The engineering staff of Spacedock Earth lined up in formation in front of the transporters. Heroes would arrive soon and deserved nothing less than a heroic welcome.
The room glowed and lights twinkled as the columns before them formed into the shapes of humanoids. A sturdy, tan man in yellow with a winning smile stepped forward first and was met by awe.
"Welcome back to Spacedock Earth Captain Kirk." The engineer announced.
"Thank you, Officer. It's good to be back." The man continued through the procession of cadets. Behind him followed his Yeoman, Rand. She knew that while their time aboard would mostly be filled with debriefings of their recent activities, it would also be an opportunity to socialize with friends she hadn't seen in months.
Behind her, trailed in another man, tall and wiry in his blue shirt. He also welcomed a change of scenery but would've preferred a shore leave. Camping was more his speed than formal events. He would put on a suit and play along for an evening, but only one.
The final figure to emerge was the tallest of the bunch: another thin man in blue. This was one distinguished by pointed ears. He was well-prepared for the meetings to come, which were necessary and he neither looked forward to, nor dreaded them. His interests laid elsewhere; often when starships returned for crew turnover, Science Officers from the base as well as other starships would present their most recent findings. These presentations were a pleasant activity to break up irrelevant small talk and other social requirements humans imposed on formal gatherings.
In addition, although he would not share the thought with his colleagues, he hoped he might see his father, serving as a Vulcan Ambassador to Earth. This hope sensation was new to him, following his interaction with the entity known as V'ger. After experiencing the misfiring of a being incapable of feeling any sensation, he began reconsidering his previous opinions of human emotion. He decided to explore such feelings and in order to determine whether they served as a help or a hinderance. One such feeling, being explored at present, was longing. He also understood that acknowledging this in the presence of the one he longed for would result in an unpleasant exchange.
The rest of crew would disembark from U.S.S. Enterprise directly and reconvene later. They would greet friends and colleagues on the Spacedock before taking time to dress and prepare for the evening ahead of them.
***
"How about another round of applause for Dr. Gurak?"
The audience shook off the drowsiness brought on by the previous presentation and clapped. Spock was the only individual at his table who'd managed to maintain focus on the presentation for its duration. McCoy aimlessly poked at the remnants of his dinner. Uhura toyed with her earring. Rand seemed to be upright and engaged in something, but was only staring adoringly at her Captain, who would have much preferred to return to his activities from earlier in the evening: lingering at the bar to strike up a conversation with whichever members of Starfleet approached in evening gowns. Scotty, inebriated already, snored quietly.
"United Federation Members," The MC continued, "I have the distinguished honor of introducing our next presenter for this evening. She first earned a medical doctorate from the Vulcan Academy of the Sciences then returned to earth to earn a philosophical doctorate in reproductive health studies. She is one of the galaxy's top experts in population dynamics and has lent her expertise to now three Starship missions. Please join me in welcoming Dr. Vivian Vida."
For Kirk blinked lazily at the person approaching the podium. When his brain caught up to his eyes, he sat up straighter. Instead of another hunched, aged male in dull robes, before him stood the curved silhouette of a young woman in a sparkling red evening gown. She appeared to be human, or at least humanoid, with fair, rosy skin. Her hair hung to just below her breasts and appeared to Kirk as coffee- dark together, lighter in less quantity, and red-tinted under the light.
Dr. McCoy and Mr. Scott had also taken notice of the doctor on stage. Spock smirked at the reactions of his less evolved counterparts who often found themselves unable to think clearly in the presence of an attractive member of the opposite sex.
"She doesn't even look old enough to have all those degrees if you ask me." The Yeoman rolled her eyes at Kirk and looked down to stir her cocktail.
Spock squinted, performing his own visual analysis of the woman and shared his conclusion. "You would be correct…IF she were human. I will require a closer look to discern her species."
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen of Star Fleet. My name is Dr. Vivian Vida and I work as a population dynamics specialist. Information is needed regarding known colony population growth and reproductive patterns of species on new planets of exploration. Gathering and cataloging this data is what I do while aboard a starship. Given that many of you are at least vaguely familiar with such concepts, I will not bore you further with redundant information." The woman raised a half smile.
The crowd gave a half-hearted chuckle of relief.
"Rand, I believe she may be partly Vulcan." He recognized the careful speech pattern and put-upon smile of someone who processed feeling the same way he did./p
"I would, however, like to speak on my latest research." Using a remote, she prompted the screen to follow her presentation. "For hundreds of years, the human species worked to solve issues of infertility and to lessen the burden of their reproductive processes. Other species, of course, perfected these technologies thousands of years before it even occurred to humans."
