Omnius finally said, “I do not understand you any more than I understand humans.”
“I know that, Omnius. It will always be your weakness.”
The robot looked fondly down at his enslaved humans as his guards carried off the corpses and the injured. Erasmus thought of all the wonderful things he had learned from this species . . . and how much more he could discover, if granted the opportunity. Their collective lives were balanced on a tightrope over a dark, bottomless chasm, and Erasmus stood with them. He would not give them up easily.
On the bright side, he saw that in his absence, two more sets of twins had been born. As always, the possibilities were endless.
Human life is not negotiable.
— SERENA BUTLER
In honor of the bittersweet nuclear victory on Earth, the League Worlds hosted a massive celebration for their returning heroes and a touching farewell for their fallen dead.
The battered ships had limped back after their long voyage, while faster scouts and couriers raced back to Salusa Secundus bearing the news and letting the League know what to expect when the Armada arrived, scarred and diminished.
But the Earth-Omnius was destroyed, and the thinking machines had suffered a terrible blow. They clung to their triumph.
In the hot and humid arena, Vorian Atreides felt sticky with perspiration in his dress uniform. No matter the weather, the people would want to see him and Segundo Harkonnen in full regalia. Xavier stood beside him now on the reviewing stand as Viceroy Butler and Serena quieted the crowd, demanding their full attention.
The two men— who had made their peace with each other on the long journey back to Salusa Secundus— stood stiff-backed in the shade of a covered viewing platform, along with other dignitaries. Iblis Ginjo, dressed in fine clothes and proud of his increasingly influential position, also sat in the gilded VIP area.
“For leading our united League forces on the mission to Earth, a landmark victory over the thinking machines,” Viceroy Butler said, holding a ribbon and medal high, “for making the difficult decisions and accepting the necessary challenge, I award the Parliamentary Medal of Honor to the League’s most distinguished soldier, Segundo Xavier Harkonnen. It is the highest award we can bestow, and we do so with heartfelt gratitude.”
Three hundred thousand spectators erupted in deafening cheers. Many of these people had lost children, friends, and parents in the Battle of Earth. In silence, Vor remembered how many Armada fighters had fallen during the atomic sterilization of the planet. With his peripheral vision, he saw Xavier Harkonnen’s eyes glisten from the emotion of the moment as the Viceroy draped the ribbon over his bowed head. Soon there would be more battles to fight, more machine forces to face.
Serena removed a second medal, different in design. “Next, we honor a more unlikely hero, a man raised by the thinking machines and blinded to their crimes. But he has seen the truth and cast his lot with free humanity. The vital tactical information he provided about Earth’s defenses helped to assure our victory. In the heat of the battle, his fast thinking thwarted Omnius’s plan to escape, and provided the League with an invaluable tool for humanity’s continuing fight.” Smiling at him, Serena stepped forward. Vor held his head high. “We award Vorian Atreides not only with the Exemplary Service Medal, but also present him with the honorary rank of tercero in the League Armada.”
On cue, a squadron of antique aircraft and spacecraft zoomed overhead. Proud mechanics and historians had reconditioned the old vessels for the aerial show. Xavier and Vor saluted the sky as the pilots tipped their wings, and the crowd thundered its approval.
Iblis Ginjo, savoring his celebrity status before so many spectators, pushed his way close and shouted into the public address system: “These fine pilots are our future fighters of the Jihad. The thinking machines will not stand a chance!”
Wearing a preoccupied smile, Serena Butler pinned ribbons on a host of other heroes. She seemed wrapped up in thoughts of the past and of the insurmountable challenges humanity still needed to face. She seemed stronger now than ever before, but distant.
Vor stole glances at Xavier, saw the love for her on his ruddy face and the pain from knowing that they could never be together. Yet even Xavier’s marriage to Octa gave Vor little chance to win Serena’s heart. He recalled the first time he had seen her at the villa of Erasmus, how lovely and strong she had been, and defiant. Now, she seemed to have passed beyond those earlier troubles, to concern herself with impending crises that few people could understand. Deep inside, Serena seemed to be developing a different, awe-inspiring power.
Concluding her responsibilities in the victory celebration, Serena left the podium. She approached both Vor and Xavier as she departed, already intent on the plans that clamored in her mind. “I need to speak with both of you.” Her eyes were bright but hard; her voice allowed no room for argument. “Come to the City of Introspection at sunset.”
Vor and Xavier exchanged surprised looks, then nodded in unison.
• • •
THE TWO FORMER adversaries dined together, sharing a bottle of Salusan shiraz and tiptoeing around the subject that weighed so heavily on their minds and hearts. Neither of them could guess what Serena intended to say.
As pastel oranges and pinks of sunset tinted the sky, the two League officers traveled into the hills and entered the high gates of the quiet compound. Inside, the residents moved from building to building, activating luminors on the outside walls.
Serena stood waiting for them just inside, and Vor thought she looked rejuvenated, with more color in her features. His heart beat rapidly.
