That Old Ultraviolence

Source Episode: VOY 3x16 Blood Fever

CW: Canon-consistent sexual assault (mentioned but not shown), canon-consistent awkwardness related to pon farr and interspecies mating rituals

Holodeck one looked lively and bright. Programmed to mimic the setup of Voyager's mess hall, I had dressed it up even further in preparation for a celebration of the Bajoran Gratitude Festival. Holding celebrations on the holodeck meant that Dr. Schmullis could be included, although Harry and B'Elanna had ideas for making Voyager morehologram-friendly in the future.

I stepped into the center of the room to examine my work, the smell of dried bateret leaves bringing spice to the air. It seemed so very quiet.

"Celes?"

Crewmen Gerron and Tabor—the two other Bajorans from Chakotay's Maquis cell—were in the real mess hall, teaching Neelix how to make Bajoran food. Crewman Celes—a Starfleet enlistee who had been assigned to Voyager for her first-ever mission—was supposed to be helping me set up the holodeck.

It seemed that she had left. How had I not noticed?

The doors opened and I looked over to see Harry walk in. Like me, he was dressed in semi-casual civilian clothes. "Hey," I said. "I thought you were busy helping Tom with something."

"We finished." He slid his arms around my waist and kissed me. "Are you ready for tonight?"

I nodded. "Everything is set. It's gonna be a good holiday."

"Good," he mumbled before his lips descended on mine again.

When he finally broke the kiss, I smiled. "What was that about?"

"Because I love you."

I raised an eyebrow. "Sure you're not just trying to fulfill some secret fantasy about mess hall sex?"

He grinned. "I wouldn't be opposed, but no. Actually, I came to give you something." Releasing his hold on me, he slipped a hand inside the sport jacket he wore and pulled out a small, plain box with a ribbon tied around it. "Peldar Joi, ja'Talia."

Accepting the box, I said, "That was much better, Harry, but your accent still needs work. And, we don't give gifts for Pai'mara."

He shrugged. "I know. Just open it."

I did as he asked, and froze in shock at what was inside—two Bajoran engagement bracelets. "Un'Bentel," I breathed.

"I love you," Harry said again. "You're brilliant, caring, and brave. You look out for the people you love and fight for what you believe in. You teach me so much about humanity, and also about myself. I want you by my side for the rest of this journey home, and every day after. I wanna face every adventure with you, start a family with you, and grow old with you."

It struck me just then how crazy the whole thing was. I hadn't much expected myself to do something like fall in love or get married. I'd never been that sort of a person until Harry came along, and it was happening so fast. Yet I had no doubt it was exactly what I wanted.

"Will you marry me?" he asked.

I smiled so wide my cheeks hurt. "Yes. Yes, I will."

Then his lips were on mine again, dragging my own between his teeth. I wrapped a hand around the back of his head, never wanting to let go, but after a moment he pulled back. "Before we get, uh, carried away—"

Reaching for the box still clutched to my chest, he plucked the bracelets from its pillow and fastened one around my wrist. "I love you so much."

I took the other and coiled it around his. "I love you, too."

His next kiss was long and slow, all romance and adoration. When it broke, he rested his forehead on mine and murmured, "Now about that mess hall fantasy—"

I laughed. "Celes was supposed to be helping me. I don't know where she is."

He pressed a kiss to my nose. "I sent her away."

"Oh?"

Another kiss to my cheek. "She invited Lyndsay to come with her to the festival tonight."

My eyebrows jumped. "Like, on a date?"

He smiled against my neck. "Something like that." Another kiss. "Anyway, I told her to take off early so she can get ready." He dragged his lips up to my ear. "She won't be back."

I gasped when he nipped at my earlobe. "Well in that case..." Dropping the jewelry box, I grabbed Harry by the collar and hauled him into the kitchen.

Chief Science Officer's Log: Stardate 50537.2

The equipment we got from our trade with the Tak Tak works even better than we thought it would. With the improved holographic technology and Iliana's innovative thinking, Harry and B'Elanna have successfully gotten holo-emitters up and running in key locations all over the ship.

A couple of days ago, we reached an ominous-looking area of space that Neelix called the Nekrit Expanse. The gasses and radiation in the area interfere with our sensors, and Neelix has never gone past its borders, so we're all a bit on-edge until we get back into open space. We did manage to find a planet with some gallicite under its surface, which will allow us to refit our warp coils… if we can get enough of it.

As we approached the planet, I began taking some preliminary geological scans from the science station on the bridge. "According to my readings, we're looking at almost a kiloton of gallicite."

B'Elanna double checked my readings from the engineering console. "Confirmed," she said. "We'll have enough to completely refit the warp coils."

"Is there anyone in the area who might consider this their property?" Chakotay asked.

"There are indications that a colony once existed on the planet's surface," Tuvok replied. "However, it appears to be long abandoned."

Captain Janeway slapped her armrests with excitement. "All right, let's stake a claim. I'll leave this in your hands, Talia. You and B'Elanna can use whatever resources or personnel you need. You might want to talk to Mister Neelix. I believe he spent some time working in a mining colony."

