Chapter 273: Historical Archive (PThok Signs His Name) (2/2)
”The Terran Republic demands that the Terrans present on the first world be returned without harm to the Republic at the Treana'ad People's expense,” the Admiral said. ”Not held as hostages or slaves.”
It took a minute for the High Matron to be informed on the meaning of the last two concepts.
”Of course, the Treana'ad People are a wise and graceful race. Are you sure they would leave such wondrously lush and lavish planets to dwell somewhere else? We can protect them from the Great Hatching,” the High Matron said.
Oh... no...
”Ahem, well, perhaps it might be best if they returned to the Republic until our peace can be formalized and our people understand each other better?” the Admiral tried.
The High Matron gave a solemn nod, something she had practiced repeatedly on the trip.
”An excellent point,” the Maton said. ”Agreed,” she turned to P'Thok. ”You were correct, P'Thok, they are most agreeable after a scoop of ice cream,” she looked back at the Admiral. ”I must insist upon your head covering. I covet it greatly.”
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The treaty took six days to finalize. Both sides felt as if they were getting everything they wanted, especially when the Admiral informed his staff that the Terran Republic had apparently colonized and started to terraform a planet that had already been xenoformed.
The Treana'ad Ambush had not come out of the blue.
It had been in response to the Terran act of war.
The signing was lavish, to the High Matron.
It took place in a landing craft hangar. A wide open space, with the assault shuttles idling at the sides, ranks of Terran Republic Marines drawn up respectfully to witness, and her own envoys at attention. The High Matron, escorted by P'Thok, danced up to the table and signed her name in the delicate formal script, with a pen that left behind gold. She stepped back and motioned at P'Thok.
”None of this would have happened without your genius,” she told him. ”You shall sign for all males, as I have signed for the Hive Queens.”
P'Thok nodded, signing his name with a flourish.
The Admiral presented his extra dress hat to the High Matron.
And the Human/Treana'ad War came to and end.
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MANTID FREE WORLDS
Are you watching those old videos again?
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TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS
Yeah. I wanted to show our new siblings.
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TELKAN FORGE WORLDS
So, wait, she wanted the hat because she believed it granted some kind of powers?
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TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS
Since she laid a clutch that nearly twenty survived to adulthood, she wasn't wrong.
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MANTID FREE WORLDS
That whole war was just so goofy.
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AKLTAK FREE FLIGHT FORESTS
Both sides were so new. The Terrans had only claimed those worlds, they hardly had any presence on them and the Treana'ad had less than ten.
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TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS
That's why those two worlds were so important. There was a Great Hatching coming and we desperately needed the room.
It could have been ugly.
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TNVARU HOME
How so?
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TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS
Back then, it was a little savage. See, the eggs are laid, then they hatch to grubs. The grubs eat the roots and bugs in the ground and each other. About half the grubs get eaten by their siblings. Then they make a cocoon and when the cocoon hatches the little hatchling ones come out. Those ones are highly aggressive. The male ones run to the outside while the females begin fighting over territory. About two thirds of the females kill each other. The males began metamorphising into worker and warrior caste. The warriors fight it out with each other at first, about a third of them die. The workers build fortifications, about twenty percent work themselves to death. Then the females overwhelm several warriors and a couple dozen workers, then take over a fortification. They fight until the end of puberty in little petty wars between fortresses.
A Great Hatching means a trillion eggs laid, across a planet.
It's pretty savage. Luckily, a Great Hatching is, was, only every couple centuries.
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TELKAN FORGE WORLDS
My God. How many of your young in each generation died fighting each other?
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TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS
Before the P'Thok Liberation?
Eighty percent killed and ate each other before adulthood on average.
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MANTID FREE WORLDS
”We die free.”
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TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS
Exactly.
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TNVARU GESTALT THINGY
My God...
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