Announcer: "On tonight's edition of 'Inside the Federation' with Rupert Doncland..."

"Does the free trade agreement Earth signed with the colonies undermine home-world authority?"

"Is war with the Klingons inevitable? And how will this conflict differ from the Romulan War?"

"And our lead story, the marriage of a human woman to a Vulcan man and the implications it has for Earth's new Allocation system."

Doncland : "I'm Rupert Doncland and this is 'Inside the Federation'. Tonight's panelists include Dr. Allen Kim, professor of developmental anthropology at the University of Hong Kong. Nadia Lampor, Director of the Institute on Urban Cultural Preservation, and Dr. John Longbow, former economic adviser to Star Fleet command.

"In the latest controversy to rock the Federation, Amanda Grayson has come out swinging. In her first press conference since her marriage to Ambassador Sarek of Vulcan became public, Ms. Grayson laid out her feelings regarding the Allocations system and the charges of treason brought against her by Earth's government. Ms. Grayson called herself a "loyal citizen of Earth" and expressed her outrage over the pay scale and educational voucher system. Ambassador Smidler, a long time proponent of the pay scale system, who called the press conference on Ms. Grayson's behalf, was unavailable for comment.

"The controversy surrounding the charges against Ms. Grayson and the sensational news of her marriage has brought heat to bear on the Allocations system causing some to call for its repeal. I ask you, do you think her statements yesterday will settle the matter or turn the fire up? John?"

John: "I'm not sure, Rupert. You see, this is a complex matter and while we tend to use the term 'Allocation System' to cover the entire spectrum of the new order policies, it's really a collection of smaller laws. Ms Grayson was correct when she tried to make a distinction between them."

Nadia: "I'm not sure I agree."

Doncland : "What do you think, Nadia?"

Nadia: "Well, it's pretty clear to anyone with a brain what's going on here. Ms. Grayson was pining after a job she wasn't qualified for and when she realized that, she decided to buck the system and now she's not willing to pay the price."

John: "Now hold on! That's unfair. Have you read the charges against her? They have nothing to do with Allocations system itself. Those are misdemeanors, lesser included charges. The main charge is some ridiculous trumped up conspiracy theory that she's been feeding the Vulcans privileged Earth intel."

Nadia: "How do we know she wasn't?"

John: "She was a teacher! Not to mention the fact that I've known Amanda since she was a toddler. Her parents were good friends of mine when I worked at Kent State. While she's always been somewhat eccentric, she's hardly a traitor."

Nadia: "I think you're letting your past association cloud your thinking. Treason doesn't require the actual passing of privileged information, only the intent to undermine your own government. She's clearly done that."

Doncland: "Allen, you've been quiet so far. What's your impression?"

Allen: "I have to agree with John. There seems to be something else going on here. Ms. Grayson may have broken a few minor provisions in the Allocation Law, but nothing to warrant charges of treason and sedition. Any Earth citizen is perfectly within their rights to take employment at a Federation embassy or with a Federation diplomatic mission, regardless of the originating species. Both Sarek and Shras Endilev are Federation Ambassadors. In effect, they work for us as surely as Earth's Ambassadors. Now had she taken up employment with the Klingon Ambassador, we'd have something to discuss. Under Federation Law, which Earth helped to draft and ratified, she's not committed any crime."

Nadia: "You're being short sighted. She's a linguist. She translated during negotiations in which Earth played a party. She worked against our interests by coloring translations if nothing else."

John: "Under Federation Law, and Earth's local codes, that's not a crime. Since it was a Federation negotiation, not a hostile situation, she's not working against our interests. In fact, if you check the documentation, all parties involved agreed to her use as a translator. Vulcan paid the bill, but the negotiations, and the translator, were all mutually agreed upon."

Nadia: "I don't care what the statutes say, the intent was there. You're using the letter of the law to defeat the purpose."

Doncland: "Regardless of the legality of the charges, what's your take on her marriage, Allen?"

Allen: "This is the most interesting part of the scandal. Why would a Vulcan take a human as a wife? The cultural divide is enormous. Grayson's motivations aside, what could have made Sarek want to marry her?"

John: "Maybe they aren't as emotionless as we all thought."

Nadia: "Oh, don't tell me you're going to go all romantic on me. Just because you bounced that woman on your knee when she was in diapers doesn't discount what she's done."

