Chapter 21 Chapter 21

"It's like fighting in the dark," Alia said. Furiously, she paced up and down the Legislative Council Chamber, from the window with its drapes of softening sunlight to the divan on the opposite side of the room, next to the dado.Her sandals trod across the spice fiber rug, the parquet floor, the great garnet slabs, and then the carpet.Finally, she stood before Irulan and Idaho, who sat facing each other on the whale-skin couch. Idaho initially refused to return from Tib's lair, but she issued a coercive order.Kidnapping Jessica becomes more important than ever, but things have to take a break.She needs Idaho's Mentat Sense.

"These events all have the same modus operandi," Alia said. "I smell conspiracy." "Probably not," Irulan ventured, casting a questioning glance at Idaho. There was an undisguised sneer on Alia's face.How could Yirulan be so naive?Unless... Alia fixed sharp, suspicious eyes on the princess.Irulan wore a simple black robe that matched her dark blue spice eyes.Her blond hair was pulled tightly into a bun at the nape of her neck, accentuating a face that had grown thinner and sterner over the years on Arrakis.She still retained the arrogance she had inherited from her father, Shadham IV, and Alia often thought there might be conspiracy lurking beneath that haughty expression.

Idaho was casually dressed in a black and green uniform of the Atreides bodyguard, without epaulettes.Many of Arya's guards loathed the uniform, especially her female guards who wore officer's epaulets.They didn't like to see the resurrected Mentat swordsman dressed casually, and he was the husband of their mistress, which deepened their dislike of him. "The tribes hope that Lady Jessica can regain her seat in the Regency Council of State," said Idaho, "what's the point—" "They demanded it unanimously!" Alia pointed to a piece of fine-grained spice paper on the sofa beside Irulan, "Falakon is a threat, and this... there is an alliance smell in here."

"What does Stilgar think?" Irulan asked. "His signature is on that paper!" said Alia. "But if he..." "How could he reject his Godmother?" Alia mocked. Idaho looked at her and thought: Yirulan is about to be provoked.He wondered again why Alia had called him back, knowing that he had to stay in Taebu's den if the kidnapping plot was to go into effect.Had she heard the missionary's message to him?The thought made his breathing flutter.How did the mysterious beggar know the secret gesture Paul Atreides used to summon his swordsman?How much Idaho wished he could leave this meaningless meeting and find answers to the questions in his heart.

"Preachers have certainly left planets," said Arya. "The Guild wouldn't lie to us about this. I'm going to put him—" "Be careful!" Yi Rulan said. "Yes, one has to be careful," Idaho said. "Half the planet believes he is—" He shrugged. "Your brother." Idaho wished he could do it in a very casual manner. Say the second half of the sentence.How did that person know the gesture? "But if he's a messenger, or a spy—" "He has never been in contact with anyone from Yulian Company or the Corino family," Yirulan said, "We can be sure..."

"We're not sure about anything!" Alia didn't want to hide her disdain.She turned her back to Irulan, looking at Idaho.He knew why he was here!Why didn't he do what she expected?Ask him to come to the State Council because Irulan is here.The history that married the princess of House Corino to House Atreides should never be forgotten.Betrayal, as long as it happens once, it will happen again.Duncan's Mentat powers should be able to detect clues in Irulan's subtle behavioral changes. Idaho shook his body and glanced at Irulan.Sometimes he resents his Mentat state for being too direct.He knew what Alia was thinking.Yirulan should also know.But Paul Muad'di's princess wife has overcome the resentment of a decision that put her below Ghani, the emperor's mistress.Irulan's loyalty to the twins was unquestionable.She had abandoned her family and the Bee Geist Sisterhood for the sake of House Atreides.

"My mother is part of this conspiracy!" Alia insisted. "Otherwise, why would the sisters send her back here at this time?" "It's not good for us to be suspicious," Idaho said. Alia turned her back on him, the way he knew she would.He secretly thanked himself that he didn't have to look at that once lovely face that was now distorted by magic. "How should I put it?" Yirulan said, "You can't completely trust the Astronautics Guild..." "Space Guild!" Arya taunted. "We cannot rule out that the Guild or Bee Geist are still hostile to us," said Idaho, "but we must treat them differently, as passive participants in the battle against us. The Guild will adhere to its basic principles: never to be rulers. They can only thrive through parasitism, and they know that. The Guild of Spacemen will take no action that would threaten the host to which they are attached."

"The host in their eyes may be different from what we expected." Yirulan said lazily.It was the closest she could get to mocking.The languid voice seemed to say, "You've made a mistake, Mentat." Alia looked hesitant.She didn't expect Yirulan to say that, a conspirator would not show such a point of view. "True," said Idaho, "but the Guild would not openly oppose House Atreides. However, the Sisterhood might risk parting ways with us politically—" "If they want to do it, they have to do it under some sort of guise: someone or a group of people they can use at any time to take the blame," Irulan said. "Bee Gist has been around for so long, and they know the value of protecting themselves. They Prefer to be on the back of the throne, rather than sitting on the throne."

