Sandworms of Dune - Brian Herbert [115]
“To a certain extent. Omnius is stretching his abilities, but when we find the no-ship, I am certain he will get down to business.” The old woman dug holes in the garden and planted seedlings that simply appeared in her hands.
“What’s so special about one lost ship?” the Baron asked.
“Our mathematical projections suggest that the Kwisatz Haderach is aboard.”
“But I am the Kwisatz Haderach!” Paolo insisted. “You already have me.”
The old woman gave him a wry smile. “You are our fallback plan, young man. Omnius prefers the security of redundancy. If there are two possible Kwisatz Haderachs, he wants both of them.”
His face a mask of displeasure, the Baron cracked his knuckles. “So you think there’s another ghola of Paul Atreides aboard that ship? Not likely!”
“I claim only that there is another Kwisatz Haderach aboard the ship. However, since we have one Paul Atreides ghola, there could certainly be another.”
Are we on the Golden Path, or have we strayed from it? For three and a half millennia we prayed for deliverance from the Tyrant, but now that he is gone, have we forgotten how to live without such stern guidance? Do we know how to make the necessary decisions, or will we become hopelessly lost in the wilderness and starve of our own failings?
—MOTHER SUPERIOR DARWI ODRADE,
Pondering My Epitaph, sealed Bene Gesserit Archives, recorded
before Battle of Junction
Highly agitated, Garimi refused to take a seat in Sheeana’s private quarters, no matter how many times it was offered. Even the Van Gogh painting on the wall did not seem to interest her. The stolen mines had brought long-simmering tensions to a new, raw level. Frantic search teams had been unable to locate any of the explosive devices. Sheeana knew that the stern Proctor Superior had her own suspicions and her own set of people to blame.
“You and the Bashar didn’t make a good bargain back on Qelso,” Garimi said. “Leaving all those people and equipment, and getting nothing for ourselves!”
“We replenished all our stores.”
“What if further sabotage hits our life-support systems? Liet-Kynes and Stilgar were the two most capable of conservation, recycling, and repairs. What if we need them to help us? Do you intend to grow new ones?”
Sheeana angered the other woman further by responding with a calm, amused smile. “We could, but I thought you suspected all the ghola children. Yet you want Liet and Stilgar back? Besides, maybe Liet was right; maybe it’s their destiny to remain on Qelso.”
“Now it’s obvious that neither of them was the saboteur—though I’m still not entirely convinced about Yueh.”
Sheeana stared at the bright daubs of color that the ancient artist had swirled into an image of such power. Van Gogh was a genius. “I took a necessary action, based on our needs and priorities.”
“Hardly! You bowed to the demands of those murderous nomads to keep all Bene Gesserits off the planet. We should have formed a new school there—and now, instead, this whole ship could explode at any moment!”
Ah, the core of what is really bothering her.
“You know very well that I would have been happy to let you and your followers settle there.” She forced a chuckle. “But I was not willing to start a war with the people of Qelso. We can train others in the nuances of our life-support systems. This ship will survive, as it has for decades.”
Obviously in no mood to be brushed aside, Garimi said, “Survive how? By creating another ghola to save us? That’s always your solution, whether an Abomination like Alia, a traitor like Yueh or Jessica, or a Tyrant like Leto II. At least Pandora had the good sense to close her box.”
“And I want to open it wide. I want to bring back the history, especially Paul Atreides—and Thufir Hawat. We could certainly draw on the security knowledge of the Weapons Master of House Atreides.”
“Hawat failed spectacularly the last time you tried to awaken him.”
“Then we’ll try again. And Chani could be an excellent fulcrum for awakening Paul. Jessica is also ripe for awakening. Even Leto II is ready.”
Garimi’s eyes flashed.