Meyrozans

Home World: Meyroz
The Meyrozan home world, though larger than Earth, is technically a moon. It is first largest of the five moons orbiting Cassili, which is a gas giant in the Quan system. Meyroz' atmosphere is remarkably like that of earth's, with its composition being nitrogen (78.7%), oxygen (20.1%), argon (1.2%). However, a thin, mysterious shroud encompasses the entirety of the world, creating an almost perpetual twilight. This, contrary to logic, does not have a cooling effect as the shroud also traps enough heat to sustain a temperate climate. Meyroz being dark does not limit its capacity for diverse and varied ecosystems.

Two times per year gravitational forces open a hole in the shroud, illuminating Meyroz with intense brightness and radiation. Meyrozan calendars have been based off these events for millennia.



Flora
Plant life on Meyroz has evolved to efficiently capture low levels of light for photosynthesis. Bioluminescence is extremely common and functions almost like a collective symbiosis. Each plant feeds on the light generated by its neighbors, which supplements the light they already capture from their star.

Fauna
Animals on Meyroz have developed similar bioluminescence for communication and aggression. Their lights are also part of the collective organic light sources that make up their various ecosystems.

Xa'ra Khul and the Diaspora
Meyrozan leadership realized they were unprepared for the unexpected Tsrani onslaught, and occupation of Meyroz appeared to be a legitimate possibility. In response, five million Meyrozan volunteers were selected to be a part of a secret evacuation. This program was called Xa'ra Khul and it had two main goals: Weeks before the fall of Meyroz, the Meyrozan Navy distracted the Tsrani Armada during the Battle of Broken Spirit. The Xa'ra Khul flotilla was able to escape undetected, travelling through the Pah'ghem Wormhole to the other side of the Milky way Galaxy. Pah'ghem re-opens approximately every fifteen years and requires advanced shielding to assure a safe journey through. The Tsrani's military might was their advantage in the war, however they were vastly inferior to Meyrozans in non-aggressive technologies and lacked the understanding to construct shielding to make such a voyage. All information about Xa'ra Khul was systematically erased, including information about the unique technologies implemented for this project.
 * 1) Preserve Meyrozan Culture.
 * 2) Develop advanced military technology to liberate Meyroz.

One way listening technology allowed members Xa'ra Khul Flotilla to stay up to date on the events happening on their home world. They were horrified when they received news of the occupation and sickened by the mistreatment of their people at the hands of the Tsrani. One year after their evacuation all transmissions went silent. Some assumed that their monitoring technology had been discovered and destroyed, while others believed the Tsrani had done the unthinkable.

The Xa'ra Khul Flotilla was certain about one thing; they were on their own. The number one goal of Xa'ra Khul was to preserve Meyrozan Culture, and their leadership made the difficult decision to start the search for a new home world. For ten years the travelled deeper into uncharted space until they found a planet nearly identical to Meyroz. This planet was in the Sol System and it was called Earth. The Flotilla anchored itself and when the miraculous similarities between their race, and the dominant race on earth, were main apparent.

Humans, as they called themselves, were nearly identical to Meyrozans. The differences between them, however, created a unique set of challenges. The Meyrozan are significantly smaller, with a relative height of 2.5” in comparison to humans. Humans also did not have stripes or any kind of bioluminescence. Last, and ultimately most important, Humans were vastly inferior to Meyrozans technologically. These differences made interactions inadvisable and the Flotilla made the decision not to make first contact. They spent their first few years in orbit studying ways for them to blend in. All the while, squads of scientists and soldiers went on covert missions to learn about humans and their various cultures.

Invention of the PMR
A historic breakthrough was made by the Chief engineer of the Flotilla's capital ship, when she realized their Matter Mass Reducer (MMR), which was specifically designed for storage and waste reduction, could be retrofitted increase the scale of the Meyrozan themselves.

