Chapter 4
On the brief trip back to Enterprise,
Phlox finally found the words that he had
misplaced on the planet below, and he spewed, effervescing.
After a brief decon,
the captain went to the galley to see Chef, and Travis stayed
behind to help the
doctor with his numerous samples.
T'Pol left quickly and took
a circuitous route to her quarters. She immediately
changed her clothes, then started for the door, before pausing
and returning to her
monitor. She pulled out her chair and sat. After
a long moment, she began analyzing
her data.
An hour later, the comm sounded.
"Phlox to T'Pol."
She glared at the button for
a instant, then she pushed it.
"This is T'Pol."
"I have made several, mmm,
insights with regards this species," he sang.
"I thought you might be interested to see what I've discovered,
hmm?"
T'Pol straightened her shoulders
and corrected an entry, then she responded.
"Perhaps...later, doctor,"
she said. "I...am still working on my analysis."
Archer's voice took over.
"Just bring what you have
so far," he said. "I'm sure that...Phlox's work will
help you speed things up."
The comm fell silent for a second,
then Archer added, "And visa-versa,
of course."
T'Pol rested her hands in her
lap and closed her eyes.
"Sub-commander?"
She raised her brows and sighed,
then she looked back at the comm.
"I'm on my way," she
said.
"He hurried off to his
quarters. I believe he mentioned something about
preparing a surprise for Hoshi, hmm?"
"I see," he said.
Archer turned as the doors to
sickbay slid open, and he suppressed a slight
grin. T'Pol stood motionless in the entryway for a moment,
then she cautiously
stepped inside and approached them.
"Glad you could make it,
Sub-commander," he smiled. "Phlox, here, was just
telling me about the...bugs."
She stood with her hands behind
her back, and the doctor continued.
"A remarkable species,"
he mused. "They appear to lie dormant for quite
some time, perhaps as long as two years, at which point, they
receive some cue
and hatch simultaneously."
"Why did they all die?"
Archer asked.
"I've been trying to figure
that one out myself," he said. "From the samples
that we collected, it seems that about half are, well...pregnant."
"My scans confirm this
as well," T'Pol added.
"How can a dead butterfly
be pregnant?" the captain furrowed.
"Perhaps 'pregnant' isn't
the appropriate term," he said thoughtfully. "Many
of the dead butterflies contain fertilized eggs, which I believe
will eventually, mmm,
hatch and feed...from the body of the butterfly, itself."
Archer looked disgusted.
"So what you are suggesting,
Doctor," T'Pol inferred, "is that this species
mates...and then dies?"
"Precisely, Sub-commander!"
"They only live for a few
minutes?" Archer puzzled.
"Well, yes," Phlox
shrugged, "in the...adult stage of development. I surmise
that they spend many years as larvae first, however, before
finally coalescing into
the, ah, green slime that we observed."
"The pupal stage?"
T'Pol asked.
"Exactly!" Phlox said.
"I see you know your insects!"
"I have had some...experience."
Archer turned around and paced
a short circle.
"So they spend ninety-nine
percent of their lives as...grubs?" he grasped.
"The figure would be closer
to ninety-nine, point-nine, nine, nine," T'Pol
corrected. "My scans indicate that many of the
specimens were close to ten-
years-old."
Archer furrowed, then he turned
back to Phlox.
"Is this...common?"
he asked. "In insects?"
Phlox primed his lower lip and
shook his head
"It is not unheard of,"
he said, "though it is quite rare... Denobula has a species
of moth that behaves similarly. Earth has at least one
of which I am familiar - the
mayfly. It spends most of its life as a...worm...then
it hatches and lives for, mmm,
about a day. Have you ever heard of them?"
"No," Archer said.
"Not that I recall."
He thought for a moment, then
he added, "So how many more...are ready
to burst?"
T'Pol answered.
"I have found approximately
one hundred and thirty-six additional sites that are
in the...final stages of maturation."
Phlox perked at the news and
turned back towards the captain.
"I would love the chance
to study them some more," he hummed. "If we're not
in too much of a, mmm, hurry?"
Archer patted his shoulder.
"No, Doc, that's what we're
here for," he smiled. "Take your time and let me
know what you need."
"Thank you, Captain,"
he bowed.
"I'll leave you two to
compare notes," he said. "If anyone wants me, I'll be
on the bridge."
Phlox nodded graciously, and
Archer left. T'Pol began sharing her data with
him, but he appeared disinterested. She eventually noticed
and looked up.
Phlox smiled and raised his
nose.
"Are you, mmm, feeling
alright today, Sub-commander?"
"Why do you ask?"
she blinked.
"Well, I noticed that you
haven't been...acting yourself," he said softly. "Is
there something the matter?"
"Not at all," she
said, then she thought for a bit and added, "Perhaps some-
thing on the planet... The gravity was...significant."
Phlox chuckled.
"That's one way of putting
it," he mused.
T'Pol raised her eyebrows slightly.
"What are you implying,
Doctor?" she asked.
"Today's experience was
quite...poignant, don't you think? Some might go
so far as to say that it was...profound?"
"I do not understand."
"Surely you must have been...moved
by what you saw," he shrugged. "We
all were. I think I even heard young Ensign Mayweather
sniffle once or twice,
hmm? There's nothing to be ashamed of."
"Vulcans do not feel-"
she started. "Vulcans are not 'moved'."
"Nonsense," Phlox
scoffed gently. "You know as well as I do that Vulcans
share the same emotions as everyone else. They just
hide them better."
T'Pol looked at him and stifled
a sigh.
"I have felt a bit...distracted...today,"
she nodded. "Perhaps the events on
the planet are a part of it."
"There is, ah, some other
element then?" he probed.
"I would...rather not discuss
it."
Phlox studied her for a moment,
then he glanced down at his scanner.
"Very well," he smiled,
looking up, "but if you should change your mind,
you know where to find me, hmm?"
"Thank you, Doctor,"
she said wearily, "but this matter will...resolve...by itself."
He nodded sympathetically, and
the two proceeded to share their findings.
