Are your principles the true foundation of your life, or window dressing? If you are unwilling to stand up and declare your beliefs for all to see and hear, they are not true beliefs, but mere pretentions.

—MANFORD TORONDO, address to the Landsraad League

After destroying the Thonaris shipyards, the remnants of Manford’s Butlerian fleet went directly to Salusa Secundus. Even though they had lost more than sixty ships to Venport and his technology-lovers, and the remaining vessels were battered and war-scarred, the fleet made an imposing show as it descended to the Zimia Spaceport.

Manford’s blood still ran hot from the battle, and he announced over all channels, to make certain everyone on Salusa heard his news, “We have averted a catastrophe of machine resurgence and defeated a group of human traitors. Now we return to the capital of the Imperium for the support and accolades of the Landsraad League and every member of the government.”

They released carefully edited video images that showed the fearful extent of the reawakened robotic factories, how Josef Venport had flouted the rules of sanity and decency. Immediately following the victory, the Butlerians had remained at Thonaris for the better part of a day to pummel the outpost and shipyards. Venport himself, however, had apparently escaped.

Back at the shipyards, after experiencing the tycoon’s treachery, Manford announced that no prisoners would be taken after all. Every single thinking-machine collaborator was guilty of abominable crimes and deserved a death sentence. Following the constant bombardment from Butlerian warships, Thonaris was no more than a cloud of hot, spreading debris. And Manford was proud of it.

If Emperor Salvador was wise, he would be proud of it, as well. Manford had decided to stay on Salusa for weeks, and months if necessary, until he had his chance to address the representatives of the Landsraad.

Immediately upon arriving in the capital city, he sent out a citizens’ call, formally petitioning the council for a new vote to replace the one that had been interrupted by the bomb threat. This time, Manford would accept no excuses. Considering that he had more than 140 battleships filled with supporters, his request received quick approval, and a vote was scheduled to take place in two weeks.

Emperor Salvador himself strongly urged all Landsraad representatives and proxies to be there.

By the time the date arrived, Manford’s Butlerians were entrenched at the spaceport, flexing their muscle throughout Zimia, recruiting new followers and collecting petitions. When they strongly encouraged citizens to sign their names to the statement, very few people declined.

On the morning of the scheduled vote, Manford pondered the best way to make an impressive entrance to the Landsraad Hall. Three of his followers would carry banners of the inspirational trinity of martyrs to human freedom: pale Rayna Butler, beautiful Serena Butler, and her infant, Manion, who had been murdered by the demented robot Erasmus.

Manford wore a loose shirt without adornment or medals, except for the insignia of a black fist clenched around a machine gear. Although he led the vast Butlerian movement, he thought of himself as a simple man, one of the people, and did not need to embellish himself with bric-a-brac. This time, rather than being carried on a palanquin, as he had previously when addressing the Landsraad Council, he chose to ride on Anari Idaho’s shoulders. This appearance before the nobles was, after all, a battle as crucial as the recent Thonaris victory.

At the appointed time, with more than fifty thousand of his followers crowding the streets and the plaza around the Landsraad Hall, Manford positioned himself outside the great doors and ordered them to be flung open. Anari carried him proudly inside the gigantic hall, with Gilbertus Albans alongside and the three standard-bearers immediately behind them. As the legless man rode forward, he felt light-headed and energized with the blessings of Rayna. Today would be a watershed in their millennial battle.

His heart sank, however, when he saw that nearly half of the seats were empty. Again. “How can this be?” he said to Anari.

He could feel the anger and tension as her shoulder muscles knotted like twisted driftwood, but Anari’s face remained stoic. “Don’t be disheartened. We know we are on the right side.”

He said to Gilbertus Albans, “Mentat, note who is missing. I’ll want a complete list later.”

“I’m already working on it.”

Showing no dismay, Manford nudged Anari as if she were a horse, and she carried him into the speaking area. A dissatisfied muttering passed through the crowd, but he raised his voice, defying them to challenge him. “No more cowardly hiding behind bureaucratic procedures. Today is the day when you will go on record with what you believe. Today you must make a decision and declare yourselves on the side of righteousness, or an enemy of humanity’s future.”

But as he looked at all the empty seats, he realized that many of the representatives were unofficially boycotting the meeting for their own protection, refusing to go on record either way. He should have known it would be difficult to rally them against Venport Holdings, even with the appalling images his followers had obtained at Thonaris. So much of the Imperium depended on VenHold ships and their strange Navigators for travel, supplies, and commerce. Many of the absent representatives might already have gone to their homeworlds to set up defenses or form an active resistance against him.

But Manford’s people were more powerful, and would respond with even greater vigor. He knew that many of his followers would die in the forthcoming struggle, but he would keep track of all their names and include them in volume after volume of The Book of Martyrs.

Manford turned to the Imperial box. He had strongly encouraged the Emperor to express his formal support for the measure.

Reluctantly, Salvador stood in his private box to address the half-empty hall. “We all know the dangers of uncontrolled technology. I cannot help but be overjoyed that our Imperium has a chance to go back to simpler days, peaceful days, the way humans were naturally meant to live.” He paused, as if gathering courage, and said, “I urge you to vote in support of Manford Torondo’s resolution.” Then he sat down, as if trying to get out of view as quickly as possible.

Manford waited, but knew what the vote would ultimately show. Pressed into a corner, reminded of the consequences of intractability, the Landsraad representatives voted overwhelmingly to stand firm against any technology that could be construed as “too sophisticated, too tempting, and too dangerous.”

When the resolution passed, he felt Anari relax beneath him; tension drained from her muscles like spilled water. But Manford wasn’t finished yet and drew himself up as high as he could. “We must be specific, so that no one has any question. Emperor Salvador, I request that you immediately set up a Committee of Orthodoxy to watch over industries and advances, and quell any problem before it can become a danger. Every citizen of the Imperium must have a complete list of acceptable and unacceptable technology, and the government will need an enforcement arm. I volunteer the assistance of my people in these matters.”

Salvador’s resistance had already been broken; not surprisingly, he complied without further argument.

Finished with his work for now, Manford called for adjournment of the meeting. Anari turned and followed the three standard-bearers out of the Landsraad Hall. They stepped through the open doors to face the huge crowd of Butlerian supporters. He raised his hands high in a signal of victory, and the roaring cheers rolled over him.

“Our movement will grow stronger now.” Anari smiled up at him with a look of adoration.

Manford stared at the crowd and at the tall buildings. “We may have won today, but the real battle is just beginning. Humans are weak and don’t like to live without their conveniences. We have to show them, by any means possible, that righteousness is far more important than comfort.”