I became awake. Reflexively, with the return of consciousness, Ilooked to my weapons. I felt them there in the darkness, strapped tomy body and attached to the panel close over my head. I felt them, andrelaxed slightly, moving on to other levels of consciousness. I have myweapons, I am alive, I am a Tzen, I am dutybound, I am Rahm.
Having recalled I am a Tzen, it did not surprise me that I thoughtof my duty before even thinking of my name. It is part of the characterof the Tzen to always think of the species and the Empire beforethinking of themselves, particularly the Warrior caste, of which I wasone. It has occasionally been suggested, privately of course, that someof the other castes, particularly the Scientists, think of the individualbefore they think of the species, but I do not believe this. A Tzen is aTzen.
I flexed my talons. Yes, my body was functioning efficiently. I wasready to venture forth. There had been no sound of alarm or noises ofbattle, but I still was cautious as I pressed the release lever of my shelfwith my tail. The door slid down a fraction of an inch and stopped as Iscanned the chamber through the slit.
The chamber was dimly lit, closely approximating moonlight. Theair was warm-not hot, but warm and humid, the temperature of nightin the Black Swamps. We were not being awakened for relaxation andfood replenishment. We were being awakened to hunt. We were ABC Amber LIT Converter
