"I have a rough understanding..." Erica replied simply as she tapped on her tricorder. She also made sure that everything was working correctly with her tricorder before she could start the repolarising of the prostetic. "I think we have a piece of equipment that can do this..." she said.

Freya nodded. "Okay, Erica. Let's do this, then." She guided the Ensign through the basic steps of repolarising the circuits. A few moments later, Freya yelped as a searing pain shot through her leg.

Erica stepped back. "Wait, what did I do?" she asked nervously.

Gasping for breath, Freya held up her hand. "Nothing, nothing, don't worry." She tried to wiggle the prosthetic foot, and it responded as normal. "I lied, Erica. Repolarising the circuits hurts like hell. It's how you know it worked." Gingerly, she lowered herself from the bed and onto her feet. "There, all as it should be. Job well done, Ensign."

"Erm..." Erica said she stepped back looking a little confused. "Sorry about the pain... I didn't mean to hurt you" she explained. She looked around. "I'm not used to being here at all, I'm so totally not a full doctor or anything yet"

Freya put her hand on Erica's shoulder. "Ensign, stop worrying. You did your job well. You can do this." She looked the young cadet in the eyes. "You just need to believe you can. I never believed I would actually stand here, on a Federation starship, as a senior officer. But here I am. Anything can happen if you let it."

With a nod, Freya turned to leave. As she reached the door, she looked back at Erica. "Thank you, Erica. If you ever need my help with anything, let me know, okay?"

Erica nodded and smiled. "I will do, unless its to do with men. I've got experience with that..." she joked. "Half Orion... you know..."

Freya laughed and shook her head. She already liked this girl. "See you later, then, Ensign," she said, finally walking out the door.

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