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Another post from the afore mentioned member of DA. This one is about the Vulcan and their 7 year break between flings. 
I suppose it is only logical.
I think this is an excerpt from 'The Lost Years' by J.M. Dillard:
"Many years ago, before the Great Solar Flare, Vulcan was a water planet. Water
covered over 90% of the surface of our planet. The land on which our ancestors
evolved consisted of numerous scattered small islands located irregularly on
the planet surface. Most of these islands were the tops of volcanoes, some
active, others dead. On these islands it was lush with vegetation and animal
life. Our biology evolved, like all species does, according to that which can
best survive and adapt to their environment.
Our planet experiences an alignment of T'Kuht, our other planets, our sun, and
the other 2 stars that comprise our trinary star system. This has occurred
regularly every 7 years since the beginning . Though this alignment has little
effect today, when there were vast oceans of water on Vulcan, it caused a
season of epic tides and destructive waves. The tides were very strong, they
rose high, and engulfed massive areas of their island-like land mass. The waves
were violent too forcing our ancestors to abandon their dwelling areas and
migrate to the center of the island. This cyclical, regular natural occurrence
steered Vulcan biological evolution to endure a seven year reproductive cycle
of sexual fertility and mating referred to by other cultures as a "heat cycle"
and as the Pon-Farr to Vulcans.
Every 7 years, during the period of the destructive tides and waves, our
ancestors would naturally draw together at the center of their land mass and so
would begin the reproductive heat cycle. The males entered Pon-Farr and their
fertility rose dramatically as did their need to mate. They became aggressive
and possessive, fighting with each other for females. Females became fertile,
receptive to males and desirous of mating, until they conceived. They were not
monogamous. Males fought over, and defended women from being raped and
prevented their women from mating with other males. Fighting and challenges
occurred between the males. This insured the strongest genes from the strongest
males were passed on to the offspring.
After several weeks, the blood fever, along with the highest tides would
subside. The males then would lead his pregnant females back to the lands left
extra fertile by the residing tides. He would provide for them when they gave
birth a year later and remain with them for several years thereafter,
defending, supporting, providing for them and the children until the next
Pon-Farr cycle.
The 6 year old children, born from the previous heat cycle, would follow their
mothers to the mating grounds. They would remain behind on the mating grounds
and form alliances with the other 6, 13 and 20 year old children who had not
reached sexual maturity. They did not return to the lands with their pregnant
mothers, for the mother's new mate would chase them off - even if she had the
same mate. They were able to care for themselves in these lush, fertile lands.
The older helped the younger and they would not leave this child society until
they reached sexual maturity and entered Pon-Farr. Over the
centuries this became instinctive, inborn, and incorporated into our biology
and part of our survival."
It was obvious to Sarek that the Council would rather not have to discuss
matters pertaining to the Pon-Farr, mating, or reproductive biology. But as
creatures of logic and duty, they stoically accepted what logic dictated they
must endure, and listened attentively so they could perform their duty as
members of Vulcan's High Council as effectively as possible. Taleris continued
his testimony.
"All of this would change drastically when the Great Solar Flare occurred. When
this occurred, it evaporated our oceans, destroyed our planet's surface,
altered our atmosphere, and killed over 96% of the plant and animal life on
Vulcan. It would be many years until the surface of Vulcan would be habitable
again.
Most life on Vulcan died either due to the solar flare or the aftereffects.
Food, and water were gone, fires raged for years on the surface, the soil and
water were vaporized away, the air was thinned and filled with debris. The only
Vulcans who survived were those who went deep into the underground caves which
contained water and edible hydrotropic vegetation. They remained in these caves
for years while our world recovered.
In many species the reproductive cycles are influenced by light. The body's
metabolism triggers Pon-Farr as guided by the planetary cycles but, the cycles
adjust themselves according to light reflected by the planetary bodies. On
Earth for example, evolution of the female reproductive cycle was guided by the
cycle of their Moon. The body senses the cycle of the moon by the amount of
light it reflects. When the Vulcans were forced to live underground in caves
for years, their reproductive cycles altered and individualized. No longer did
the entire population on a land mass experience Pon-Farr at the same time, but
everyone started to undergo it at different times and according to their own
individualized cycle.
This altering of their synchronized reproductive cycle was devastating to our
ancestors. Males went into Pon-Farr, but often could not find any fertile,
receptive females. Unless a female also entered her fertile period, Pon-Farr,
at the same time, and went to mating grounds, he would find nobody there to
mate with. He would die due to the blood fever since there were no women to
mate with or even to fight over. If he searched for a female deep within the
caves and raped, the female was not fertile and would not conceive. If a female
became fertile and went to the mating grounds she might find no males there to
mate with either. If more than one male was there, they would fight for
possession of the one female. This was devastating to a population already on
the verge of extinction.
As Vulcan slowly recovered from the effects of the Solar Flare, they would
emerge from the caverns into the light again. But the oceans were now almost
gone, and the tidal effect no longer existed to guide the evolution of their
reproductive cycles. Vulcans would never have reproductive cycles that
naturally synchronized with everyone else again.
Vulcans have always had difficult conditions for populating their planet.
During these tough years clans formed for many reasons, but amongst them was
the sharing of fertile males and females for breeding purposes. Rival clans
stole fertile females arriving at the mating grounds, and impregnated them with
their most fertile males, those entering Pon-Farr. Fertile males were abducted,
and bred with a rival clan's fertile females too. These males would be killed
when their fertile period ended to reduce the competition for food and water.
If children followed their mother to the mating grounds,instead of remaining
with their clan, they would be stolen and indoctrinated into the rival clans.
These were treacherous, barbaric times caused, in part, by the biology of our
reproduction and the need to populate our species.
As the population almost died out, a genetic mutation of epic proportions
occurred. This mutation would give rise to all Vulcan telepathic abilities - a
male was born who could synchronize a females heat cycle to match his own. He
could touch a woman and control the area of her brain that guides her
reproductive cycles and synchronize them with his own. This was a boon for
Vulcan. After the discovery of his ability he used it on many women. They all
would be drawn to the mating grounds at the same time again. The numerous
offspring would have this ability too, so it spread. However, it was soon used
to exploit.
The early Vulcans who had this mental ability developed and strengthened it by
interbreeding. As their mental abilities increased so did the extent of the
mental touch. They could communicate with and effect more areas of another
person's brain and extend greater control over them through touch. The Vulcan
ability to mind meld, mind link and mentally control of one's
own bodily functions resulted from this time of interbreeding. Some Vulcans
still possess the ability to control another's mind and body, a remnant of
those savage, barbaric years.
Food and water were still scarce. The number of members the clans had was hard
to increase as well. Development of mental abilities empowered individuals and
aided their clans in the constant competition for these necessities, mates and
children. As telepathic abilities grew so did war, destruction, competition,
and crimes.
Soon it was discovered that as the interbreeding and polygamy continued, though
the offspring might have great mental abilities, they were also becoming
weaker, less intelligent, sickly and defective.. They began to see high numbers
of offspring with severe birth defects, miscarriage and infant mortality was
high.
Genetic variation is necessary to the survival of all species. After
generations of selective interbreeding, and polygamy the gene pool was depleted
within the clans. There was not enough genetic variation and diversity within
the clan's genes to produce healthy offspring anymore. Soon they would notice
that, if they bred with members of foreign rival clans, the offspring were
healthy, intelligent and strong again. The fighting between the clans for
resources, land, fertile mates, children and members worsened and once again,
Vulcans killed each other off to the brink of extinction. This was the world
Surak was born into. Surak saw our savage world and would reform it."
I suppose it is only logical.
