The next file he displayed featured a far more familiar and stunning face. “And Lieutenant Nyota Uhura spent a week on Delta IV in early 2266, while the Enterprise was undergoing repairs and refitting following its return from the galactic rim.”

Kirk leaned forward. “Uhura? How could this have anything to do with her?”

“I have no hypothesis at this time, Jim. However, the records do show that Uhura spent at least several hours on the surface of every affected planet, often more than a day—during which her activities were unaccounted for.”

The admiral threw him a look. “Spock… it’s shore leave. Your activities are supposed to be unaccounted for. What Uhura does in her free time is her own affair.”

Spock raised a brow. “It seems unlikely that the type of activity you implicitly refer to would have any connection to the vacuum flare phenomenon—despite colorful human metaphors pertaining to fireworks and seismic upheavals.”

Kirk flushed. “I only meant that we have no business assuming anything untoward from the simple fact that she acted in private.”

“Again, no assumption is intended.” Spock inflected the word “assumption” as if referring to something vile. “I am merely defining what is known and what is still unknown. Uhura is the one variable shared by every vacuum flare incident to date, as is the fact that she was on each planet for a significant amount of time with her activities undocumented. Therefore, it is plausible that something she did during that unaccounted time is connected in some way to the vacuum flares—most likely in some way she is unaware of, or she would have recognized the pattern herself and notified us.”

“Then we need to contact her. Find out if she can remember anything she did during those leaves.”

“Certainly that is the next logical step. As is compiling a list of her previous shore visits to worlds that fit the parameters, so that we may predict future flare sites and have advance warning—or at least rule out this hypothesis if its predictions prove incorrect.”

The admiral shook his head. “I’m not sure whether to hope it’s right or wrong. We need a way to predict future flares, and ideally to learn what causes them, before they start doing serious damage. But if it turns out that they have some connection to Uhura, what could that mean to her? Or about her?”

Spock held his gaze. “Now you understand why I did not wish to publicize this until we can be sure. The natural human temptation is to speculate, to imagine dire possibilities to fill the gaps in our knowledge. Commander Uhura deserves the benefit of the doubt as we seek more information.”

“Of course, of course, Spock. You’re right.”