Salut

The inhabitants of the planet Magnus Salus (loacated in the Primitus System), otherwise known as the Salut, have advanced quickly, rising from a savanna dwelling hunter-gatherer level of technology to a starfaring race capable of near light speed travel and cryogenic stasis in less than six thousand years. Salut society has also advanced rapidly from warring tribes to a unified caste system, guided by a Utilitarian philosophy that they call the "Greater Good". The goal of the Salut is to bring the greatest overall good - prosperity and state of well-being - to as many as possible by means of diplomatic relations before resorting to violent conquest. The needs of the many take precedence over the needs of the few, so the Salut are not hesitant to kill the forces of alien species which they feel are attempting to oppose them.

Biology
The Salut evolved as hunter-gatherers in the arid plains and desert environments of their homeworld, Magnus Salus, though they eventually spread to all ecological regions of the planet. As a result they have tough, leathery blue-grey skin, which exudes no moisture. With an average height of 5'5", they have a humanoid body plan, though unlike humans they possess legs which end in cloven hooves. The Salut have flat, nose-less faces, with their olfactory organs located inside of their mouths to preserve moisture. On the battlefield, the Salut typically wear all-concealing armor which give them an even more alien or robotic appearance, but a Salut soldier that takes his helmet off for a closer look will reveal that their cranial arrangement isn't that much different from a human's. The different Salut castes have slightly different body proportions between themselves. The Salut have extremely evolved minds, with all beings possessing psionic capability to varying levels of strength.

Caste-system
Modern Salut society is divided between five castes. They are named after the elements of nature, which reflect the characteristics of each particular caste. Originally, all Salut were hunter-gatherers who evolved on the arid plains and deserts of Magnus Salus. Indeed, even in the modern day, the culture of all Salut castes is influenced by terminology and mindsets related to a hunting context (to a greater or lesser degree, depending on the caste). For example, the two primary military tactics are called the "Interfectio Ictus" (lit. "killing blow", favoring quick decisive strikes) and the alternative strategy known as the "Curandus venator" (lit. "patient hunter", favoring luring enemies into an ambush).

As the Salut expanded to other ecological regions of their homeworld, the cultural lifestyle of each group differentiated based on their surroundings. Those who moved from the plains to the fertile river valleys (ancestors of the Earth caste) developed agriculture, metallurgy, and ultimately built the first true cities. With the rise of cities along major rivers came a rise in trade between cities, leading to another group of Salut becoming a culture of merchants plying their way along the major river networks (ancestors of the Water Caste). Those Salut who moved to the mountainous regions (ancestors of the Air caste) became very slender, and even grew membranes between their limbs which allowed them to glide on updrafts (an evolutionary trait they later lost). These became a society of fast raiders, and later, messengers between cities. Those who remained in the arid plains became fierce and skilled hunters, larger and stronger than other Salut. The ancestors of the Fire Caste, these plains-Salut became fierce nomadic raiders and hunters. Each of the groups fought the others, with plains-Salut raiding the cities of the builder-Salut, and rival builder-Salut cities attacking each other.

According to Salut legend, during the siege of the ancient builder-Salut city of Astu Primus by plains-Salut warrior-nomads, a fifth and mysterious Salut caste suddenly appeared in their midst, the Praetors, who mediated an end to the dispute utilizing amazingly advanced telepathy, mind linking all of the Salut population at once. The Praetors preached the philosophy of the "Greater Good" and began the process of unifying the other four groups under them. The Praetors formally established the caste system between the five groups of Salut, locking each in place within Salut society. The Praetors forbid interbreeding, meaning that members of each caste are forbidden to change caste. A side-effect of this is that each caste has been a separate breeding population for several thousand years, each almost forming its own sub-species, leading to notable disparate physical appearances between the castes.

