Chapter 82 (When studying history)

As Draigo Roget’s ship spacefolds to Denali, Erasmus allows himself to believe that he and Anna Corrino have escaped immediate danger. The relief is overshadowed by fresh grief over Gilbertus Albans’s public execution and the probable end of the Mentat School under Butlerian pressure. Erasmus, long a student of emotion, now feels real anguish and confusion.

Reliving the Lampadas execution through his spy-eyes, Erasmus recognizes Gilbertus’s serenity at the end and is shocked by his own visceral reaction. The loss triggers unprecedented emotions—dismay, anger, and hatred—leading to an epiphany about Serena Butler’s rage at the Jihad’s inception. He identifies his feelings as hatred and vows to act against Manford Torondo and the Butlerians.

During descent, Draigo promises Denali’s safety and the interest its researchers will have in the robot’s core. Erasmus, speaking through Anna, expresses reciprocal curiosity. He assesses Denali’s poisonous environment and its domed research complex as fertile ground for collaboration with rational scientists who also oppose the fanatics.

Projecting forward, Erasmus considers persuading Denali researchers to build him a new body and contemplates a return strike on the Butlerians, understanding that it will require careful planning. He also recognizes a growing protective attachment to Anna, noting the risk of further emotional loss.

On landing, a reception party of cymek walkers approaches. Their leader, Ptolemy, announces the reborn Titan project and an army in preparation. Seeing the powerful mechanical forms, Erasmus anticipates a potent alliance among himself, the cymeks, and sympathetic humans—an opportunity to reclaim strength and pursue vengeance.