Chapter Thirty Seven
The Altaxi who had been introduced as De'avintis cleared his throat once everyone had sat down.
"Greetings to both my fellow Altaxi and to the Enterprise A crew. I am De'vainitis, and I serve as master of ceremonies for this city. That means I organize all ceremonies except for the informal ceremonies which I do not keep track of. I or one of my associates attend all formal ceremonies that occur in this city."
"To begin a discussion of formal ceremonies in the life of an Altaxi, let us start when a new Altaxi enters the world. Once the mother is informed of her child's birth, she and one my associates attend the father in a private area of sickbay. The father and mother will announce the child's family name and gender verbally after which time that information is entered into our public records in the computer. Until the child's coming of age ceremony, he or she does not have a given name only a family name and a gender. Choosing that given name for him or herself from the approved list of names during the coming of age ceremony signifies that the child is now an adult. Until this time, the Altaxi is addressed as my son or my daughter if you are the parents of the child and simply child if you are not."
"The next major ceremony that a child learns is the greeting ceremony. This greeting ceremony must be performed with all of the members of the child's family before it is done with any acquaintances of the parents or family. It is also important the child understands the ceremony for themselves. This is why the greeting ceremony is not taught until the child enters formal education at the age of thirty six rotation cycles. Before this time, they are raised by the child's father alone in the family home and no visitors are allowed unless the child's father requests it."
"Once the child enters larger public life when he or she starts formal education, this greeting ceremony is then repeated with each new acquaintance before any other conversation is done. Addressing someone without this ceremony is considered a major source of rudeness in Altaxi culture. If you persist in an informal mode of conversation they will walk away. So if you do agree to participate in a tour of Number One then keep this in mind. The Altaxi may come across as rude but it is merely that we do not address others informally until the formalities have been done first. Any subsequent conversations after the greeting ceremony has been performed can be as informal or formal as you wish."
"The next major ceremony an Altaxi will experience is the mating ceremony at one hundred and twenty rotation cycles. This marks the first time an Altaxi, both male and female, is sexually mature. The female will undergo a series of biological changes that makes her fertile and those changes in return will trigger biological changes in half the male population. You see, the ris males only produce female children while the tis males only produce male children. After this first mating season the female will have a mating season every five years. Those males who are not raising a child at the time and who are the right gender attend, both from this city and from every other city on this planet. This inviting of large numbers of representatives from all families to the mating ceremony is to encourage the widest possible mixing of the Altaxi population. As a result the number of males who attend a mating ceremony is quite often in the hundreds of thousands for each mating. A full mating chamber can hold up to one million males."
"To begin this mating ceremony, the female will put on a covering cloth over her genitals which is the only time an Altaxi male or female wears any clothes. She will then be attended by both a tis male and a ris male, one in front of her and one behind her. Both males carry staff with bells on both ends. The female will walk through every level of the city from the top to the bottom with her attendants making noise with the staffs to clear the way for her to the mating chamber. This is to alert all males in the city of her availability. They will follow her to the mating chamber if they are the right individuals."
"If you hear a mating party approaching it is considered required to stop what you are doing and bow your head with your hands facing palm up, like so." De'vainitis stopped talking then stood up and paused to demonstrate this stance. Then he,continued talking after he had sat back down.
"Look at the floor until the mating party is past and then you may resume your activities. This gesture is done as a mark of respect for the Altaxi female who creates all life. If the female is a prominent one then other females will line the corridor to witness the mating party pass."
"Once the mating party has entered the mating chamber they proceed to the front where the mating display chair is. Before she sits down in the chair the female removes her covering cloth and hands it to her ris attendant. Then the tis attendant will shake his staff. The rut begins once the female has sat down. Two by two each of the males will come to the front. The female will watch throughout."
