Prompt:
Don't look too hard for what you want
'Cause it could be on the tip of your tongue
You're holding back like there's nothing left to it
Could this be a false alarm
-"Failure's Not Flattering" by New Found Glory
He had always wanted a deep space assignment. Had always wanted to leave Earth and see what else the universe held. He always told himself that he could deal with his fear of illness. That the doctors on a starship were just as competent as the ones on Earth. If they couldn't deal with something then they had plenty of colleagues with whom to consult. He would be fine.
Being assigned to Voyager was the answer to his dream.
And then on his first mission, Voyager get thrown lightyears away from Earth. It was like a lifeline being cut away. If he contracted something the ship's doctor didn't know how to deal with, then there was no second opinions. Given that they were in the complete unknown, that possibility had just increased tenfold. As if that wasn't bad enough, Voyagers medical staff had pretty much been wiped out leaving only a hologram to treat them.
Except for the fact that the hologram couldn't give him anything contagious that he might have, he didn't see how this was a good thing. A hologram only knew what had been programed into him. If something new came up, how could a hologram possibly figure out how to treat it. As they were in unexplored space, who knew what they might encounter. They could all catch something and the doctor who have no idea what to do.
Why had he ever aspired to leave Earth? At least on Earth he had a pretty good idea of what he might possibly catch. At least on Earth there were multiple doctors who could work together to cure people if something new came along.
He was going to die because of some strange alien disease and knowing his luck it was going to be painful.