John: "Done? She got married. Last I checked that wasn't a crime. Mandy fell in love. Bully for her."

Allen: "As I said, Ms. Grayson's motivations aren't what's interesting in this situation. Whether it was a marriage of emotion or not, there are several reasons a human woman would chose to marry Sarek of Vulcan."

Doncland: "They would be?"

Allen: "At the risk of sounding cynical, the man is rich. His clan is well connected and in a position of power not only on Vulcan but within the entire Federation. His family has a long history of influence in the entire quadrant, and beyond. The only Earth equivalent to his position would be that of king or at the very least heir apparent. He is, in effect, royalty. Love aside, it's understandable why she'd accept him."

John: "Mandy's not a gold digger."

Allen: "I didn't say she was. But I guarantee you these things did not hurt the Ambassador during his courtship. They may have been enough to make the young lady willing to attempt to bridge the cultural chasm between our species. Especially considering how little is known about private Vulcan life."

Nadia: "They certainly don't treat their women well. That's a fact."

Doncland: " There has been considerable talk about the status of their women. They hardly ever leave the planet alone, and if they do they are unmarried. When a couple is seen in public, the female is always in what appears to be a position of subservience."

Allen: "That's sheer speculation. It could be something very different."

Doncland: "How so?"

Allen: "Well, this is a murky area. This is another species we are dealing with. We can't use our cultural norms to interpret their behavior. A woman walking behind a man can mean many different things, even on Earth. In some human cultures the woman walks behind because the male is considered more expendable and as such should be the first to encounter danger. The Vulcan climate is harsh and they have several large predators that to this day claim lives. This could be a similar situation."

Nadia: "Are you saying they subjugate women to protect them? How 19th century."

Allen: "You're making quite a supposition there, Nadia. There is no indication that women hold a lesser position in Vulcan society. In fact, their culture shows several hallmarks of at least a partial matriarchy. Virtually all their religious leaders are female. The clans are headed by a female. Rumor has it all marriages are arranged by the clan matriarch. It could simply be that age plays a factor in the social status of females. Very few Vulcans travel extensively off planet, outside of their military and science exploration fleets – which have very little contact with Earth. The only interactions we have are with younger couples, not those in authority. There are some cultures here on Earth where older females take a leadership role while their younger counterparts are considerably less socially empowered. Again, this could be similar."

Doncland: "You seem to have given this a lot of thought."

Allen: "I have. As an evolutionary anthropologist, I study how social constructs and societies evolve, my primary interest being sociocultural evolution of behavior. Vulcans, in particular, are fascinating."

Nadia: "I can't wait to hear this."

John: "Let the man talk. Go on, Allen. What's so interesting?"

Allen: "Well, everything frankly. They are a closed society. Only a handful of humans are allowed on planet at any given time. Even my fellow academics have difficulty gaining access to the planet and when they do they are not allowed close to the private aspects of Vulcan. They even have several dialects that they refused to allow to be programmed into the universal translator. They are highly secretive and reclusive. There has to be a reason for it."

Doncland: "Any suppositions?"

Allen: "This is speculation, but for a culture to draw this much into self, there has to be a catalyst. They have a firm belief structure and ideology of superiority, yet they don't attempt to spread their philosophy. They don't hoard Surak's teaching, and freely provide these when asked, but they don't participate in any sort of missionary activities. It feels like they are hiding something, perhaps even from themselves. But it's not the violent nature of their past. This is not a source of shame, in fact they make it a point to highlight it in the way they use weapons and violent tapestries as decorations and in the handful of ceremonies and traditional celebrations they've allowed outsiders to view.

"The most secretive area of their society, and likely the cause of much of what we are discussing, seems to be the marriage bond. We know most marriages are arranged in childhood, but we have no idea why. Historically this wasn't always the case. That much is clear. But at some point they switched to this form of mate selection. There doesn't appear to be any form of divorce on the planet but two styles of married life. We see couples that live separately and have virtually no day to day contact. On the other hand, there are couples that are together at all times, never separated if at all possible. Both appear to be acceptable to the larger society, but there are very few that exist in between the extremes. This is unusual. What would drive them together and apart in equal measure? And why would society tolerate both?