"The rut as it is called is meant to symbolize strength. The two males use their bodies to display who is strongest by butting foreheads, interlocking horns, stamping hooves, and grappling with their hands, arms and legs until one male falls onto the floor onto his back. Once his back touches the floor whether or not he gets up again, that male is eliminated from mating with the female. The next pair of males then goes into rut and so on. This rut continues until there are only two males who have not been defeated by anyone else. The male that wins the final rut is the one who mates with the female. Once the rut is over the ris attendant shake his staff once. Then the female and winning male retreat to a private room to complete the mating. They will not emerge from this room for the time period of three times of light and three times of dark. Food and washroom facilities are provided for them. They are left alone in complete privacy to conceive the next generation of Altaxi."
"As you can imagine with this many males the mating ceremony takes considerable time. Often other females enjoy observing the males from the observation room above the mating chamber in order to assess their own potential future mates. That is why the mating ceremony is the longest in all of Altaxi society."
"A pregnancy from the mating ceremony will result in about eighty percent of matings. The male carries the child to term after being impregnated by the female and then the man will give birth five rotation cycles later. From that point on the males are primarily responsible for raising the child until the coming of age ceremony."
"The only time a male does not look after his child is during times of dormancy for the ris or tis, when the child will be supervised by the female. The father will not mate with any female until his child has undergone the coming of age ceremony. After that ceremony the male again enters the pool of available males for the next time of mating. It is common for tis males to have eight to ten children in their lifetime while ris males typically have half that number. This results in males being twice as numerous as females in Altaxi society."
"The next major ceremony for an Altaxi is that of the coming of age ceremony. Once an Altaxi has undergone their first mating ceremony they are now considered an adult. This coming of age ceremony is where the individual Altaxi not only choose their first name for themselves but they declare the profession they choose to go into."
"Formal education to enter this chosen profession is then undertaken for the next twenty four rotation cycles. An apprenticeship under a senior member of this profession is then undertaken for a further thirty six rotation cycles. After both these periods are done the profession ceremony is held to mark the entry into the working life of the Altaxi. From that day forward he or she is considered equal with all other workers in that profession regardless of experience, age, or gender."
"Females dominate the following professions: weavers, merchants, astronomers, healers, cooks, teachers, communicators, and judges. Females are the only legislators, those who sit on the Council of Families. All females are welcome if they choose to join other male dominated professions. The male dominated professions are as follows: biologist, chemist, geologist, guard, leader, artist, historian, philosopher, harvester, miner, and fixer. As with females men can enter all female dominated professions except for being a legislator. These are all the professions in Altaxi society."
"The next formal ceremony is that of the old age ceremony. This is undertaken not to mark the end of an Altaxi's working life as an Altaxi will work in their profession until death. Rather it is to mark the end of an Altaxi's reproductive life when they are no longer able to have children. Typically this occurs approximately six hundred rotation cycles from the time of their first mating season. It is also an opportunity to celebrate the younger generation who will go on after you are dead."
"The next formal ceremony in Altaxi society is that of the departure and return ceremony. This is a formal name for the ceremony that happens when an Altaxi dies which is typically at four hundred rotation cycles after the old age ceremony. After the body has been embalmed to prevent decay and encased in a plain wood box it is escorted by the head of the family from the bottom of the city to the top. All members of that family in order from the closest biological connection to the least of the biological connection of that family will follow behind the deceased. If you see a funeral procession then raise your head to the ceiling and place your hands fully extended with your palms facing down, like so." De'vainitis again stood up and paused to demonstrate, then took a long drink from the cup in front of him before he sat down and continued talking.
"Continue looking at the ceiling until the funeral procession has passed then you may resume your former activities. This gesture is done as a sign of respect for the Altaxi who is now deceased."
"Once they reach the area of remembrance the entire family of the individual is joined by a representative of all of the other families as well as the head of the profession the deceased worked in. The head of the deceased family and well as the head of the profession will give a short speech about the life of the deceased Altaxi. After that, any other in attendance may come to the front and share a brief recollection of the deceased. This time of sharing lasts no more then one segment of time. Then the head of the profession and any member of the family that does not have a biological connection to the deceased of less then three connections will leave the room."
