Walking with Clacks into a huge sandstone slit, shelved beneath in the side of a mountain wasn't my ideal vacation. The thought obviously bothered Reems too. The cat took up a hunting prowl, ranging well to the side of me, darting from rock to shrub, only generally following our lead. Trosane was a damp planet, seemed to me. Regardless, a higher oxygen content made for a dry rasp in my throat. Oddly, once under the shelf, things warmed up, rather than cooled. The floor sloped slightly down, and Clacks turned his shell lights on since it got darker the further we went.

“Thiss you wear.” Clacks' translator enunciated, then the roach removed it from his neck and handed it to me. The Chain on it was too long, and once I put it on, it swung almost down to my waist. “You need to know what is said, and maybe, Speak.”

“Oh, sure.” I hadn't a clue what I would say if asked anything. Hope was, I'd stand there and nod my head sagely at appropriate moments, then scoot back to the ship. We had dropped the colonists off without any problems, and now sported a hold full of military equipment in place of them. Rebbeca, after dressing up to the nines in new purchases much to the ire of Lisa, checked some figures and had moved a bunch of space rock around. Then here.

Ahead, Clacks' running lights reflected in pinpoint off a polished black wall, that showed branching corridors, left and right. A sandpaper swishing could be heard down them. I couldn't help wonder what a conclave of Kreeb would look like, or how we would be received.

Clacks took the left branch. At the end of it, a red lit opening widened into a white walled chamber. The lighting gave all of it a rosey tinge. Squinting at the material that formed the chamber didn't help identify it, though it appeared artificial.

The space rose in terraces, each occupied by several brown to black caparisoned Kreeb. Each Kreeb seemed to be cradled in hollows embossed into the forward-most edge of its terrace, facing the floor. Kind of like elaborate arena seating, but to Kreeb scale. Small identical consoles sided each “seat”. The rising steps of each terrace were slightly sloped, carved with sinuous decorations, and were apparently functional as well as decorative. Occasionally one would rise from its seat to crawl down or up the terrace walls using the embosses to aid purchase.

At the farther end of the floor, in a crescent shaped area, a large slightly greenish Kreeb idled. Smaller bugs swarmed it. I saw no technical equipment installed near the large insect, though each of the smaller ones carried some device or other.

A creaking gassed from Klacks, and the interpretive box informed me, “The Queen of thiss hive, iss...”.

A medium sized brown bug skittered up to Klacks and chittered an invitation to approach. We did so, and the queen made a complicated gesture with her upper arms/legs, whatever they're called. I made a note to bone up on bug anatomy.

Clacks went over the colony history, the existence and use of sugarcane on earth, what we had done about it, the fact he was an example of its effect, and what had been done to curtail it there. Then made his plea for recognition on the colony's behalf, requesting a future queen.

“Thiss a problem presentss uss,” She replied. “It warrantss a quarantine, forbidding access to both this world, and your proposed hive for Lyra 14-c. The establishment and transport of natives was not authorized, the result of addiction wass. What assurance have we, that this Reese Corp hive will sstop its interference with our kind?”

Clacks shuffled side ways, and motioned to me. “Thiss one has contracted with Reese to sstop growing it, and allow us inspection access to assure it is not grown there again. His colonials on Lyra can provide both economic and militant sanctionss to enforce it. But they do not have star-faring capability. Sstranded were, and by our peoples,so responsible still are. For the hive, and colonists to do this, a combined settlement on Lyra 14-c musst complete. My sect already a presence there is established. It needs only to be recognized, raised to Hive status. I am here to warn of the drug, wish to effect thiss control, not to promote abuse of the substance. It iss why I appeal to you. The ssects must cease to bargain passage in trade for it. A permanent fix iss being implemented to save their species that does not require the sects mass presence. The sects do not need to trade away a queens oversight to gain – the translation had some problems at this point, but eventually settled on 'karma' as a good enough philosophic substitute.

Wing cases rattled up unto the rafters. Data pads clicked.

“Sseveral things,” the queen mused, “about thiss in counsel musst to be discussed.”

There was a flurry of activity by the smaller bugs, that seemed to scuttle everywhere. Lambent glows from seat-panels winkled like lights on a Christmas tree, the buzzing became overwhelming. After a time,I started to look around for something to sit on. Clacks lowered himself to the floor.

The noise died eventually, and the Hive-queen again spoke.

“The sects will be withdrawn from Earth. While your arrangement might hold, it iss our surmise that these plantss might be grown elsewhere on the planet, and policing such an area iss not possible.”

My heart fell. Without some support for interstellar transport and supply, the colony might be doomed.

“But, we will allow the mixed colony experiment, and we will ratify your sstatuss. Karma from your effort to ssave Earth will continue only under your mixed hive, and the karma gained shared between the two sects. Two Queenss will be grown and sent to you, one from each sect. All the Kreeb involved musst submit to having both sect icons emblazoned on their sshells, by which they can be known. We allow you two ships. The one you have now, and the one that will transport the queens to you. Until the queens are ready, You are responsible to uss for the colony. After the queenss arrive, twenty percent of any trade value will be sent here. Marked Kreeb will continue to practice the philosophies of their original sects. With interest to watch the outcome of this experiment we are.”

Relief flooded me. With the Earth a century or more away from even the begnings of a return to normal, a viable colony and some way of getting stuff to and from it, was central. Plus, Reb would need several more trips to finish even this first stage.

“The Tomass will step forward.”

I flicked a gaze at Clacks, and stepped up.

“Your influence in thiss matter sstands decreased, as the Kreeb you call Clacks iss now under our explicit direction. However we sshall require him to share responsibility for the colony and its goals with you, under the direction of the hive queens when they are ready. Any governance ssystem the human part of the colony establishes, you will permanently liason with us. It would be wisdom to maintain ssome authority in thiss system, as Clacks is not compelled to deal with anyone else. No further traffic, of peopless iss allowed to colony from Earth on our sships. Crews only as required for trade traffic. Acceptable iss?”

Clacks was already flat to the floor, accepting the genetic dominance of the queen.

My head throbbed. So much between the lines was going unsaid here. Part of which was that the success of this joint arrangement, and thus the survival of Earth, was to hang solely about my shoulders, regardless. But I nodded, even as the ton of brickwork was lowered onto me. I would not be returning to my digs in the valley. I would be permanently involved in the politics of the colony, like it or not. There would be no further repatriation. In my mind, angry colonist mobs shook fists at me, while stringing me up to a tall plant in Lyra. Lisa would spit on me, abandoning me. I felt doomed.

****