Via screens and contact terminals dispersed around the city grid, Omnius spoke to robots that were at work repairing damage from the recent abortive slave rebellion. He would have liked to discuss strategy with Erasmus -- who, despite his myriad flaws, seemed to have some understanding of human irrationality. But the frustratingly contrary robot was out of touch, fled to distant Corrin. Even the expected can be a terrible shock when we have been holding on to threads of hope?