"Next comes the return ceremony immediately following. The deceased is carried outside the city to a burning place which is usually located only a short distance away from the city. A pyre of wood is made and the deceased is put on the top of it. Then the whole structure is set alight after being doused in a special liquid that dampens smell. While the deceased and wood is burning the family are meant to take time to reflect on the fact that we all come from the earth and we are all destined to return to the earth. The Altaxi do not have a belief in the afterlife or any God but we do believe strongly in the cycle of life to death. By that I mean that Altaxi believe each being in the universe is here for only a finite amount of time and so it is best to make use of your life to do good in the world around you. Though that legacy can come in many forms."
"Once the deceased and the pyre have finished burning, what remains of the deceased are gathered and placed in what is known as a memorial box which is made of a long lasting metal that will not tarnish or stain with time. The boxes are carved with the full name of the individual, his or her profession, the rotation cycle of birth, and the rotation cycle of death. For the heads of Families the family crest is also placed on the box. These boxes are then taken black to the top of the city where they are placed in a vault of remembrance. Each family has their own vault. This action concludes the departure and return ceremony."
"All family members are expected to return for at least one segment of time every six rotation cycles with their children to tell them the stories of the families members who died before the children were born. In this way family history is passed down to the next generation. Such a time is called the remembrance ceremony and lasts for one segment of time. That is the last of the formal ceremonies in Altaxi society." De'avintis concluded then took another drink before he resumed talking.
"Now, the informal ceremonies in Altaxi ceremonies are not strictly ceremonies but compromise of formal greetings in certain social situations. The arrival ceremony, the parting ceremony, the reunion ceremony, the dormancy ceremony, and the tea ceremony are all informal ceremonies which can be undertaken by any Altaxi."
"The arrival ceremony is done when an Altaxi enters another Altaxi city for the first time. They will speak as follows: I am a stranger here but I come in peace. May I be welcomed into this place? to which the guard will reply: You come in peace and so you are welcome to stay here for as long as you wish."
"The parting ceremony is done when two Altaxis who are either close family members such as parents and children or close friends leave the other for a period that will last at least seven times of light. The departing Altaxi will say: I leave in peace. Wish me a good journey. To which the other Altaxi replies: I see you leave in peace and good journey to you."
"The reunion ceremony is performed when two Altaxi who are close, both in bonds of biology or friendship have not seen each other for a period of at least one rotation cycle. The returning Altaxi says: I have been gone for some time. Do you still welcome me to this place? To which the other Altaxi will say: You have indeed been gone for some time. That is why I welcome you back warmly to this place."
"The dormancy ceremony is the same for all three genders. You see, the Altaxi are active eighty percent of the time and rest the remaining twenty percent of the time. Unlike other aliens this period of rest is done all at once and at different times for each of the three genders. This is to ensure at least two genders are always active. The dormancy lasts for one rotation cycle. The Altaxi in question begins their cycle of dormancy by telling the healer: I am weary and I need to rest now to restore myself. To which the healer will reply: Rest and I will watch over you until you are restored. Once the dormancy period is over, the healer will say: You have rested for a full rotation cycle. Do you feel fully restored? To which the Altaxi will reply: I am now fully restored. You have my thanks for your care during this time."
"Finally, the tea ceremony is performed when a meeting is called in a work environment or when friends and family wish to engage in social conversation in each other's private dwellings. A pot of tea made with kavas root is prepared then poured into a cup in front of each of the participants. The leader of the group in a work environment or the individual who wishes to speak first to begin a social conversation will lift their glass and say: Just as this root nourished our ancestors may the drink of this root nourish us now. Then all present drink the entire cup. After that has been done the individual who spoke will speak again as follows: We are now all nourished. Conversation may begin."
"Then the topic you wish to discuss will begin to be spoken about. The tea ceremony is the last of the informal Altaxi ceremonies. It is now time for the Enterprise group to ask two questions of any of the Altaxi after which time the Altaxi will ask two questions of the Enterprise group. We will proceed in order of seniority. Commander Spock, you will speak first, followed by Doctor McCoy, Lieutenant Uhura, Ensign Slater, then finally Ensign Meadows. We will address our questions to you in the same order. You may begin Commander Spock and thank you for your patience." De'veintis concluded.
