I really like the idea that the Terran Mercs go and supersede the Vilani because they became so important to the existence of the Empire they become the effective leaders. "Don't screw with the barbarians with the guns. They have much more practice then we do"
On the topic of "Terran Flu", it seems incredibly likely. Only one place in the Known Universe would have microorganisms so intimately close with humans, both illness-wise and other intestine sstaffers. Seems likely enough to me that the special cooking needed to be done to food was because of this.
So, only one group of people would have immunity to any of these diseases. The Colombian Exchange of diseases would look like a joke to this, until the Terrans started providing their medical knowledge. Any disease that would have stricken the minor human races or the Vilani would have been very slight, incidental bacteria that less were targeting human biology, more just were exist there and causing human biology to get upset by its presence. Smallpox, The Flu, Cholera, Malaria, any number of disease, carried either incidentally on the ships crew, or in the ships cargo would likely cream whatever world they landed on.
So that may change how the Terran Mercs would have been received. Its possible that they would have seen such an issue coming, with things like the Colombian Exchange in history, and the many times someone on earth has managed to get very sick from another lands disease, they could have seen the problem coming when they first made contact, and had every ship carry a doctor to care for/share medical knowledge.
On the topic of "Terran Flu", it seems incredibly likely. Only one place in the Known Universe would have microorganisms so intimately close with humans, both illness-wise and other intestine sstaffers. Seems likely enough to me that the special cooking needed to be done to food was because of this.
So, only one group of people would have immunity to any of these diseases. The Colombian Exchange of diseases would look like a joke to this, until the Terrans started providing their medical knowledge. Any disease that would have stricken the minor human races or the Vilani would have been very slight, incidental bacteria that less were targeting human biology, more just were exist there and causing human biology to get upset by its presence. Smallpox, The Flu, Cholera, Malaria, any number of disease, carried either incidentally on the ships crew, or in the ships cargo would likely cream whatever world they landed on.
So that may change how the Terran Mercs would have been received. Its possible that they would have seen such an issue coming, with things like the Colombian Exchange in history, and the many times someone on earth has managed to get very sick from another lands disease, they could have seen the problem coming when they first made contact, and had every ship carry a doctor to care for/share medical knowledge.