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they let me get into. . ."
"Because they have instructions to protect you," Leto said. "They always protect
the most valuable. . ."
"Four of them died getting me out of there!" Idaho said.
"We lost more than thirty people altogether, Lord," Moneo said. "We're still
counting."
"How many Face Dancers?" Leto asked.
"It looks like there were an even fifty of them, Lord," Moneo said. He spoke
softly, a stricken look on his face.
Leto began to chuckle.
"Why are you laughing?" Idaho demanded. "More than thirty of our people. . ."
"But the Tleilaxu were so inept," Leto said. "Do you not realize that only about
five hundred years ago they would've been far more efficient, far more
dangerous. Imagine them daring that foolish masquerade! And not anticipating
your brilliant response!"
"They had lasguns," Idaho said.
Leto twisted his bulky forward segments around and pointed
at a hole burned in his canopy almost at the cart', midpoint A melted and fused
starburst surrounded the hole
"They hit several other places underneath," Leto said "Fortunately, they did not
damage any suspensors or wheels."
Idaho stared at the hole in the canopy. noted that it lined up with Leto's body.
"Didn't it hit you?" he asked.
"Oh, yes," Leto said.
"Are you injured?" "I am immune to lasguns," Leto lied. "When we get time, I
will demonstrate."
"Well, I'm not immune." Idaho said. "And neither are your guards. Every one of
us should have a shield belt."
"Shields are banned throughout the Empire." Leto said. "It is a capital offense
to have a shield."
"The question of shields," Moneo ventured.
Idaho thought Moneo was asking for an explanation of shields and said: "The
belts develop a force field which will repel any object trying to enter at a
dangerous speed. They have one major drawback. If you intersect the force field
with a lasgun beam, the resultant explosion rivals that of a very large fusion
bomb. Attacker and attacked go together."
Moneo only stared at Idaho, who nodded.
"I see why they were banned," Idaho said. "I presume the Great Convention
against atomics is still in force and working well?"
"Working even better since we searched out all of the Family atomics and removed
them to a safe place," Leto said. "But we do not have time to discuss such
matters here."
"We can discuss one thing," Idaho said. "Walking out here in the open is too
dangerous. We should. . ."'
"It is the tradition and we will continue it," Leto said.
Moneo leaned close to Idaho's ear. "You are disturbing the Lord Leto," he said.
"But. . ."
"Have you not considered how much easier it is to control a walking population?"
Moneo asked.
Idaho jerked around to stare into Moneo's eyes with sudden comprehension.
Leto took the opportunity to begin issuing orders. "Moneo, see that there is no
sign of the attack left here, not one spot of blood or a torn rag of clothing-
nothing."
"Yes, Lord."
Idaho turned at the sound of people pressing close around them, saw that all of
the survivors, even the wounded wearing emergency bandages, had come up to
listen.
"All of you," Leto said, addressing the throng around the cart. "Not a word of
this. Let the Tleilaxu worry." He looked at Idaho.
"Duncan, how did those Face Dancers get into a region where only my Museum
Fremen should roam free?"
Idaho glanced involuntarily at Moneo.
"Lord, it is my fault," Moneo said. "I was the one who arranged for the Fremen
to present their petition here. I even reassured Duncan Idaho about them."
"I recall your mentioning the petition," Leto said.
"I thought it might amuse you, Lord."
"Petitions do not amuse me, they annoy me. I am especially annoyed by petitions
from people whose one purpose in my scheme of things is to preserve the ancient
forms."
"Lord, it was just that you have spoken so many times about the boredom of these
peregrinations into. . ."
"But I am not here to ease the boredom of others!"
"Lord?"
"The Museum Fremen understand nothing about the old ways. They are only good at
going through the motions. This naturally bores them and their petitions always
seek to introduce changes. That's what annoys me. I will not permit changes.
Now, where did you learn of the supposed petition?"
"From the Fremen themselves," Moneo said. "A dele. . ." He broke off, scowling.
"Were the members of the delegation known to you'.'"
"Of course, Lord. Otherwise I'd . . ."
"They're dead," Idaho said.
Moneo looked at him, uncomprehending.
"The people you knew were killed and replaced by Face Dancer mimics," Idaho
said.
"I have been remiss," Leto said. "I should've taught all of you how to detect
Face Dancers. It will be corrected now that they grow foolishly bold."
"Why are they so bold?" Idaho asked.
"Perhaps to distract us from something else," Moneo said.
Leto smiled at Moneo. Under the stress of personal threat, the majordomo's mind
worked well. He had failed his Lord by mistaking Face Dancer mimics for known
Fremen. Now, Moneo felt that his continued service might depend upon those
abilities for which the God Emperor had originally chosen him. "And now we have
time to prepare ourselves," Leto said. "Distract us from what?" Idaho demanded.
"From another plot in which they participate," Leto said. "They think I will
punish them severely for this, but the Tleilaxu core remains safe because of
you, Duncan."
"They didn't intend to fail here," Idaho said.
"But it was a contingency for which they were prepared," Moneo said.
"They believe I will not destroy them because they hold the original cells of my
Duncan Idaho," Leto said. "Do you understand, Duncan?"
"Are they right?" Idaho demanded.
"They approach being wrong," Leto said. He returned his attention to Moneo. "No
sign of this event must go with us to Onn. Fresh uniforms, new guards to replace
the dead and wounded . . . everything just as it was." [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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they let me get into. . ."