More chuckles came from the non-human members of the audience.
"She appears to be a charming orator." Spock concluded.
"Charming is right." McCoy shook his head with a smile. Their captain was still unable to render words.
"These other species, however, are often bound by stricter biological principles. They're met with even prezygotic barriers if they stray from predetermined ritual and pattern. Previously, this norm was acceptable. Species that live longer mate less frequently. This maintained their population equilibrium."
Spock raised an eyebrow at her use of the past tense.
"This longer life expectancy was, in part, in born. In addition, such species often faired well with the control of disease and limitation of violence. Now, species are immigrating more frequently. Individuals are boarding starships and venturing far beyond their homelands and away from their own kind, with which, there are fewer barriers to mating. Many individuals are choosing to forgo procreation entirely, as is their right."
Grumbles arose from the people.
"What's she getting at?" Uhura felt that herself and her childless companions were being targeted.
"Is it not then, the logical conclusion, that those who are able and willing to reproduce do so with greater frequency, resulting in more offspring, and returning balance to the population?"
Spock nodded along, following her reasoning.
"Members of Star Fleet," Dr. Vida tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, revealing a pointed ear. "I myself, am a proud Vulcan-well-half anyway. Our numbers have decreased as of late." Her presentation showed a line with a negative slope. "In respect for the Vulcan people and their privacy, I will not share details of the Pon Farr ritual. For those of you who are unfamiliar, just know that it's a mating ritual of sorts that only occurs every seven years. Despite high infant survival, producing offspring one at a time, only once every several years is not sufficient to counter the mounting losses. I find myself asking 'why the continued adherence to this ritual?' Involuntary biological reactions are a probable cause- pheromones are only produced within this cycle…That's what inspired my hypothesis- if I could synthesize these pheromones then they could be used at will. Imagine individuals in different reproductive cycles being able to produce offspring together. Imagine an increased probability of successful conception on any one of those encounters.…During one such cycle I was able to break down the chemical composition of these pheromones and reproduce them in my lab… Now that I've provided an introduction, a literature review, and my methodology…" She knelt and motioned to the left wing of the stage.
"I would like to introduce you to my results section."
A small hood peaked from behind the curtain before looking down and running toward the doctor.
Sheer silence came from the spectators.
The woman embraced the boy, then sat him on her knee. "Say hello to Savon. Savon, can you say hello?"
The boy grinned and waved a tiny hand.
The doctor peeled off his hood, revealing small, pointed ears. "Savon here is 100% Vulcan. His parents both work for Star Fleet, isn't that right?"
He nodded.
She went on to explain his parents' birth years and how they were not part of the same seven year cycle. His father last experienced Pon Farr five years ago.
Whispers crossed the room with a buzz.
"Savon, can you tell these nice people how old you are?"
"Free." He held up three little fingers.
Gasps erupted. Some clapped. Some shouted questions.
"Mr. Spock, what's so special about that boy?" Uhura touched his sleeve.
He exchanged glances with McCoy, "The numbers do not add up. This child was conceived outside of Pon Farr."
McCoy interjected, "But you've said so yourself- that's not the only times Vulcans CAN…engage in intercourse."
"You are correct. Vulcans, as humans, can choose to engage in sexual activity at any time. Finding a motivation, however, is one of several other explanations as to why this occurs so infrequently. In addition, it was widely accepted that Vulcans were infertile outside of their assigned window."
"Are you suggesting she performed a medical miracle?"
"It is possible…and fascinating. I would like to meet this doctor and the boy's parents."
Smiling still, she kissed the top of the boy's head, then sent him running back off stage.
"Savon here is just the beginning, ladies and gentlemen. I plan to continue my research and new methods with both the Vulcan people and other populations, burdened by prezygotic barriers. Its my firm belief that the galaxy can continue to grow, together…Thank you." Dr. Vida stepped back from the podium and took a small bow.
Thunderous applause echoed. She received a standing ovation, although it was jumbled by the continued mumbles of shock and confusion. Finally, she stepped off the stage. The return of the bright lights signaled that the presentations were over before the MC reappeared to make that announcement. They were now free to resume roaming around the glittering ballroom.
"If you'll excuse me," Kirk spoke up. "I'm going to find Dr. Vida and introduce myself."
"I was unaware of your interest in population dynamics, Captain." Spock raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, he's very interested in reproductive matters, I assure you." McCoy snarked, much to Rand's dismay.
"I'm INTERESTED in possibly adding another qualified scientist to my crew." With that, he stood to leave. McCoy and Spock followed behind him.