“I’ll get used to it,” Anton said. “We’ve got plenty of Klikiss stories to record. That’s the main thing.”

“Then it’s time for us to meet with the breedex again.”

Of all the scattered subhives, the only Klikiss that remained functional were those that had been closest to the One Breedex aboard the swarmships at Earth. The rest of the bugs remained in hibernation, perhaps permanently. The Davlin-breedex had not been able to override the effects of the crippling Klikiss Siren, but Margaret wasn’t sure how hard he had tried. The sudden attrition of so many parts of the hive mind had given Davlin the opening he had needed to take over permanently with his strong and independent personality.

Inside the putrid-smelling main chamber, the great mass of grubs and pieces formed itself into a swirling, seething sculpture of Davlin Lotze’s face, much more concrete now than it had been before. Margaret stepped close to the terrifying visage. “The rest of humanity may not know it, Davlin, but you alone probably saved us all.”

“I’ll make certain to tell that part of the story,” Anton insisted.

“There are other stories you must preserve,”the breedex said.

“Indeed, there are,” Margaret said. “You need to help us understand, Davlin.”

“I will,”he said in his eerie, overlapping voice.“Listen.”

Together, they spent days in the hall of the breedex as the Davlin persona drew upon genetic memories. He told the never-before-heard history songs of the Klikiss, the former swarmings, the One Breedex, the creation of the black robots and their subjugation. and the treachery that had nearly exterminated the race.

Anton recorded and annotated all the tales, even capturing the alien melodies as background, while Margaret interviewed the breedex. Her son was engrossed, awed to know that he was setting down an untold epic to rival even theSaga of Seven Suns. With a sigh, he looked up from his datapad and flexed his sore hand. “I wish with all my heart that Vao’sh could have been here with us.”

Margaret understood his affection for his old colleague. “And I wish Louis could be here.” She smiled. “But we’re together. That’s enough of a miracle for right now.”

167

Sullivan Gold

Sullivan put on a brave face as the Solar Navy cutter landed on Dobro and opened its hatches to the dry, dusty air. Taking Lydia’s hand, he stepped out and said, “Remember, I didn’t promise you anything fancy, but there won’t be any faeros here. And the hydrogues are gone. The Ildiran Empire and the Confederation are allies.” His voice trailed off as he searched her face. “This isn’t going to be so bad, is it?”

“Well, I can think of a lot of things I’m going to miss,” Lydia replied, but she smiled. “And a lot of things I won’t — Chairman Wenceslas and his cleanup crew, for one. We’ll make the best of it, and we’re together.”

The rest of his family emerged, blinking. They had been through enough turmoil that they were glad just to set foot on solid ground again. “The Chairman’s dead, and the Hansa’s overthrown,” said Jerome. “Things are getting better on Earth. We could always go back and pick up where we left off.”

Lydia waggled a finger at him. “The fact that it happened at all should give you cause for concern. Similar things have occurred before. Secret police, rights trampled on, people afraid to speak up against injustice, neighbors turning on neighbors. The ones you thought were your friends are suddenly afraid to get involved when you need help.” She sniffed. “I’m sure this place isn’t perfect either, but it’ll be a long time before I let down my guard again.”

Sullivan looked hopefully at his family. “Give Dobro a chance. We can really make a difference here.”

“If your father says this is a good opportunity for us, then the rest of you are going to give it your best shot,” Lydia said, and nobody argued with her.

After so many generations, there was no love lost between the human descendants and Ildiran splinter colonists on Dobro, but they had agreed to bury the hatchet, to work and live together. Now Sullivan would use his administrative skills to cement the two groups into one cooperative colony. With the help of Lydia and his family, he was sure he could pull it off.

Benn Stoner, the leader of theBurton descendants, walked with a rolling gait across the landing field to shake Sullivan’s hand. “So you’re the professionals? We’re pleased to have the help.”

“The Mage-Imperator has his hands full at Mijistra. The Confederation will send cargo ships with a few necessities, but we’ll have to do most of the work ourselves.”

“We’re fine with that,” Stoner said. “We’re hard workers — both humans and Ildirans.”

Several of the nearby Ildirans nodded, knowing that Sullivan had the Mage-Imperator’s blessing. Even if they were poorly trained in innovation, they were good at following instructions, and Sullivan felt that was a good start. “Before you know it, this place will be a model colony.”

“I believe that Dobro will thrive for the first time in its history,” said one of the Ildirans, a lens kithman.

Sullivan had his family unload their few belongings from the cutter. Stoner shouted out, “Stop sitting around and help the newcomers find a house to live in! Get them something nice — they’ll be here awhile.”

Although the original colony town had burned to the ground, new buildings made of freshly sawn wood had been built. The Gold family had more than enough space to spread out into three dwellings.

That first night, while he and Lydia relaxed in their new bedchamber, he patted her hand. “Sorry it’s not quite a paradise.”

She leaned over to give him a peck on the cheek. “You need a shave again.”

“I know.”

“We have running water, a heated home, and a pantry of food. I have all my family here with me. And we’re safe.” Lydia looked out the window at the dark sky and the dazzling blazers that illuminated the colony town. “It’s not paradise, but it’ll do.”

168

Nira

Nira did not look forward to seeing the familiar yet painful landscape of Dobro. As theVoracious Curiosity came in to land, the dry brown hills reminded her of horrific fires. She scanned the main colony settlement and shuddered to think of the breeding barracks, the fences, and the many times she had been abused and impregnated as part of the Dobro Designate’s experiments.

But Nira had a purpose in coming here. She had brought treelings to plant, to help the world heal from all the harm that had been done. Osira’h, Rod’h, Gale’nh, Tamo’l, and Muree’n had accompanied their mother on the pilgrimage, supporting her with their love. Together they would make a change.