"Because they have instructions to protect you," Leto said. "They always protect
the most valuable. . ."
"Four of them died getting me out of there!" Idaho said.
"We lost more than thirty people altogether, Lord," Moneo said. "We're still
counting."
"How many Face Dancers?" Leto asked.
"It looks like there were an even fifty of them, Lord," Moneo said. He spoke
softly, a stricken look on his face.
Leto began to chuckle.
"Why are you laughing?" Idaho demanded. "More than thirty of our people. . ."
"But the Tleilaxu were so inept," Leto said. "Do you not realize that only about
five hundred years ago they would've been far more efficient, far more
dangerous. Imagine them daring that foolish masquerade! And not anticipating
your brilliant response!"
"They had lasguns," Idaho said.
Leto twisted his bulky forward segments around and pointed
at a hole burned in his canopy almost at the cart', midpoint A melted and fused
starburst surrounded the hole
"They hit several other places underneath," Leto said "Fortunately, they did not
damage any suspensors or wheels."
Idaho stared at the hole in the canopy. noted that it lined up with Leto's body.
"Didn't it hit you?" he asked.
"Oh, yes," Leto said.
"Are you injured?" "I am immune to lasguns," Leto lied. "When we get time, I
will demonstrate."
"Well, I'm not immune." Idaho said. "And neither are your guards. Every one of
us should have a shield belt."
"Shields are banned throughout the Empire." Leto said. "It is a capital offense
to have a shield."
"The question of shields," Moneo ventured.
Idaho thought Moneo was asking for an explanation of shields and said: "The
belts develop a force field which will repel any object trying to enter at a
dangerous speed. They have one major drawback. If you intersect the force field
with a lasgun beam, the resultant explosion rivals that of a very large fusion
bomb. Attacker and attacked go together."
Moneo only stared at Idaho, who nodded.
"I see why they were banned," Idaho said. "I presume the Great Convention
against atomics is still in force and working well?"
"Working even better since we searched out all of the Family atomics and removed
them to a safe place," Leto said. "But we do not have time to discuss such
matters here."
"We can discuss one thing," Idaho said. "Walking out here in the open is too
dangerous. We should. . ."'
"It is the tradition and we will continue it," Leto said.
Moneo leaned close to Idaho's ear. "You are disturbing the Lord Leto," he said.
"But. . ."
"Have you not considered how much easier it is to control a walking population?"
Moneo asked.
Idaho jerked around to stare into Moneo's eyes with sudden comprehension.
Leto took the opportunity to begin issuing orders. "Moneo, see that there is no
sign of the attack left here, not one spot of blood or a torn rag of clothing-
nothing."
"Yes, Lord."
Idaho turned at the sound of people pressing close around them, saw that all of
the survivors, even the wounded wearing emergency bandages, had come up to
listen.
"All of you," Leto said, addressing the throng around the cart. "Not a word of
this. Let the Tleilaxu worry." He looked at Idaho.
"Duncan, how did those Face Dancers get into a region where only my Museum
Fremen should roam free?"
Idaho glanced involuntarily at Moneo.
"Lord, it is my fault," Moneo said. "I was the one who arranged for the Fremen
to present their petition here. I even reassured Duncan Idaho about them."
"I recall your mentioning the petition," Leto said.
"I thought it might amuse you, Lord."
"Petitions do not amuse me, they annoy me. I am especially annoyed by petitions
from people whose one purpose in my scheme of things is to preserve the ancient
forms."
"Lord, it was just that you have spoken so many times about the boredom of these
peregrinations into. . ."
"But I am not here to ease the boredom of others!"
"Lord?"
"The Museum Fremen understand nothing about the old ways. They are only good at
going through the motions. This naturally bores them and their petitions always
seek to introduce changes. That's what annoys me. I will not permit changes.
Now, where did you learn of the supposed petition?"
"From the Fremen themselves," Moneo said. "A dele. . ." He broke off, scowling.
"Were the members of the delegation known to you'.'"
"Of course, Lord. Otherwise I'd . . ."
"They're dead," Idaho said.
Moneo looked at him, uncomprehending.
"The people you knew were killed and replaced by Face Dancer mimics," Idaho
said.
"I have been remiss," Leto said. "I should've taught all of you how to detect
Face Dancers. It will be corrected now that they grow foolishly bold."
"Why are they so bold?" Idaho asked.
"Perhaps to distract us from something else," Moneo said.
Leto smiled at Moneo. Under the stress of personal threat, the majordomo's mind
worked well. He had failed his Lord by mistaking Face Dancer mimics for known
Fremen. Now, Moneo felt that his continued service might depend upon those
abilities for which the God Emperor had originally chosen him. "And now we have
time to prepare ourselves," Leto said. "Distract us from what?" Idaho demanded.
"From another plot in which they participate," Leto said. "They think I will
punish them severely for this, but the Tleilaxu core remains safe because of
you, Duncan."
"They didn't intend to fail here," Idaho said.
"But it was a contingency for which they were prepared," Moneo said.
"They believe I will not destroy them because they hold the original cells of my
Duncan Idaho," Leto said. "Do you understand, Duncan?"
"Are they right?" Idaho demanded.
"They approach being wrong," Leto said. He returned his attention to Moneo. "No
sign of this event must go with us to Onn. Fresh uniforms, new guards to replace
the dead and wounded . . . everything just as it was." [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]