Hunters of Dune - Brian Herbert [98]
“It seems you do not see all of them, Sheeana,” Garimi said. “You create new ones in our own axlotl tanks.”
“We have welcomed disagreement and discussion, and we have made our decision—as Bene Gesserits! Are you a tyrant yourself, Garimi, whose wishes simply tread over the will of the majority?”
Even the staunch conservatives grumbled at that. Garimi’s knuckles turned white as she stood there.
From the front row next to Duncan, Teg observed with his Mentat abilities. The plazmetal bench beneath him was unyielding, but he hardly felt it. Young Leto II had been brought into the gathering chamber. An eerily quiet child, his bright eyes watched all activities around him.
Sheeana continued, “These historical gholas may be our chance for survival, and you tried to kill the one who could be the greatest help of all!”
Garimi scowled. “My dissent is a matter of record, Sheeana.”
“Disagreement is one thing,” Teg said aloud, his voice carrying the weight of command. “Attempted assassination is quite another.”
Garimi glared at the Bashar for interrupting. Stuka spoke. “Is it assassination when one kills a monster instead of a human?”
“Have a care,” Duncan said. “The Bashar and I are also gholas.”
“I do not call him a monster because he is a ghola,” Garimi said, gesturing toward the toddler. “We saw him! He carries the Worm within him. That innocent baby transformed into a creature that attacked Stuka. You have all seen her wounds!”
“Yes, and we have heard your imaginative explanation.” Sheeana’s voice dripped with skepticism.
Garimi and Stuka looked deeply offended and turned to the Sisters in the raised benches, lifting their hands for support. “We are still Bene Gesserit! We are well-trained in observation and in the manipulation of beliefs and superstitions. We are not frightened children. That . . . abomination transformed into a worm to defend himself from Stuka! Ask us to repeat our stories before a Truthsayer.”
“I have no doubt that you believe what you say you saw,” Sheeana said.
Speaking with utter calm, Duncan interjected, “The ghola baby has been tested—as have all the new gholas. His cellular structure is perfectly normal, exactly as we expected. We checked and double-checked the original cells from Scytale’s nullentropy capsule. This is Leto II, and nothing more.”
“Nothing more?” Garimi let out a sarcastic laugh. “As if being the Tyrant is not enough? The Tleilaxu could have tampered with his genetics. We found Face Dancer cells among the other material. You know not to trust them!”
The Tleilaxu Master was not there to defend himself against the accusations.
Looking at Duncan, Sheeana admitted, “Such tampering has been done before. A ghola can have unexpected abilities, or an unexpected time bomb inside.”
Teg watched their attention turn to him. He was an adult now, but they still remembered his origin from the first Bene Gesserit axlotl tanks. There could be no question about his genetics. Teg had been produced under the direct control of the Bene Gesserit; no Tleilaxu had ever had an opportunity to meddle.
None of the refugees here, not even Duncan Idaho, knew that Teg could move at impossible speeds, and that he sometimes had the ability to see no-fields that were invisible even to the most sophisticated scanners. Despite the Bashar’s proven loyalty, though, the Sisterhood had too many suspicions. They saw nightmare hints of another Kwisatz Haderach everywhere.
The Bene Gesserit are not the only ones who can keep secrets.
He spoke up, “Yes, we all have hidden potential within us. Only fools refuse to use their potential.”
Sheeana looked hard at the stern, dark-haired Garimi, who had once been her close friend and protégée. Garimi crossed her arms, trying to