Editing Aleerian (section)

==History==

The Mechalus hail from the planet Aleer, where they had built a system-spanning civilization before being discovered by humanity. Aleerian civilization evolved much like Earth, with war and rapid advances in technology.  Relative to humans they were more militaristic and warlike, and once they discovered cybernetics and bioengineering they quickly embraced these technologies to improve themselves.  Within generations their species was being born with augmentations.

The norm of aleerian life at the time was focused around a multitude of highly atomized clans in constant conflict with one another.  Continuous low intensity inter-tribal warfare akin to gang turf wars was simply an accepted constant of life, if not its end-all purpose.  

Eventually the aleerians turned their attention to exploring space, and discovered that their system hosted a second inhabited planet.  First contact ended in conflict, and the aleerians responded by annihilating their primitive newfound neighbors.  While the Aleerians fought amongst themselves constantly, the ''total'' eradication of a tribe was a very rare thing; they were not mentally prepared for the weight of what had happened.  The sudden realization that with their immense power they had destroyed an entire species caused a philosophical awakening questioning the purpose of violence, which spread across their entire culture almost instantly.  Those few Aleerians who couldn't accept this new life went into self imposed exile.

It was not very long after this that a Rigunmor exploration vessel emerged from drivespace in their system.  After conquering the language barrier, the Rigunmor delegation found their hosts unusually passive and accepting of the proposal to annex them into the consortium.  For the aleerians this was a last step in shedding their old identity, even embracing the word the humans had come up with for their kind: Mechalus.  

In the year 2501 (present day for [[Star*Drive]]), the Aleer system is a member of the Rigunmor Star Consortium.  Under the terms of the Rigunmor-Aleerian trade agreement, the Aleerian government recruits millions of individuals to serve terms as contract workers leased to the Consortium.  Known for their outstanding skills with technology and software, the mechalus are in high demand throughout Rigunmor space and beyond.  While no mechalus is obliged to serve, volunteers are never in short supply as it offers an opportunity to serve their world while learning more about the galaxy beyond.  

While the mechalus are full citizens of the consortium, they have adopted few of the cultural hallmarks of their patron nation.  Wealth and personal advancement do not resonate with the aleerian psyche like they do for the entrepreneurial humans of Rigunmor.  Rather, duty to community is what motivates most mechalus, a holdover from the generations of inter-clan warfare that characterized most of Aleer's history.