Navigators of Dune

As Roderick settled onto his immense quartz throne, he tried to compose himself, tapping his fingers on the throne arm. Haditha whispered, “This is a difficult time, husband, but we are required to show the man some measure of respect. His ships did help turn the tide of battle. If they had not arrived when they did, Josef Venport would have forced you to abdicate. We know this.”

“Yes, and I will go through the motions with him … but no more than necessary. Manford Torondo may have helped us in this particular instance, but much of the overall crisis is of his own making.”

When the Butlerian leader arrived outside the closed chamber, Roderick gestured for guards to open the tall double doors. Anari Idaho strode in, carrying Manford in his harness. The legless man rode high on her sturdy shoulders, with the bald and intense Deacon Harian at his side. Contrary to Roderick’s instructions, two dozen Butlerian followers surged around their beloved leader, forcing their way into the throne room. Several of them jostled the Swordmaster, but Anari held Manford secure. A contingent of Imperial guards rushed to the doorway to block more of them from getting in.

Roderick rose to his feet, in a stormy mood. “We agreed to only four in the entourage. All these others must leave.”

Chamberlain Bakim shouted, red-faced, “There will be order before the Emperor! No unruly mobs.”

Manford seemed to feign chagrin. “Excuse the enthusiasm of my supporters, Sire. They wish to join me everywhere.”

“But not here. If you cannot follow my rules, then you will not be welcome in my Palace.”

Looking offended, Manford said, “After the great service I just did for you, Sire, I expected a more respectful reception. I am the Protector of the Imperium, the vanquisher of our common enemies, the Savior of Salusa.”

“And your mobs killed our daughter.” Roderick words were like spears of ice, and the entire audience chamber fell quickly into a shocked silence. “I will not have chaos here. They will leave.”

In the moments of pause, Imperial guards pushed the people back. Manford gave a quick nod to his followers, conceding the point. “Of course, Sire. We would not wish to cause unintentional pain from an old wound.” He directed Deacon Harian and two other Butlerians in Mentat garments to stay in the small entourage. The Mentats were male and female respectively, both with close-cropped brown hair and slight builds, so they looked very much alike.

When the doors closed against the crowd outside, leaving the group standing before the throne, Manford said in a bright tone, “Sire, we should look forward to a glorious future. Venport and his terrible machines are our real enemy. My people have come to Zimia by the hundreds of thousands, and more are certainly on their way. You and I should celebrate our great victory—making the demon Venport flee in terror.” His voice grew harder. “You would do well to be grateful for how we rescued you.”

Roderick’s tone was even sharper. “And you would do well to remember that I am your Emperor, and any loyal subject should have come to my defense, without requiring gestures of gratitude.” He continued with cool patience. “I appreciate the unexpected service you provided, but I will not forget the harm your people caused in the past. The accounting is not yet finished.”

He saw Manford hesitate. Without his howling supporters to shore him up, the mob leader seemed smaller than usual, even less than half a man. The feather on his ridiculous, gaudy cap jostled as he gestured to the two small-statured Mentats; he seemed eager to change the subject. “And as a loyal subject, I bring you a gift, Sire: two talented graduates from my Mentat School on Lampadas, both approved by the new Headmaster Zendur. Their highly developed minds can complete countless calculations and projections … whatever you want them to do. They are human computers, but are in no way corrupted by the machine apologists.”

Roderick inspected the pair. Beside his throne, the Truthsayer glanced at them, then turned forward again without speaking. The Emperor said, “I agree about the usefulness of Mentats, Leader Torondo, but I already have one at my side. Sister Fielle is herself a graduate of the Mentat School.”

Obviously flustered, Manford said, “If this woman was trained under Headmaster Albans, then her education and beliefs are suspect. There is proof that Albans collaborated with the robot Erasmus.”

Roderick cut him off. “Proved to your satisfaction, perhaps, but I find the idea preposterous. In fact, I find many things preposterous about the reports of your takeover of the Mentat School.” He leaned forward on the throne, staring hard at Manford, ignoring everyone else. “Sister Fielle has another skill that’s just as valuable as her Mentat abilities.”

The dark-robed woman glided down the dais steps so that she stood within arm’s reach of the Swordmaster. Anari Idaho tensed.