Dune_ House Atreides - Brian Herbert [225]
“Prime projection,” de Vries said. “House Atreides.”
Rabban’s mouth dropped open. “The Atreides would never fight for us!”
De Vries shot back a response. “The Old Duke is dead, and House Atreides is currently unstable. Paulus’s successor Leto is an impetuous young pup. He has no friends in the Landsraad and recently gave a rather embarrassing speech at the Council. He went home humiliated.”
The Baron waited, trying to see where his Mentat was going with this.
“Second data point: House Vernius, staunch ally to Atrei-des, has been ousted from Ix by the Tleilaxu. Dominic Vernius remains at large with a price on his head, while Shando Vernius has just been killed, based on her renegade status. House Atreides has offered sanctuary to the two children of Vernius. They’re in thick with the victims of the Tleilaxu.”
De Vries raised a finger to assemble the points. “Now, brash young Leto is a close friend of the exiled Prince of Ix. Duke Leto blames the Tleilaxu for the takeover of Ix, for the bounty on the mother, and for the ruined situation of their family. ‘House Atreides values loyalty and honor far above politics,’ Leto said to the Landsraad. He may see it as his duty to help Rhombur Vernius regain his position on Ix. Who better to strike a blow for us?”
The Baron now smiled as he followed the implications. “So . . . start a war between House Atreides and the Tleilaxu! Let them tear each other apart. That way House Atreides and the synthetic-spice research will both be destroyed.”
Rabban was clearly having trouble envisioning this. From the intense look on his face, the Baron could see that his nephew was thinking as hard as he could, just trying to keep up.
The Mentat nodded. “If played properly, we could accomplish this in such a manner that House Harkonnen remains completely apart from the hostilities. We get what we want, and our hands stay entirely clean.”
“Brilliant, Piter! I’m glad I didn’t execute you all those times when you were so annoying.”
“So am I,” de Vries said.
The Baron opened one of the nullentropy chambers to remove a flagon of expensive kirana brandy. “We must have a toast.” Then he smiled slyly. “Because I’ve just realized when and how we can make all this happen.” His two listeners couldn’t have been more attentive.
“The new Duke is overwhelmed with the complexities of running his holdings. Naturally, he will attend the coronation of Shaddam IV. No Great House could risk offending the new Padishah Emperor by scorning him on his greatest day.”
De Vries caught on immediately. “When Duke Leto travels to the coronation . . . that will be our chance to strike.”
“On Kaitain?” Rabban said.
“Something more interesting than that, I suspect,” de Vries said.
The Baron sipped the warm sweetness of the aged brandy. “Ahhh, it will be delicious revenge. And Leto won’t even see it coming, won’t know which direction it came from.”
Rabban’s eyes lit up. “We’ll make him squirm, Uncle?”
The Baron handed crystal snifters to his nephew and his Mentat. Rabban drained his brandy in a single gulp, while de Vries simply stared at it as if performing a chemical analysis with his eyes.
“Yes, Rabban, he’ll squirm and squirm until a big Imperial boot steps on him.”
No one but a Tleilaxu may set foot in Bandalong, holiest city of the Bene Tleilax, for it is fanatically guarded hallowed ground, purified by their God.
—Diplomacy in the Imperium, a Landsraad publication
The burn-scarred building had once been an Ixian fighting-mek factory . . . one of the sacrilegious industries that defied the holy commandments of the Butlerian Jihad. But not anymore. Hidar Fen Ajidica gazed at the rows of tanks and attendants, satisfied now to see that the place had been fully cleansed and put to good use. God will approve.
Following the Tleilaxu victory, the facility had been emptied of its poisonous machinery and blessed by fully robed Masters, so that it could be used for the exalted purposes of the Bene Tleilax. Despite the commandment and support from old Emperor Elrood, now dead, Ajidica had never