More Vor questions

[ak_aramis]

Originally Posted by whswhs

1. How likely is it that between his marriage at thirty-odd and his death at sixty, Miles was unfaithful to Ekaterin? If he was, what would be the outcome?

2. At 38, is Nikolai Vorsoisson married? Assuming he realized his ambition to become a courier pilot, would he have married a Barrayar Vor, a commoner, a Komarran, or a woman from outside the Empire? If the last, what would be a likely and interesting planet?

There are no right answers to these questions. I invite speculation.

Bill Stoddard

1) I'm in the "extremely unlikely but not impossible" crowd.

Far more likely, someone decides that it would be politically expedient to "produce" a Vorkosigan heir, perhaps Cavilo, in hopes of ruining Miles' life. If Metzov somehow lived, he'd be the PERFECT person to do so...

If, somehow, Miles did find a genetic offspring, somehow, he'd force them to be accepted by the other vor as Vorkosigan, as Miles, Cordelia and Aral did with Marc. Of course, the only person really NEEDING convincing is Gregor.

The perfect time to spring this would be just before Miles goes to acknowledge Aral Alexander... with Aral _someonelese_ showing up and claiming to have been spawned just before the kids were decanted.

2) Depends on if he found the right woman or herm. Barrayarans would not tolerate male-male marriage, tho' long term non-married coupling appears to be "wink and nudge" turf, so long as a wife or girlfriend produces a recognized heir; Komar might be more tolerant, but not on a legal level. Beta might. Marriage is irrelevant in Jackson's Whole. And of course, Athos does... and Kline pretty obviously harbors some serious intolerance for male-male coupling, at least socially.

If he married a Herm, odds are quite good that the marriage would be treated as male-femaleMutant... Miles can't, after all, work too many miracles in 20 more years... But if Nikki and Bel can convince Gregor... But that way leads to slash fic...

Nikki is of the vor, but isn't a Lord; he's not in line for anything important. But his kin are powerful enough that it would take Gregor blessing the marriage (maybe even standing in the inner circle) for them to let anything weird happen, and from what we've seen, the rest of the Vorsoissons are quite less than charming... backwater hicks, really. And not even smart enough to see when they are being manipulated. Miles and Kat took Gregor's interference to happen. Nikki and any non-mutant woman would probably be quite a hulluboo, because his stepdad and half-sibs are likely to be major movers and shakers, even if Miles dies at 60...

[ak_aramis]

Originally Posted by Anaraxes

Oops, good point. No need for seductive subterfuge -- fun though that would have been.

The Haut are unlikely to make much of a move towards Miles while he lives, especially while Fletchir is on the Throne. Now, a Ghem of Miles' lineage going rogue, and claiming his paternity was Mile's son... and having the boys kidnapped...

[David Johnston2]

Marriage vows are a sworn oath. The prospects seem infinitesimal.

[Jennifer]

Originally Posted by whswhs

On the other hand, one of the themes I'm working in is an intensified Purity Movement in the conservative areas, hyped by the shortage of wives (sex determination has worked its way down to the rural commoners, and they don't have the option of marrying down or marrying Galactics).

Given the superabundance of males, perhaps Ekaterin would have more opportunities for extramarital affairs than Miles would. Or they might just have an understanding about such things.

Or going down the vastly silly path, perhaps Rian and Ekaterin hit it off and collaborate on a birthday present for Miles. (No, not like that, you pervs.) Surely Rian's genetic expertise could help Ekaterin with some very special plant varietals.

Miles: "So... what you're saying is that this rosebush is my son??"
Rian: "Don't be silly, dear. We know better than to complicate the succession that way. Absolutely no genetic material from your Y chromosome was used to create it. Technically, the rosebush is your daughter."
Ekaterin, to Rian: "I told you we should have made it a maple tree instead."

[whswhs]

Originally Posted by Jennifer

Miles: "So... what you're saying is that this rosebush is my son??"
Rian: "Don't be silly, dear. We know better than to complicate the succession that way. Absolutely no genetic material from your Y chromosome was used to create it. Technically, the rosebush is your daughter."
Ekaterin, to Rian: "I told you we should have made it a maple tree instead."

As long as it's not a butter bug. . . .

Bill Stoddard

[martinl]

On reflection, the background biotech combines with inherited political power in such interesting ways that there are almost certainly laws set up to minimize the potential for political chaos. Quite possibly something very similar to traditional treatment of bastards.

[Hans Rancke-Madsen]

Originally Posted by martinl

On reflection, the background biotech combines with inherited political power in such interesting ways that there are almost certainly laws set up to minimize the potential for political chaos. Quite possibly something very similar to traditional treatment of bastards.

You're right. Miles was talking about the need to work out a set of rules that would suit Barrayar 30 years ago. That was probably done fairly soon after.


Hans

[whswhs]

Originally Posted by Hans Rancke-Madsen

You're right. Miles was talking about the need to work out a set of rules that would suit Barrayar 30 years ago. That was probably done fairly soon after.

My guess would be that Miles himself would be one of the important authors of the legislation. If only to block the conservatives who wanted any kid produced from a uterine replicator to be legally a bastard. . . .

Bill Stoddard

[Pomphis]

Would new laws really be necessary ? Inheritance is of interest enough even if only money is at stake. So I would assume that the law had to deal with the implications of biotech for a long time by then. Actually, we have already started: if a fertilized egg is implanted into another woman, who is the mother ? If an egg is inseminated using sperm from a donor, who is the father ?

[blacksmith]

Originally Posted by whswhs

Well, that's a fair point, and it's certainly one approach I may take.

I'm partly thinking about "unexpected half-sibling turns up" as a storyline to have in reserve. But whose kid? Mark actually doesn't have Miles's track record, and he seems very devoted to Kareen, though I suppose Grunt might grab the controls away from him. I can't see Duv doing anything that hastily considered, or for that matter letting go of anything he had struggled to get—which in his eyes would include his relationship with Delia. Conceivably Ivan, though the swath he cut as a young man seems to have left no seeds to sprout. (We had a great backstory scene in the first session where Ivan told his two sons of his adventure with the Cetagandan women, and both of them saying, Dad, dad, too much information!) I really can't see it being Gregor, given his hypertrophied sense of responsibility and his fears about procreating at all.

Maybe all of the various couples established stable marriages and are still together. Barrayar is a fairly conservative place overall. But I'm trying to think through the different possibilities.

Bill Stoddard

The thing is that the quality of birth control available makes this situation somewhat questionable. It seems likely most of the main characters would be on some kind of birth control so unexpected pregnancies are unlikely. Given the focus on reproductive technologies impact on society it just seems out of place.

As for examples of such things, it is not entirely clear how monogamous vs say Betan the characters are. It makes a point that the characters have been to some sexual playgrounds of remarkable size. How monogamous they were there and elsewhere is questionable.

For example Kareen mentions having been through several different sets of earrings before she wore the sexually exclusive pair she wore home in A Civil Campaign.