- Enhanced DNA developments trigger an epidemic of rapid aging. Caught among its victims - Dr. Pulaski.
- The Enterprise, en route to Star Station India, receives a distress signal from the USS Lantree, a Federation supply ship. When they arrive, they find everyone aboard dying of what seems to be old age. They proceed to the Lantree's last port of call, the Darwin genetic research facility on Gagarin IV only to find that they too are suffering from rapid aging. Picard and Dr. Pulaski clash when she brings aboard one of the children from the station and, in order to complete her examination, takes him aboard a shuttle craft to isolate him from the Enterprise crew. She is soon infected, however, and seems doomed to die of old age, but Picard may have a solution.—garykmcd
- Answering Federation cargo USS Lantree's weak, disappearing distress call, the Enterprise finds every person aboard dead from extremely accelerated aging, cause unknown, so they quarantine and mark it. Checking its last 'port' of call - genetic research station Gagarin IV on an isolated planet - they find its staff afflicted with the same epidemic, albeit in an early stage. Picard isn't inclined to take aboard the station's genetically improved children from the contaminated base, even though none show any symptoms. Dr. Pulaski, who has a relevant research background, persuades him to allow beaming one child to a safe space - a drifting shuttle manned by her and presumably immune Data. The brief contact infects her, so she joins the quarantine, but theoretically a cure may be found by adjusting the very transporter she always tries to avoid.—KGF Vissers
- The Enterprise responds to a distress call from the USS Lantree and find her crew dead, apparently from old age. The investigation leads them to a research station on Gagarin IV, where Pulaski and the station's staff undergo rapid aging from genetically enhanced children.—Akira <akira625@comcast.net>
- Picard is preparing to write Pulaski's evaluation as the Chief Medical Office of the Enterprise. He believes that Pulaski is very dedicated to her profession, but her passion could potentially interfere with her judgment during critical situations.
The Enterprise is on its way to Star Station India, and it receives a distress signal from the USS Lantree, a Federation supply ship. When they arrive, they find everyone aboard dead of what seems to be old age. There is no battle damage to the ship and all systems are functional. Everything looks normal. Enterprise had to take remote control of the ship to activate their viewing screen to figure out why no one was responding to their hails. They all died of natural causes, old age. Picard activates the quarantine warnings on the Lantree. Every member of the Lantree crew had a physical just 8 weeks ago and they were all found to be in perfect physical health. The first officer was treated for Thelusian flu 5 days ago.
They proceed to the Lantree's last port of call 3 days ago, the Darwin genetic research facility on Gagarin IV only to find that they too are suffering from rapid aging. Dr Sara Kingsley (Patricia Smith) has already declared a medical emergency there. Sara thinks that the Darwin facility was infected by Lantree and says they have no research in this area of disease propagation. Sara argues that the children being bred on Darwin station be evacuated as soon as possible. The children represent the years of work at Darwin and have been kept in protective isolation. They are showing no symptoms of the disease.
Pulaski wants to bring one of the children on board for examination, but Deanna says that Sara is not telling the full truth. Picard finally agree to beam one kid over under protective force field.
Picard and Dr. Pulaski clash when she brings aboard one of the children from the station. Picard is adamant that he won't expose the crew, and Sara is pushing Pulaski to beam up all the kids, and hence a physical examination was needed. Pulaski proposes taking the boy to a shuttle craft outside the Enterprise, to study him in greater detail and rule out the threat of infection. Picard is reluctant since Pulaski has a greater responsibility to the ship. Pulaski insists that she will meet all of Picard's safety conditions and takes on the risk of infection herself. Picard approves. To complete her examination, Pulaski takes the boy aboard a shuttle craft to isolate him from the Enterprise crew. Data was piloting the shuttle craft. The boy is 12 years old, but looks like a mature man, and Deanna can sense he is telepathic, the future of mankind.
Pulaski is soon infected & shows symptoms of rapid aging. She seems doomed to die of old age, but Picard may have a solution. The children are carriers, and Pulaski transports the child back to Darwin. Transporter chief Miles O'Brien (Colm Meaney) suggests that can use the last know trace of the transport to beam back the person into their trace, instead of materializing their current "body". Since the traces were uninfected, this is way to ensure that Data and Pulaski are not infected as they are beamed back to the Enterprise. But the Enterprise doesn't have Pulaski's trace file as she never used the Transporter.
Pulaski takes Data down to Darwin station, where Sara tells them that the kids are genetically engineered with an aggressive immune system. Their immune system can perceive virus and release antibodies to alter the genetic makeup of the virus. One of the crew of the Lantree was carrying a Thelusian Flu when he visited Darwin. Upon analysis they figure that Thelusian flu triggered the antibody response. The antibodies generated resulted in a side effect that altered the genetic make-up of humans. The process is irreversible. The children will survive, but everyone else on the Darwin station will die soon.
Data beams back to the Enterprise. Since Picard doesn't have Pulaski's trace on file, he uses her original DNA, to create a new trace at a molecular level. Picard initiates the transport, and it works. They then try the same thing on the rest of the Darwin crew.
Enterprise returns to destroy the Lantree.
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