Episode 4 Scene 4 (1st Draft)

Personal Log: 55029.1 It has been interesting to see behind the curtain of Pathfinder Project, even though I’m a Doctor, not a systems engineer. Spending the first day on Earth with Lt Commander Reginald Barclay has really endeared me to him. He’s someone who is like minded in their passion and has also endured obstacles towards being accepted.

Barclay gestured the Doctor back into the main laboratory and office with an outstretched arm to lead the way. The tour was brief for the photonic man, as most of the facilities were focused on advanced communication systems above his level of technical expertise. He didn’t suppose much for Barclay to answer and had let him introduce the department and staff to how his friend desired. As they returned to his workstation, personnel surrounding heard the Doctor answer Barclay’s question.

“I haven’t taken the opportunity to contact Lewis Zimmerman, but I think it’s fairer to travel to him at Jupiter Station since he’s busy”.

“True, I believe he’s close to perfecting the EMH Mark 5” Reg added, excited for his friend and part time tormentor.

“Fifth time’s a charm as they say”! The Doctor smiled and the pause between them moved aside for a junior officer with a request.

The junior directed his attention to Reginald with a request to obtain the Doctor’s holo-emitter for quantum scanning. Pathfinder required the procedure to better understand its operation and verify its supposed age.

Reg pointed out the leasing of the mobile emitter depended on his friend’s permission.

“Yes of course, Sir”.

“Err, Doctor…”

“Yes it’s fine Ensign. Just make sure you bring it back to me in one piece”.

The younger man looked confused at the the EMH’s request while Reg tapped on the touch panels. Reginald informed both standing above him he wanted to transfer the Doctor’s program to the native holo-emitters. 

Pathfinder HQ didn’t operate with an extensive suite of holo-emitters. The field of projection available, encompassed the location of Barclay’s work station on the third floor. Pathfinder’s facilities included a holo-deck on the second floor. There hadn’t been a requirement to install emitters across the building. Though limiting in scope, the range reached further than the sickbay’s emitters the Doctor operated inside of by default.

“And how long will you require the emitter for”? The Doctor asked with courtesy.

The young officer told both individuals it could take the better part of a day, with a proposal to return the device the next day. The scans though time-consuming, were necessary to ascertain as much as possible to the function of the device. The fact the emitter was made out of a theoretical compound made matters complicated.

The Doctor went through the transitory restart from the transfer from one computer system to the another. It took longer for his program to work through the buffers of Pathfinder than it did on Voyager. When he reappeared in front of Barclay, the man carrying his emitter already turned and carried it away. 

Reg checked the system’s operational capability, squinting his eyes at the readout to make sure the holo-matrix loaded into the system in the correct manner.

“Reg, what do you know about that young man”? The Doctor asked with a slight, perturbed tone in his voice. 

“Ensign Matthew, oh, he’s been here for a few months, his station is upstairs. Why do you ask”?

“It’s probably nothing, but the way he addressed you for the emitter and not myself”.

“Oh, I didn’t notice”.

“It felt like he spoke to me as a hologram. And before you say it, I know I am a hologram”.

“You mean he spoke to you like a hologram and not as you”?

“You see my point. And I had a similar feeling on the tour with the other personnel”.

“To be frank Doctor, I’m not the right person to understand. You know my personal history, I’m comfortable with holograms more than most people. Maybe the idea of a sentient hologram, just isn’t on their minds, yet”. 

“It doesn’t help I look like the other EMH Mark I’s performing waste extraction duties. At this rate, I wonder how long that will last if these interactions are the general order of things”?

The Doctor turned away looking at the rest of the staff engaged in scientific labours around him.

“Doctor, it takes time for people to adjust and don’t forget there’s a re-organisation, people are busy”.

As Reginald spoke to deliver cheer to his new friend, he saw the Doc contemplating. The Doc turned to face him with a question.

“You served with Commander Data, Starfleet called his artificial essence into question once. What is he like”?

“Data is… well, he’s different to you”. 

“How is he different? He had a creator just like myself”!

Barclay could see the Doctor became a little flustered at his reply. The supposed snubbing by Starfleet Medical, the group meeting earlier and the interactions with the people on the tour. It all irked the photonic man.

Onboard Voyager, it took years for some of the crew, trapped onboard with the hologram, to understand their EMH operated on a higher level. 

Now outside of an environment that nurtured and challenged the Doctor to be something more, a behaviour showed where nobody needed to receive him. Starfleet Academy graduates could relate - top of their class one minute, then serving as a lowly crewman attempting to gain rank the next.

Barclay with a gentleness, replied. “Data wasn’t a native creation of Starfleet. He did live and breath his way through the academy and the service, while gaining the trust of everyone he served alongside, especially with one of Starfleet’s most respected Captains”.

Zimmerman’s creation looked silently at him, eyes squinting while thinking, Barclay assumed otherwise.

“I’m sorry Doctor, but you’re the one asking me to make these comparisons”. Barclay looked uncomfortable and started to turn away to look at his station when the hologram stopped him.

“No, it’s good, it helps me understand, please continue”.

“Well, Data’s also tangible in a different sense, proven to be independent, physically, mentally and serving on the flagship no less. Though not without some resistance”.

“You’re referring to the trial involving Commander Maddox from the Daystrom Institute”?

“No, Commander Data was made acting Captain during the Klingon Civil War. The USS Sutherland’s first officer didn’t want to serve under an artificial lifeform, almost to the point of being relieved of duty”.

“Really? What did Commander Data do?

“Data conducted himself in the manner Starfleet should expect. The first officer acquiesced and Data’s actions were proven to be correct. He detected the cloaked Romulan ships providing supplies to the Duras family. As he transferred back to the Enterprise, Data mentioned the Sutherland’s crew expressed complete respect in him as a person and as an officer”.

“But am I not also independent? I operated autonomously in the Delta Quadrant”.

“Doctor I think you’re as real as anyone here. Again, I’m biased towards you. But, knowing your record, yes in my opinion you are, but to others? Without a rank, an identity that you can’t call your own? The Doctor realising the differences, answered, “I get your point”.

“But you do have one advantage”, Barclay added, “Your mobile emitter”.