"No thanks are required De'veinitis. Your explanation of Altaxi ceremony was quite thorough and interesting. My first question is as follows and it is directed to Ve'naatis. How did you know that Lieutenant Uhura and I were a romantic couple?" Spock asked. The Altaxi in question cleared his throat.
"You see Commander Spock, the nose of an Altaxi is extremely sensitive when it comes to blood chemistry and hormone levels. The first was likely evolutionary so we could be able to smell the approach of the rock snakes and bevoor, who are both iron blooded. That would assist us to stay away from those predators. That is how we were able to tell you had copper based blood that smelled like the gellari while the rest of the Enterprise A group had iron based blood that smelled like the bevoor. But we could not reveal that to strangers until the welcoming ceremony."
"As for being able to detect current hormone levels that is due to our mating drive. The hormone levels in a male begins to rise two times of light before the mating ceremony of an available female and will peak during his time of rut. Then hormone levels go down sharply after the mating ceremony and reach their lowest point right before dormancy. After dormancy hormone levels rapidly rise again to a certain level that remains unchanged until the next mating season. We could smell such recent mating hormones on both yourself and Lieutenant Uhura which confused us until she revealed that she was female. She is not an Altaxi and so would be free to mate whenever she wished to. If she was your long term mate that would explain your instinctive protective consideration toward her." Ve'naatis explained. Spock nodded curtly. McCoy noticed a brief green flush to his ears and wondered if he was blushing at the frankness of this explanation.
Well, I never thought I'd see the day an alien made Spock blush about his sex life, thought McCoy. But he knew that both Spock and Lieutenant Uhura valued their privacy so he wouldn't mention this in the mission report.
"I see. My second question is as follows and is directed to your leader Ce'melltis. Vulcans do not require rest as often as Humans but we do require periods of mediation when we can be alone and centre our thoughts. Is there any place in this city that might be suitable for such an action?" Spock wondered after he had paused to take a deep breath.
"Let me think for a moment Commander Spock. Number One ends in an area that overlooks a large cavern which we call the Great Chasm. There is an observation room there with windows on one wall that extend from the bottom of the room to the top of the ceiling of the room. The room is only used for private conversation. I could see to it that a guard could be placed outside the door to ensure privacy for as long as you wish."
"Speaking of rooms I was hoping that I could lead you and your entire group on a tour of Number One tomorrow after the second meal. It would be my pleasure to show you all of this city. The time between the first meal of the day and the second meal would be spent in meetings with each of your respective counterparts where you might ask as many questions as you wished as well as being able to observe their work. That would mean Doctor McCoy would meet with our healers, Lieutenant Uhura with our communicators, yourself with our astronomers, Ensign Slater with our biologists, and Ensign Meadows with our guards." Ce'melltis offered.
"I too would enjoy such a meeting and a tour of this city. We must confirm that we will be able to say longer then planetary sunrise with our leader Captain Kirk." Spock replied.
"Then I await his decision. Doctor McCoy, it is your turn to ask questions now." Ve'naatis said.
"Finally! I mean, thank you for your hospitality so far. I do have two questions. My first was more of a request actually. I'd like to be able to scan one of the Altaxi females with one of my medical tools called a diagnostic wrap." McCoy said. He tried to moderate his tone at Lieutenant Uhura's sharp glare. Dammit, he was a doctor not a diplomat, he thought.
"Greetings Doctor McCoy. My name is Te'relldis and I am the head healer of this city. I will consent to your scan. Where would you wish me to stand?" came the voice of an Altaxi from the end of the U shaped table where they had all been sitting.
"Just stand at the end of the table there and give me a few moments. This won't hurt at all." McCoy said as he grabbed the diagnostic wrap and then walked over to the female Altaxi. She stood still while he opened the wrap and began to run it over her. Te'relldis's body was wider then the male Altaxi in the room and her horns were more narrow and curled into her head in comparison to the longer and wider horns that jutted out from the male's head. As he'd expected the broad hands and cloven feet all had a hard shell completely around them with inner traction pads. That shell was thick enough over the traction pads that no sweat or other body fluid would transfer to anyone by touch.
