Chapter 49 (I am an educated, rational businessman)

Josef Venport, enraged by the Butlerian-instigated slaughter at Baridge—including the death of Navigator Royce Fayed—decries Emperor Salvador’s inaction and vows to punish those backing Manford Torondo. Learning that the backwater world Lectaire has reaffirmed its oath to the Butlerians, Josef decides on a covert strike that cannot be traced to VenHold.

Josef chooses to deploy his secret weapon: cymeks built on Denali using failed Navigator brains. He intends to erase Lectaire’s settlements without evidence, framing it as a necessary response in a larger war of civilizations. Draigo Roget and Cioba witness his resolve, while Josef calculates political risks and deniability.

On Denali, Ptolemy readies eighteen of his best cymek walkers, still seething over past Butlerian atrocities. Administrator Noffe assists in loading the force. Norma Cenva herself pilots the spacefolder, acknowledges the revenge motive, and mourns Royce Fayed, even as she warns that ignorance shields the Butlerians.

Arriving at Lectaire, the cymeks drop in at dusk near the principal market city. Without warning, they sweep through, using cannons and flamers to obliterate buildings and fleeing civilians, then expand to destroy surrounding farms. Ptolemy, observing via their feeds, revels in the precision and lethality before numbing himself to the screams.

With Norma scanning for traffic from orbit, Ptolemy maps all settlements and projects a complete scouring within a week. The operation’s scale and secrecy mark a decisive, brutal escalation by VenHold, deepening the cycle of vengeance and pushing the Imperium closer to catastrophic conflict.