Safeguard yourself wisely?Alia thought, is this Yirulan's choice? "It's exactly in line with what I want to say," Idaho said.He found these arguments and explanations helpful, freeing his mind from other problems. Alia walked to the sunny window.She knew Idaho's blind spots, the blind spots that every Mentat had.They have to make formal judgments, which means they tend to rely too much on facts and have limited observations.They know it themselves, it's part of their training.Yet they still do things regardless of these blind spots.I should have left him in Teb's lair, Alia thought, and it would have been better to just hand Irulan over to Javid for interrogation.

Inside her skull, Alia heard a deep voice say, "Exactly!" Shut up!Shut up!Shut up!she thought.At such moments she always felt that she was being tempted to make a dangerous mistake, but she could not see what the mistake was.All she could sense was danger.Idaho must help her out.He is a Mentat.Mentat is a necessity.The flesh computer replaced the machines destroyed by the Butran Jihad.You must not build machines with human minds!But Alia had always wanted a submissive machine.They won't have the same restrictions as Idaho.You will never doubt the machine. Alia heard Irulan's lazy voice.

"The illusion of the illusion of the illusion of the illusion," Irulan said, "we all know the form of the attack on power. I don't accuse Alia of being suspicious. She obviously doubts everyone, even us. Leaving that aside, let's look at motives. What is the most formidable threat to the Regency?" "Yulian Company." Idaho said in Mentat's calm tone. Alia smiled.Yulian Company!But the Atreides family controls 51% of Yulian's shares.Muad'di's church controls another five percent.In this way the Houses with a very realistic view acknowledge that the dunes control the priceless spices.Spices are often referred to as "secret money printers," and not without reason.Guild navigators cannot work without spices.The spice prompts the navigator to enter the "pilot phase," a state in which the navigator can "see" the space-time tunnel before it enters it.Without the immune-boosting effects of spices, the average life expectancy of the wealthy would be shortened by at least four years.Even the vast middle classes of the empire were consuming diluted spices, drinking a few drops a day. But Alia heard clearly, Mentat's sincerity in Idaho's voice.It was this sound that she had been waiting for with foreboding. Yulian Company.The Union Company is much more than the Atreides, more than the dunes, more than churches or spices.It represents ink vine whips, whale skins, custard vines, crafts and entertainers of Aix, trade between different peoples and places, pilgrimages and legal technological products from Trealax; it represents addiction medicines and medical technology; it represents transportation (guilds) and complex commerce within the entire empire, covering thousands of known planets and their surrounding secret worlds.When Idaho talked about Zilian Corporation, he was talking about a big fermenting vat, with a conspiracy within a conspiracy, and a tenth of the dividend fluctuation meant that the ownership of the entire planet changed hands. Alia came back to the two sitting on the couch. "Is there anything about Yulian that doesn't feel right to you?" she asked. "There are always families hoarding spices and speculating." Yirulan said. Alia clapped her hands on her thighs, then pointed to the spice paper beside Irulan. "That's not really your concern until..." "Okay!" Idaho snapped, "Speak out. What's the situation you've been hiding? You should know that you can't hide the data on the one hand and expect me to calculate—" "Recently, the trading volume of the four types of people with special skills has greatly increased." Alia said: She didn't know if this was new news for the two people in front of her. "What skill?" Yirulan asked. "Advanced swordsman, the mutated Mentat made by Treylax, the doctor trained by Suker School who solidified the psychological reflex behavior, and the accountant with fake accounts. The latter is the most special. Why is there a need for fake accounts? Will there be a sudden surge in volume?" She asked Idaho a question. He began Mentat's thinking.Well, it's easier than thinking about what Alia has become.He focused on her words, connecting her words to the Mentat-mind within him.Senior swordsman?He's been called that before.A master swordsman is of course much more useful than a single fighter.They can repair shielding fields, develop operational plans, design military support facilities, and prepare combat weapons.Mutant Mentat?Trey Lax apparently continued to play tricks.As a Mentat, Idaho understood the dangers of being mutated by Trealax.The big families who bought these Mentats wanted to have full control over them.impossible!Even Peter de Vries, who helped Haniken attack House Atreides, still retained his precious dignity, finally accepting death instead of giving up himself.Suk's doctor?The mental set loaded on them ensures that they will not betray their patients.Doctor Suk is expensive.An increase in trading volume means that a lot of money is in circulation. Idaho contrasted these factors with an increase in fake accounting transactions. "The result of the preliminary calculation is," although what he said was a derivation result, but the tone he used was very affirmative, "the wealth of various small families has