Battle of Lampadas (0 BG)

The Battle of Lampadas was a three-way engagement between the Butlerian movement, Venport Holdings, and the forces of House Corrino on the surface and in orbit of the planet Lampadas, taking place eight decades after the end of the Butlerian Jihad. The battle marked the severe weakening of the Butlerian movement due to the death of Leader Manford Torondo and the subsequent occupation of the planet by Imperial forces. It also dealt a devastating blow to Josef Venport's commercial empire and solidified Emperor Roderick Corrino's rule.

Background
With the Imperium in turmoil due to the conflict between the fanatical Butlerian movement, headed by Leader Manford Torondo, and the commercial empire of Venport Holdings, headed by Directeur Josef Venport, the recently-crowned Emperor Roderick Corrino struggles to solidify his position after the incompetent rule of his brother Salvador and wishes that the two extreme forces annihilated one another.

After breaking VenHold's siege of Salusa Secundus, with the help of the timely arrival of the Butlerian fleet, and Admiral Umberto Harte's battlegroup's successful escape from Josef Venport's clutches, Roderick sends Harte's ships to Lampadas using conventional FTL drives, where Harte is to lie in wait at the outskirts of the system and ambush whatever Butlerian ships survive the attack on Kolhar, the headquarters of VenHold. Unbeknownst to Roderick, Manford Torondo has obtained a cache of forbidden atomics from a planetary ruler loyal to the Butlerian cause. With their help, the Butlerians turn what would have been a massacre of their forces into a decisive victory against their hated enemy, devastating the planet with nuclear fire.

Josef Venport manages to survive thanks to a prescient warning by his great-grandmother Norma Cenva. He summons Emperor Roderick to Arrakis to discuss a rapprochement. Roderick agrees on the condition that Venport destroys the Butlerians. Venport agrees eagerly and personally commands a fleet of spacefolders in a strike against Lampadas, where Leader Manford Torondo lives.

Battle
VenHold forces arrive in orbit of Lampadas and engage in a battle against the old Ballista-class battleships used by the fanatical Butlerians. At the same time, 100 VenHold cymeks with brains of failed Navigators are dropped in pods onto the capital city of Lampadas with orders to cleanse the planet of all life. They are led by a scientist named Ptolemy, who has a personal score to settle with Torondo for destroying his lab and killing his friend and research partner.

Admiral Harte observes the battle in orbit of Lampadas using stealth probes, awaiting a moment to strike at both enemies.

In orbit, the outnumbered and outgunned Butlerians resort to suicidal tactics, such as ramming and firing lasguns at shielded VenHold ships, resulting in mutual annihilation. Venport orders his ships to lower their shields, exposing them to fire but preventing them from being instantly destroyed by the laser-shield interaction.

On the surface of Lampadas, the cymeks are killing thousands of people, most of whom are devout Butlerians. The fanatics rush the giant walker forms, dying by tens of thousands, but the survivors manage to overwhelm the cymeks and smash their brain canisters. Manford Torondo leads his followers into battle atop his Swordmaster Anari Idaho, but Ptolemy picks him up and tears him to pieces before the Butlerians overwhelm and kill him as well. By the end of the ground battle, tens, if not hundreds of thousand of people are dead, but so are all the cymeks. The capital city is leveled by the cymeks' destructive weapons, and the Butlerians have lost their leader.

In space, VenHold ships manage to destroy or heavily damage most of the Butlerian ships, but at great cost to the VenHold fleet. Picking this moment to intervene, Admiral Harte orders his ships to open fire on all VenHold and Butlerian ships, the strike surprising even the prescient Normal Cenva. Weak and damaged, VenHold forces are unable to fight back effectively, and Venport orders a retreat. To buy the Navigators several moments to charge their Holtzman engines, Venport transmits a message to Admiral Harte, warning him that he is holding the Emperor's sister Anna Corrino hostage. Harte pauses his attack, allowing the surviving VenHold ships to jump away to Denali, the location of VenHold's secret laboratory.

Aftermath
Admiral Harte's forces take control of Lampadas and send a message to Emperor Roderick, who arrives in force to put an end to the Butlerian movement. While the movement itself survives under the leadership of Anari Idaho, the devastating casualties and the loss of all spacecraft have set it back. Roderick, infuriated at Venport holding his sister hostage, orders Harte to scour the damaged VenHold ships and interrogate the surviving crews as to the location of the Directeur. Harte's people manage to locate the coordinates of Denali, allowing Roderick to attack the planet in force.

Appearances

 * Navigators of Dune