The Giant Corporations that Started in Night City

Chapter 305: One Sweep to End It All! Purge Mission! Execute the Mastermind!

When Anya finally laid out the entire truth in detail, the interrogators—including Duncan—were left utterly stunned.

Because the assassin from the Sisterhood wasn't just any member; she was a bona fide high-ranking Bene Gesserit operative!

It's important to understand—not every member of the Sisterhood qualifies as a Bene Gesserit. It's like having official status within an organization: only those "on the books" get the benefits. The outsourced, disposable ones? They're only useful when there's dirty work to be done or someone needs to take the fall.

But a legitimate Bene Gesserit receives the Sisterhood's highest-tier training and resources. From spice exposure to advanced skill development, the investment of materials, time, and effort is massive.

After enduring a rigorous education, a Bene Gesserit masters a suite of specialized abilities: Voice manipulation, lie detection, combat, assassination, political maneuvering, and deep psychological insight.

In short, every Bene Gesserit is an elite among women. They're scholars, assassins, politicians—and, when necessary, lethal tools of influence. They can pen policy in one hand and deliver death with the other.

This rare blend of capability and prestige is why Bene Gesserit members are respected across the board.

Even without noble titles, the moment they reveal their identity, they are treated as honored guests in any household within the Galactic Imperium.

And now, a high-ranking Bene Gesserit had infiltrated House Atreides, attempting to assassinate the Duke himself. This was nothing less than an open declaration of war from the Sisterhood against the Atreides.

It was official: the mask was off.

The Bene Gesserit, like the Spacing Guild, typically held lofty positions and remained politically neutral.

They were known for being shrewd fence-sitters, rarely committing to any one side. Yet now, this ever-calculating order had made a bold, decisive move—throwing their full support behind House Corrino.

Which meant: the Bene Gesserit and House Atreides were now locked in a battle to the bitter end. There would be no going back.

Upon receiving this bombshell, Duncan couldn't immediately verify its truth. So he decided to investigate.

His method was simple: while ordering guards to round up the remaining Sisterhood assassins based on Anya's intel, he continued torturing her for confirmation.

The scene inside the underground prison grew increasingly horrific. Anya, caught between life and death, passed out twice before she could finally catch her breath.

Thanks to the intelligence she provided, House Atreides' soldiers successfully dismantled several Sisterhood hideouts on Arrakis and captured more than a dozen high-ranking Bene Gesserit operatives.

Once Duncan thoroughly confirmed the accuracy of the intel, he cautiously reported everything to Duke Leto and Song Zhaomei.

Soon, news of the Sisterhood formally siding with House Corrino and declaring open opposition to House Atreides spread throughout Atreides leadership and the major departments within the Megacorp.

The assassination attempt on Song Zhaomei and the Sisterhood's alignment drew intense concern from every branch of the Megacorp.

Song Zhaomei, who had full authority over the 005 [Dune] universe consolidation mission, immediately applied pressure on Duke Leto, demanding full cooperation with the Megacorp's unification plan.

Naturally, Leto didn't dare drag his feet. He declared that from this day forward, Song Zhaomei was essentially the "parent" of House Atreides—whatever she said, went. Atreides would comply without question!

After putting House Atreides in its place, Song Zhaomei quickly returned to the flagship and summoned senior military commanders and departmental heads for a strategy meeting.

Before calling the meeting, she followed her usual protocol—checking in with the boss Li Ang to clarify his stance on the Sisterhood, so she could base her decisions on his guidance.

Li Ang 's response consisted of just four words: "Wipe them all out."

Inside the Flagship's command center, within the strategy hall—

After reading the latest intel from the Intelligence Division, Jack Wells let out a cold snort, a frosty glint flashing in his eyes. "Those Bene Gesserit bitches are bold. They actually dared to go after one of ours!"

Jack had just transferred from the 004 [Halo] universe, where he'd finished the campaign to unify the Covenant. Now barely settled in the [Dune] universe, this assassination attempt had already landed on his plate.

The designated candidate for interstellar governor of the Megacorp had nearly been assassinated by the Sisterhood.

If Song Zhaomei hadn't been equipped with the latest Divergence-Seer ocular system, which allowed her to detect the attacker's position in advance, she might have already met her maker.

Originally, the Megacorp had planned to absorb the Sisterhood into the Strategic Talent Division—aiming to minimize casualties through appeasement and recruitment.

But at this point, there was no avoiding bloodshed.

As Jack finished speaking, the more hawkish officers chimed in one after another:

"The Sisterhood went too far. They killed our exec—time to return the favor, blood for blood!"

While the others were eager to retaliate, one voice remained calm—Captain Andrew didn't immediately speak, silently weighing the situation.

At that moment, Song Zhaomei returned to the hall, having just finished her call with Li Ang. She formally joined the senior leadership to discuss how to handle the crisis.

Despite Li Ang's orders, Song Zhaomei still hoped to stick with her previous approach: focus on recruitment over eradication. She didn't want to see the Sisterhood suffer heavy casualties.

