Giving the latest technology and weaponry to your military forces might seem to be enough to overwhelm the enemy, but unless you bring mental firepower to the fight, it could all be for naught.

—a general of Old Earth

Over the decades that Gilbertus Albans had operated the Mentat School, a handful of graduates stood out in his recollection. In addition to Draigo Roget, who by now had surely found a powerful benefactor among the Landsraad nobles, he remembered Korey Niv, Hermine Castro, Sheaffer Parks, Farley Denton—and a number of exceptional Sisters from the school on Rossak. All of the faces streamed across his well-ordered memory, along with anecdotes about their experiences at the school.

And now Karee Marques had returned, one of the last pureblood Sorceresses. Because of her training in the Sisterhood, Karee already had an organized mind and precise control of her body. A perfect Mentat candidate, she had excelled here. Of the eight Sisters he had developed into Mentats, Karee was by far the best. He had spent much time discussing her with Erasmus. Gilbertus was very glad to see her back.

Upon landing at Lampadas, Karee had dispatched a message to inform him of her imminent arrival. The ancient woman stepped off a high-speed marshboat onto one of the floating decks around the school buildings. She was more than a century old, and her white hair had thinned; he hoped that she did not notice anything untoward about his own apparent age, which had not changed in years. The Sisters were extraordinarily perceptive.…

He met her at the dock and welcomed her warmly. She had visited him two other times in the years since her graduation, but had never brought gifts. Now he noted that she carried a small parcel.

After asking about the two recent Sister graduates, who had already returned to Rossak, Gilbertus led her inside the airy buildings that Karee knew so well. When they reached his office, she presented the parcel to him, smiling.

He raised his eyebrows, studying details and trying to look for clues. “Shall I have it scanned by security?”

Sister Karee laughed, a cheerful sound. “It may have explosive implications for Mentats, but I assure you there is no direct threat.”

From the time he’d established the school, Gilbertus had set up stringent security precautions. His primary goal was to protect the memory core of Erasmus, but his general concerns had proved well founded when eight years ago a rival mental-techniques institute issued a legal challenge against the Mentat School and undermined Gilbertus’s ability to obtain financing. He had never even heard of the rival institute before, but the competitor pursued the matter in court. After their case was dismissed as groundless, the incensed leader sent saboteurs to firebomb the Lampadas site, and the attack had resulted in the loss of two buildings and damage to others. In response, Emperor Salvador disbanded the rival school and sent its leaders to prison.

But Gilbertus trusted Karee Marques. He worked at the knots with his fingers, but the cords securing the package were tightly tied. “It seems you’ve provided me with quite a challenge.”

Gilbertus was also worried about the remnants of technology he kept, the decommissioned combat meks and dismantled computer minds that served as valuable instructional tools—especially after the antics of Erasmus in terrifying the staid Alys Carroll. Manford Torondo had just returned to Lampadas with a larger group of enthusiastic Butlerians than had ever been gathered before, and the legless man had requested a private meeting with Gilbertus tomorrow.

Yes, the Mentat School needed security.

Finally, he removed the stubborn cord and pulled open the wrapping on the parcel to reveal several glass vials filled with ruby-red liquid.

Karee leaned forward. “It’s called sapho, a potent distillation we have developed in my chemical studies on Rossak. It comes from the barrier roots on Ecaz.” He raised his eyebrows, and she continued. “I’ve tested it on several Sisters, and all of them noticed the effects, but it is most profoundly effective among our Mentats.”

Gilbertus held a bottle up to the light, and the rich color sparkled through the glass. “What does it do?”

“Promotes intense concentration and focus. Orders your thoughts, sharpens your acuity. I have tried it myself. After drinking even a small dose, one of my laboratory technicians developed many avenues of research that we hadn’t considered before.”

He decided to test the substance and ask Erasmus for his opinion. “Side effects?”

She opened her mouth, showed him a startling redness on her tissues. “It stains skin, so be careful not to spill it on your lips, or anywhere else. No other known side effects. If you find the sapho beneficial and decide to let your Mentat students use it, I can provide you with the distillation process. It is my gift back to this great school. I’m sure you can obtain the raw materials easily from merchants on Ecaz.”

“Thank you.” He set the vial back down without opening it. “I will try it later, after further study. I thank you for the opportunity. We must pursue every avenue to assist us in improving the human mind.”

*   *   *

THE FOLLOWING MORNING, Gilbertus prepared for his meeting with Manford Torondo, the Mentat School’s uneasy ally.

With a spring in her step, his student, Alys Carroll, ushered the Butlerian leader into his offices, and Gilbertus stood to receive him. Silent bearers carried Manford on a palanquin. The Butlerian leader did not pretend this was a social call. He spoke briskly. “We can all rejoice, Headmaster, for now we are able to expand our efforts and seize the full attention of the Imperium. Emperor Salvador has given our movement more than two hundred warships from the Army of Humanity.”

“You have an admirable goal,” Gilbertus said, because he was expected to.

“We continue to find violations, stubborn and foolish resistance. Therefore, I have decided to push the line back even farther. We must set an example. My own allies need to help us prove the point.” Manford’s eyes narrowed as he looked around the office, as if looking for any form of evil technology. Gilbertus felt a chill, aware that the robot’s memory core was hidden inside the sealed cabinet. He knew Erasmus would be eavesdropping with his spyeyes even now.

“I want your school’s help with this, Gilbertus Albans.”

He mastered his expression, keeping his face a calm mask. “What is it you require from me?”

“I need Mentats who are trained as battle tacticians. With our newly acquired warships, I need Mentats to project battlefield scenarios. In a very literal sense, this will be a war for the hearts of humankind.”

Gilbertus already knew his students were quite capable, since he and Draigo had played theoretical war games many times, yet he hesitated. “I suppose it could be done.”

“Then it will be done. I’ll need as many as you can provide—especially my Butlerian students.”

Alys spoke up quickly. “I will volunteer for the effort. I can adjust my training accordingly.” She looked at Manford, then at Gilbertus. “And I know many other students who are like me.”

“I have no doubt of it,” Manford said.

Gilbertus felt uneasy. He smiled and nodded.

“With your help,” Manford continued, “we will lock down the unmonitored worlds, cleanse them and save them in spite of themselves. The machine lovers have their technology, but I shall have my Mentats.”

“The mind of man is holy,” Alys intoned.

Gilbertus forced himself not to look at the innocent-seeming cabinet where he kept Erasmus. “It may take months to prepare them adequately, but I’ll implement the new curriculum tomorrow.”

“Do it today,” Manford said.

Alys opened the door, and Manford’s palanquin bearers turned and carried him out of the office.