An article in February 2004's Discover magazine made me think about sex and the Vrellish. Studies done in the 1990s by Martina Morris using computer simulations show that higher rates of infection in some African countries correlate with cultural practices that make it normal for people to have more than one regular, long term sex partner. Further work using a mathematical simulation explains why, beacuse a model in which people have long term, simultaneous partners create networks of connections through which the virus spreads during its most active phase, shortly after infection of any individual in the network. This was true even in comparison to a serial monogamy model in which each person had the same number of sex partners, in total, as in the multple, simultaneous sex partners model. If other sexually transmitted diseases have behaved the same way, over time, it might be one evolutionary "vote" for monogamy, even if practices one partner at a time.

This finding would have an impact on Vrellish behavior, particularly in connection with mekan'stan relationships. People's motives, power relationships and other issues would be different in Red Reach than in any real circumstances here on Earth, but since mekan'stan amount to multiple, long-term sex partners comprising a network through which disease might be transmitted, the epidemiological profile would be similiar.

I have always suspected Red Reach would be a nasty place for STDs. Sevolites themselves are a relatively small population, which led me to presume they are less dangerous to each other--with regard to naturally occuring infectious agents--than they are to the stationers they also engage in sexual relationships with. Stationers are non-highborns, in Okal Rel Universe terms, but not many of them would actually be commoner. They would be human/Sevolite hybrids, and a very tough strain, biologically, indeed. Sevolites have aggressive immune systems bioengineered to be better than the human norm, which is part of my excuse for the Vrellish not having an even bigger problem with STDs than they do. I have to allow, however, that highborn Red Reach Vrellish may well be carriers of STDs that do not make them sick, but could be very dangerous to stationers if passed on to them during an active phase.

All of which might lead to some restraint shown towards stationioners, by decent highborns, and perhaps even a "hands off" policy regarding one's stationers when neighbours are visiting. A sort of, "you can have sex with us but leave our staff alone" attitude. I have postulated that male Vrellish might have territorial attitudes to female stationers, quite different to their sexual relationships with female Sevolites. That is, that the males would have a differential breeding strategy that might look more like that of a harem-keeping human with regard to stationers, and complete equality or even some coyness depending on circumstances when dealing with a Sevolite peer.

posted by Lynda at 22:24   comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 0 comments