Authors Note: This chapter was written to correspond with the history of Vulcan as described by the Star Trek novel "Spock's World".
I do not own Trek nor do I benefit from it. All characters belong to Paramount.
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Sarek addressed T'Pring again, "You state that childhood bonding serves no purpose and that it is illogical. I call Taleris, Biological Historian and Anthropologist to respond."
Taleris was well respected on Vulcan. His expertise and theories on Vulcan evolution was widely accepted. He rose and addressed the Council, "To understand why Vulcans have bonded their children for generations it will be necessary for me to outline the history of Vulcan reproduction and bonding/marriage."
"It is logical and beneficial for us to learn the latest theories on this subject to make the best informed decision at the close of our debate" interjected Sarek.
Taleris continued.
"Many years ago, before the Great Solar Flare, Vulcan was a water planet. Water covered over 90% of the surface of our planet. The land on which our ancestors evolved consisted of numerous scattered small islands located irregularly on the planet surface. Most of these islands were the tops of volcanoes, some active, others dead. On these islands it was lush with vegetation and animal life. Our biology evolved, like all species does, according to that which can best survive and adapt to their environment.
Our planet experiences an alignment of T'Kuht, our other planets, our sun, and the other 2 stars that comprise our trinary star system. This has occurred regularly every 7 years since the beginning . Though this alignment has little effect today, when there were vast oceans of water on Vulcan, it caused a season of epic tides and destructive waves. The tides were very strong, they rose high, and engulfed massive areas of their island-like land mass. The waves were violent too forcing our ancestors to abandon their dwelling areas and migrate to the center of the island. This cyclical, regular natural occurrence steered Vulcan biological evolution to endure a seven year reproductive cycle of sexual fertility and mating referred to by other cultures as a "heat cycle" and as the Pon-Farr to Vulcans.
Every 7 years, during the period of the destructive tides and waves, our ancestors would naturally draw together at the center of their land mass and so would begin the reproductive heat cycle. The males entered Pon-Farr and their fertility rose dramatically as did their need to mate. They became aggressive and possessive, fighting with each other for females. Females became fertile, receptive to males and desirous of mating, until they conceived. They were not monogamous. Males fought over, and defended women from being raped and prevented their women from mating with other males. Fighting and challenges occurred between the males. This insured the strongest genes from the strongest males were passed on to the offspring.
After several weeks, the blood fever, along with the highest tides would subside. The males then would lead his pregnant females back to the lands left extra fertile by the residing tides. He would provide for them when they gave birth a year later and remain with them for several years thereafter, defending, supporting, providing for them and the children until the next Pon-Farr cycle. The 6 year old children, born from the previous heat cycle, would follow their mothers to the mating grounds. They would remain behind on the mating grounds and form alliances with the other 6, 13 and 20 year old children who had not reached sexual maturity. They did not return to the lands with their pregnant mothers, for the mother's new mate would chase them off - even if she had the same mate. They were able to care for themselves in these lush, fertile lands. The older helped the younger and they would not leave this child society until they reached sexual maturity and entered Pon-Farr. Over the centuries this became instinctive, inborn, and incorporated into our biology and part of our survival."
It was obvious to Sarek that the Council would rather not have to discuss matters pertaining to the Pon-Farr, mating, or reproductive biology. But as creatures of logic and duty, they stoically accepted what logic dictated they must endure, and listened attentively so they could perform their duty as members of Vulcan's High Council as effectively as possible.
Taleris continued his testimony.
"All of this would change drastically when the Great Solar Flare occurred. When this occurred, it evaporated our oceans, destroyed our planet's surface, altered our atmosphere, and killed over 96% of the plant and animal life on Vulcan. It would be many years until the surface of Vulcan would be habitable again.
Most life on Vulcan died either due to the solar flare or the aftereffects. Food, and water were gone, fires raged for years on the surface, the soil and water were vaporized away, the air was thinned and filled with debris. The only Vulcans who survived were those who went deep into the underground caves which contained water and edible hydrotropic vegetation. They remained in these caves for years while our world recovered.