The MMR transports mass from this dimension, to another, where it sits until it is summoned back. This technology allowed them to store equipment during their long journey, while maximizing space for their population.

Her plan was to send near-infinite amounts of all the molecules found in living creatures into the Maeon dimension. Then, she constructed a device designed to re-sequence these molecules, once they were called back into their own dimension, so that they mimicked the biological pattern of the device's user. It sent new mass, summoned from the Maeon dimension, directly into the operator causing them to grow.

Tests were successful, but the subjects would always return to their former scale after a set amount of time. This length of time was extended, and monitoring methods were perfected, however, the physical laws of interdimensional mass exchange only allows for the borrowing of mass; re-appropriation is impossible. Regardless, this became their best way to finally infiltrate human society. This new device was called the Personal Mass Re-sequencer.

Society
Meyrozan society was built around equality and using diversity of ideas to their benefit. Cooperation was ingrained in them through evolution, as their world thrives under widespread symbiosis.

Tolerance of other races allowed them to establish warm relations, along with bountiful trade with their neighbors. Meyroz was often considered neutral ground in disputes, and the Meyrozan people were widely trusted throughout the quadrant.

The Meyrozan people are natural born explorers, scientists, diplomats, and artists.

Religion
Meyrozans come from a diverse background of religions, comparable to what is seen on earth.

Gender and Gender Roles
They assign no set gender roles and allow their citizens to choose their own destiny.

The Arts
Once an envy of their sector, the Meyrozan people were unmatched in literature, music, and art. Many species traveled incredible distances just to get a glimpse of their paradise. The future of their race was brighter than their nearest star

The confines of the Flotilla have significantly dampened their creativity. War and loss ravaged Meyrozan values like a plague. Kindness was replaced by pragmatism and art was usurped by practicality. Their old ways were kept alive in databases but never in practice.

Diaspora Education Service

 * Learning and Education is priority number one. School is ongoing, without end.
 * Trained in several forms of martial arts from the moment they could walk.
 * Education is enhanced with interfacing computers. Information can be transferred directly into their brains.
 * Advanced knowledge of Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Behavioral Sciences is an educational requirement.
 * Expert level survival training is provided at the Meyrozan age of five and is ongoing.
 * Each Meyrozan learns multiple earth languages but specializes in one for authenticity.
 * Military service is required for all Meyrozans. Defense of the Flotilla is a lifelong duty.

Marriage/Bonding
Meyrozan society appreciates the institution of marriage which they refer to as 'bonding', however, it is not considered unusual for a citizen to remain single for the extent of their lifetime. Cohabitation and procreation are considered to be separate issues and marriage is not a cultural requirement for either.

Generally, the decision of legal bonding is put entirely on the individual. It is considered improper for parents or friends to intervene, except for very special circumstances. If the option of marriage is decided upon, both same and opposite sex unions are seen as equal.

Surnames
 * Meyrozan Society preserves the maternal and paternal surnames of the two parties in the marriage. This practice gives each Meyrozan five names, and is intended to preserve both the maternal (mother mother's family) and paternal lineages (father father's family). Same sex couples have the option to choose which lineages to pass down to adopted children.


 * The rules for preserving lineage as as follows:


 * Married Male: First name + Spouse Maternal Mother Surname ' Spouse Paternal Father Surname + Maternal Mother Surname  ' Paternal Father Surname


 * Married Female: First name + Maternal Mother Name ' Paternal Father Name + Spouse Maternal Mother Surname ' Spouse Paternal Father Surname


 * Unmarried Meyrozan: First name + Mother's Maternal Mother Surname ' Mother's Paternal Father Surname + Father's Maternal Mother Surname ' Father's Paternal Father Surname


 * Example (Over Three Generations)


 * Generation 1 - F: Tora tihq'Yveed Meyitz'Xela M: Eros Azura'Llel Zela'Zovad
 * Generation 2 - F: Syra tihq'Xela Azura'Zovad M: Kihr Azura'Zovad tihq'Xela
 * Generation 3 - Aris tihq'Xela Azura'Zovad

Language
The Meyrozan common tongue is call Alari, which has been the dominant language for millennia. All Meyroza are encourage to learn the language of their provincial ancestors, however, this is more of a cultural practice.

