Editing Aleria

==Overview==

Aleria was once a fertile planet{{Ref/Reuse|travelers}} well-regarded for its rich mineral deposits, but failed [[terraforming]] efforts and the instability of [[Elduros]] has caused a [[Devil's Kiss|planetwide drought]] and rain has not fallen in over a century.{{Ref/Reuse|trade}}{{Ref/Reuse|universe}} Now a dry and desolate world,{{Ref/Reuse|universe}} Aleria's soil has since become barren and infertile,{{Ref/Reuse|travelers}} as the planet's rivers and lakes rapidly receded after decades without rainfall.{{Ref/Reuse|trade}} Much of the planet's surface had turned to desert,{{Ref/Reuse|travelers}} and Aleria had become a notoriously dusty world,{{Ref/Reuse|sas13}}{{Ref/Novel|Id=sas7|HSaS|Chapter=7}} similar to [[Talitsa]].

When the [[Covenant]] began [[Human-Covenant War|attacking]] [[Human colonies|colonies]] in [[2525]],{{Ref/Reuse|universe}} the Unified Earth Government held a vote to halt trade with the planet; the vote passed unanimously as the Inner Colonies vowed to halt trade with Aleria.{{Ref/Reuse|trade}} Written off by a severe, yet rational, cost-benefit analysis, food imports effectively ceased and the Alerian economy collapsed.{{Ref/Reuse|universe}} The younger generations of Alerians became tired of the planet's poor living conditions and colonial unrest, and begun to take violent action in a desperate attempt to create change.{{Ref/Reuse|trade}} Fortunately for its struggling population, Aleria survived the war without being discovered by the Covenant.{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22P50}}

By [[2553]], Aleria's population had been cut to half of that of the previous century.{{Ref/Reuse|universe}} Many Alerians soon turned to crime and "[[courier guild]]s" flourished across the colony, reaping the benefits of smuggling and [[piracy]]. The widespread depression on Aleria became so saturated that local authorities became complicit in crimes.{{Ref/Reuse|trade}} The newly established courier guilds fought to oppose the might of Mols'Desias, justifying their violence on behalf of the Alerian population.{{Ref/Novel|Id=sas13|HSaS|Chapter=13}} The crisis on Aleria continued to escalate when [[Tarek Boesis]], head of Mols'Desias and grandson of Esil Boesis, was murdered by smugglers of the [[Blackdust]] courier guild. Already devastated by the transition of much of its labor force to crime, Mols'Desias soon collapsed in [[2554]],{{Ref/Reuse|trade}} causing many Alerians to face substantial debt and unemployment.{{Ref/Site|Id=arris|URL=https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/characters/arris|Site=Halo Waypoint|Page=Arris Le|D=27|M=10|Y=2015}}{{Ref/Site|Id=wari|URL=https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/characters/haisal|Site=Halo Waypoint|Page=Haisal Wari|D=27|M=10|Y=2015}} The remnants of Mols'Desias became the foundation for organized smuggling activities,{{Ref/Reuse|trade}} as the courier guilds grew and split, and turn their attention to consolidating power.{{Ref/Reuse|sas13}} The various courier guilds maintain a large fleet of [[slipspace]]-capable transports and provide Alerians with a source of income and allow them to feed their families, although they are considered to be nothing more than mere bandits and smugglers by the [[United Nations Space Command]]. Aleria remains beyond the Unified Earth Government's control and assistance.{{Ref/Reuse|universe}}

In [[2558#August|August 2558]], [[Niko]] learned from [[Bex]] that there was a small resistance movement on Aleria that planned to reclaim the dying planet from the guilds. By this time, scientists had predicted that Aleria wouldn't last another twenty years without drastic interference and that the planet's star's unstable phase would last another century. However, the star would then stabilize and remain stable for at least another three centuries. Bex and the resistance intended to terraform Aleria themselves which would only be a stopgap measure as it wouldn't fix the unstable star, but it would buy Aleria enough time for the star to stabilize. Bex blackmailed Niko into getting her [[slipspace capacitor]]s as the same extreme power banks were used in [[terraforming]] technology. Niko agreed to help Bex and her people in saving Aleria, realizing that on [[Triniel]] was enough salvage to help fund saving a hundred Alerias from destruction.{{Ref/Novel|PoL|Chapter=31}}

{{Quote|They claim to call for help, but in reality they do nothing! They want us to think that they aren't being listened to, but they just want to keep all the power and influence to themselves. They sit on their hands while we lie in our graves!|Hicham Upadte, on the Alerian government{{Ref/Reuse|trade}}}}

Aleria was founded as an [[Outer Colony]] of the [[Unified Earth Government]], administrated by the [[Colonial Administration Authority]]. However, with the start of the [[Human-Covenant War]], Aleria was abandoned by the Unified Earth Government and [[Inner Colonies]], as a coldly rational cost-benefit analysis proved that Aleria was not worth supporting. Even after the war, Aleria remains beyond the control and assistance of the Unified Earth Government.{{Ref/Reuse|universe}}

The courier guilds that control Aleria often extract payments from Alerians and expect fees from the earnings of each Alerian under their influence. The guilds often struggle among each other for control over Aleria, exchanging rule of the colony on a near-monthly basis.{{Ref/Reuse|sas7}} The colony's economic depression became so saturated that the local authorities have become complicit in supporting the crimes of the courier guilds.{{Ref/Reuse|trade}}

===Economy===

{{Quote|On Aleria, a day of smuggling is equivalent to a month of mining.|NOX{{Ref/Reuse|trade}}}}

Considered a "Third World" colony,{{Ref/Reuse|cooperative}} the Alerian standard of living has severely dropped and the vast majority of the population live in extreme poverty. By [[2553]], the population had been half of what it was the previous century and the median lifespan on Aleria was only 45 years of age.{{Ref/Reuse|universe}} The population of Aleria is centered around markets and towns,{{Ref/Reuse|sas13}} with the wealthy owning most land,{{Ref/Reuse|travelers}} while the poor live in mining slums, bazaars, or tent cities.{{Ref/Reuse|sas1}}{{Ref/Reuse|sas7}} Tired of colonial unrest and hostile living conditions, Aleria's youth often turned to petty crime and violence, though their actions were often dominated by the [[courier guild]]s.{{Ref/Reuse|sas7}} As most Alerians are unable to afford modern spacecraft, they often use outdated vessels such as {{Class|Bactrian|freighter}}s for interplanetary transport.{{Ref/Reuse|cooperative}}{{Ref/Site|URL=https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/vehicles/colonial-tug|Site=Halo Waypoint|Page=Colonial Tug|D=27|M=10|Y=2015}} Pregnancy among the youth of Aleria is quite common, and many of these young parents fall ill or disappear in the colony's dusty mines. The quality of education was also quite low on Aleria, particularly among the poor.{{Ref/Reuse|sas7}}

==Non-canon and dubious canon appearances==

===Silver Timeline===

==List of appearances==