Sandworms of Dune - Brian Herbert [199]
While Mother Commander Murbella called down lighters from her newly arrived battleships, and the Guild provided shuttles full of workers and administrators to help consolidate the strange city, Sheeana watched self-guided robots clean up remnants of the bloody duels in the cathedral chamber.
The Ithaca’s refugees had taken shelter inside the torn-open ship. The vessel would never fly in space again, even if Duncan forced the living-metal docking cradle to release the no-ship.
Courier drones and buzzing watcheyes, now personally directed by Duncan, led crowds of people through the broken streets, summoning them to a meeting where they would discuss the changed universe. Sheeana’s renegade Bene Gesserits from the no-ship were uneasy about facing the former Honored Matre Murbella.
But the Mother Commander had grown much wiser in the intervening quarter century since the schism. Years ago, had she known of Sheeana’s plan to steal the no-ship, Murbella would have killed her rival outright. Sheeana wondered what the former Honored Matre would think of all those years Duncan had pined for her. Did Murbella still love him? For that matter, had she ever?
Reverend Mothers Elyen and Calissa led a weary and uneasy crowd into the enormous cathedral hall. Guild crewmen from the ships above also entered the chamber, Administrator Gorus among them. He appeared drained, no longer in control of anything, and remained silent, following rather than leading his fellow Guildsmen.
When they had settled into a low hum of conversation approaching silence, Duncan took his place in the center of the chamber where Omnius and Erasmus had once presided over their thinking machines. He used no amplification system, yet his words resounded through the hall.
“This fate, this grand culmination of Kralizec, is what we sought for so many years.” He swept his gaze over Sheeana and the refugee Bene Gesserits. “Your long journey is at an end, for this is the new heartland you dreamed of finding. The planet is yours now. Use the remnants of Synchrony to form an entirely new Bene Gesserit order, your base far from Chapterhouse.”
The gathered Sisters were confused and astounded. Even Sheeana had not known Duncan would propose this. “But this is the heart of the thinking-machine empire!” cried Calissa. “The homeworld of Omnius.”
“It’s your homeworld now. Stake your claim and build your future.”
Sheeana understood. “Duncan is exactly right. Challenges strengthen the Sisterhood. The universe has changed, and we belong here, regardless of the difficulties we may face. Even the sandworms have come to Synchrony, burrowing deep underground.” She smiled. “They may reemerge when we least expect them. Someone has to keep an eye on the restored Tyrant.”
Beneath the hall, Sheeana thought she felt the ground trembling, as from a great behemoth moving under the foundations. Many robots had been destroyed or damaged during the sandworm attack, but thousands more of the machines remained perfectly functional. Sheeana knew that the Bene Gesserits here would have all the labor pool they could possibly desire, if the machines would work with them.
Murbella spoke up. “I shall return to Chapterhouse. It will take some effort to spread news of the new reality.” She gazed at Sheeana. “Don’t worry. My combined Sisterhood doesn’t need to be at odds with your orthodox Bene Gesserit base here. There have always been many schools, many trains of thought. In proper balance, rivalry promotes strength and innovation—so long as we can avoid the acrimony of conflict and mutual destruction.”
Sheeana knew that Duncan would go back to Chapterhouse with Murbella, at least for a time. With his guidance, Murbella would shepherd the reintroduction and integration of superior technology into a thriving society. If handled properly, Sheeana saw no reason for humans to fear cooperation with thinking machines any more than they needed to fear religion itself, or competition among Bene Gesserit elements.