In addition to learning their own languages, the Meyroza prefer to learn the languages of alien species over using a Universal Translator. They believe this practice helps them learn more about their neighbors and potential trade partners. ​​​​​

Leadership of the Diaspora
Each Meyrozan vessel elects a proconsul as a local leader and an advocate as a representative general assembly. Elections occur every two years and no Meyrozan may serve more than six years in a row.

Mandatory Service
Military service is a requirement for all Meyrozan members of the Flotilla. This precedent was established by the Xa'ra Khul initiative and has been continued into the Diaspora.

Service begins when an individual reach sixteen Meyrozan years in age, and essentially continues for the remainder of their lives. Once five years of service is reached, Meyrozan citizens choose a specialty area, and are sorted into a job within one of the five branches of the FSDF:

Bioluminescence
The Meyrozan bioluminescent spectrum is a lot like eye or hair color in humans, varying depending on genetics. They have three distinct colors that are displayed for their own individual reasons.
 * Birth color - This is the color they display most of the time, only changing when something triggers one of the other colors.
 * Fear/Anger color - Only displayed when a Meyrozan experiences "fight or flight" or if they feel intense anger/rage.
 * Bonding/Affection color - Show towards family, friends, and potential/actual mates. Reasons for this color being shown are often complicated, and if a Meyrozan is seeking a mate, it can be tied to a biological process called Alura.

Health Advantages

 * Meyrozans are more tolerant to radiation than humans.
 * Meyrozans have stronger immune systems than their human counterparts.
 * Meyrozan bones are significantly stronger than humans.
 * Meyrozans can heal themselves twice as fast as humans.

=== Mating and Companionship === Biologically, Meyrozans form tight bonds with their mates in the way we see in some species of birds on earth. Young Meyrozans are promiscuous until they find what they consider their Life Mate, or the partner they bond with them for life. A biological process called Alura starts the moment two Meyrozans accept each other's pheromones, and they go through biological and emotional trials to confirm that they are an ideal match.

Instinctual Processes

 * Bioluminescence
 * Meyrozans express compatibility and incompatibility through the color of their glow, while they are having intercourse.
 * Pheromones & Sense of Smell
 * Meyrozans depend on their sense of smell to identify compatible mates. During mating, a specific pheromone is released that ultimately confirms or denies a pair's compatibility.
 * Each Meyrozan has a nominal chemical variation of this pheromone that makes them unique. It acts as an olfactory fingerprint of sorts.
 * Humans experience intense euphoria and increased libido when they are exposed to Meyrozan pheromones. Certain Meyrozans have more potent pheromones due to chemical makeup.

Alura

 * Stage 1: Pheromones and glow act as indicators to whether the other “partner” is also undergoing Alura. This greatly increases the chances that a bonding will occur, and they move to the second stage.
 * Stage 2: Emotions then work their way into the process and if their emotional feelings outside of lust is strong, they move on to the third stage.
 * Stage 3: Love, in the human understanding of the word, is usually the deciding factor for bonding when a couple reaches this stage. Emotions develop more slowly, but if they are both genuinely in love, the process of Alura will end in a bonding.
 * Life Bond: Meyrozans undergo physical changes that compel them to stay close to their bonded partner. Extended time away from one another can result in damaged immune systems, primal drive to find one's partner, and a wide range of physical ailments.
 * Meyrozans have developed treatments to handle the adverse effects that losing a life mate has, but that’s only a treatment for physical symptoms. They still feel the heartache that humans feel.
 * Can they move on from a broken bond? Yes, technically. They reverse the bonding process and reset it on a physical level. How deeply they were in love would be what matters after that, just as it would in humans.