The pale faced man with several layers of clothing told Ammon that the blizzard had passed and it was time for him to meet his new masters. They got up and left the small establishment and walked through a now populated but still sparse town. In five minutes they were on the outskirts of town with nothing but snow covered plain as far as the eye could see.
"We are now at our master's keep Mentat" said his companion. Ammon did not see anything and made the error of asking where the keep was since he did not see anything. "Fool!" the man burst out angrily, "You are a Mentat, you should know our masters would never be so obvious! Be sure not make any foolish mistakes in front of our masters or they will have us both dead!" Ammon realized he had spoken too soon as the man began digging into the thick snow apparently in search of a secret door. Ammon helped to dig until they found the crack in the ground. The man who brought him here found what he was looking for: an electronic combination lock. Typing in the code, the door finally opened up slowly revealing a sleek metal staircase leading into darkness. Ammon took out his small glowglobe from his bag and activated it.
"Good, you have made provisions. Remember, our masters do not tell you what you should already know" the man said as he took his first step into the secret passage. Ammon clearly understood how much he needed to fend for himself around here. With their glow globes activated, the two of them descended into the tunnel. The manmade grotto was held up by steel support bars. There were no lights but their glowglobes. The walls and ceiling was earth covered in ice while the floor was a sleek metal walkway.
"Projection: The House Ordos is only a House Minor or The Ordos are xenophobic" Ammon said aloud.
"You are correct with the latter Mentat, but when we reach the keep, you must not speak of such things" The unnamed man said a little more relaxed than earlier. Ammon however dared not speak of his third projection: The Ordos have something to hide. But that came as no surprise as many political entities held their secrets, none more than the Tleilaxu but the Ordos came a close second.
As they continuously walked down the long tunnel taking a few turns now and then, Ammon gathered all data he had about the Ordos. The Ordos were a Great House in the Landsraad. They were known for owning large CHOAM holdings and they employed excellent bankers and accountants as well as merchants and traders. They were an extremely wealthy and greedy House and have taken control of many agricultural and mining operations on many worlds including the now exhausted mining planet of Hagal. Ammon had saddled them with the label: hoarders of wealth. They also were rumored to do a lot of secret business with both the Tleilaxu and Ix. But what was most common knowledge was that nobody had ever seen anybody of House Ordos, neither Ordos nobles nor any high ranking retainers. While their employees were all over the Imperium, not even they ever saw the royal family let alone the leader of House Ordos. They had no known standing army and instead hired mercenaries to protect their numerous operations. During Landsraad meetings they would always send a representative, never one of noble birth. This infuriated the Emperor and often threatened to overrun Sigma Draconis IV with Sardaukar but refrained because they played a major role in the economy of the Imperium and to do so might remove a cornerstone. There were rumors that the Ordos were a cartel of greedy families who combined their efforts to gain more profit and named their alliance House Ordos.
Ammon could not be sure even with his highly developed skills as a Mentat if he was going to meet a member of House Ordos or not. The unnamed man said nothing more and Ammon now knew better than to ask any foolish questions so he remained silent. After half an hour of walking through the cold dark tunnel, Ammon finally saw the end of the tunnel: A sealed large door with a complicated combination lock that most definitely changed the pass code every day. Ammon estimated that here would be where his new masters waited for him but knew better than to assume anything.