"Aye, Captain," I replied with a nod. "B'Elanna, I'm patching these sensor readings through to the upper level of engineering. I'll meet you there in a bit, but first I want to talk with the guys in geology."

"Acknowledged," she said before heading for the turbolift.

I stood to join her, tapping my combadge as I walked. "Eelo to Neelix. Are you available now to meet me in the geology lab?"

"Yes," he replied, "I'll be there right away."

"Did you get the coordinates I sent from the lab?" I asked as I approached B'Elanna and Vorik on the upper level of engineering.

"Yes, we were just looking at the site," B'Elanna replied. "Those tunnels were artificially constructed."

I nodded. "Someone else was mining the gallicite in there for two or three hundred years, but they abandoned the whole star system about fifty years ago."

"That should make it easier to access the deposits," Vorik said.

"It will," I confirmed. "But the geological analysis revealed a lot of seismic activity in those tunnels. Several of them have already collapsed. The guys are mapping out a route for us in the lab right now. Petty Officer Collins will be our underground geologist, Neelix will be our mining expert, and Dr. Mbara will track us from the bridge."

"We should bring Tom Paris on the away team," B'Elanna suggested. "He's had quite a lot of rock climbing experience, and it'd be good to have a medic on hand in case we run into trouble."

I nodded. "Good thinking."

"Commander," Vorik interjected, "I have spent several summers exploring the Osana caverns, which involved some quite treacherous climbing."

"As long as B'Elanna doesn't need you to stay here, Ensign, we can definitely use another pair of experienced hands."

B'Elanna shrugged. "I don't see why not."

"Great," I said with a nod. "Sunrise is at 0437 tomorrow our time, so let's meet in transporter room one at 0500. Dismissed."

I had barely started reviewing the route that Neelix and my geologists had mapped out when Dr. Schmullis called me into sickbay. Evidently, in a strange turn of events, Vorik assaulted B'Elanna a few minutes after I left engineering. She hit him pretty hard in the jaw, but as she had acted in self-defense and was quite calm by the time I arrived, her incident assessment went quickly and without much concern. I scheduled her a follow-up appointment with me for the day after our mission, and dismissed her to her quarters.

Vorik, however, appeared to be deeply uncomfortable.

After Kes completed a cortical scan on him, she, Schmullis, and I reviewed the results. Schmullis and I exchanged knowing glances; Vorik had entered his first pon farr. Dr. Schmullis pressed him for information on the Vulcan mating process, but Vorik insisted it was nobody's business.

"You have a severe imbalance in your brain chemistry," Schmullis said. "If it gets much worse, it could become life threatening. Now, I need to know how Vulcans deal with this condition!"

"They go home and take their mate," I interjected, hoping to spare Vorik the humiliation of explaining himself to an outsider. "And because marriages are prearranged, there is no precedent for his current situation."

"I assume that explains your behavior toward Chief Torres," Schmullis mused, his lips taught with displeasure.

"I have always had great respect for B'Elanna," Vorik insisted. "I hope she isn't too upset with me."

"You propositioned her," I snapped, "and then you physically assaulted her, with no consideration for her own views on the matter. I have a great deal of sympathy for Vulcan psychology, more so than most, but no one who truly respects another person will force themselves onto that person, not ever—not even under the influence of the pon farr. B'Elanna could have you thrown in the brig for what you did."

He hung his head.

"In any case," Schmullis continued, "we're going to have to try to find another way to treat your condition. Let's start with a microcellular scan."

"No!" Vorik shouted. "I don't want medical treatment. I will resolve this myself."

"How do you intend to do that?"

"There are certain meditative techniques. I will be fine if simply left alone. Please, allow me to return to my quarters. Confine me there, if you wish, but allow me to resolve my situation privately."

Schmullis looked at me, and I nodded. He pulled out a cortical monitor and turned back to Vorik. "Until I have a better idea of how to treat your condition, I'll release you to your quarters. You'll be under confinement and wearing a cortical monitor at all times."

Vorik thanked the doctor and left.

Schmullis sighed. "Well, you seem to know more about the pon farr than any non-Vulcan on board. Would you care to share some of your insight?"

I quirked an eyebrow at him. "Did you bother to look into any of the social science databases?"

"I don't see why I would," he said defensively. "It's a biological drive."

I shook my head and rolled my eyes. "You doctors can be so elitist sometimes. You'd learn a lot more about how to help people if you would deign to listen to some of us mere mortals in the soft sciences from time to time."

He sighed and crossed his arms. "Alright, then. I'm listening."

At his reluctant invitation, I offered a bio-psycho-social perspective on Vulcan marriage practices—starting from the childhood betrothal arranged by parents, to the first mind meld that brought the children's psycho-sexual development into sync, and finally the irresistible urge to return to Vulcan once both individuals were ready to take up their mate and begin a family.

