Mentats of Dune

After the coronation, an endless reception line formed. The procession had been organized in advance, yet it still seemed chaotic. Standing formally, and patiently, the new Emperor greeted hundreds of dignitaries, including the Sisters, who flowed forward like a flock of black birds.

Valya stood at the front, as a Mother Superior should. With a formal bow, she introduced herself, not sure that Roderick Corrino would know who she was, even though she had previously visited the court. And he might not know that she had taken his sister under her wing at the Rossak School.

“I am Mother Superior Valya, ranking member of the Sisterhood after the death of Mother Superior Raquella. My Sisters are here to serve you, Sire. I will travel regularly between Wallach IX and Salusa Secundus to coordinate matters.”

He seemed puzzled. “Where is my Truthsayer Dorotea?”

Valya bowed, avoiding his gaze. “I am sorry to report that she died on Wallach IX of a self-inflicted wound. We will provide the Truthsayer you need, more than one if you require. We will strive to make your reign as strong as possible. In our unified Sisterhood, you have an even greater ally than you did before.”

Roderick hung on to his silence for a moment, then said, “As my investigations continue into my brother’s disappearance, I may have need of many Truthsayers.”

Valya nodded and moved along as the rest of the Sisters gave their congratulations. She felt strong, satisfied, and confident that she would be remembered by future generations — not only by the Sisterhood but by House Harko

Using her rapidly increasing influence, she would open doors in the Landsraad for the Harko

And one day, she thought, there may even be a Harko

Chapter 81 (Murder is murder)

Murder is murder, no matter the justification.

— NORMA CENVA

Killing an Emperor was no small thing.

During the flight from Kolhar to Salusa Secundus — a respectful time after the coronation, as commanded — Josef Venport explained his actions to Norma Cenva.

She had helped him eliminate the Imperial Barge at Arrakis, because he told her it was necessary, but he wasn’t confident that she fully comprehended his rationale for doing so. Her thoughts and concerns were vastly distant from the realities Josef had to deal with. Now, however, he needed her to focus on the crisis and grasp the importance of the political course he had mapped out for the Imperium.

With Roderick as the new Emperor, a rational man who was already predisposed to despise the Half-Manford and his barbarians, they no longer needed to fear the looming dark ages.

On the Navigator deck in front of the broad observation windows that offered a view of the entire universe, he spoke with his great-grandmother even as she folded space and moved the ship from Kolhar. She floated inside her tank full of swirling orange gas, but he couldn’t tell whether she was listening.

After the aurora-light display around the ship ceased and they settled back into normal space in the Salusan star system, he repeated his last few sentences, until Norma cut him off. “I heard and absorbed all data.” Her voice sounded ti

She could help him save the Imperium now. The dangerously incompetent Salvador and his entourage had vanished down the gullet of a sandworm; no trace remained of the spice operation, and the Imperial Barge was lost in the vastness of space, due to Taref’s sabotage. Now that Roderick Corrino had been crowned, human civilization had a chance to survive the dark forces of ignorance, so long as he worked with Josef. The grim future Norma had foreseen no longer needed to come to pass.

“It only stands to reason—” he began again, then caught himself with a dark chuckle. “Reason! The Imperium needs more of that. We can now assure a renaissance instead of cultural darkness.” He smiled with relief and optimism.

Through the swirling orange gas he saw her tiny mouth form into a barely perceptible smile. “That would be preferable … but not assured.”

He paced in front of her large tank. “I will assure it, Grandmother. Roderick Corrino understands the interco

“The Emperor might consider you part of that mess. He did not invite you to the coronation.”

Josef frowned. It disturbed him that he had not been on the guest list for the grand coronation, but Manford Torondo had also been kept away. Perhaps the new Emperor wanted to appear neutral until he consolidated his power. Josef realized he might have pushed too hard and too quickly. He assumed Roderick would be anxious to disband the fanatical Butlerians, just as Salvador had broken up the Rossak Sisterhood.

On this trip, accompanied by Norma Cenva, he would seek to heal wounds and begin the important work of moving the Imperium forward.

She drifted in her tank as the spacefolder entered orbit and slid in among the space traffic. “The immediate future is elusive,” she said, “but I foresee great turbulence.”

His tone was dismissive. “Roderick Corrino is a man who makes well-considered decisions, and we have the same goals. Together, we will control the barbarians and defeat the Half-Manford.”

Norma’s detachable tank moved on suspensors, and she accompanied him to the VenHold shuttle. As the craft descended, Josef gazed at the lush greenery, lakes, and snow-kissed mountains below. Salusa Secundus was one of the loveliest worlds in the Imperium. Even so, he preferred industrial Kolhar, which made him think of a bright and efficient future.

Since he was the Directeur of Venport Holdings, Josef secured a prime landing spot. The moment he stepped from the craft, with Norma’s large tank floating behind him, he heard a roar of crowd noises and amplified music coming from the city. The postcoronation celebrations continued, even several days afterward.

The manicured grounds of the Imperial Palace and the associated Landsraad Hall, along with the various bureaucratic ministries and office buildings, took up more area than the rest of the capital city. Approaching the palace proper, he and Norma stopped at a security gate, where they were subjected to sca

Following the coronation, Emperor Roderick had filled his schedule with meetings as Landsraad representatives, planetary interests, and businesses all tried to earn his favor. Josef’s appointment had been swept into that chaos, but he had enough clout, and spread enough bribes ahead of time, to secure a prominent slot in Roderick’s calendar. Yet even Directeur Venport had to wait.

When his time finally arrived, an hour overdue, Josef passed through the large central doors, his shoulders squared and chin held high. Norma accompanied him in her suspensor-borne tank, drawing wide-eyed stares and murmurs of awe. A dozen Imperial guards followed close behind them.

Josef looked up at Roderick Corrino on the green-crystal throne, with his thick blond hair and patrician features. If only that man had been born before his brother, the history of the Imperium would have taken a vastly different turn. Finally, after thirteen years of a false course and destructive distractions under Salvador’s rule, human civilization could achieve the greatness it deserved. Back on track. Populations could be free from the tyra