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Mexite — Description

Mexites are an alien species with strange magnetic powers and an even stranger reproductive trait. Their form may call to mind a slug or centipede, but their anatomy is unlike any earth creature. Their "skin" is made of densely packed, filamentous fibers that yield to the touch but prove highly resistant to cuts or tears. Their arms are textured like thick plastic, but are actually more tightly woven fibers that maintain free range of movement. Their home planet is a loose mazelike cluster of asteroids held together by a powerful field, and so Mexites have evolved incredibly sensitive magnetic brain growths to help them find their way. These growths eventually served as "eyes" for the Mexite race. A Mexite can pinpoint its exact location, map out terrain, and sense the position of other Mexites beyond line of sight with just one highly attuned organ. Magnetism even plays a part in their communications. Special muscles contract their magnetic organs and change the strength of the field around their bodies, adding tone, depth, and nuance to their vocal exchanges. It also influences the development of their technology: Mexite machines are nearly impervious to magnetic disruption and frequently utilize it in their operation.

A Mexite's unique biology allows them to pass on brain patterns to their children in a way DNA-based evolution forbids. A child of an asexually reproducing Mexite has all the memories of its parent. One born of two sexually reproductive Mexites has memories from the latter half of both parent's lives. An individual Mexite is therefore less important than the theoretical children it can sire in the future, and their culture is highly reflective of this. Mexite society is is a culture of time and patience, where a project can span multiple generations, and one can be born into a debt that won't be repayed until their children's children complete their last dues. It is a culture where a family functions more like a single, immortal organism than a collection of individuals, and Mexite biology is not troubled by what we call incest. Truly individual family groups form when two separate families merge, and then usually for the first two generations only. A Mexite only forgets its oldest memories when there is no space for a new one, but the species neurotic recording habits ensure nothing useful is lost.

Mexites are unable to make the same logical leaps as humans, but their vast and stable memories ensure that their technology progresses slowly but surely and their culture remains virtually unchanged. Mexites are not a malevolent race, but to make an enemy of them is to create a foe that will not forget.