BOOK THREE - CHAPTER NINE
 

Man is an animal permeated by technology - this cannot be denied. Technology is the cause, the catalyst and the product of human intellectual ascension. The moment the symbiosis between protohuman and artifact became a reality, he became human, compensating for his physical deficiences and in effect laying the groundwork for the growth of his intellect and the expansion of his potential spheres of influence. In denying technology the possbility of expanding into the realm of independent thought- a period that has become known as the Butlerian Jihad - vital but ultimately temporary limitations were imposed on the advancement of humanity, enforcing the emergence of schools focusing on allegedly natural abilities. The God-Emperor's Golden Path formed the final stage of this development, educating mankind to such an extent that the archaic regulations of the Jihad could finally be laid to rest. The essence of the Golden Path is to avert stagnation, and the acceptance of technology as an integral part of human existence, compounded by the expansion of awareness necessary for such a transition, accomodates the optimum extrapolation of the God-Emperor's plan. Biochemical wetware contains inherent vulnerabilities that can be compensated for by a symbiosis with intelligent hardware - multiple backup systems, exponential expansion of memory space and vastly increased physical abilities. The translation of abilities formerly captured in training and education into tangible alterations to one's body signifies laying the foundation for an even further increase of potential for humanity's continued evolution, thus forming the ultimate realisation of the essence of man itself.
-from "The Prometheus Manifesto"-
 

Murbella was dying.

She didn't feel pain anymore - the shock to her nervous system had been too severe. All that was left for her to experience was the slow disappearance of the sensation of being alive - a cold, dark numbness replacing the intimate awareness of her body and its functioning Bene Gesserit training had programmed into her.

The apparent liquidification of reality around her had stopped. At first she had thought the strange events she had observed around her were somehow part of the process of dying - it was fitting that exiting life would be accompanied by the perception of its desintegration - but now she remembered. Duncan's mysterious abilities.

The strangeness of that concept did not offend her. Instead, the resignation that life was over muddled the experience of all strong emotions. The end being so near, her mind felt compelled to travel back to the past, listing the highlights and low points of her life one last time before leaving it, drawing up the inventory for whomever was in charge of assigning the places in the afterlife. Brief flashes of feeling returned at some of the things she remembered.

Her birth was there, which seemed strange to her, since she hadn't been aware of anything of importance during the first few stages of her life, the process of learning basic perception and motor skills having not progressed far enough to enable the absorption of lasting impressions or memories.

Terrible rage was there, the years amongst the Honoured Matres clouding her judgment with uncontrollable anger - a tragic veil that was finally lifted by her Bene Gesserit education.

The most powerful memories emerged then. Duncan, my sweet Duncan, she thought. It seems we were not meant to be together after all. If only I could hold you one last time ...

The aversion against love the Bene Gesserit had imprinted in her briefly emerged, but she managed to silence that voice. Odrade was much weaker than I. She fell in love during her first imprinting, was unusually mild to erring acolytes, and pretended she was Sea Child in her dreams. Don't lecture me on emotional weakness!

The Van Gogh painting was there as well, and Taraza holding it up for her, saying: "You didn't understand, did you? It was right at the edge of your mind, and you didn't have the strength to reach past that edge!"

All images disappeared then, and Murbella could see all the way to the end of her life. It was then that she understood her future. There is nothing beyond death, despite what religions have been claiming for millennia! All there is, all that is left of my life, is awaiting the approach of the abyss.

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