IX.	Ixian Confederation.		IX.
IX. Ixian Insignia. Ix is a planet of the Landsraad League, noted as classed with the planet Richese as "supreme in machine culture," and that Ixian solido projectors "are commonly considered the best." The planet's name (a spelling pronunciation of the Roman numeral IX) is derived from the fact that it is the ninth planet of its sun. Ixian devices are commonplace and considered essential throughout the rest of the series, though they sometimes test the limits of the anti-technology proscriptions of the Butlerian Jihad, mankind's crusade against computers, thinking machines and conscious robots.The historians Brian HERBERT and Kevin J. ANDERSON discovered durint their research that the planet's name at the time of the Butlerian Jihad was Rodale IX, a fact which had been forgotten with time. As it was noted, "They were merely the ninth planet of their sun, and had even forgotten the language which had given them their name" (HERBERT, ANDERSON, Legends and Children). The family of the Titan Xerxes had originally ruled Ix. At that time, Ix was a beautiful planet with no significant development on the surface, and practically no one above ground. The developed part of Ix is subterranean, mainly consisting of labs and factories. The Ixians are the leader in technological production and have the monopoly on producing the starships known as heighliners. Ix's prime competitor is Richese, but Ix always maintains a healthy lead in technology. House Vernius rules the planet, but the Padishah Emperor Elrood Corrino IX holds a grudge against Earl Dominic Vernius for two reasons: Dominic had married Elrood's former concubine, Shando Balut, and Ix's new, larger heighliners negatively impact Imperial tax revenue on cargo. When Tlaloc had conquered the Old Empire, Xerxes had taken control and changed the name of the planet from Rodale IX to just Ix. After the fall of the Titans at the hands of the thinking machines, Ix had become one of the Synchronized Worlds, finally liberated by the Army Of The Jihad around 175 B.G. In the generation just before the Muad'Dib Jihad, the Corrino Emperor Elrood secretly granted the Tleilaxu the right to occupy Ix by force (with the help of his Sardaukar army) and remake it into a laboratory station for Project Amal. This secret project sought to produce a synthetic version of melange the Tleilaxu Master Ajidica called ajidamal, or amal. The old Emperor wanted to take over the spice monopoly by making sure that he has the only access to spice, thus controlling the Spacing Guild. The Tleilaxu rename Ix "Xuttuh" after their founder. In the year 10,156 A.G., Elrood IX was assassinated by Count Hasimir Fenring. Crown Prince Shaddam, now under the name of Shaddam IV, gave Fenring the title of Imperial Spice Minister and ordered him to supervise the project. Although Ajidica manages to create an artificial melange that seems to have the original's properties, it did not work properly; A test-sandtrout exploded, and Fenring's test of its use on two Guild Navigators ended in catastrophe. When Duke Leto Atreides invades Xuttuh in 10,175 A.G. and reestablishes Prince Rhombur of House Vernius as the ruler of Ix, all the records of Project Amal were destroyed. By the time of the events described in the Muad'dib Jihad, Ix was the leader in providing technology to the Imperium. Ixian devices are ever-present, though the society itself was uninvolved with the conflict, being center on Arrakis. Leto Atreides II saw through his prescience that his Golden Path has prevented the Ixians from being the cause of mankind's destruction in the future. He talks about his relationship with the former Ixian ambassador Malky, who had been specially raised and trained by the Ixians to be a "tempter," the "Devil to Leto's God." The Ixians had intended for Malky to manipulate Leto into doubting his own purpose; The plan had ultimately failed. They had later created Hwi Noree, a female designed specifically to attract, seduce and hold influence over Leto. Leto met Hwi and sees this intent, but could not dismiss his attraction to her. The Ixians had an embassy on Arrakis which is infiltrated by Tleilaxu Face Dancers, who killed and replace everyone there (except for Hwi) as part of an assassination attempt on Leto. The attempt fails, but Leto later allows himself to be killed by Siona ATREIDES, as part of his own plan for the universe. The Ixians had managed to keep Hwi's development a secret through the use of their new invention, the no-room (later called a no-chamber), which contains machines that hide the people within from prescience (as Guild Navigators can do). They had also created the Navigation Device which would eventually take the place of Guild Navigators and help fuel The Scattering. Combining these two technologies later results in the no-ship, a starship that can remain unseen and does not require a Navigator to fold space. (Most current Guild Heighliner-Class The Ixians made a shrewd alliance with the Fish Speakers, but Gesserit Bene analysts foresaw that they fail as a power, because Ixian society had become a bureaucracy and no great inventions had come out of the workshops of Ix for centuries. As the Honored Matres conquer the Old Empire, the Ixians were reduced to a barely tolerated technological combine. It was suggested centuries later that Leto had never "suppressed" Ix because "He was fascinated by the idea of human and machine inextricably bound to each other, each testing the limits of the other." Society The Ixians were a society that specialized in the production of complex machinery that often flouted the proscriptions of the Butlerian Jihad which led to a taboo on the constructions of machines that bore the exact human mind's image. Its name was derived from the fact that their home planet that was the ninth planet of the Alkalurops system. During the Rule of Alia, some Ixian had shown their acceptance for the Muad'Dib's religion, calling it Shien-san-Shao. This term show a relation of the Ixians origin with some oriental culture, probably Chinese. Governance The "Ixian Confederacy" is exactly that, a planet governed by a group of empowered political bodies rather than by a single ruling House, as was typical in the rest of the empire. House Vernius actually held no more power than the other four players in the Ix rulership, that being the Trade Unions, the Guild Of Manufactures, CHOAM, and the Spacing Guild. It is primarily a technocracy (a variation of meritocracy wherein decision-makers are selected on the basis of technological knowledge, scientists, engineers, technologists, or experts in any field, composing the governing body, instead of elected representatives) in any case, and considered themselves part of the empire mostly in name only. Cultural Controversy Even after the liberation of Ix, many within the Imperium felt that the Ixians often strained or broke the universal ban on artificially intelligent machinery. However, astute political dealings, and the hunger for Ixian products, almost always kept the planet one step ahead of an outright invasion by the forces of the Great Houses. Evolution Of The Ixians By the time of Paul Atreides' emergence the Ixians were, other than the Bene Tleilax, probably the most successful of the fringe worlds that maintained a sophisticated technological base, having had their technological base rebuilt at the cost of House Corrino reparations. They had effectively seen off competition by House Richese in the field of research and development, and their form of government seems to have been transformed into a meritocracy or perhaps technocracy. Politically they operated as a confederacy, at least in title. During the Famine Times the Ixians became a major power in the known universe. The Ixians were the first to invent and manufacture no-ships, which contain machines that duplicate the abilities of Guild Navigator, and were able to hide the people within from prescience. These vessels also had the advantage of being far cheaper than traditional space ships. Indeed, it was the development of this cheaper form of space travel which fueled the Scattering. Muad'Dib's religion had another now; Shien-san-Shao, an Ixian label which designated the intensity and insanity of those who thought they could bring the universe to paradise at the point of a crysknife, though this would would change as IX itself had changed; "For they were merely the ninth planet of their sun, and had even forgotten the language which had given them their name." Of particular importance to the HERBERT-ANDERSON team was "Excerpts From The Death Cell Interview With Bronso Of Ix," a historian imprisoned and condemned to death for his critical analyses of Emperor Muad'Dib, Paul ATREIDES, and his histories, as presented by Paul's followers. This "interview" and a subsequent excerpt from Bronso's "Analysis of History: Muad'Dib" serve to summarize the and establish the political and religious conflicts in play during the timeframe between the Muad'Dib Jihad and the Childen Of Dune Crisis.