Navigators of Dune

The Butlerian ships drove forward to what would surely be a titanic clash. Manford narrowed his gaze and watched as the expendable vessels reached orbit and opened fire in eerie silence. When the VenHold battleships retaliated, Manford could see that his followers were in for a bloodbath.

* * *

EMBOLDENED, THE IMPERIAL defense forces also opened fire as Josef’s fleet engaged the oncoming Butlerians. One of the orbiting Imperial ships shot at a nearby VenHold vessel. The defensive shields held and damage was minimal … but the equally brash VenHold captain responded without orders—and vaporized the Imperial ship.

Josef yelled across the comm, “I said crippling shots only!” He knew this was problematic. “But feel free to destroy as many of the barbarians as you can.”

Now all the Butlerians charged into the fray, wildly opening fire. The VenHold ships were forced to respond with all their weaponry. Silent explosions peppered space, and two of the fanatic ships were wiped out in the first salvo. But their crews didn’t even seem to care. They kept coming, using their available weapons.

“Josef, our spice!” Norma cried from inside her tank. “We have to protect it!”

“Yes, Grandmother!” He didn’t know what she wanted him to do. “We’ll take care of the spice.”

In the heat of the battle, he tried once again to appeal to reason, transmitting to the Emperor in his sheltered bunker. “Roderick Corrino, you know the Butlerians are our mutual enemy! They are the savages who bullied your brother into bad decisions. They are the monsters who killed your daughter. You know Manford Torondo is an evil man. We should be fighting him together. I implore you, Sire, let us make peace between us.”

Norma spoke more loudly through the speakerpatch. “Josef, we will go. Now.”

Incensed, the Butlerians swept on toward the VenHold ships, and Josef’s fleet continued to bombard them. Another Butlerian vessel exploded, but one of the smaller VenHold ships also erupted in a bright flare as their shields failed and reactors detonated.

Josef was on edge, but excited. He didn’t want to be overconfident. He knew the half-Manford’s barbarians were mad and chaotic, accepting no rules of engagement, giving no thought to their own survival. “Choose your targets and open fire. We have to save ourselves”—he lifted his chin and added something he truly believed—“and the Imperium.”

Norma took him completely by surprise. “We go now, Josef.” As weapons fire built up and the VenHold ships closed in, ready to slaughter the barbarians, she spoke with a strange, determined tone. “My Navigators are required elsewhere. This battle is no longer relevant.”

At first, Josef didn’t comprehend what she said. Then he felt the foldspace engines power up in a rushed preparation for departure. Across the board he watched the same thing occur on the rest of his vessels, even in the thick of battle against Manford’s forces. “What the hell is happening?”

Agitated, Norma thrashed her webbed hands. “Draigo’s ship will remain here to retrieve the cymek Navigator brains. I have already dispatched orders. All other VenHold vessels will depart now.”

Victory was only moments away, but Josef watched the first three ships of his fleet fold space and vanish from the combat zone.

Josef’s jaw dropped. “No, Grandmother! We’re in the middle of a critical battle—we can’t leave!”

“My crisis supersedes political squabbles. It may already be too late.”

Josef rushed over to Norma’s tank. “What is it? We can’t—”

She cut him off. “Our spice bank on Arrakis is being destroyed. It is under attack!” His flagship twisted, jumped, and vanished into folded space.

* * *

NORMA’S MIND WAS the universe, wrapped in the fabric of folded space. When necessary, she could tighten her thoughts, focus and simplify concepts in order to converse with mere humans, such as Josef. But her Navigators were her children, her companions … a new enhanced species. They were the only ones who could truly understand and share with her.

The universe is ours. That had become her motto, and all Navigators shared that hope with her. She had to create more of them.

With the resources of Venport Holdings, Josef had been supporting her aspirations in the same way that she’d been assisting in his political ambitions whenever she could. Yet Norma’s priorities were her own. Her murky window of prescience showed a much larger picture, a future that he might not entirely endorse. No matter.

Right now, Norma’s choice was clear. Josef could return to Salusa Secundus and butt heads with Emperor Roderick later, but she refused to ignore the urgent, sundering alarm that yanked at her strings of prescience, a dissonant clamor from the minds of the failed-Navigator assistants who were stationed on Arrakis at the secret spice bank. That stockpile was in great danger!

She whisked all the VenHold spacefolders to Arrakis.

* * *