After all, the Megacorp now spanned multiple parallel universes, and resources were no longer scarce.

Thanks to Li Ang 's brilliant leadership and the efficiency of their operations, the Megacorp had managed to unify entire universes without getting bogged down in endless wars.

With surplus resources and manpower, the Megacorp primarily focused on building human settlements and prosperous inter-universal trade hubs.

In that context, what the Megacorp truly needed was elite talent—experts with unique skills.

And the Sisterhood had exactly that kind of talent.

Just look at their capabilities: lie detection and Voice manipulation—abilities that the Intelligence Division had been salivating over.

If the Sisterhood were integrated into the Megacorp, the Intelligence Division's efficiency could see a 20% boost, at minimum.

What's more, the Special Abilities division was currently a gap in the Megacorp's structure. As the head of the Strategic Talent Division, Song Zhaomei placed high value on the Sisterhood's potential.

Her plan: capture and punish the ringleaders, like Reverend Mother Helen, but deal leniently with the rest. Focus on rehabilitation and recruitment wherever possible.

But this strategy came with risks.

Song Zhaomei might be Li Ang's handpicked governor-to-be, but her mercy wouldn't necessarily earn the respect of their enemies—or the allegiance of other houses.

If she showed weakness, the noble houses and rival factions in the 005 [Dune] universe might take her lightly, leading to potential disobedience or subversion in the future.

If she mishandled this crisis, her governorship could be plagued by endless troubles.

On paper, the solution seemed simple: act tough, or show mercy. But both choices carried heavy consequences.

Too much bloodshed, and they'd lose irreplaceable talent—missing the chance to develop special operations entirely.

Too much leniency, and she'd be sitting on a political time bomb, one that could explode at any time.

So the way she handled the Sisterhood would shape her entire tenure as governor. Striking the right balance was her top priority.

"Commander Jack, what's your take on how we should handle this?"

Song Zhaomei turned to Jack Wells, current leader of the Iron Hands Legion, asking for his opinion.

Jack, one of the Megacorp's top military commanders, was second only to his predecessor V. But unlike the measured, composed V, Jack was bold, flamboyant, and headstrong.

And it was precisely this brash charisma that inspired his Astartes warriors to fight with unmatched bravery and zeal. Morale in the Iron Hands warband ran high—because Jack led from the front.

Jack Wells now commanded immense authority, so Song Zhaomei naturally sought his opinion first—after all, he spoke for the majority of the Astartes warriors.

Seeing this, Jack didn't waste words. He fixed his eyes on Song Zhaomei's face and responded in a grave, stern voice:

"Director Song, the assassination orchestrated by the Bene Gesserit this time has made their position abundantly clear—they are acting in direct opposition to the interests of the Megacorporation."

"If the boss wants a clean sweep, then my opinion is simple: kill. Kill them until they're terrified—clean out every last one of those witches, inside and out. No loose ends."

Jack Wells had only recently returned from the battlefield of Halo 004. The bloodlust from combat still clung to him.

For someone like him, handling this kind of situation meant total extermination. Not a single one would be spared. The Bene Gesserit? The Megacorporation has no use for them!

After hearing Jack's answer, Song Zhaomei fell silent. To her, his response essentially meant abandoning the Bene Gesserit entirely.

But doing so would mean losing their sonic manipulation and precognitive abilities—capabilities that would vanish along with them.

Such a scenario was unacceptable to the Megacorporation, and certainly not what the boss, Li Ang , wanted to see.

"Captain Andrew, what's your view on this matter?"

Song Zhaomei turned her gaze to Andrew, the newly appointed captain of the Legacy, a senior officer from the UNSC department within Halo 004.

Currently, Andrew held command of the Second Expeditionary Corps, which technically granted him the authority to mobilize elite warriors from various units for any operation.

His clearance level was similarly high.

When Song Zhaomei passed this thorny issue to him, Andrew paused to think, carefully considering how to respond.

He knew that if she was still soliciting opinions after hearing from Jack, it wasn't because she wanted diverse perspectives. It meant she wasn't satisfied with Jack's response.

In most cases, leadership doesn't actually "consult" with subordinates—they've already set the tone internally. The purpose of asking for opinions is just to get people to fall in line.

That's why a subordinate must be able to grasp the leader's intent—even when it's only implied.

Andrew wasn't new to this game. As someone who had reached the upper political echelons of the UNSC, he immediately understood what Song Zhaomei was getting at. He quickly adjusted and offered a completely opposite answer to Jack's.

That is: only punish the ringleaders. Make an example out of them.

"According to reliable intelligence from the Information Division, the assassination was carried out by high-ranking members of the Bene Gesserit. But their primary target was Duke Leto."

"These Bene Gesserit operatives wanted to trigger internal chaos within House Atreides—they weren't targeting the Megacorporation directly."

From the outset, Andrew began mitigating the severity of the Bene Gesserit's offense, laying the groundwork for his real suggestion.

"But that doesn't mean we should tolerate their recklessness. We must respond."