“Thank you for coming.” She took each of them by the hand and led them along a gem-gravel path to an open garden. “We can talk here uninterrupted. Indeed, I have found this to be a place full of possibilities . . . but without politics. Here, I can do what needs to be done.”
In a central area, surrounded by boxwood topiaries, water trickled from an ornamental pool, dribbling over a rock ledge and into another basin. Insects and nocturnal amphibians had already begun to practice their evening symphonies.
At the edge of the pool, three wooden chairs faced a small waterfall. Vor wondered if many people came here to contemplate, or if Serena had brought the chairs specially for this meeting. Serena crossed her hands on her lap and smiled as her guests sat awkwardly on either side of her.
She met Vorian’s gaze first. It seemed like a long time since their first meeting at the robot’s villa— with Vor arrogant and proud of his trustee position among the thinking machines. His appearance did not seem to have changed at all. He was so youthful-looking.
In contrast, she noted fine lines starting to age Xavier Harkonnen’s face. Though he was young, he had endured a great deal of stress and tragedy, and she felt sympathy for him. Years had passed since they had made love in the meadow, and it seemed like a different lifetime. They were not the same people.
So much had taken place; so many millions of lives had been lost. But she and these men were survivors.
It was time to tell them.
“I know your feelings, but both of you must forget your love for me,” she said. “We are about to embark on a war unlike any other.” She rose from her chair and stood at the edge of the pool, not taking her gaze from them. “But you must do something for me. Each of you in your own way.”
Her eyes brightened with intense sparks of determination. “Go into the League War Room and study the star maps of the Synchronized Worlds, the Unallied Planets, the League Worlds. In that vast expanse, you will find only two planets that we have ever won back from Omnius. Giedi Prime and Earth. They must not be the last.”
As darkness fell and the luminors grew brighter around the perimeter of the compound, the secluded area at the waterfall and the pond remained engulfed in thickening shadows. Even the frogs and insects quieted, as if they were listening to the noises of the night, constantly on the alert for danger.
“Xavier, Vorian— you two must
rededicate yourselves to the fight,” Serena said. “Do it for me.” Her voice was like a chill wind across the galaxy. Vor saw now that her passion had not died within her, but had merely been redirected with a greater intensity toward a much vaster goal. “Our Jihad is righteous, and the evil machines must fall, no matter how much blood it costs us. Win back every planet, one by one. For humanity, and for me.”
Xavier nodded solemnly and repeated something Iblis Ginjo had said to him, “Nothing is impossible.”
“Not for any of us,” Vor said. Blinking away the stinging in his eyes, he smiled at her. “And especially not for you, Serena Butler.”
Glossary of the Butlerian Jihad
Abdel
— old Zensunni man on Arrakis
Agamemnon
— one of the original Twenty Titans, cymek general, father of Vorian
Alexander
— one of the original Twenty Titans
Aliid
— young Poritrin slave, friend of Ishmael alloyglas— transparent, extremely tough material, often used as armor IV Anbus— Unallied Planet
Aquim
— human tender of Cogitor Eklo
Arkov,
Rell — charter member of League of Nobles
Armada
— League Armada
Arrakis
— desert world, Unallied Planet
Arrakis
City — main spaceport and town on Arrakis
Assembly
Hall — governmental building in Zimia
Atreides,
Vorian — son of Agamemnon, raised on Earth under thinking machine rule
Ajax
— cymek, considered the most brutal of the original Titans
baliset
— ancient musical instrument developed during the heyday of the Old Empire
Ballads
of the Long March — old legends and songs telling of early human exodus and resistance during the initial Time of Titans
ballista
— largest battleship created by Salusan Militia
Barbarossa
— one of the original Titans, programmer of aggressive computer systems
Becca
the Finite — Sister at City of Introspection
Beetle
— constellation seen from Arrakis
Bludd,
Favo — ancestor of Niko Bludd
Bludd,
Frigo — ancestor of Niko Bludd
Bludd,
Lord Niko — leader of Poritrin
Bludd,
Sajak — first Poritrin leader to advocate slavery
bristleback
— wild boar native to Salusa Secundus
Buddallah
— mysterious deity of the Zensunni religion
Buddislam
— core religion of Zensunnis and Zenshiites
burrhorse
— pack animal from Earth
Butler,
Faykan — primero of the Jihad
Butler,
Fredo — Serena’s younger brother, died from a blood disease
Butler,
Livia — Serena’s mother, abbess of the City of Introspection
Butler,
Manion — Viceroy of the League of Nobles
Butler,
