SOLVED. SF novella with crab-like aliens, crashed human spaceship, cooperation [s]

[Barrayaran]

Looking for name of SF novella published post 1980, male author, likely American or Canadian.

NOTE: DESCRIPTION INCLUDES SPOILERS!

Set in far future, about human survivors of a crashed, off-course spaceship. They are truly marooned -- no way to repair ship and no way to determine where they are, as the sky is always under cloud. They are also in danger of starving, as the local flora and fauna aren't nutritious.

The local inhabitants are sort of crablike in shape, with hard shells and multiple legs. The males are tiny, the females large. Their civilization is extremely authoritarian, and once the humans end up meeting local rebels, they fight to create their own society together. The pap the aliens create to feed their young can actually nourish humans, and they end up creating an almost symbiotic culture.

I also seem to remember that the title began "The Mother of" and there my memory fails me.

Any help appreciated!

[Andy]

Mother of Demons, by Eric Flint Mother of Demons

[Barrayaran]

Andy wrote: "Mother of Demons, by Eric Flint Mother of Demons"

Thank you, Andy!