"Contrary to what many at Starfleet Medical insist," I said, "the pon farr is primarily a psychological phenomenon created by the repression of their emotions. Though the drive to reproduce is biological, their intense emotional discipline frames and amplifies the effects of the condition. Many social scientists believe that the neurochemical imbalance was an unintentional, and initially epigenetic, consequence of ancient Vulcans attempting to repress their sexual drives during the Great Awakening. Over time, Vulcans evolved with it until it became an integral part of their neurobiology."

Schmullis frowned. "But, if the problem was caused by self-repression, won't his attempts to repress himself sexually make the condition worse?"

"More likely, it will delay or cure it. Remember that the Vulcan brain is much better equipped to handle emotional repression than any other species we know of, especially given the trajectory their evolution has taken since the Great Awakening. Without a mate selected and ready to bond with right now, I think meditation may be the best option he has."

"And if it doesn't work?"

"We could attempt to innovate another option, but he will not want it. Vulcans would rather die than discuss the pon farr, particularly with non-Vulcans. And he has the right to refuse treatment."

Schmullis pursed his lips. "For such an intellectually enlightened race, Vulcans have a remarkably Victorian attitude about sex."

"That's a very Terran judgement, Doctor," I reminded him.

"Then here's a Vulcan one. I fail to see the logic in perpetuating ignorance about a basic biological function."

"It's not quite that simple. With most other species, I would tend to agree. But the pon farr isn't just about sex. It's about creating a pair bond that fuses the bodies, minds, and souls of two people so deeply that it drives them back together no matter how far they roam, and keeps their families stable over the course of a lifetime. Due to the touch-based nature of their telepathy, intercourse is something far beyond what non-Vulcans experience. This is the very foundation of their social order, the ultimate personal illogic that is necessary to maintain a greater social logic."

He sighed. "Maybe if we consulted with Lieutenant Commander Tuvok—"

"No!" I said forcefully, cutting him off. "You cannot discuss this with anyone, even omitting names. It is wildly inappropriate and offensive. I know you don't agree or understand it, but you must respect Vulcan culture."

"Even if it costs him his life?"

"It is still his life, Doctor. His culture, his belief, and his choice. You have no right to tell him what to do with it."

The next day, our team of five beamed to the surface of the planet and made our way into the abandoned mines. B'Elanna had a strange energy about her, but I dismissed it as anticipation for the mission. She always did get weirdly excited about things like refitting machinery.

About halfway through our final descent, some of the rocks shifted and gave way above Neelix, causing his nut to slip out of its anchor point. He fell about a half-meter before the backup anchor stopped his rope, knocking loose a few rocks onto B'Elanna's head. Most of the rocks bounced harmlessly off of her helmet, but one dropped on her shoulder hard enough to leave a bruise, in spite of her protective uniform. She yelped and cursed at Officer Collins, who had set Neelix's anchors.

Collins rolled his eyes. "Backup held, didn't it, Chief?" He dropped down to where Neelix was, locked off, and rechecked Neelix's harness and descender. When everything checked out, he jovially slapped Neelix on the back. "Alright there, mate?"

Neelix nodded confidently. "Yes, sir. Hardly even sore."

"Brilliant. Let's keep moving."

"Fucker," B'Elanna muttered before resuming her rapid descent.

Tom and I exchanged glances. "I'm gonna make sure she's okay," he said. I nodded and gave him a slight smile before he followed her down to the bottom.

By the time Collins, Neelix and I made it to the bottom, B'Elanna was gone. "We've got problems," Tom murmured as I loosened my harness. "I haven't been able to contact her. She's either out of communications range or just not responding. I tried to stop her from leaving, Tal, but she got very hostile and... she bit me."

I let my harness slide to the ground. "She bit you?"

He nodded. "And she seemed to be enjoying it—you know, in a Klingon kind of way? She's really not herself."

As I thought back over her behavior during the last couple of days, I had an epiphany. Vorik had grabbed her face, attempting to establish a telepathic connection with her in order to better communicate his proposition. Could she be feeling the effects of telepathic transference?

Tom shifted nervously. "Should we contact Voyager?"

"For her, no. I think I might know what's going on. I can't tell you any specifics, but if my hypothesis is correct, she may not be in control of her aggressive or sexual instincts. But, if you want to return to the ship, I completely understand."

"No, I want to help find her."

I put a hand on his arm. "Are you sure?"

His blue gaze was steady as he covered my hand with his own. "I'm sure, Tal. I need to make sure she's okay."

"Alright," I said, giving his arm a squeeze before letting him go completely. Motioning for Neelix and Collins to join us, I stooped to dig through my pack for a medical tricorder. "Alright, gentlemen, we have a situation. B'Elanna has split from the team and gone off on her own. I have reason to believe that she may not be in control of her behavior. We're going to proceed with the mission, but our first priority is to find her and get her back to Voyager. Tom, I'd like you to follow behind me. When we catch up to her, I want you scan her for heightened serotonin levels."

He nodded, taking the medical tricorder I offered and stowing it in his belt.

I continued. "Collins, you'll take the rear. I want you and Neelix to scan for the gallicite. Sound good?" They all agreed, so I secured the pack to my back and gave a curt nod. "Alright, let's go."