"So my proposal is this: using House Atreides—the primary victim—as the official front, we rally other imperial houses to retaliate against the Bene Gesserit. That way, our actions are justified. Simultaneously, we encourage each noble house to report any Bene Gesserit personnel in their ranks."

Andrew's proposal had two core objectives. The first was obvious: retaliation was necessary, but it had to be conducted in the name of House Atreides.

After all, Duke Leto was the most direct victim. Every grievance must have a face; every debt must have a debtor. It made sense for the Megacorporation to step in as an impartial adjudicator.

And this rationale could be used to pressure other houses to cooperate—handing over the names of Bene Gesserit operatives within their factions.

Any house that refused to cooperate would immediately be expelled from the imperial order and suffer the same fate as House Corrino.

In truth, most noble houses already knew where the Bene Gesserit leadership was hiding—after all, these women often served their families.

But without a legitimate excuse, those houses were unlikely to hand them over easily.

Now, however, the Megacorporation had proper justification. They couldn't refuse even if they wanted to. Once the Bene Gesserit operatives were gathered in one place, the rest would be easy.

Who should be executed, who could be spared—it would all become crystal clear. Judgments could then be made accordingly.

The second objective of Andrew's plan was to signal to the Bene Gesserit: the Megacorporation knows you backed the wrong side, but we're giving you a chance to switch allegiances.

We'll only target "a select few"—no need for a mass purge. If you want to side with the winner, vote with your feet.

Andrew was confident that his two-pronged strategy would leave the Bene Gesserit both appeased and compliant.

As for who would be made an example—Reverend Mother Helen was the obvious choice. She would be the chicken slaughtered to scare the monkeys. Execution was inevitable.

After hearing Andrew's proposal, the officers who had been seething with righteous fury just moments before fell silent. Song Zhaomei, on the other hand, nodded in satisfaction.

Andrew's thinking aligned perfectly with her own—this was exactly the kind of subordinate she needed. Without hesitation, she finalized the personnel for the purge operation.

"Andrew, I'm transferring full command of the First and Second Expeditionary Corps to you. You are to eliminate the Bene Gesserit and House Corrino without delay!"

"Don't keep the boss or me waiting. The situation here could change at any moment—I won't tolerate any further complications."

When it comes to appointing people, you naturally pick those who understand your strategy and intent. Andrew's insights were a perfect match for Song Zhaomei's expectations.

Having worked closely under Li Ang for so many years, and accomplished so much, Song Zhaomei was no longer the soft, sensitive little nightingale she used to be.

Her ruthlessness and political finesse now rivaled her former superior, President Myres. If this were the old her, she might've just executed a few Bene Gesserit elites as a warning and called it a day.

But after so many universal consolidation campaigns, Song Zhaomei understood deeply: every civilization respects power, not virtue.

Showing mercy once only convinces others that exploiting you comes at little cost—and that just invites more transgressions.

If the Bene Gesserit got away with an assassination attempt today, then next time it might be assassins from the Spacing Guild—or another noble house.

That said, ruthless force and calculated restraint must both be part of the strategy. The former yields immediate results, but the latter is what ensures long-term stability.

"I support Captain Andrew's proposal!"

At that moment, other fleet captains and senior commanders began voicing their support as well, backing Song Zhaomei's personnel choices.

A full-scale purge of the Bene Gesserit might sound cathartic, but executing it would drag on for years.

After all, the Megacorporation had spent several years just fighting the Covenant War in Halo 004. Trying to eliminate a network as deeply entrenched and widespread as the Bene Gesserit across the entire Imperium would be an impossible grind.

Andrew's plan, in contrast, was both efficient and realistic.

"If we're going to wipe out every last one of those witches, who knows how long that'll take? The boss definitely doesn't want us stuck in Universe 005 for too long."

"We need to act quickly—strike hard, finish off House Corrino and the Bene Gesserit in one clean blow."

"Exactly! This is also a good opportunity to test each house's loyalty. Any who hesitate or disobey—expose them and take them down too!"

"…"

Listening to the other officers speak, Jack Wells chuckled quietly. Just a few years ago, he'd rampaged through the Halo universe with Lied.

Back then, situations like this were handled with brute force—crushing everything in their path. None of this scheming or political maneuvering. These roundabout decisions were something he still wasn't used to.

"Alright then, it's settled."

Song Zhaomei slapped her hand on the desk, issuing her final orders to the room:

"Captain Andrew will oversee the purge operation. Additionally, I'll dispatch the Celestial Vanguard to carry out a decapitation strike on Reverend Mother Helen of the Bene Gesserit."

"As for who will lead that strike—David Martinez will take point."

"This mission must succeed swiftly and decisively. I expect everyone to work in unison. I will not leave a mess for the new Imperial Governor of the Dune universe to clean up."

With those words, Song Zhaomei made the strategic tone of the operation unmistakably clear: eliminate the ringleaders, and wrap up every problem in the Dune universe before her formal appointment as its governor.

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