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.There was a sense of climbing onto arefreshing eminence when planning ended.Theories had been articulated,alternatives carefully worked out, and subordinates deployed, all thoroughlybriefed.His key squad leaders had committed Gammu to memory -- where partisanhelp might be available, every bolt hole, every known strongpoint and whichaccess routes were most vulnerable.He had warned them especially about Futars.The possibility that humanoid beasts might be allies could not be overlooked.Rebels who had helped ghola-Idaho escape from Gammu had insisted Futars werecreated to hunt and kill Honored Matres.Knowing the accounts of Dortujla andothers, you could almost pity Honored Matres if this were true, except that nopity could be spared for those who never showed it to others.The attack was taking its designed shape -- scout ships laying down a decoybarrage and heavy carriers moving into strike position.Teg became now what hethought of as "the instrument of my instruments." It was difficult to determinewhich commanded and which responded.Now, the delicate part.Unknowns were to be feared.A good commander kept that firmly in mind.Therewere always unknowns.Decoys were nearing the defensive perimeter.He saw enemy no-ships andfoldspace sensors -- bright dots arrayed through his awareness.Tegsuperimposed this onto the positions of his force.Every order he gave mustappear to originate from a battle-plot they all shared.He felt thankful Murbella had not joined him.Any Reverend Mother might seethrough his deception.But no one had questioned Odrade's order that Murbellawait with her party at a safe distance."Potential Mother Superior.Guard this one well."Explosive demolition of decoys began with a random display of brilliant flashesaround the planet.He leaned forward, staring at projections."There's the pattern!"There was no such pattern but his words created belief and pulses quickened.Noone questioned that the Bashar had seen vulnerability in the defenses.Hishands flashed over the comboard, sending his ships forward in a blazing displaythat littered space behind them with enemy fragments."All right! Let's go!"He fed the flagship's course directly into Navigation, then turned fullattention to Fire Control.Silent explosions dotted space around them as theflagship mopped up surviving elements of Gammu's perimeter guardians."More decoys!" he ordered.Globes of white light blinked in the projection fields.Attention in the command bay concentrated on the fields, not on their Bashar.The unexpected! Teg, justly famous for that, was confirming his reputation."I find this oddly romantic," Streggi said.Romantic? No romance in this! The time for romance was past and yet to come.A certain aura might surround plans for violence.He accepted that.Historianscreated their own brand of drama-cum-romance.But now? This was adrenalinetime! Romance distracted you from necessities.You had to be cold inside, aclear and unimpaired line between mind and body.As his hands moved in the comboard's field, Teg realized what had driven Streggito speak.Something primitive about the death and destruction being createdhere.This was a moment cut out of normal order.A disturbing return toancient tribal patterns.She sensed a tom-tom in her breast and voices chanting: "Kill! Kill! Kill!"His vision of guardian no-ships showed survivors fleeing in panic.Good! Panic has a way of spreading and weakening your enemies."There's Barony."Idaho had converted him to the old Harkonnen name for the sprawling city withits giant black centerpiece of plasteel."We'll land on the Flat to the north."He spoke the words but his hands gave the orders.Quickly now!For brief moments when they disgorged troops, no-ships were visible andvulnerable.He held elements of the entire force responsive to his comboard andresponsibility was heavy."This is only a feint.We go in and out after inflicting serious damage.Junction is our real target."Odrade's parting admonition lay there in memory."Honored Matres must be taughta lesson such as never before.Attack us and you get hurt badly.Press us andthe pain can be enormous.They've heard about Bene Gesserit punishments.We'renotorious.No doubt Spider Queen sniggered a bit.You must shove that sniggerdown her throat!""Quit ship!"This was the vulnerable moment.Space above them remained empty of threat butfire lances arced inward from the east.His gunners could handle those.Heconcentrated on the possibility that enemy no-ships might return for a suicideattack.Command bay projections showed his hammerships and troop carrierspouring from the holds.The shock force, an armored elite on suspensors,already had the perimeter secured.There went the portable comeyes to spread his field of observation and relay theintimate details of violence.Communication, the key to responsive command, butit also displayed bloody destruction."All clear!"The signal rang through the bay.He lifted off the Flat and repositioned in full invisibility [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]