The Price of Spice
Tupile had been the place of refuge for renegade Great Houses since the Battle of Corrino. The Guild carefully kept the planet away from the Imperium's focus. The Tupile Entente in reality encompassed far more planets than commonly believed. Under Shaddam IV, the Guild had expanded to a thousand worlds. The rate of expansion was only limited by available fuel, melange, and the cost of CHOAM bribes. The steady increase in the covert space trade with the planets off the Imperium contributed to spice prices tripling in the two centuries before Shaddam IV. The ascension of the Atreides is traditionally seen as a result of the Imperium's political struggles; yet it ultimately originated by the Guild increasing the monopolistic hold the owners of Arrakis could exert on all of Humanity.
— ATREIDES ACROSS THE AGES: A HISTORICAL REVISION
"I seek the counsel of our planet Delphyne's Cabinet regarding this matter. As the Orange Catholic Bible said, the gift of a lifetime is for one's eyes to be opened wide," concluded High Priest Brogallo at the end of his report. The small, disadorned room on the ground floor of the city of Lat's Prismatic Tower lacked charm and solemnity, while providing all the qualities of a planetary situation room: no-globe insulation from prescient seekers, underground escape passages, and secure comm systems to connect with the rest of the planet and its orbital stations.
"It is the real thing," commented a man dressed in elegant animal leather and with a golden ring marking him as the head of Delphyne's Commerce League. A crystal marble laid on the table, and inside it a single electric blue drop immersed in the clear liquid swirled without dissolving, kept together by its high surface tension. "The spice melange."
A needle inserted into the drop and then carefully withdrawn had produced the scent of cinnamon that Priest Brogallo, who had escaped from Rakis of old years before, found unmistakable. "It is our God's blue elixir indeed," he murmured, bringing the needle to his tongue. He dropped to his knees, crying: "By the product of Your suffering our souls will be tested!" and muttered a prayer. Around the room some, but not all, made the sign of Dur, patiently waiting. The group was tolerant to different faiths; always had been. "And it is not the diluted Tleilaxu imitation either," chimed in an older woman carrying the insignia of the Minister of the Interior.
In the pause that followed, Priest Brogallo could almost hear everybody's inner dialogue. This was the original spice melange created by Dur's sandworms in the sands of Rakis before its great planetary annihilation. Nothing like that had been seen in decades! It had mystic power, not one that mere mortals could unleash. In a universe without sandworms, it was also the ultimate commodity. The rarest of the rarest of the currencies, the life-prolonging drug. It spoke of ecstasy, and power. The priest, coming back to his senses, was the first to break the silence: "Of course, it will be kept inside a temple from now on, and displayed to the public only during Dur's festival at the turn of every decade. A holy gift for an auspicious time!"
"For God will fulfill your desires, and by those you will know thy punishment. Also from the O.C. Bible, oh Brother," commented flatly the First Sayyadina.
"But there are possibilities," said the Suk Doctor.
"Where does it come from?" asked the League agent, a veil of suspicion in his eyes.
"Why, it came with the big ship!" replied the Commissioner.
"It cannot be just it," said the Sayyadina, "this is but a sample. Did they tell you how much they are carrying in their hold, Brogallo?"
"What? Do you think there is more?" gasped the Priest.
"Of course there is more!" jumped the Agent, "That's how they can part with a drop of it."
"The two came this morning," repeated the Priest, "Father and child. An odd couple. They donated the holy item. They did not seem to belong to the true Faith, to be true. But it is hard to know customs these days, with pilgrims and visitors from all places coming through."
"What did they ask you to do in exchange?" inquired the Sayyadina.
"In exchange? No! They gave no conditions to their gift, but…"
"But you offered to help them with their stay in town, for the Festival. Did they ask to be shown around the Prismatic Tower? Did you give them the full tour?" she continued, lifting her head in a caricature of her fellow priest, "A 150-feet building rising just south of the festival plaza! Over countless flags in blue and saffron! The keystone for the twenty triangle-shaped buildings that encircle the festival area like a wind rose…' "
The Priest blushed, diminished. "Well…"
"And then, at the end of your histrionics, they asked for your help. What did they say they are, traders looking for business contacts?" commented sarcastically the Sayyadina.
Priest Brogallo lowered his eyes.
In the silence that ensued, the Defense Commissioner spoke: "This. This is dangerous." He was the only person wearing a plain, weathered green uniform. "Counselors, are you aware of our own reactions? Have you observed the smiles on your faces? This spice speaks many languages. It speaks of holiness to the pious, knowledge to the seeker, longevity to the fearful, riches to the greedy. I… like it not."
"It is not the drop we have here, it is the stock they keep on their ship, or hidden away in some unmapped planet," intervened the Agent, "How much will they have? A literjon? A cartful? Even a cupful may be enough to destabilize the local currency."
"And that is the best case scenario", continued the Commissioner. "Honey like this throws a scent other bees will be attracted to. A swarm could be chasing close behind this one bee. I will bring Delphyne's forces to high alert," he decided standing up, "and it is paramount that we order the ship to leave the planet at once. Take that couple in for questioning, too."
"That won't be necessary," commented the Priest.
"Why, are you meeting them for dinner?" inquired the Sayyadina sarcastically.
"Ha, he thought better of it! He brought them here!" laughed the Commissioner.
"You guessed correctly," replied the shamed Priest, "It was evident to me that this is a matter of State," he continued, finding his voice and composure back, "No matter my excitement for the holy gift. Which our Church will take good care of, multiplying the significance of our Festival, Sayyadina, Not to speak of the income that will be earned thanks to it, Agent. This event speaks of changes. They are in the antechamber, if this Council cares to receive them."
"For the dog of Providence we rescued at twilight, showed itself a wolf at dawn," commented the Sayyadina.
Priest Brogallo looked up at her, a puzzled look on his face: "Whose words? The O.C. Bible's?"
"Mine. And so, enter the wolf," concluded the Sayyadina.