Chapter 44
~15 years Later~
LADY MARGOT FENRING
It had been fifteen years since Inzal Kazab Corrino had taken control of the Imperium inheriting his father's throne and taking absolute majority in the CHOAM company, and the Imperium, and ever since his ascension a great war had ravaged the galaxy.
The Emperor's rage against the conspirators who had tried to kill him had been uncoolable flame, and any and all interventions and attempts to dissuade him from absolute annihilation of the Ixians and Bene Tleilaxu had failed.
Armed with the power of the Saradukar, the Fremen, and an absolute monopoly on Spice production had allowed the Emperor to thwart time-tested and powerful institutions like the Been Tleilaxu and the Ixians. And though they had held on for fifteen years, with every passing day, it was becoming more and more evident that they could do so no longer and that soon enough, the war would end, and Bene Tleilaxu and the Ixians would cease to exist.
And with them any and all who could ever hope to stand against an emperor.
The Guild had tried to intervene, trying to use their monopoly as navigators to dissuade the Emperor, to settle down his rage, and yet rather than bowing down, the Emperor had retaliated, using his absolute majority in the Imperium to lift the ban on the manufacturing of Holter engines, engines that did not require the Guild's services as navigators.
There had been an uproar, and yet the Emperor was simply too powerful—and they could only watch as the guild's monopoly slowly crumbled. Any attempt on the part of the guild to help the Ixians and the Bene Tleilaxu would be seen by the Emperor, his powers allowing him to see beyond the Halls of his castle on Arrakis, where the Fremen now lived freely, with hundreds if not thousands of ships making regular trip to the planet to bring food and water, to the otherwise barren sandy hell hole.
And so, the Guild could scarcely overstep, for any action against the Emperor saw their supply of Spice lessened, as the Emperor began to make his own fleet, one which did not require the services of Navigators.
The Bene Gesserit were also helpless, and the order had lost all favor with the Great Houses because of the Great Kanli that had ended in the demise of one Paul Atreides, and with the last remnants of House Harkonnen also blaming them for their destruction, the Been Gesserit were now pariahs in a world which they once ruled from the shadows.
With each passing day the Royal House grew more powerful, and the world slipped away from their hands, and now it was a consensus that if things remained the same, all of them—The Bene Geserit, the Guild, the Bene Tleilaxu, the Ixians—each and every one of them would lose everything.
And that had brought her here, to Kaladan. To the place where it had all begun. The ancient and stories seat of House Atreides, the second most powerful House in the realm. Even after the betrayal of Paul Atreides, and his subsequent death, the relationship between House Corrino and House Atredies had remained steadfast, their alliance would continue to hold especially with the young Lady Alia taking control of the House from her mother a few years ago.
Alia Atredies, an abomination, a child born with memories of their ancestors. He shared origins with their Emperor, made them both kindred spirits, and she, unlike her mother, was a steadfast supporter of the Emperor. It was rumored that this was the reason she had ousted her as the Duchess, who was more agonistic to the Emperor's clear power grab.
And as her ship landed on the dreary planet, where it rained more than it did not, she was greeted by one Thufir Hwatt. The Duke's mentat had retired alongside the ex-Duchess Lady Jessica, who, alongside her paralysed husband, had taken residence in the ancient castle of House Atreides, one which had often acted as a vacation home for the stories noble House in the past.
The rumor, though, was that this was exile and that the young duchess had exiled her mother to this castle so that she could grab and hold onto all the power of Caladan.
"The Duchess welcomes Lady Fenring to Caladan," the portly man greeted her as a retinue of guards joined her. She greeted the man and was escorted inside, not missing the number of guards stationed in the castle. This gave more and more credence to the rumors that this was indeed an exile, that the abomination Alia Atreides had exiled her own mother to take control of the power of the Atreides clan.
"The Duchess is in the garden with the Duke. She will meet you there," the man told her as he led her to the garden.
"That will be fine," she replied with a smile, and soon enough, they were led to the garden, and there she saw them both. The Duke and Duchess of Caladan, a union unlike few in the Imperium, one rooted in love rather than politics.
Lady Jessica 's marriage with the Duke Leto had come as a surprise to many given that it was thought that the Duke would marry someone for political gain. Yet, he had married his lover of long elevating a concubine to the stature of Duchess, not that the Lady Jessica was not worthy of it.
No, she was the perfect candidate for few, and she could have led House Atreides as she had in the tumultuous times of the last two decades.
Duke Leto had many epithets to his name—The Red Duke, the Honorable Duke, and so forth. And now he had one more, one not so flattering. The Crippled Duke.
The Duke would wake up a year after Inzal Kazab Corrino ascended the throne, alive and yet crippled in the lower half of his body, and that is why even now he sat in a motorized wheelchair that drove slowly as Lady Jessica walked beside him, both of them seemingly rather content despite having lost much of the power and influence they had once wielded over the Imperium.
"Greetings, Duke and Duchess," she began as she was led towards them. Immediately, she saw the Duke's eyes shift, narrowing.
