Chapter 12

Ship Time: Monday, September 12, 2264 – Mission Day 321
Local Time: September 2, 10,190 A.G.

The bridge turbolift doors slid open and Captain Garibaldi and Commanders Giacconi and Schwartz stepped out onto the bridge. They had immediately made their way up from the flight deck.

"Report," Garibaldi ordered as he stepped down to relieve Commander Bolt.

"Lieutenant Sotar," Bolt said as he got up.

"There is a power buildup occurring on the Guild Heighliner," Lieutenant Sotar said as he relinquished the science station to his superior.

"Let me see," Giacconi replied as he activated the scanner. "Yes… their fission reactors have gone to full power…the tachyon detector just spiked."

The rest of the bridge crew watched as the Heighliner suddenly disappeared.

"Did you get a good reading of their drive in operation," Garibaldi asked.

"The sensors only picked up the tachyon burst," Giacconi replied.

"We'll have to get a physical copy of their Holtzman field generator in order to understand how their drive works," Bolt commented.

"The arrogant attitude of the Guild Navigator has me worried," Garibaldi said. "I'm not going have us wait around here as they prepare a task force. We're going to get some political help. Set a course for Delta Pavonis."

"Course laid in, Captain," Lieutenant DePaul reported after programming his navigation console.

"Ahead Warp Factor Six," Giacconi ordered.

"Warp Factor Six," Hansen replied as he activated the warp drive controls from the helm. The thrum of power from the warp drive began to be felt throughout the ship as the Polo accelerated out of Earth orbit.

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The Heighliner reappeared in the crowded space over the planet of Junction, the headquarters of the Spacing Guild. There, a small shuttle was dispatched towards a space station that served as a maintenance station for scores of Heighliners. Later, the various craft the Heighliner was transporting flew themselves to other Heighliners for transfer to their destinations. One of these Heighliners was dispatched to Wallach, the home of the Bene Gesseret training school.

0

Paul Atreides toweled his hair dry after cleaning up from his latest hand-to-hand combat practice with Gurney Halleck. Doctor Yueh was waiting for him just outside the bathroom.

"You appear to be exhausted," the doctor commented.

"I am a bit tired," Paul replied while putting the towel in the bathroom hamper for the bath maid to take to the clothes washers. For the last few days he had been undergoing the same training program that his father's henchmen had developed for the Atreides infantry. He was still trying to get used to it.

"Still, this training is new to you. I think an afternoon nap will help you recover quicker from your exertions. Come with me."

Paul followed Yueh to his own quarters where the doctor handed over a mild sleeping tablet.

"Take this. It will allow you to sleep for a few hours. The evening meal will be served about the time you awaken."

Paul swallowed the tablet and reclined on his bed. The effects of the tablet soon were felt and he quickly fell asleep.

"Tell me of the waters of your home world, Usul," the dream girl asked as she always did whenever he slept after consuming the Spice. He had taken some spice with his midday meal.

Then, as always, he heard the drip of water from within a cave.

After that, he again saw the white ship battling the Guild and the Emperor. This time the view of the battle changed and he could see a planet near the location of the battle.

"Caladan," he said to himself within the dream. "The battle will take place over Caladan."

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The gargantuan Guild space station high over the planet Junction served both as a servicing station for Heighliners and as a meeting place for Guild crewmembers that were forever restricted to a microgravity environment. One permanent occupant was the High Master of the Guild. He and his staff supervised all aspects of Guild operations. They also devised and executed Guild policy in relation to their directorships on the CHOAM council and when dealing personally with the Emperor. The inhabited portion of the station did rotate to provide a simulation of gravity, yet the maximum centripetal acceleration was only a hundredth of standard gravitational acceleration. It was enough, however, to establish and up and down and for paper to stay where the High Master placed it on his desk. His desk was really a chest high table as it was more comfortable to stand in microgravity than to force oneself into a chair. The room, as was most of the Navigator section of the station, was filled with orange Spice gas.

Journeyman Navigator Anton stood before the High Master. He had just given his report on the appearance of outsiders with their own ship over Terra. Several of the High Master's advisors stood to either side of the Master's desk. The Solido display on the Master's desk showed a three dimensional view of the Marco Polo.

"I ordered the outsiders to remain at Terra," Anton concluded. "Their FTL drive is so slow that even if they left we should be able to find them."

"You acted properly in bringing this immediately to my attention," the High Master said.

"Thank you, sir," Anton replied.

"This is the first recorded instance of outsiders regaining interstellar space travel and returning to the Empire," one of the advisors said.

"The outsiders give us the opportunity to end our dependence on the Spice," another advisor said.

"Quite true," the High Master replied. "Yet, we personally are forever addicted to the Spice, though future Navigators, if we obtain their technology will not."

"Their use of thinking machines disturbs me," Anton added. "Yet, as I reported, the outsiders made a clear distinction between Artificial Intelligence and simpler computers."

"That's true," the High Master replied. "But, Ix and Richese are the ones who will have to construct these computers. I do not think they will be so willing to break the ban on thinking machines and risk the death penalty in the face of opposition from the Bene Gesseret and the Emperor."

"That raises the concern that Anton mentioned," an advisor said. "Their presence here can easily upset the balance of power in the Empire. Should the Emperor, a Major House, the Bene Gesseret, Ixians, Tlielaxu, or some other group get a hold of their technology then our position in the Great Convention is upset. It is the Great Convention that provides stability to the Empire."

The High Master inhaled a large breath of the Spice laden air and closed his eyes. He used his prescient vision to see if the outsider ship would remain over Terra for the foreseeable future.

"The outsiders have departed Terra," the High Master announced while within his prescient trance.

Then he considered the many potential destinations that the outsiders might head for. He then scanned the future space over Richese, Ix, Arrakis, Geidi Prime, Salusa Secondus, and Caladan.

"They will appear over Caladan in 33 days," the High Master reported. "Anton, I think they lied to you about the speed they can travel at."

Anton was a bit nonplused at that news and his face flushed. "I don't know how long they were over Terra," he said. "They could have gained some knowledge of the Empire."

"Yes," an advisor said. "If they contact Duke Leto and come to some agreement with him then the Great Convention is finished."

The High Master took no time to make his next decision. "Prepare the warship to confront the outsiders before they can meet with the Atreides."