Meanwhile, the Xon were in complete disarray. The Xon Entire was practically pulling out its hair* in confusion and panic (* actually, to suggest that the Xon had anything even remotely resembling 'hair' would be.....oh, never mind!).

As you no doubt have guessed by now, the source of their hysteria was a particular incident involving a maintenance drone which had not only failed to report back, but had been utterly destroyed by a new alien race even more fierce and determined than the Bio-Engineers of old. After much argument and deliberation, it was agreed unanimously that the best possible course of action would be to go back to sleep for another 25 millon years just to play it safe. After all, this new blight of Tool Users couldn't last forever. The Xon had outlasted the Bio-Engineers and the Machine Makers before them. It was only a matter of time.

It would not be discovered until 25 million years later that, in fact, the unanimous vote of the Xon Entire had overlooked a minuscule discrepancy in the roll call. In their panic, they had failed to notice that the Xon-which-was-in-charge-of-making surveillance-management-decisions had been conspicuously absent from the debate. While every other Xon had pranced about in fear becoming flabby and taut in all the wrong places, he was snug and cold inside his impenetrable sleeping chamber. Against all odds, despite all the unfairness and hardships he had been forced to endure, his grandest dream would one day come true. He would be young again!