The Logical Endpoint

The discussions regarding AR-15's & Orlando jogged a memory of reading Frank Herbert's Sci-Fi novel "Dune Messiah" many years ago, and of a specific passage about warrior technology and what a single armed warrior can do.

The Messiah, Paul Muad'Dib, urges his lieutenant Stilgar to read history:

"Stilgar," Paul said, "you urgently need a sense of balance which can come only from an understanding of long-term effects. What little information we have about the old times, the pittance of data which the Butlerians left us, Korba has brought it for you. Start with the Genghis Khan."

Ghengis... Khan? Was he of the Sardaukar, m'Lord?"

"Oh, long before that. He killed... perhaps four million."

He must've had formidable weaponry to kill that many, Sire. Lasbeams, perhaps, or..."

"He didn't kill them himself, Stil. He killed the way I kill, by sending out his legions. There's another emperor I want you to note in passing - a Hitler. He killed more than six million. Pretty good for those days.'

"Killed... by his legions?" Stilgar asked.

"Yes"

"Not very impressive statistics, m'Lord."