In fact, Ensign Flandry could have been one of Dragoika's lovers. The species are not too dissimilar. However, he is cautious enough to demur and she has fangs. But there must be some strange relationships in the Technic History as advertised at Leon Ammon's place on Irumclaw. A writer with different inclinations and interests could have developed this idea. Ythrians and human beings are impossible which is why Christopher Holm invests his galemate, Eyath, with a Platonic idea of purity.
4 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
Polygamy among the Merseians should not be exaggerated. E.g., Dwyr the Hook plainly had only one wife. I'm reasonably sure polygamy was limited to Merseians who could afford having more than one wife.
Ha! I also remember how Flandry was INTIMIDATED by Dragoika's fangs. Scothans and humans looked enough like each other that Flandry had an affair with Queen Gunli.
I agree, given an interstellar community with FTL, I fully expect strange sexual twists, kinks, and depravities to be found among various members of many races. We get a good glimpse of that at Leon Ammon extremely dubious business establishment in Chapter II of A CIRCUS OF HELLS: "...Every sex and every technique of seventeen, yes, seventeen intelligent species ready to serve your desires, and this does not count racial, mutational, and biosculpt variations." And Flandry was glad to arrive at Ammon's office: "He was glad when Door 666 admitted him; that was the sado-maso level, and he had glimpsed things."
Flandry liked having sex with women, but he was not "into" weird, kinky, or nasty sexual depravities!
I have more than once that Leon Ammon was like a Nicholas van Rijn gone BAD.
Ad astra! Sean
Kaor, Paul!
Last sentence of my comment immediately above should have read: "I have more than once THOUGHT that Leon Ammon was like a Nicholas van Rijn gone BAD."
Also, from Chapter III of A CIRCUS OF HELLS we get another look at the seamy underside of Technic civilization, when Djana thought she was being propositioned by a non-human: "Bracing herself and wetting her lips, she said, "I don't. Not with xenos--" and in haste, fearing offense might be taken, "I mean non-human sophonts. It isn't right. Rax's response, in part, was: "I assure you my reproductive pattern is sufficiently unlike yours that I find your assumption comical."
People being what they are I would have no doubt attempts at having "sex" by members of very unlike intelligent races would occur. Any reluctance by one party or another could be overcome by offering enough money, as Rax said a bit earlier: "I suspect a large enough sum would change your mind," the other said. "You have a reputation for avarice. However, I plan a different kind of proposition."
Here Anderson touches on the squalid aspects of life, not just the high and noble!
Ad astra! Sean
In a species where males and females are roughly equal in number, one male having more than one mate means there's at least one other male with -no- mate.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
True, but many factors can contribute to why this or that male does not have a mate.
Ad astra! Sean
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