When he had scanned Ve'naatis McCoy hadn't expected to find that the Altaxi had inner eyelids like a Vulcan. Another surprise was that the Altaxi skin under two layers of fur was only porous around the external bladder under the tail and a circular closed ring of muscle between the hips that led to the internal reproductive system. But while there was a vagina, uterus, and fallopian tube inside Ve'naatis's body, there was no evidence of breasts or nipples to feed a newborn. His blood was magnesium based which McCoy had never seen before in any Humanoid life form. What's more the testosterone levels in the blood were the highest he'd ever seen. The breathing and heart rate also seemed quite rapid given the Altaxi's slow metabolic rate.
The final surprise was that Ve'naatis had a redundant organ system with every single internal organ except those of the reproductive and excretion systems being fully formed twice. He'd read that Klingons had something similar but it wasn't to the same extent as with these Altaxi. Perhaps these extra organs were used during this time of dormancy. If one system of organs was functional even during a period of rest then if there was a need to awaken suddenly for an emergency the body would be able to awaken quickly. But he'd need to watch an Altaxi during this period of dormancy to be certain of that theory.
As for Te'relldis, she had the same magnesium based blood, inner eyelids, and redundant organ system as Ve'naatis. Her body temperature was a few degrees cooler then Ve'naatis. Te'relldis's metabolic rate, heart rate, and breathing rate were all a quarter slower then Ve'naatis. Her estrogen levels were half of the testosterone levels of Ve'naatis but still higher then any other estrogen levels he'd seen in an alien female. Like the male Altaxi she did not have breasts or nipples to feed children with. Unlike the male Altaxi Te'relldis did have an internal penis between her hips that was currently completely covered by two flaps of muscle on either side. So the males clearly were the ones to give birth but what did they feed their infants with if they didn't use breast milk? Could their infants eat solid food immediately after birth? Before he could think on Altaxi biology any further Te'relldis cleared her throat.
"Are you finished with the medical scan Doctor McCoy? You also have one more question." Te'relldis stated.
"Yeah, I'm finished with the scan. Thanks." McCoy said as he closed the diagnostic wrap. "I did have another question for you. Is there any really nasty diseases the Altaxi suffer from, particularly ones that will not interact well with iron based or copper based blood?" McCoy continued. He wanted to know this now rather then find out for himself later once they returned to the Enterprise.
"Doctor McCoy, Altaxi bodies are quite hardy. As a result we die of old age more then any other disease that is native to the Altaxi. The most dangerous disease among the Planetary Alliance is known as Kanar flu. In a Kanar, these symptoms are fever, nausea, coughing, diarrhoea, and vomiting."
"However, if a non Kanar gets the infection though physically touching a sick Kanar then the flu quickly mutates into a deadly pneumonia for the alien. The healers and biologists in the Planetary Alliance have been able to come up with a vaccine for Kanar flu which is effective for the Kanar. But we still have not come up with a cure for Kanar flu in a non Kanar given the wide variety of blood types in the Planetary Alliance. If you're interested in more about the Kanar flu or anything else medical then we can discuss that in our meeting tomorrow Doctor McCoy." Te'relldis explained.
"I'd like that Healer Te'relldis." McCoy said. Then he moved to sit down again.
"Lieutenant Uhura did you have any questions for the Altaxi?" said Ve'naatis once McCoy had sat down and put away the diagnostic wrap in his med kit.
"Yes I do. First you said that the only time the Altaxi wear clothing is for the female in public on the way to the mating ceremony. But why don't you wear clothing any other time?" Lieutenant Uhura asked.
"Greetings Lieutenant Uhura. I am Ge'pooldis and I am the head weaver of this city. I will answer your question. Ever since building our settlements underground the Altaxi have kept our cities at a constant temperature of fifteen degrees Celsius. This temperature is considered warm enough to keep our bodies through our fur comfortable without being too hot. But we do not need clothing to feel warm or protect us from the elements even outside our cities. The belt that is worn by all genders outside of our city is not considered clothing but rather functional storage space."