been increasing recently. Some of them are quietly becoming big families. These wealth can only changes from political alliances." “We finally talked about the Legislative Council,” Alia said, with an emphasis that suggested she believed that view. "The next Legislative Council will be in two standard years," Irulan reminded her. "But the political bargaining never stops," Alia said. "I can guarantee that some of the signatories—" she pointed to the paper next to Irulan, "and the little ones who changed the alliance relationship." The family is in collusion." "Perhaps." Yirulan said. "Legislative Council." Alia said, "Is there a better cover for Bee Geist? Is there a more suitable spy in the sisterhood than my mother?" Alia turned to face To Idaho, "Is that so, Duncan?" Why can't I maintain Mentat's detachment?Idaho asked himself.He saw Alia's intentions.However, after all, Duncan Idaho had served as Mrs. Jessica's personal bodyguard for many years. "Duncan?" Alia pressed on. "You should look into the legislative advisory bodies of the various parties to see what they are preparing for the next legislature," Idaho said. "They may have a legal provision that the regency cannot exercise veto power on certain laws and regulations. — such as tax rate adjustments and antitrust laws and so on, and a few others, but..." "It's not practical to take this kind of method." Yirulan said. "I agree," said Alia, "Saduka has no teeth, and we still hold the Fremen Legion." "Beware, Arya," said Idaho, "our enemies are looking to turn us into devils. No matter how many legions you may command, in an empire so dispersed, power rests only on the acquiescence of all. .” "Everyone's acquiescence?" Yirulan asked. "You mean the acquiescence of the great family?" Alia asked. "How many great families are in this new alliance we're dealing with?" Idaho asked. "Funds are gathering in strange places." "Fringe world?" Yirulan asked. Idaho shrugged.This is an unanswerable question.They all suspect that someday, Trealax or the technologists in the fringe world will disable the Holtzman Field.When that time comes, the shielding field will be useless.The delicate balance that maintains the imperial fiefdom system will be completely disrupted. Alia refuses to consider the possibility. "We just use the resources we have," she said. "The strongest resource we have is this: The directors of Union know we can destroy spice. They're not going to take that risk." "It's back to Yulian Company again." Yi Rulan said. "Unless someone tries to replicate the sandtrout-sandworm cycle on another planet," Idaho said.He looked at Irulan inquiringly, and this sentence shocked Alia. "Is it on the planet Salusa Secundus?" "My informants there are reliable," Irulan said, "not Salusar." "Then what I just said is still valid," Alia stared at Idaho, "just use the resources we have at hand." What about my actions?Idaho thought.He said: "Since you can figure out a way yourself, why did you interrupt my important operation?" "Don't talk to me like that!" Alia snapped. Idaho's eyes widened.At this moment, he saw the alienated Alia again, which made him uneasy.He turned to look at Irulan, but she didn't seem to notice Alia's strangeness—or pretended not to. "I don't need a primary education," Alia said, still alienated in her tone. Idaho forced a regretful smile, but his chest hurt badly. "When you deal with power, you will inevitably come into contact with wealth and various external manifestations of wealth." Irulan said lazily, "Paul is a factor that caused a sudden change in society. Let us not forget that he changed the past of wealth. There's always a balance." "This kind of mutation can be restored." Alia said, turning her back to them, as if she didn't show that terrible sign of alienation just now, "The directors know where the wealth is within the empire. .” "They also know," Irulan said, "that there are three people who can perpetuate this mutation: the twins, and..." She pointed to Alia. Are they crazy, these two?Idaho was puzzled. "They'll try to assassinate me!" Alia said in a piercing voice. Startled, Idaho fell silent, his Mentat mind racing.Assassinate Alia?Why?They could totally discredit Alia.Easy as pie.They could cut her off from the Fremen and eventually kill her.But the twins... he knew, he wasn't in the mentat state to assess the problem, but he had to try, and he had to be as accurate as possible.But he also knew that precise thinking involves absolutes.And nature is imprecise.On his scale, the universe is imprecise.It is chaotic and vague, full of uncertainty and change.The entire human race must be considered as a natural phenomenon, and this factor must be factored into the calculations.The precise analysis represents only one slice of the ever-evolving cosmic tide.He has to get into that flow and watch it move. "It is correct to focus on Yulian Company and the Legislative Council." Yirulan said lazily, "Duncan's suggestion is very valuable, and it pointed us to where to start—" “Money is an outward form of power, and it cannot be separated from the power it represents,” Alia said. “We all know that. But we have to answer three clear questions: when? Land? What kind of weapon to use?" Twins... twins, Idaho thought, they were in danger, not Alia. "What about 'who' and 'how'? Are you not interested?" Irulan asked. "If the Corino family, or the Yulian Corporation, or any other organization had planted their personnel on this