Dune_ House Atreides - Brian Herbert [102]
Ajidica, the Tleilaxu representative, waited patiently, letting the chatter and whispers flow around him. He had a narrow face, long nose, and a pointed black beard that protruded like a trowel from his cleft chin. Maroon robes gave Ajidica an air of some importance. His skin was weathered-looking, and pale and discolored blotches marked his hands, especially on the fingers and palms, as if frequent exposure to harsh chemicals had neutralized the melanin. Despite his diminutive stature, the Tleilaxu Master came forward as if he had a perfect right to be in the Imperial audience chamber of Kaitain.
From the side of the room Shaddam studied Ajidica, and his nose wrinkled, from the lingering food odors that were so characteristic of the Tleilaxu.
“May the one true God shine his light upon you from all the stars in the Imperium, my Lord Emperor,” said Hidar Fen Ajidica, placing his palms together and bowing as he quoted from the Orange Catholic Bible. He stopped in front of the massive Hagal-quartz throne.
The Tleilaxu were notorious for handling the dead and harvesting corpses for cellular resources, yet they were unquestionably brilliant geneticists. One of their first creations had been a remarkable new food source, the slig (“sweetest meat this side of heaven”), a cross between a giant slug and a Terran pig. The overall populace still thought of sligs as tank-bred mutations, however—ugly creatures who excreted slimy, foul-smelling residue, and whose multiple mouths ground incessantly on garbage. This was the context in which people thought of the Bene Tleilax, even as they savored marinated slig medallions in sauces prepared from rich Caladan wines.
Elrood drew back his bony shoulders into a firm line. He frowned down at the visitor. “What is . . . this doing here? Who let this man in?” The old Emperor looked around the echoing room, his eyes flashing bright. “No Tleilaxu Master has ever entered my Court for a private audience. How do I know he’s not a Face Dancer mimic?” Elrood glared down at his personal secretary, then over at his Chamberlain. “And since he got on my schedule at all, how do I know you’re not a Face Dancer yourself? This is outrageous.”
The personal secretary stepped back, appalled at the suggestion. Diminutive Ajidica looked up at the Emperor, calmly letting the resentment and prejudice wash past without being affected by it. “My Lord Elrood, tests can be performed to prove that none of our shape-shifters has subsumed the identity of anyone in your Court. I assure you, I am no Face Dancer. Neither am I an assassin, nor a Mentat.”
“And why are you here?” Elrood demanded.
“As one of the premier scientists of the Bene Tleilax, my presence here was requested.” The gnomish man hadn’t moved a centimeter, and remained at the foot of the Golden Lion Throne, unflappable in his maroon robes. “I have developed an ambitious plan that can benefit the Imperial family, as well as my own people.”
“Not interested,” the Padishah Emperor said. He flicked a glance at his Sardaukar, began to raise his gnarled hand to issue a command of forceful dismissal. The Court attendees watched, amused and eager.
Hasimir Fenring rapidly stepped forward, knowing he had only an instant to intercede. “Emperor Elrood, may I speak?” He didn’t wait for permission, but tried to appear innocent and interested. “The sheer audacity of this Tleilaxu’s arrival has me curious. I find myself wondering what he has to say.” He glanced over at the emotion-masked face of Hidar Fen Ajidica; the gray-skinned Master seemed impervious to any harsh treatment foisted upon him. Nothing in his demeanor betrayed his connection with Fenring, who had suggested the synthetic spice idea to him—an idea that had quickly found support among Tleilaxu scientists.
Crown Prince Shaddam took the lead and looked up at his father with a guileless, anticipatory expression. “Father, you have instructed me to learn everything I can from the example of your leadership. It would be most educational for me to observe how you handle this situation with