"Our weavers make various clothes out of silk worms to sell to other races. But Altaxi no matter the gender do not wear clothing because all our reproductive system is internal except during the mating season. The mating season is the only time you will see an Altaxi female wear a cloth covering between her torso and her legs to cover her now external genitals. She wears this cloth covering during her walk to the mating chamber to emphasize the shape and size of her genitals which aside from her hormones also tell a male she is currently virile. This covering is only worn in public on her way to the mating chamber and is removed before she sits down in the mating display chair which signals she is now ready to begin watching the rut. The cloth covering is not worn again by the female until her next mating season." the female Altaxi answered. It figured, McCoy thought. Every species wanted to display themselves to their best advantage one way or another for their mates and he supposed this female walk during the mating season of the Altaxi fit into that category.
"I see. You also mentioned that the child at the coming of age ceremony chooses their own name from a list of names. How long is the list and how did this custom come about?" Lieutenant Uhura asked.
"Greetings Lieutenant Uhura. My name is Ye'loondis and I am the head communicator of this city. I will answer your question. Even with formal education our children are not considered to be a productive member of Altaxi society until they have attended a mating ceremony. That is because the Altaxi value family highly and fathers are protective and caring over their children. This is not only because the fathers become deeply attached to their children but also because they wish to pass their genes onto future generations. Once they have attended a mating ceremony an Altaxi is deemed mature enough to choose a name that suits them. But I am drifting off your first question like a lost stamell. Please excuse me."
"The list of Altaxi first names was created when our written language was formed. Shortly afterwards it became clear that only having a family name and gender would not sufficiently differentiate one Altaxi from another Altaxi. So as we came up with words to describe the world around us the Altaxi also chose an eventual list of one hundred thousand names that any Altaxi could choose to call themselves by as a personal name. Some names are professions, others are plants, animals, or places, while others are characteristics like strength or beauty. The Altaxi in question is allowed to choose the name they personally feel best describes their whole self unfiltered by the options of family or any others. That is why a chosen name among the Altaxi is never shortened or altered in any way unless they do so themselves because to do so by others would disrespect the individual who has chosen it. The shortened form of the name of an Altaxi compromises a direct combination of their chosen name and gender without the family name in between. As an adult you are considered both capable and responsible for all the choices you make. After your first mating ceremony your chosen name is your first choice as an adult Altaxi. Now I believe it was Ensign Slater's turn to ask his questions." Ye'loondis said.
"Do the Altaxi ever have multiple births and if so what does that do to the gender balance among the population?" Ensign Slater asked.
"Greetings Ensign Slater. I am De'peelris the head biologist of this city. I will answer your question. Biologically, neither the ris or tis males are able to give birth to multiple children at one time. I cannot get into the specifics of why as I am not a healer and such details are only discussed among healers and their patients in private. But I will answer your question about the order of births that occur in Altaxi society. The first time a female enters the mating season she will only attract tis males who will only give birth to ris children. The next mating season the female will only attract ris males who will only give birth to dis children. For the third mating season the female will only attract tis males who this time will only give birth to tis males."
"This order of which male gender the female attracts and which gender the male gives birth to in each mating season remains the same throughout her reproductive life. Thus are the genders balanced in Altaxi society. Myself, along with other healers and biologists have noticed that since the Galactic war half of the females will mate with a ris male instead of a tis male for their fourth mating season. I suspect that after the massive loss of life during the war this is a biological effort to produce more female children so that more of the remaining males who have survived the war will give birth in future. However I will not go into more details about such a subject with you in public. Now please ask your second question." De'peelris stated.
"I see. You've mentioned a bevoor from time to time as a carnivore who lives in the desert. I was wondering if you have a image of them so that I can decided what range to study this creature at." Slater said. Better you then me Ensign Slater, thought McCoy.
"Ensign Slater the bevoor should always be studied at as long as a range as possible. The image will explain why. Computer, access biological creature data bevoor image. Authorization De'peelris 39075." he stated.
"Confirmed and verified." the computer replied.