planet," Alia said, "there's a better than 60 percent chance we'll find them before they act. They. Knowing when and where they are operating gives us an even greater advantage. As for the 'how', it's a question of what weapons to use." Why can't they see what I see?Idaho thought. "So," said Irulan, "'when'?" "When everyone's attention is on other people," Alia said. "At the welcome party, all the attention was on your mother," Irulan said, "but no one did anything about you." "Because the location is wrong," Alia said. what is she doingIdaho thought. "So, where will it be?" Yirulan asked. "It's in the palace," Alia said. "This is the safest place I feel, and it's also the place where I pay the least attention to protection." "What weapon?" Yirulan asked. "Traditional weapons—the kind any Fremen could carry: poison-soaked howler knives, shotguns . . . " "What about hunting darts? They haven't used hunting darts for a long time." Yirulan said. "It's useless in crowds," Alia said, "and they'll strike in crowds." "Biological weapon?" Yirulan asked. "You mean using an infectious agent?" Alia asked tentatively.She didn't hide her disbelief: How could Irulan not know that the infectious agent could not overcome the immune system that protected the Atreides family? "I'm thinking of a certain animal," Irulan said. "For example, a small insect trained to only bite a certain person and release the poison at the same time." "House mink will prevent something like this from happening." "What if we use the mink to attack the house?" Yi Rulan asked. "That doesn't work either. The house marten repels any intruder and kills it. You know that too." "I'm just researching some possibilities, hoping..." "I'll warn my guards," Alia said. When Alia mentioned the guards, Idaho covered Trealax's eyes with one hand, resisting the tide rushing in front of him.This is enlightenment, the eternity that life unfolds.Every Mentat has this potential in his inner consciousness.It casts his consciousness to the universe like a fishing net, and judges the shape of the items in the net.He saw the twins crawling in the dark, huge claws gliding over their heads. "No," he whispered. "What?" Alia looked at him, as if wondering that he was still here. "The clothes from the Corino family," he asked, "have they been sent to the twins?" "Of course," said Irulan, "they're all right." "Nobody's going to go after the twins in Teb's cave," Arya said. "Nobody's going to take on Stilgar-trained guards." Idaho stared at her.He didn't have the data to reinforce his conclusions from Mentat's calculations, but he did.Just know.The feeling he had just experienced was very similar to Paul's ability to see into the future.But neither Irulan nor Alia believed that he had this ability. "I would like to alert the Port Authority to any form of animal importation," he said. "It seems that you don't believe Irulan's words." Alia said disapprovingly. "But why take the risk?" he asked. "What's the use of reminding the Port Authority, you forgot there are smugglers?" Alia said, "but I'm still betting on the house guard ferrets." Idaho shook his head.How could the family's ferrets stand against his perceived claws?But Alia was right.As long as you bribe the right place, and get to know a navigator from the Astronautics Guild, any open space can become a landing site.The Guild might refuse to stand against the Atreides, but if the price is high enough...the Guild can always find an excuse anyway, saying that it is only a "transportation agency", how can it possibly know what a certain cargo will be used for? Woolen cloth? Alia broke the silence with a pure Freeman gesture.She raised one fist, keeping her thumb parallel to the ground.Along with the gesture, she uttered a traditional mantra meaning "I am the center of the typhoon".She clearly sees herself as the only logical target for assassination, and the gesture is a sign of defiance against this threatening universe.What she meant was that for anyone who dared to attack her, she would blow them to death with the wind. Idaho felt that any kind of struggle was pointless.He saw that she no longer doubted him.He was going to the Teb cave, and she expected to see a perfect kidnapping of Lady Jessica. He rose from the couch, adrenaline pumped by rage. He thought: How wonderful it would be if the target was Alia!If only she could be assassinated!For a moment, he put his hand on the handle of the knife.But he didn't want to kill her, even though for her, becoming a martyr was far better than losing everyone's trust and then sleeping in a graveyard in shame. "Yes," said Alia, who mistook his expression for concern, "you'd better go back to Tab's lair." Then she thought: how stupid of me to doubt Duncan!He's mine, not Jessica's!The suspicion just now must be because the tribe's request made her feel so bad.She waved her hand in the air, as a farewell to Idaho. Idaho left the hall helplessly.Not only is Alia blinded by demonic possession, but each crisis can deepen her madness.She has crossed the danger zone and is doomed to perdition.But what can he do with the twins?Who can he convince?Stilgar?But what else can Stilgar do besides his daily inspection and patrol duties? Mrs. Jessica? Yes, he had looked into the possibility, but it was possible she was harboring a sorority conspiracy.He hadn't seen much of the Atreides mistress yet.She might obey Bee Geist at any order—even orders against her own grandchildren.