Chapter 8

Resistance is futile – The Borg Collective.

Regular rhythms attracted sand worms. All Fremen knew this and so the team slipped, dragged, crawled and walked up to the crest of the sand dune. Finally they got to the top... Kynes stepped forward from the rest of the entourage and found nothing. His disappointment was almost tangible. The desert had been efficient in reclaiming any remains, which might have been.

"It was there!" The boy protested the truth of his story.

"It was!" His sister backed him up.

"You bring us out here on some pretense!" N'Gia the Naib was annoyed.

"It's true!" The children looked around wildly for a trace of belief from anyone. They got it from Kynes. "I believe them." He said calmly. He targeted the boy, Mo'hal "Can you draw what you saw?"

Mo'Hal nodded. Kynes continued "The carcass may not be here, but it is only a matter of time before the evidence becomes commonplace."

"What evidence!" N'Gia demanded.

"The dead bodies of sand worms killed by the increased warming of the planet." He replied.

"Global Warming!" The girl announced.

"Global Warming." Keynes echoed and on that note they all turned and went back the way they had come.

Unknown to them, they had been observed. Valcyn placed his binoculars down and continued on his own business. If they had come to see the carcass of Shai-Hulud there was none to be seen and he had no intention of interacting with anyone.

~*~*~*~*~

Reverened Mothers Shakira who had arrived to test Dax, Farrah the Kwisatz Mother and Mo'Hadin the Ambassador to the Court of Atreides met in chambers.

"The Bio sample you sent is confirmed" Shakira reported.

Farrah's eyes bored through her sister.

"He is the genetic reincarnation of Paul Atreides?" Mo'Hadin felt the need to say it out loud. "The rumour was true?"

"What of Amasso?" Farrah demanded.

"He is not." Shakira stated. "Where is Dax. I must test him."

"At the trial of Amasso." Farrah replied.

"Summon him." Shakira ordered.

~*~*~*~*~

It was another sweltering night. A shadowy figure of a man dressed in black made its way towards the nerve centre of the electric power grid. His intension was simple – to see if it could be done. The Mojave Power Station as a massive metropolis of a system, it provided power to a third of Arakkis. This was a practice run, later he'd tackle the Command and Control Room.

As he approached, two things happened: first he spotted. Mar'Cel the courier sent by Mick'N to inform Arista of the news of Worms on Salusa Secundus came round the corner. The shadowy figure ducked for cover.

There are times when shortcuts are longer than they seem. It was the fate of Mar'Cel that he took the shortcut to the Place via the PowerStation. Mick'N had said that the message was urgent and such a command from a Naib was to be executed in the most efficient manner possible: hence, the shortcut.

The Spy watched as a gang of seven thugs accosted the Fremen. He hadn't noticed them before and now he just watched and waited for an opportunity to leave. There were too many people out this night.

Mar'Cel saw the men saw they were Fremen, he grinned in acknowledgment. "As salaam waleikum." He gave the traditional greeting.

"Wa aleikum as-salaam." They responded.

"Aren't you far from your usual haunts?" the leader demanded as the rest surrounded Mar'Cel.

Mar'Cel assessed his situation – The men were dressed in black, all were armed – he did not like this. His wyes narrowed, "Really? I thought Dune was every Freman haunt as you put it."

They had had enough of talk. The longer they stayed the more likely that a Patrol would spot them. One man simply pulled out a knife and sliced his throat. Mar'Cel fell dead.

They stripped the lifeless body. The Leader of the Pack ordered, "Take him into the desert. Let the elements deal with him, no one will know what had really happened."

The Spy watched as they did just that. Once gone he stepped out and returned the way he had come.

~*~*~*~*~

Over the weeks of the unusually intense heat everything was either melting, had melted or was at boiling point. It was no different at the Power Plant and the insulation for the various components had reached the limits of their endurance. Added to this was the increased demand on the system for power to operate the coolants. The strain on the system was severe. On this hot night all the elements finally came to a head: melted insulation and an overloaded grid.

Two elements touched and one third of the planet was plunged into darkness.

~*~*~*~*~

The Fremen called it 'phantom moons' which was a way of describing the rare moment when Dune's moons did not ascend. This was such a night thus making the black out total.

With the mission a complete failure, the man in black fished out his night vision goggles and continued on his return trip.

~*~*~*~*~

The Atreides who walked into Mo'Hadin's Chambers was not the expected one.

"Normally the conniving of the Royal Court is just that. Conniving. " Arista stated and sat. "The workings of the Bene Gesserit, however, have never been 'just' anything."

The four women watched each other. "My sons are not for your scheming." Arista finally declared.

"The sisterhood feels that Alexi shall make the perfect Consort." Farrah said.

"Indeed?" Alexi replied.

"We were to present her at the next sitting of the Landsraad." Mo'Hadin imparted.

"And for that you need the presence of a Truthsayer?" Arista indicated Shakira.

Shakira took control. "It is time."

