The Circling of the White was a caste of the Quesoth insectoid species that advised the Queen of the White, the ruler of the planet Quethold's White City, and bred Quesoth for their Queen. Once the Red City's Queen of the Red was killed after ruling for a number of years, the Quesoth Soldiers, Workers, and their overseers, the Midli, would travel to the White City while the Circling hibernated and bred a new Queen. Those who arrived at the White City then joined with the Queen's offspring, and after eighteen years, the Queen of the Black would arise, repeating the process.
In 8 ABY, the ruling Queen of the Red planned to kill the Circling of the White so the Queen of the White did not rise, allowing her to rule forever. Unfortunately for her, her ally, the warlord Nuso Esva did not succeed in stealing juggernauts from the Empire of the Hand during a battle against the government in the Red City. Without them, the Queen—who was murdered by Esva, who feared treason—was unable to raid the White City and stop the cycle.
The Circling of the White was mentioned in the 2011 novella Crisis of Faith, written by Timothy Zahn and included in Heir to the Empire: The 20th Anniversary Edition.
The Circling of the White was mentioned in the 2011 novella Crisis of Faith, written by Timothy Zahn and included in Heir to the Empire: The 20th Anniversary Edition.