ng, remvigoration, and finally rejoicing became a yearly cycle These rituals were directed by a tribe's chief priestess who was seen as the link between the goddess and the Komans Priestesses were trained at any of several primary training centers, but there was only one higher-level school which graduated priestesses There they received an introduc tiOB into the training of the Bene Gessent All priestesses were at least qualified mem bers of the order, it is probable that the chief priestesses were all Reverend Mothers Considering their vital role in Komos social history, it is not surprising that the priestesses of Kubebe played an essential part in the Butlenan Jihad the Great Revolt which began in 200 B G (see BUTLERIAN JIHAD, JEHANNE BUTLER) After Centuries of a bucolic existence under die thumb of Richese, the population of Komos arose and almost unanimously, traveled to Richese as a conquering army In 198 B G , with the Jihad about to leave Richese lor the far reaches of the galaxy, Jehanne Butler ordered those Richesans who did not choose to join her crusade to be transported to the now nearly-deserted Komos Since the farming technology of Komos had been computerized only at a very elementary level, it had not been destroyed in the first stages of the Great Revolt The survival of these machines, as well as the astonishing fecundity of the planet, ensured that many of the new settlers would live A substantial number of the technicians and mechanics from Richese survived the wars and chose to stay behind on Komos Most of thes,e men and women able to think and act for themselves lived to form the basis for the new population of Komos So began the transition of agrarian Komos to highly tech nological Ix This population was provided with two great advantages First the position of Endani A within the inhabited worlds was a great boon The system was oddly isolated within its galaxy, which in turn was on the fringes of human settlement The ravages of the Jihad especially severe m the sector of Endani A resulted m even greater isolation Indeed for several centuries after the Jihad thpse on Komos were cut off from contact with the rest ot the human race At tirst this isolation was involuntary after that it was by choice Second the immediate riches of the vast agricultural development of Komos produced a life of ease for the inhabitants, who thus had leisure time in which to think and experiment The resettled technicians and mechanics of Richese naturally turned to machine tech nology as one way to occupy their time taking great care to avoid the development of population controlling machines There was some early resistance to this technology but as the decades passed and the planet remained alone m a forgotten corner of the universe decisive steps in the rebirth of truly sophist! cated technology were taken By the year 110 B G Aurelius Venport and Norma Cevna had pioneered m the field of interstellar travel to a point b