The Progen are descendents of the original settlers of Mars Colony. The hardships endured, and overcome, by their ancestors have led the Progen to believe that they are the future saviors of the human race. The general Progen mindset is one of overcoming adversity by bending the environment to their will. They see "First Contact" with alien races as inevitable, and most of their culture and society is built around surviving, and dominating, this event.
Militaristic
Because of their unrelenting desire for superiority, the Progen have evolved into a clone culture. Every Progen's skills, traits, and behavior are planned and implemented before he or she is born. One trait common to all Progen is obedience to authority; their militaristic mindset seems foreign to Jenquai and Terrans, but to a Progen it is necessary for an ordered society.
Society
Progen society is divided into rigid castes determined before an individual is conceived: Warriors, Workers, Proles (servants), Technicians, Athletes, and Leaders. Within each caste there are classifications, ranging from Alpha (the leaders), to Beta, Delta, Gamma and Theta. These are broken down even further into specific ranges within a certain caste. Caste can be changed at any time during a Progen's life, except for proles.
There are specific laws governing the intimate interactions of the genetic classes. Any genetic class can couple with any other genetic class; however, where mating and marital unions are concerned, the lines are more rigid. As a rule, Betas and below are allowed to mate with any other Beta or below. A genetic profile must be determined before a child can be conceived, and the embryo is incubated at a Life Institute for the full nine-month term. During this period, development is constantly monitored, and extreme aberrations are fixed as soon as detected.
The newborn is placed in the care of the mating pair for a period of five to six years so that family bonds can be established. Aptitude is closely monitored, and the child is introduced to indoctrination and conditioning in whatever caste he or she has been determined to join.
While the Terrans have a much-larger population, the Progen have the fastest-growing population base. This is the result of a policy that has accelerated within the last decade as they see the Terran numerical advantage potentially threatening Progen sovereignty. There are currently about 10 billion Progen throughout the system. A side effect of Progen genetic engineering is that they live longer than the other races. A typical Progen will outlive his or her Terran counterpart by 50 years, and the average Jenquai by 20 years.
Progen economic policy is more socialistic than capitalistic. Basic needs are available to all, and non-essential luxury items fetch a higher price. The successful Progen businesses work closely with the government, and most have some military aspect.