The Gryphons' Dream by Phillips Laura Jo

Author:Phillips, Laura Jo [Phillips, Laura Jo]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
ISBN: 9781477583616
Publisher: CreateSpace
Published: 2012-06-05T07:00:00+00:00

Chapter 22

LyFaLex sat at his station, his back permanently bent from years of being forced to work at a terminal designed for a much smaller being. His soul was heavy with sadness this day. He remembered a time, so many cycles ago he had lost count, when the loss of an ancestor was cause for a time of rest and reflection, followed by a celebration of life. Of course, the Xanti did not care about such things. They cared only that their slaves worked long and hard. They allowed time for sleep and sustenance only because without those basic necessities, there would be no slaves.

LyFaLex used one antennae to activate his station while another antennae peeked behind him to check on the location of the guards. It was critical to know where the guards were at all times. The Xanti were never to be trusted. That had been the first lesson of his captivity. They were not supposed to watch the guards, but the Xanti did not know that his kind were able to see using both their eyes and their antennae. That had been the second lesson of his captivity; reveal nothing to the Xanti that they did not already know.

Satisfied that the guard was at his usual post, LyFaLex turned his attention back to rebooting his station. There had been a big push lately to complete the newest generation of the Blind Sight camouflage system, Blind Sight P2. LyFaLex had actually completed that task the day before, but for reasons even he didn’t understand, he had not announced it to the Director of his sector, or submitted it for fabrication.

As he logged into his system, he wondered at himself. The consequences of not finishing Blind Sight P2 would be severe for all of his people if there was a suspicion that he’d delayed it deliberately. He would open the project, review it carefully so that the watchers would see him working on it and have no reason to suspect he’d delayed it. Then he would submit it. He wished he could pretend to make changes, but the watchers would catch that. As it was, he was taking a risk by taking time to review it before informing his Director it was completed. He would tell them that he was concerned that he had forgotten something.

It was a poor excuse, but the watchers were Xanti, and the Xanti knew very little about programs and technology. Unfortunately, what they lacked in knowledge they made up for in suspicion. Every keystroke was analyzed, repeated, tested and questioned.

An odd noise caught his attention and he turned one antennae carefully so that he could see behind himself. He was astonished to see several Xanti entering the plant. From the small red markings on their bodies he knew that they were not Xitura-Re’s brood, though he didn’t know who they did belong to. He looked toward the regular guard and was even more stunned to see it crouch down and curl its legs beneath itself.

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