Arista knew what she meant. "You imply that my sons are animals?"

"We embrace the premise that they may be human." Shakira replied.

Farrah expounded. "We are the custodians of the heritage of the Great Houses. It is only fit that there be measures for quality control in place." Mo'Hadin nodded her agreement.

"You are reviving the Breeding Program?" Arista demanded.

"No Highness." Farrah replied accurately. One could not revive what had not died. Shakira and Arista sensed the truth of the answer.

Arista eyes narrowed to slits. She was familiar with the ways of the order. "Ammaso is not available."

"Then Dax?" Shakira suggested.

Arista pondered for a moment. These three were up to something. It was the nature of the Sisterhood. It thrived and survived on being manipulative. Apparently the Breeding Program though not revived had metamorphosed into something else – but what? Surely they were not after yet another Kwisatz Haderach!

They were all Bene Gesserit, which meant they would get the DNA they needed by any means necessary. The rape of Mohiam by The Baron Harkonnen still haunted all with her memories. The question that faced House Atreides was how to maneuver this to their advantage. Tricky -- difficult even but not impossible.

As the wheels in her brain continued to churn she realized that she needed to bring Dax closer into her Cabinet. For Naib Mick'N was correct Ammaso would not be heir, to the Throne, he had shown no interest or potential. The decision now thrust upon her she needed to find out exactly what the twenty year old was made of.

She stood. "Summon him."

Suddenly the room went black – they had lost power. All four women froze in place, closed their eyes adjusted their bodies and when they opened their eyes, they looked from one to another.

Arista repeated, "Summon him." And left to find out what was wrong now.

~*~*~*~*~

It was late but life in Metropolitan Arakkis never stopped even for a power failure. Traffic lights were out throughout downtown, creating havoc but civilians stepped in to direct traffic. They stood at intersections with flasks of burning spice oil until the Fedaykin could arrive

The University Hospital was on back up generators and had power. So patients were safe.

Those not caught in elevators had to walk down thousands of steps in downtown office buildings.

Despite the outage bars were filled with stranded travelers who desperately ordered drinks, water was too expensive.

~*~*~*~*~

With the techs working non-stop power was restored within four hours and the incident became a story to tell ones children and grandchildren.

~*~*~*~*~

The power failure had no impact on the case.

The trial was a stressful one. It seemed to go on forever. Ammaso's advocate Victrin was performing very well, even against the Neutral Guild Advocate, but there was no way to tell which case had the edge.

Besides the stress of the case itself, the Empress and Mother of the accused in an effort to bring the trial to a quick and satisfactory close was pressuring Victrin. A constant request of "When will this be over!?" Was the incessant inquiry from the Throne.

What helped Ammaso keep his sanity was being able to look out in the gallery and seeing Dax there to support him. But who was that fine female next to him?

~*~*~*~*~

Ma'a lot, Mentat to House Atreides, reached for the latest report on his desk. After reading it he would summaries and to forward to the Empress. This one however seemed to have been summarized already.

AN EXPLANATORY OVERVIEW OF THE AGREEMENT ESTABLISHING THE INTERPLANETARY COURT OF JUSTICE

Executive Summary

Challenges of Capacity Development: Towards Sustainable Reforms of Landsraad Justice Sectors, Volume I: Policy Document has been prepared at the request of representatives of the Landsraad. Its goal is to provide a framework to guide efforts aimed at making the justice sector more effective, efficient and reliable. It presents a summary of the main issues, dilemmas and policy options. This document seeks to stimulate and support the debate about justice sector reforms within the region and with external development partners.

Two other documents provide background information. Consultants prepared the documents and they are published in two volumes for wider dissemination. Both documents assess justice sectors in the Landsraad. Volume II, A Diagnostic Assessment of Interplanetary Justice Sectors, provides an assessment of Interplanetary justice sectors and includes reform activities at planetary. Volume III, A Preliminary Report on a Survey of Users and Providers of Justice Sector Service, contains the results of a survey of households, domestic and off-world businesses, private law practitioners, and judges, who offer their opinions and perceptions based on their experience of their country's justice sector.

This document required none of his attention it could go straight through.

~*~*~*~*~

It had been too dark to see anything so the sense of hearing had gone into over drive. Valcyn heard when the man had gone up the hill. By his walk he was not Fremen but he knew enough of Desert way not to walk with a rhythmic beat. That would surely call a Worm.

It was a man Valcyn was sure and he carried a load, a heavy one at that. He didn't challenge the Phantom. Why should he? His one aim as a hermit was to avoid people and anyone out on a night like this was up to no good on that he would bet his water.

It was now hours later and the sun was out and so was Valcyn.

He ventured out to see what had occurred. He may not want to be among people but that didn't mean he wasn't curious. He stood and watched the body of a dead Fremen. The body was already giving up its water to the intense sun.

His curiosity satisfied, the hermit turned and left the corpse to the scavengers that were sure to come.