Traumatic Memory Surge — Pulaski's Last‑Resort Push Eradicates Parasite
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
The intensified stimulation detonates a blinding rush of memories, slamming Riker into a massive convulsion; his vitals spike, then level as the infection’s highlighting vanishes. Pulaski confirms the reversal on her scanner while she and Troi register stunned relief.
Pulaski opens a channel—"Sickbay to bridge"—and reports, "We've eradicated the infection." Picard answers and heads down, locking in the victory.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Determined and uncompromising at first; moves to exhausted relief and controlled authority after diagnostics clear.
Pulaski tears past caution—shakes her head at 'almost zero', makes a final adjustment to the stimulator, monitors the wall panel, runs a scanner over Riker after the convulsion, and radios the bridge to report success.
- • Eliminate the neural infection immediately, even by exceeding safety margins
- • Confirm eradication through diagnostic scan and communicate the result to command
- • Medical outcomes justify taking measured risks in an emergency
- • Clear diagnostic evidence is required to justify extraordinary interventions
Concerned and poised; authoritative composure tempered by urgency when learning of Riker's condition and recovery.
Picard's voice responds over the com when Pulaski radios the bridge; he acknowledges, expresses concern, and states he is en route to Sickbay after receiving the 'infection eradicated' report.
- • Maintain command oversight and personally attend to Riker's condition
- • Ensure the ship and crew respond appropriately to the medical emergency
- • Chain of command must be informed of life‑threatening events immediately
- • Senior leadership presence matters for crew morale and operational decisions
Agonized and traumatised by the forced reliving of traumatic memories; physiologically overwhelmed while an undercurrent of survival persists.
Riker lies pale and deathly as Pulaski increases stimulation; he endures a violent, rapid succession of memory images, jerks in a massive convulsion, and then shows vital signs that spike and slowly return toward normal.
- • Survive the treatment long enough for the infection to be eradicated
- • Endure the stimulus despite pain and disorientation
- • Trust in the medical team to take extreme measures if necessary
- • Belief that his body can tolerate one final, decisive strain to defeat the pathogen
Initially hopeful and expectant, then astonished and relieved when the diagnostic highlighting disappears.
Troi reads the wall panel and vocalizes cautious optimism; she watches the diagnostic tracings as the memory flood intensifies and is visibly astounded when the panel returns to normal.
- • Monitor Riker's emotional and physiological response to the stimulation
- • Provide real‑time empathic input that helps validate Pulaski's treatment
- • Riker's memories and emotional chemistry can be therapeutically leveraged against the pathogen
- • Accurate diagnostic readouts reliably reflect the patient's internal state
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
The Sickbay com panel is tapped by Pulaski to open a secure line to the bridge; it transmits her terse report and relays Picard's responses, functioning as the operational nerve that converts the medical outcome into command action.
The Sickbay diagnostic wall panel projects live neurovital tracings and highlights the infection's growth rate. Troi reads it, Pulaski checks it for progress, and its highlighting disappears at the decisive moment, visually signaling eradication and prompting Pulaski's confirmation.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
Enterprise Sickbay is the cramped, clinical arena where Pulaski stages an experimental overstimulation. It concentrates technical procedure and intimate risk—monitors, wall displays, a scanner, and the com panel create a pressure‑filled environment for this life‑or‑death gamble.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
"The Yamato’s cataclysmic destruction caps the fear montage that triggers the decisive convulsion and reversal."
"‘Almost zero’ prompts Pulaski’s choice to make a final, all‑in adjustment."
"The extreme countdown stress contributes to the infection’s drop to almost zero."
"Increasing intensity sets up the final, all‑in adjustment."
"Increasing intensity sets up the final, all‑in adjustment."
"With the infection gone, Pulaski immediately reports the victory to the bridge."
"‘Almost zero’ prompts Pulaski’s choice to make a final, all‑in adjustment."
"With the infection gone, Pulaski immediately reports the victory to the bridge."
Part of Larger Arcs
Key Dialogue
"TROI: The growth rate's almost zero."
"PULASKI: That's not good enough."
"PULASKI: Sickbay to bridge. PICARD'S COM VOICE: Go ahead, Doctor. PULASKI: We've eradicated the infection."