In many species the reproductive cycles are influenced by light. The body's metabolism triggers Pon-Farr as guided by the planetary cycles but, the cycles adjust themselves according to light reflected by the planetary bodies. On Earth for example, evolution of the female reproductive cycle was guided by the cycle of their Moon. The body senses the cycle of the moon by the amount of light it reflects. When the Vulcans were forced to live underground in caves for years, their reproductive cycles altered and individualized. No longer did the entire population on a land mass experience Pon-Farr at the same time, but everyone started to undergo it at different times and according to their own individualized cycle.
This altering of their synchronized reproductive cycle was devastating to our ancestors. Males went into Pon-Farr, but often could not find any fertile, receptive females. Unless a female also entered her fertile period, Pon-Farr, at the same time, and went to mating grounds, he would find nobody there to mate with. He would die due to the blood fever since there were no women to mate with or even to fight over. If he searched for a female deep within the caves and raped, the female was not fertile and would not conceive. If a female became fertile and went to the mating grounds she might find no males there to mate with either. If more than one male was there, they would fight for possession of the one female. This was devastating to a population already on the verge of extinction.
As Vulcan slowly recovered from the effects of the Solar Flare, they would emerge from the caverns into the light again. But the oceans were now almost gone, and the tidal effect no longer existed to guide the evolution of their reproductive cycles. Vulcans would never have reproductive cycles that naturally synchronized with everyone else again.
Vulcans have always had difficult conditions for populating their planet. During these tough years clans formed for many reasons, but amongst them was the sharing of fertile males and females for breeding purposes. Rival clans stole fertile females arriving at the mating grounds, and impregnated them with their most fertile males, those entering Pon-Farr. Fertile males were abducted, and bred with a rival clan's fertile females too. These males would be killed when their fertile period ended to reduce the competition for food and water. If children followed their mother to the mating grounds,instead of remaining with their clan, they would be stolen and indoctrinated into the rival clans. These were treacherous, barbaric times caused, in part, by the biology of our reproduction and the need to populate our species.
As the population almost died out, a genetic mutation of epic proportions occurred. This mutation would give rise to all Vulcan telepathic abilities - a male was born who could synchronize a females heat cycle to match his own. He could touch a woman and control the area of her brain that guides her reproductive cycles and synchronize them with his own. This was a boon for Vulcan. After the discovery of his ability he used it on many women. They all would be drawn to the mating grounds at the same time again. The numerous offspring would have this ability too, so it spread. However, it was soon used to exploit. The early Vulcans who had this mental ability developed and strengthened it by interbreeding. As their mental abilities increased so did the extent of the mental touch. They could communicate with and effect more areas of another person's brain and extend greater control over them through touch. The Vulcan ability to mind meld, mind link and mentally control of one's own bodily functions resulted from this time of interbreeding. Some Vulcans still possess the ability to control another's mind and body, a remnant of those savage, barbaric years.
Food and water were still scarce. The number of members the clans had was hard to increase as well. Development of mental abilities empowered individuals and aided their clans in the constant competition for these necessities, mates and children. As telepathic abilities grew so did war, destruction, competition, and crimes.
Soon it was discovered that as the interbreeding and polygamy continued, though the offspring might have great mental abilities, they were also becoming weaker, less intelligent, sickly and defective.. They began to see high numbers of offspring with severe birth defects, miscarriage and infant mortality was high.
Genetic variation is necessary to the survival of all species. After generations of selective interbreeding, and polygamy the gene pool was depleted within the clans. There was not enough genetic variation and diversity within the clan's genes to produce healthy offspring anymore. Soon they would notice that, if they bred with members of foreign rival clans, the offspring were healthy, intelligent and strong again. The fighting between the clans for resources, land, fertile mates, children and members worsened and once again, Vulcans killed each other off to the brink of extinction. This was the world Surak was born into. Surak saw our savage world and would reform it."
At the mention of Surak's name Sarek could see the look of reverence appear on the faces of the Council. The lesson describing some of Vulcan's violent, ugly, cruel past had left a distasteful, negative impression upon them and they welcomed the change in theme they knew would follow. Perhaps this would be a good time for a short recess thought Sarek. When he proposed this idea, it was readily accepted. They agreed to reconvene in short time.
