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.While he enjoyed himself in this manner, other cymeks moved through the update ship, and vacuum-hardened robots crawled over the outer hull like metal insects.They repaired the damage their weapons had done and installed new transmission spikes, hurrying to get the craft moving again toward Richese.“The engines are functional again, General Agamemnon,” Dante reported.“This update ship can now proceed.”Using their knowledge of the evermind’s predictable routes, the cymek rebels had already tracked down and intercepted ten update ships.They had destroyed enough copies of Omnius that the widely separated Synchronized Worlds were already becoming fragmented.The scattered evermind incarnations were no longer acting in a coordinated fashion.“Install the new programming and turn our latest weapon loose.” Agamemnon worked the piloting controls the robot captain would have used.The update ship still had its appropriate password signals and approved linkages for the Richese-Omnius.After this vessel passed through the next set of defensive perimeters, a new course would kick in.The engines would accelerate the update vessel until, like a fast-moving hammer, it swung down through the atmosphere, and delivered an incredible crushing blow to the citadel nexus of the computer evermind.Then the cymeks could swarm into the vulnerable Synchronized World.Agamemnon already had a large military force waiting to pounce, assimilate, and mop up— massive ships constructed on Bela Tegeuse, joined by the recovered and reprogrammed robotic fighting force they had originally stolen from Omnius.As soon as this juggernaut update ship slammed into Richese, cymek marauders would rush down and complete the destruction.The Richesian thinking machines might attempt to rally, but the Omnius substations could never unify them quickly enough.The Titan general climbed back aboard his own ship, and all the cymeks watched the reprogrammed update vessel descend into the planet’s orbital plane.Richese would soon be under cymek rule, another step in creating a new Time of Titans.There, Juno would again work to convert the downtrodden, hopeless humans into faithful cymek allies.And perhaps the captive Seurat would provide some insight into how the Titan general could deal with his traitorous son Vorian….“Prepare to make our move,” Agamemnon said.“This time there is no doubt of our victory.”I do not give a damn about history.I will do what is right.— PRIMERO XAVIER HARKONNEN, letter to Vorian AtreidesWhen they left Tlulax, Xavier piloted the diplomatic vessel himself, taking the controls as he preferred to do.It had been his proforma duty on the inbound journey to the Thalim system, and though the old man now looked deeply weary, he insisted on clinging to his role.The Primero seemed lethargic as he navigated the ship away from the checkerboard city of Bandalong.Looking eminently satisfied, Iblis Ginjo stood in the cockpit, grasping the back of the passenger seat as he stared down at the clean city grid, sparkling with metal and glass.The hillsides spread out in neat rows, stitched with the real, though deceptive, organ farms.Aboard the diplomatic transport, five Jipol sergeants watched Xavier’s every move, but the old Primero looked tired and defeated as he worked the controls.He claimed he was anxious to get back home.In his heart, though, he doubted Iblis would let him reach Salusa Secundus alive.The Grand Patriarch could not afford to let his scandalous secrets be exposed, especially those involving the Tlulaxa organ farms and the charade of Serena’s martyrdom.No, the Jipol sergeants would stage some accident, kill Xavier en route, and return to Zimia feigning grief and mourning the old hero.Then Iblis would proceed with his plans to destroy Caladan, seize prisoners as involuntary organ donors, and forge ahead with righteous anger against the cruel thinking machines.“I have always done what was best for the Jihad, Xavier,” Iblis said in a conciliatory voice, still trying to convince him.“Think of how strong we are now.The ends justify the means, don’t they?”“We all could say the same,” Xavier answered.“Vorian, Serena, and I.This has been an incredibly long war.It has driven us to do many things we are not proud of.”“Serena herself would have been proud of our actions,” Iblis insisted [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]