The modern-day Salut castes are:
 * Fire-caste - Warriors, both ground soldiers and vehicle drivers. The caste most likely to be encountered up-close on the battlefield. Skilled hunters and fighters, they are larger and stronger than other castes (some of the other castes are taller, but do not have proportionately as much muscle mass). They generally excel at biokinesis, focusing on manifestations that harm enemies or provide accelerated healing.
 * Air-caste (also known as the invisible caste) - Pilots, both in the merchant fleet and staffing the military starships of the Salut Navy, commanded by Air-caste admirals. The Air-caste has been living and working in microgravity for so many generations that they have become exceedingly tall and slender, with unusually long and skinny limbs. They possess heightened depth-perception, high-G tolerance, and perception of 3D environments. The Air-caste has a high number of powerful psychokinetics with strong telekinetic apptitude which has become the defacto way to pilot their airships.
 * Earth-caste - Builders; farmers, miners, engineers, and scientists. The Earth-cast forms the backbone of Salut infrastructure and population. They are short and stocky, with a generally stoic outlook on life, diligently performing their work. Their labor is respected, and considered no less valuable to the overall effort of the "Greater Good" than the functions of the other castes. A large number have a strong form of ectokinesis, capable of interacting with spirits past and present, specifically regarding the land itself.
 * Water-caste - Merchants; bureaucrats, mid-level administrators, diplomats, ambassadors and scientists. The Water-caste is the group of Salut most likely to be encountered in formal diplomatic missions sent to other races. They are somewhat taller than other Salut, though not as tall and slender as the Air-caste. The Water-caste displays a high level of omniscience that allow them to 'see' past events, current events, or impressions about the future.
 * Praetors - Leaders, both spiritually and politically. Relatively few in number, though generally they seem to be about as tall as the Fire Caste, though not quite as strong physically. All Salut have a compulsion to obey the word of an Praetor due to their strong dedication to the 'Greater Good' and their advanced telepathy. Thus, there is very little politicking among the Salut. The Praetors all display an immense telepathic capability, able to co-ordinate an entire planet of Salut.

Brief Star-Farring History
When the Salut first started expanding to other star systems and colonizing planets, they thought they were the only technologically advanced race in existence, and that it would be effortless to expand their reach throughout the rest of the galaxy. But it was not long before they came into contact with the Vacuus, an extremely hostile alien race requiring immense energy to survive (usually in the form of terra-forming planets resources into energy until their ultimate destruction). The Vacuus ignored all diplomatic envoys and immediately launched a full-scale invasion upon the Salut Empire. The war lasted for 8 years before ending in stalemate when the Salut consolidated all of their forces to their home planet, coordinating one of largest planetary defenses known to any being thanks to the planet-wide mindlink. With that ‘victory’, the Salut Empire was in shambles with Magnus Salus the only planet with a major Salut population remaining. The Praetors, put into effect an isolationistic stance for the Salut, grounding all starships and recalling all remaining colonies to focus on rebuilding the planet for the inevitable next invaders, be it the Vacuus or another unknown threat.

Salut Weaponry
The primary weapons for Salut infantry is the Pulse Rifle and the Pulse Carbine, a smaller, shorter-ranged version of the Pulse Rifle that is equipped with an underslung "photon grenade" launcher with various payloads. Both of these weapons function by firing particles that break down into plasma pulses as they are fired. The Rail Gun is the most feared of Salut weapons, which can be usually found on heavy support units and on vehicles. The dual-barreled rail gun has extreme range and is immensely powerful. Its effect upon enemy vehicles usually resulting in two neat holes in both sides, the crew sucked out through one of them as the projectile exited, and their remains scattered across 30 yards.

The Salut also utilize exo-skeletons, the most common model known as the 'Coercitor' (Enforcer) suit. The technology was developed to make up for the Salut's lack of physical strength as well as a way to provide highly mobile support to their infantry. The suits are equipped with a variant pulse rifle, rail gun, an over-sized psy-blade, and jetpacks providing limited VTOL. Only the most capable warriors are bestowed a suit which is considered an immense honor.