Dune_ House Atreides - Brian Herbert [238]
“Why? Don’t you trust our inventor . . . the late Chobyn?”
“It works,” Rabban said. “Besides, you’ve had him under comeye surveillance, and we have the detailed plans and holorecordings he made during the construction process.”
“I’ve already taken care of the workers,” the Mentat said, nodding in agreement. “No chance for leaks there.”
Rabban smiled greedily. “Did you save me any of them?”
De Vries gave a jittering shrug. “Well, I’ve had my fun, but I’m not a pig. I did leave a few for you.” He nodded toward a bank of solid doors. “Second room on the right. Five of them are in there on gurneys, drugged. Enjoy yourself.” The Mentat patted the beefy Harkonnen on the shoulder.
Rabban took a couple of steps toward the door, then hesitated and looked back at his uncle, who had not yet given permission for him to leave. The Baron was studying de Vries.
The twisted Mentat furrowed his brow. “We are the first with a no-ship, my Baron. With the advantage of surprise, no one will ever suspect what it is we intend to do.”
“What I’m going to do,” Rabban said gruffly.
De Vries used a handheld com-unit to speak to several sluggish workers in the lab. “Clean up this mess and get the attack ship moved to the family frigate before departure time tomorrow.”
“I want all technical notes and records confiscated and sealed,” the Baron ordered as the Mentat switched off the communicator.
“Yes, my Baron,” de Vries said. “I’ll see to it personally.”
“You may go now,” the Baron said to his anxious nephew. “An hour or two of relaxation will do you good . . . it’ll get your mind in order for the important work ahead.”
They demonstrate subtle, highly effective skills in the aligned arts of observation and data collection. Information is their stock-in-trade.
—Imperial Report on the Bene Gesserit,
used for tutoring purposes
This is most impressive,” Sister Margot Rashino-Zea said, as she gazed at the imposing buildings on each side of the enormous oval of the Imperial-Landsraad Commons. “A spectacle for all the senses.” After long years on the cloudy, bucolic world of Wallach IX, her eyes now ached from so many sights.
A refreshing, fine mist rose from the fountain at the center of the Commons, an extraordinary artistic composition that towered a hundred meters overhead. In the design of a glittering nebula swirl, the fountain was replete with oversize planets and other celestial bodies that spurted perfumed streams in myriad colors. Tightbeam spotlights refracted from the water, creating loops of rainbows that danced silently in the air.
“Ah, yes, you have never been to Kaitain, I see,” Crown Prince Shaddam said, strolling casually beside the lovely blonde Bene Gesserit. Sardaukar guards hovered in the background, assuming they were near enough to prevent any harm from coming to the Imperial heir. Margot suppressed a smile, always pleased to see how much other people underestimated the Sisterhood.
“Oh, I’ve seen it before, Sire. But familiarity does not lessen my admiration for the magnificent capital of the Imperium.”
Dressed in a new black robe that rustled stiffly as she moved, Margot was flanked by Shaddam on one side and Hasimir Fenring on the other. She did not hide her long golden hair, her fresh face, or her pristine beauty. Most of the time, people expected the Bene Gesserit to be old hags shrouded in layers of dark garments. But many, like Margot Rashino-Zea, could be stunningly attractive. With a precise release of her body’s pheromones and carefully selected flirtations, she could use her sexuality as a weapon.
But not here, not yet. The Sisterhood had other plans for the Emperor-to-be.
Margot was nearly Shaddam’s height, and much taller than Fenring. Behind them, out of hearing range, an entourage of three Reverend Mothers followed, women who had been investigated and cleared by Fenring himself. The Crown Prince did not know what these others had to do with this meeting, but Margot would convey the reason presently.
“You should see these gardens at