Manion — son of Serena Butler and Xavier Harkonnen, and grandson of Viceroy Manion Butler
Butler,
Octa — younger sister of Serena Butler
Butler,
Serena — daughter of Viceroy Manion Butler
Buzzell
— Unallied Planet, source of soostones
Caladan
— ocean world, Unallied Planet
Camio
— Sorceress of Rossak, one of Zufa’s trainees
Cenva,
Norma — dwarf daughter of Zufa Cenva, mathematical genius
Cenva,
Zufa — powerful Sorceress of Rossak
Chandler
pistol — projectile weapon that shoots sharp crystal fragments
Chiry,
Cuarto — member of Salusan Militia
Chusuk
— League World, known for musical instruments
Chusuk,
Emi — great composer from the latter days of the Old Empire City of Introspection— monastery-style religious and philosophical retreat on Salusa
Cogitor
— disembodied brain, similar to a cymek, devoted to contemplating esoteric questions
Corrin
— Synchronized World
cuarto
— fourth rank in League Armada
cymek
—”machines with human minds,” disembodied brains inside mechanical bodies
Dante
— one of the original Titans, skilled in bureaucratic manipulation
Dhartha,
Naib — leader of Zensunni tribe on Arrakis
Dragoon
— guard force on Poritrin
Dream
Voyager — update ship captained by Seurat
driftbarge
— slow zeppelin transportation system on Poritrin
Ebbin
— slave boy on Poritrin
Ebrahim
— treacherous former friend of Selim’s
Ecaz
— Unallied Planet
Eklo
— Cogitor of Earth
electrafludi
— bluish life-support liquid for Cogitors and cymeks, also acts as fluid circuitry
evermind
— all-encompassing intelligent computer system
fernfibers
— Rossak fabric
flowmetal
— metallic, sensor-laden skin material used by robots
Freer,
Ohan — human crew boss serving thinking machines on Earth
gelcircuitry
— sophisticated fluid-crystalline electronics that form the basis of thinking machine neural networks
Giedi
City — main industrial and government city on Giedi Prime
Giedi
Prime — planet in League of Nobles, rich in resources and industrial capability, ruled by a Magnus
Giedi
Prime Home Guard — local defensive military on Giedi Prime
Ginaz
— planet in League of Nobles, mostly water; population lives on the scattered islands in an archipelago
Ginjo,
Iblis — charismatic human work leader on Earth
glowglobe
— mobile illumination source driven by residual energy from its component suspensor field. Developed by Norma Cenva on Poritrin
glowpanel
— long-lasting stationary light source
Glyffa
— old woman on Arrakis, foster-mother to Selim
Grogyptian
— extravagant Old Empire architectural style
Hagal
— planet in League of Nobles, known for mineral resources, ruled by a County General
Hall
of Parliament — governmental building in Zimia
Hannem,
Ryx — slaver, Keedair’s copilot
Harkonnen,
Katarina — Xavier’s mother, killed by thinking machines near Hagal
Harkonnen,
Piers — Xavier’s older brother, killed by thinking machines near Hagal
Harkonnen,
Ulf — Xavier’s father, killed by thinking machines near Hagal Harkonnen, Xavier— officer in Salusan Militia and League Armada
Harmonthep
— Unallied Planet, source of slaves
Hecate
— one of the original Twenty Titans, lover of Ajax, “resigned” and departed from the Empire not long before the Omnius takeover
Heoma
— powerful Sorceress of Rossak, one of Zufa’s trainees
hollownut
— Rossak nut, used for carving
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br /> Holtzman,
Tio — genius inventor on Poritrin
hrethgir
— derogatory term for “human vermin”
Hrethgir
Rebellions — first uprisings of enslaved humans against thinking machines, particularly cymeks. Major one occurred on Walgis, and was brutally crushed by Ajax
irongourd
— Rossak gourd
Isana
— primary river on Poritrin
Ishmael
— young slave taken from Harmonthep
Ix
— planet in League of Nobles
javelin
— mid-sized model of League Armada destroyer
Jayther,
Vilhelm — original human name of the Titan Barbarossa
Jibb,
Pinquer — messenger from Giedi Prime
Juno
— cymek female, one of the original Titans, Agamemnon’s lover
Kaitain
— peripheral League World
Keedair,
Tuk — Tlulaxa slaver and flesh merchant
kindjal
— fast, small fighter ship in League Armada
Kirana III
— League World
Komider
— industrial League World
Kralizec
— name of the final struggle, as predicted by Buddislam
Kwyna
— Cogitor dwelling in the City of Introspection
League
of Nobles — government of free humans
League
Armada — space navy designed to protect League Worlds
League
Parliament — governmental body of League of Nobles
League
Worlds — signatory planets to League of Nobles charter
Linné,
Serena — false name used by Serena Butler after her capture
Lords
Council — government body on Poritrin
Magnus
— political title on Giedi Prime
Mahmad
— Naib Dhartha’s son
Manresa,
Bovko — first League Viceroy
Meach,
Primero Vannibal — commander of Salusan Militia
milkbug
— edible arachnid from Harmonthep
Moulay,
Bel — Zenshiite religious leader
Narakobe,
Pitcairn — League military philosopher
Dune: The Butlerian Jihad Page 62