"If anyone even hints at curiosity into this subject area, they are escorted off planet. It's highly suspect behavior. There is something here that they are unable or unwilling to admit to outsiders. Yet we now have a human woman that has been accepted into two clans, not just as a lesser member, but as the wife to a high ranking male and as the pudvel-torko-fu or chosen house daughter and pudor-dvin-tor to another well placed family. This is exceptional."

Nadia: (snort) "But doesn't pudor-dvin-tor translate to 'honored servant'? She's their servant."

Allen: "Nadia, I hate to say this, but you really shouldn't be so judgmental. On Vulcan service is revered above all. To be allowed to serve as pudor-dvin-tor is an incredible honor. Ms. Grayson was acting for the new clan matriarch, handling matters that would normally be within her purview during a transition in power. For anyone so young it would have been a great honor, but for a human? This is an unprecedented situation. Ms. Grayson herself said that she is now, in effect, considered a Vulcan by these two clans if not by the entire planet. The culture has enveloped her. Now she is within the folds of their secrecy and as we saw from her interview, unwilling to lift the veil for us. Whatever it is they do not wish us to know, she has agreed to keep their secret."

Doncland: "This idea of service, could it play a rule in the treatment of the women? Could Amanda Grayson be doing what she is as a service to these clans?"

Allen: "I can't say what her motivations are and I'm not pretending that I have any great insight into the Vulcan culture either. All I am able to do at this point is to posit theories. The hazard of this kind of work is that, as an outsider, I can only view their culture through glasses colored by my own. We attempt, as a profession, to remove this cultural bias, but it is inevitable that a portion will be retained. All I can say for sure is that, for a Vulcan, to be in service is more important than to be leader. This is what makes Sarek's clan so unusual."

John: "Why?"

Allen: "Well, they have been in power for a millenia. They seem to be natural leaders, and highly respected. When you hear most Vulcans discuss their positions, they say they are in service to a specific person or entity. They are the first officer of this ship, in service to that captain, they are deputy this, under so-and-so. But Sarek, when asked, has always said clearly he serves the people of Vulcan and the Federation. Not the Vulcan High Council, not the Federation leaders, which is what other Ambassadors from Vulcan have claimed, but the people themselves. He views himself as in service to a greater something. This is a departure from what I would consider the Vulcan cultural norm.

"Not to mention that Sarek is the first unmarried Vulcan man I've ever heard of, let alone seen off world. His willingness to interact with outside species, his much lauded negotiation skills, all of it, it combines to prove that he is something apart, not the norm for his society. I highly doubt the average Vulcan would ever consider mating with a human, let alone marrying them. Yet this man has done so, publicly, and managed to bring his wife into the clan as an equal. This speaks highly of his position socially. I find all of it fascinating."

Nadia: "I'm glad this is all intellectually stimulating for you. But what does this mean for Earth?"

Allen: "We've taken a large step with this marriage, perhaps a larger one than the Allocation system itself. This is the first time an Earther has made a prominent off world marriage. Humans aren't the only species to use marriage as a form of legitimizing alliances and making connections. It is almost a universally accepted method of forging bonds across governments and powers. While Ms. Grayson is by no means Earth royalty or even from an influential background, it is still a very important event. This will open doors for other such matches across species lines. It moves us out into the galactic society at a new level. A hundred years from now this could be seen as equal in importance to the first moon launch. This is a huge step forward for humanity."

John: "You had me until that last part. I don't think one marriage is all that important."

Allen: "Go back in time and say that to Eleanor of Aquitaine."

Doncland: "Gentlemen, as interesting as this is, we're out of time and off topic. Any closing comments about this marriage and the impact it will have on the Allocation system? Nadia?"

Nadia: "None. This is clearly just one woman with issues. If the media would stop discussing it and trying to find some kind of pathetic link between her criminality and this absurd publicity stunt of a marriage, it would all die down."

Doncland: "John?"

John: "This will bring to light a lot of the problems inherent in the current system and open a platform for dialogue and change."

Doncland: "Allen?"

Allen: "The allocation system is secondary in importance to what this means for us a society. We could be seeing mixed species children proliferating, cross species adoptions, the possibilities are endless. The charges against Ms. Grayson will fade but her influence in this regard will be lasting."

Doncland: "And there you have it, folks. The story of the night is perhaps the story of the century. Now onto to our next topic. Klingons. Is war inevitable? Nadia, thoughts?"