Let us suppose a wise Sardaukar commander recognized the swordmaster in a corpse his men had slain. "Even in defeat," Edric said, "your father's Sardaukar did not abandon wisdom. He saw Idaho killed by my father's Sardaukar." "Paul has mourned the loss often in my presence. "Would I might disown my own hands which trained her." "That traitorous bitch," Mohiam said, voice level. He has that gene pattern which we Bene Gesserits covet for -" He possesses oracular vision which sees into the future. He is Muad'dib whose orders to the Fremen legions depopulate planets. He's the mentat whose computational mind surpasses the greatest ancient computers. He's the Mahdi whose merest whim is absolute command to his Qizarate missionaries. He's the kwisatz haderach, the one who can be many places at once. "Everywhere we turn," Irulan said, "his power confronts us. "Our conspiracy requires a lever," Scytale said. "A Tleilaxu ghola," Irulan whispered, looking sideways at Scytale. High cheekbones formed shelves for eyes with definite epicanthic folds. The face remained somewhat round, but darker and with slightly flattened features. Presently, a slender man stood before her. Scytale, observing her attention, exercised his Face-Dancer powers - shape flowing into shape, flesh moving and readjusting. All else is nonsense, as most thinking beings come to realize." Every question can be boiled down to the one: 'Why is there anything?' Every religious, business and governmental question has the single derivative: 'Who will exercise the power?' Alliances, combines, complexes, they all chase mirages unless they go for the power. "What is this ghost?"īefore the Face Dancer could answer, Edric cleared his throat, said: "Let us not bandy philosophical nonsense. "We are more than conspirators," the Reverend Mother countered. "The Lady Jessica, I understand, remains on Caladan, but is in frequent communication with her son." "Or perhaps the Emperor's mother," Scytale said. To make sure the Reverend Mother understood, Scytale said: "Listening carefully to the teacher, one acquires an education." The pontificating fool was their major weakness. Scytale shrugged, a gesture designed solely for the Reverend Mother. You have been chosen as an instrument of destiny, the very finest" "Princess," Edric said, "make your choice. The body - that's the flesh of a renowned swordmaster known as Duncan Idaho. This makes us the one true hope, the certain salvation of humankind." He spoke in the speech mode for absolute conviction, which was perhaps the ultimate sneer coming, as it did, from a Tleilaxu. "Earlier, you mentioned a ghost, a revenant with which we may contaminate the Emperor. "Save your praise for those who can be swayed by it," Irulan said. "Why?" she asked, directing the question at Scytale. Only the Reverend Mother appeared to understand the subtlety.
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