Prelude to Dune [03] - House Corrino by Frank Herbert

Author:Frank Herbert
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
Tags: Science Fiction, Fiction, General
ISBN: 9780553896954
Publisher: Spectra
Published: 2001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

It is astonishing how foolish humans can be in groups, especially when they follow their leaders without question.

— States: The Bene Gesserit View,

All States Are an Abstraction

The Imperial fleet arrived at Korona without warning, the next blow in Shaddam’s Great Spice War. With eight battle cruisers and fully armed frigates, it was a show of force even more fearsome than the one that had blackened the most populous cities of Zanovar.

The military vessels converged upon the artificial moon for an on-site investigation. Over the comsystem, Supreme Bashar Zum Garon issued his ultimatum. “We are here by order of the Padishah Emperor. You, House Richese, are charged with possessing an undocumented stockpile of melange, strictly against the laws set forth in Imperial and Landsraad courts.” The hardened commander then waited for their response. Let’s see how guilty they act.

Desperate pleas erupted from the control rooms of Korona, echoed moments later by appeals from the Richesian government below.

The Supreme Bashar, staring out from the flagship bridge, accepted none of the transmissions. He spoke into a loudspeaker system. “By order of his Awesome Majesty Shaddam IV, we will search for contraband melange. If found, the spice will be confiscated, and Korona station will be summarily destroyed. Thus the Emperor has commanded.”

Two battle frigates slipped into the artificial laboratory moon’s receiving bays. The Richesian fools attempted to reseal the airlock doors, so two cruisers fired upon other docking bays, blasting open the hatches and spewing air, cargo, and bodies into space.

As docking collars clanged together and grappling claws forced open the sealed hull of the moon, Garon transmitted a further warning. “Any resistance will be met with extreme measures. You have precisely two hours to evacuate Korona. If we find evidence sufficient to warrant the annihilation of this facility, any person remaining on the station at that time will die.”

From the flagship bridge, Garon stepped into a lift that carried him down to the disembarkation level. Korona did not have sufficient defenses to resist the Sardaukar. No one did.

The veteran commander led a full regiment into the orbiting laboratory. Through the metal corridors, alarms rang, lights flashed, sirens echoed. Inventors, technicians, and lab workers scrambled toward evacuation ships. At the hub of a walkway system, the Supreme Bashar gestured for his soldiers to separate into teams and begin their search. They understood that it might be necessary to torture a few employees to determine the location of the stockpile.

A florid-faced man stumbled like a cannonball out of a lift tube, rushing from his administrative center to meet the Sardaukar vanguard. He flailed his hands. “You can’t do this, sir! I am Laboratory Director Flinto Kinnis, and I tell you that two hours is not enough time. We don’t have sufficient ships. We need to recall vessels from Richese just for the people, not to mention all the research materials. It will take at least a day to evacuate.”

Garon’s weathered face showed no sympathy. “The Emperor will not have his orders questioned or resisted in any manner.

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