rolling toward them The Battle of Comn then was a tactical victory but a strategic stalemate for the Sardaukar It cowed the Great Houses and thereby prevented another immediate confrontation But the Landsraad s message was clear negotiate or fight The Sardaukar might win an extended war but their empire would be a graveyard The Burseg saw the wisdom of compromise, and with the Treaty of Cornn became the first Padishah emperor Sheuset Costm I During the first years of his reign expansionist campaigns consolidated his power and channeled the battle-lust of his soldiers Some recalcitrant Landbraad Houses refused to sign the treaty, some independent planetary rulers denied they were bound by it If either kind of holdout could not be persuaded to accept the new order, he invariably had to deal with the Sardaukar, the lion unleashed by the Emperor House Jansine refused to sign and prepared itself for siege Jansine a planet with thriving agriculture and light industry was ready for a long defense Expecting the mete or strike from the skies that had marked earlier Sardaukar campaigns, the people of Jansine suffered instead the meteor shower, ' the infiltration of small numbers of troops across the face of the planet The new tactic won the Order of Victory for its inventor Wel Forald, as his strategically placed guer nlla teams paralyzed communications and SARDAUKAR 443 SARDAUKAR transportation, stormed military barracks, assassinated or captured high military and political leaders, all within a few days The final assault on a demoralized and isolated Jansme capital left no defenders alive UK foolishness of waiting for Ac Sardaukar was not lost on those Houses who joined the Lishash Confederation in the rebellion of 385-388 Several centuries after the foundation of CHOAM, certain houses took exception both to Padishah supremacy and to a proposed division of shares increasing the emperor's votes on the CHOAM board from twenty percent to twenty-one percent In this the Lishasha saw creeping monopoly, and defied it Other houses sharmg the view became allied The LC announced its formation with surprise attacks on Sardaukar forts and outposts within what was now claimed as Confederation territory Preparations for the strike had been made long since, strategy rehearsed, infantry trained and coordinated, fleets of assault ships stealthily readied The initial outcome was successful LC forces achieved most of their primary objectives, but with high losses the besieged Sardaukar launched sorties to bleed and tie down the attackers Nevertheless, LC forces somehow managed to take a handful of Sardaukar officers alive, a feat unheard of, and one mat would not occur again until the Arrakian Revolution When the LC staff offered their captives as hostages, the Regent Henh replied, "Let diem drink blood " This cryptic answer was taken two ways by the captive Sardaukar A few tore out their throats with their fingernails, but most died attacking th