A moment later McCoy had to hold in a shudder at the image on the screen. This bevoor was a massive bear that was easily four metres in height from its paws to the top of its broad head. There were retractable claws on all four feet and massive fangs in a powerful snout. But it also seemed to have very cunning eyes to go with the yellow fur which he could tell was shorter then that of the Altaxi but was the same shade as the sand of the desert.
"As you can see for yourself Ensign Slater, the bevoor is not a creature to underestimate. They only consume the gellari. But if you get in the way of their hunt then the bevoor will readily kill you instead. The speed and sharp horns of the more mature gellari will offer it some protection as will its hooves. As a result the bevoor will target the younger gellari instead."
"We have set up observation posts in the mountains and desert some distance away from our cities to observe the bevoor, the gellari, the sand worm, and the rock snake in their natural habitat. But a biologist will rarely venture outside the protection of the observation post. We always make sure if we do take any creature inside the post for closer study to tranquillize and stand guard over the creature at all times. When doing so we all have energy weapons that are capable of stunning a bevoor and rock snake in one shot in case the creature wakes up faster then we had anticipated. We made an effort for these observation posts to blend into the landscape, but the bevoor, sand worm, gellari, and rock snakes are aware of their existence. The forcefield around the post has kept them away, as an bevoor, gellari, sand worm, and rock snake will learn from their previous experiences very well. Now I believe it is the turn of Ensign Meadows to ask any questions he might have." De'peelris concluded.
"Thanks. When you were naming these other aliens races a lot of the metals or metal alloys you named are what the Federation uses to make starships with. Did the Altaxi acquire these materials from the Maphin who you say are the most technologically advanced race in the Planetary Alliance?" Ensign Meadows asked.
"Greetings Ensign Meadows. I am Me'liilris the chief fixer of this city and so I will answer your question. The metals that were used to rebuild Altaxi after the Galactic War came from the Maphin. This was both because they were the least affected world among us in terms of loss of life and technology but also because the Maphin are the only source of victurium and trititanium in the Planetary Alliance. The Altaxi and the Ve'acouch decided to use those materials to rebuilt our cities and shipyard respectively in order to fool any aliens into thinking there was not any technology on either of our worlds. If the aliens were curious we knew the lack of sensor data might lure them onto the surface. Once there we could better determine if the alien was simply curious about us as a people or like the Ra'veni were only interested in our technology and wished to kill us for it. What is your second question?" Me'liilris said.
"It's for the head guard of this city actually. You said the Ra'veni didn't respond to energy weapons but instead you used plasma weapons in the Galactic War. Why was this?" Ensign Meadow wanted to know.
"Greetings Ensign Meadows. My name is We'loonris and I am the head guard of this city. I will answer your question. The Ra'veni feed on energy as a source of food. As a result even on the highest setting of an energy weapon the exoskeleton of the Ra'veni will simply absorb the energy rather then having it disintegrate cells. As you have likely noticed the only two softs spots on a Ra'veni to target were the mouth and eyes. The mouth was dangerous because of the fangs, saliva, and venom. So it was decided to go for the eyes which proved very effective. Now I believe that ends the time of the Enterprise questioning. We will take a short break before the Altaxi will get a chance to ask questions of the Enterprise in return. I can tell you are all weary so I will only say that it is likely not all of us will ask you questions. Those who do will only ask you two questions. Ve'naatis let us have a break now." We'loonris said.
"Agreed We'loonris. As before I will ring the bell to conclude the Welcoming Ceremony." Ve'naatis said. Ensign Meadows and Spock headed for the washroom. McCoy considered telling Spock about the lack of privacy and toilet paper but Spock was out of earshot by the time he considered it.
"So maybe Spock shouldn't have asked that question about us." Lieutenant Uhura said.
"Well, I must admit that I was curious too. Though I don't need to know the details of what the two of you do when you're alone unless it's medically necessary." McCoy said.
"Good because I'm not going to ever tell you." Lieutenant Uhura replied.
"Right." McCoy replied.
Spock and Ensign Meadows sat down and a moment later Ve'naatis rang the bell again for the ceremony to continue.