"Greetings to you as well, Lady Fenring," he said before he turned to his wife.
"I will leave now. Your guest is here," and with that, he moved away from them, leaving her alone with the Duchess. The Duke still held a grudge against her for the role she had played in conspiring against the House Atreides with the Harkonnens, and despite her requests, had refused to budge.
Thankfully, she had been able to convince the Duchess to meet with her after much effort.
"It seems that the Duke still holds his drudge against me and my family," she began, and the Duchess's lips shifted as she raised a brow.
"He does not hold a grudge against you personally, Lady Fenring. Moreso he holds one against the Order you have come to represent," she cut in sharply, speaking of how she already knew of the intention of her visit and what she represented.
Her visit was not a courtesy call. No, they were here to ask for her aid. If they were to stand a chance against House Corrino and the Emperor, they would need the aide of House Atreides, and the only ear sympathetic to their cause was her—the Lady Jessica.
They were led to a more secluded area of the garden with chairs and tables as the Duchess began.
"So, tell me what brings you to this secluded part of Caladan," Lady Jessica asked. She had aged since she had last seen her. Her hair remained thick and shining, yet now one could see the greying roots that seemed to only add to her beauty.
The Duchess could prolong her life and remain in her youth forever, yet she was aging, and it was by her own volition.
"I doubt that I can hide anything from you, a reverend Mother," she began. The woman smiled as she looked towards the sky.
"It has been quite some time since anyone has called me that," she replied, and it was to be noted that the woman infront of her was a Reverend Mother and had once been the Emperor's truthsayer.
"So, you must know why I am here," she added. The woman nodded as she picked up her cup of tea and sipped it.
"I am," she replied as she looked her in the eye.
"The Emperor grows stronger by the day. The Ixians and the Bene Tleilaxu cannot stand this much longer. And you think I can stay his hand," the Lady asked, and she nodded.
"The Bene Tleilaxu and the Ixians may have overstepped, but all those responsible for the attack on the Emperor are already dead, and yet his rage continues. Now, it is evident this is all but ruse to weaken any and all opposition to his rule. The Imperium cannot survive an absolute monarchy. You, of all people, know that better than anyone," and the Duchess shrugged.
"The Emperor has ruled sagely in his time, though. Most of the Houses are happy with him, especially now that many of them are free from the Guild's exuberant demands and fees," she added, and she bit her lip.
"And of all people, you must have some nerve to seek my aid," the Duchess cut in sharply.
"After all, was it not Bene Gesserit's intention to see me and my house dead? Were it not your very intentions that saw to the Death of my son!" the rage was palpable, and she had no answer, only remorse at the mistakes of the past.
"We have made mistakes in the past. But you are a part of the Sisterhood, and the only one we can turn to in this time of need," she pleaded. The woman did not budge, so she used the other thing she had been entrusted with.
"And to show our goodwill, we have brought you a gift," and at that she passed him a scroll, and the lady raised a brow.
"What is it?" she asked.
"My companions, when they learnt of my visit wished to send you a duke a present of their own," it was a peace offering, a bribe. The Ixians had devised a plan to give the Duke full function of his legs, allowing him a chance to run and walk again.
The Duchess looked it over, and there was none of the joy she had expected on her face as she placed it on the table before shaking her head.
"Leto will never trust in the Ixians or their little contraptions," and she bit her lip.
"You can have it all looked over by an Imperial Physician; the procedure can even be done in your own presence," she offered, and the woman shook her head.
"I am afraid that will not be possible," the woman replied.
"But you are the Duchess of Calada..."
"That title is more suited to Alia Atredies nowadays," she finally cut into her face, devoid of any emotion as she used that name.
"I am but simply Jessica, Lady Jessica," she added softly, and that confirmed the rumors then. This was indeed an exile, and the Duchess's own daughter had wrangled away the control of Caladan from her own mother and father at the directive of the King.
"And so, I am afraid I have little power to help you or your friends," she denied her and made her stand up, as Margot knew that she had to do something, that otherwise, they would all fail.
"You were the best of us," she cut in as she jumped to her feet.
"You are the closest to the Emperor, the only one who could temper his rage. Help us, my lady, Help the Imperium; otherwise, if things stand as they do, the Imperium as we know it will cease to exist," she pleaded, implored, begged, and the woman's fists balled up, and she saw her hesitate as she walked away.
"I am afraid I carry far less power than you think. I cannot help you," and leaving her heartbroken, the woman walked away until she stopped a few steps past her, slowing down as she continued in a whisper barely audible.
"I may not be able to help you, but I can point you towards someone who can," she began as she felt her heart race at those words.
"You will not find him here but on the planet where it all began, buried in its folktales and histories, hidden in a place of great tragedy and destruction. Only he can help you," Lady Jessica.
"Who?" she asked.
"He has no name and no face. He is a man as old as the Imperium, and is known only by his occupation..."
"...The Preacher."
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