Disclaimer: I do not own Voyager, and that's alright with me
Reginald Barclay, wrinkled and grayed by age, stood before his Starfleet Academy class. Admittedly nervous, he had been looking forward to teaching alongside his dear friend Admiral Kathryn Janeway ever since he first proposed the idea to her. Now that it was at last a reality, it felt more like a dream than ever before.
The semester was barely into its third week, but already he was learning his students and what to expect from each of them. There was Michael Edison, a shy but intelligent young man from Mars who had transferred into the Academy from some archive college Barclay knew nothing about. Michael would never speak up in class, but he had astute observations in his reports that told of vast outside knowledge of the Collective. There was the Vulcan girl, L'Van, who had a genetically modified tribble that traveled with her everywhere. The tribble was docile, well-trained, and loved icoberries. They were an odd couple, but a staple at the Academy. L'Van seemed to spend more time on campus after classes than off.
And then there was Veridia Slane. There were plenty of politically-correct terms that could be applied to Veridia, but none of them did as much justice, in Barclay's eyes, as the most simple one: crazy. Unorthodox to say the least, she didn't fit into the mold of a Starfleet officer - to an extent that most professors were baffled she has made it to her third year of training. She was intelligent, with a hunger for knowledge that bordered on obsession. She had the patience of a cat without any sense of skittishness. She was an enigma. Even Janeway shared his concern about her sanity.
Therefore, when Veridia raised her hand in class that day, Professor Barclay had no doubt that he would regret allowing her to speak.
"Yes, Miss Slane?"
Veridia rested her arm before speaking. "Admiral Janeway, do Borg women memstruate?"
The class simply ceased. L'Van's tribble squeaked just to break the silence. Veridia waited with a small, close-lipped smile for her answer.
Janeway's jaw flapped. "I'm not quite sure."
Veridia raised her hand again but did not wait to be called on before asking, "Are Borg still fertile? Can they procreate sexually even after assimilation?"
Barclay choked and began to cough harshly. Janeway pursed her lips. "I wouldn't know."
The student looked unperturbed, ever inquisitive. "You should find out. It would make quite an addition to your next book."
A/N: Thank you for reading. Please review.