I remember hearing or reading somewhere that when it comes to violence in fiction, America has become desensitized to it due to all of it in movies. But things like sex has become more of a taboo/behind-closed-doors kind of thing. Whereas in other countries, it's the opposite. Again, that's just what I've heard. Feel free to disprove me. I'm just a parrot.
I am actually from Europe, so yeah, you may be right. As a whole, I feel we're a bit less prude about sex, and weapons are strictly regulated, so... Yeah. Probably more sensitive to violence due to cultural differences.
Though what I mean is more like...okay, let's look at the Mess for an example. You go to the bar and the service really sucks. You briefly see the proprietor, Beth Carver, and then you're left with the bartender Del to use as you like. Del complains a bit about being a man being forced to act like a girl, but is only briefly vocal, and soon becomes enthusiastic if you tap that ass or just have him eat your pussy out a few times. If you talk with Shekka, once you get all the way down into her fairly deep conversation tree you can find out she's concerned about people who've worked there disappearing, and the overall sketchiness of the Mess.
From everything presented you can infer that the Mess is being turned into a brothel, and that Beth is a slaver doing something with the raskvel she hires. Going to Beth's Busty Broads on Tavros, which you may or may not have done at this point, will help confirm that she is indeed a slaver, but apparently a legal one at least as far as you can tell. No hint is given about what's happening to the raskvel, since they shouldn't be indentured servants, so something else must be going on.
If Tarkus were written like Myrellion, Del would have quite a number of talk scenes which would be treated with utmost seriousness about the soul-crushing experience of being trapped in a cycle of debt from which you can never escape. Rather than revealing a hidden enjoyment for the sexual escapades of the bar, he would be simply broken down, perhaps faking a smile but with resignation rather than enthusiasm. It would be pretty clear what was happening to the missing raskvel and it would be suitably horrific, and in general the subtlety about how the situation is actually kind of fucked up would be absent.
Again, perhaps it is cultural differences, but the unknown can be more disturbing to me than what is stated plainly. Since we don't know what is happening to the kidnapped Raskvels, for instance, my brain can't help but imagine horrific off-text scenarios with brainwashed Raskvels, used as sex slaves and/or test subject for transformatives, and a powerful underground illegal slave trade ring led by Beth Carver.
On Myrellion war is war (even though there's a cease fire), and everything is as grim as expected, but it was expected and stated plainly, which make it less... spooky, I guess ?
Then again, I love to over analyse works of fiction I like, so...