Josef smiled as the solution came to him. “I’ll have the ships for you soon. They are at Denali — another forty ships, old thinking-machine vessels. At this moment they are being fitted with Holtzman engines. When ready, each one will be guided by a Navigator. Is that acceptable?”
She drifted in her tank. “I will send Navigators to Denali to retrieve them. Yes, forty more ships are a step in the right direction.”
AS THEIR SHUTTLE descended to Arrakis City, Josef sat beside Cioba, trying to control his anger. He would not lose any more ground. He would put an entire crew of his rescued Kolhar employees to work in the spice operations and increase production at all costs. He would find more VenHold ships to add to the defenses that were already here. Arrakis would be utterly secure.
He growled, “I lost my banks because of the Emperor, and I lost Kolhar because of the barbarians. I will never give up my spice operations here!”
“No, my husband.” Cioba sounded confident. “We will not.”
His company had suffered a giant blow with the destruction of the spice stockpile, but Josef had ordered his Mentat administrators to dispatch all harvesting teams. They had scoured the Arrakis City repair yards and placed every available piece of factory equipment into service, even the older, inefficient harvesters. Josef intended to rebuild his supplies of melange, and his fortune. Once he satisfied the desperate Navigators, any surplus would be sold at exorbitant prices to the wealthiest addicts in the Imperium. Under the circumstances, it appeared to be the only way VenHold could restore its finances.
The Arrakis City spaceport was relatively calm after the VenHold crackdown on the Imperials and black marketeers, but it was still a lawless zone. Smugglers had begun to encroach on the new spice operations again, but Josef would put an end to that quickly and severely. He could no longer afford to be tolerant. He put all of his operations on high alert.
He and Cioba arrived at the fortress headquarters of Combined Mercantiles, whereupon he summoned Rogin and Tomkir. Josef sat tensely in the meeting chamber. “I need to leverage the disaster we just suffered on Kolhar — to open the Emperor’s eyes.” Even in the hurricane of defeat and devastation, Josef Venport could see opportunities.
Cioba and the two Mentats looked surprised, but he did not doubt himself. “Think about it. Manford Torondo just changed this conflict in a fundamental way. He stepped over a line that should never have been crossed. Suddenly, we are the victims, the horrendously wronged party for all to see. What that madman did at Kolhar exceeded his worst crimes on other planets. This was a crime against humanity itself.” Josef’s voice rose. “By using forbidden atomics, the half-Manford shows that he must not be allowed to exist in any civilized society. Yes, I know Emperor Roderick hates me, but he must be made to hate this more.”
He looked around the room. “We have to make him see that I am not the threat he should fear most. I am the reasonable alternative who will ensure stability and the future of humanity.” He turned to Cioba. “I’ve got to talk with Roderick Corrino face-to-face and clarify the situation for him. It is critically important.”
“But you have already asked for that repeatedly,” Cioba said. “He never agreed. You tried to force him to concede with your siege of Salusa, and now he will not even talk with you.”
Josef took her hands in his, giving and receiving strength. “Then we have to change his mind — and for that I need you.”
“Me? How can I help?”
“You were trained in the Sisterhood. Even if they spurned our offer of an alliance, you can still use the skills you learned. Go to Salusa and find a way to deliver a message to Roderick. Tell him I request a détente meeting, here in orbit above Arrakis. It is not exactly neutral ground, but considering recent events, I will not make myself any more vulnerable. He can bring whatever security he deems necessary. But we must have a discussion.”
“Will he listen?” asked Tomkir.
“Manford Torondo just proved he is a mad dog with no respect for the laws or morals of humankind. How many more atomics do the Butlerians possess? Enough to threaten Salusa Secundus itself? What is to stop them from unleashing atomics on the capital world if Manford is displeased with the Emperor? Roderick knows it is a valid possibility. No matter what the Emperor thinks of me, surely he’ll be more frightened of the Butlerians.” He flashed a hard smile. “I’ll offer to destroy Manford Torondo for him, if he will grant me amnesty.” In fact, he would relish the job.
Cioba pondered. “What if the Emperor still believes you want to take his throne?”
Josef placed his fist on the table in the conference room. “No one but a deluded fool would want to be the Emperor of the Imperium. Roderick himself never wanted it, and I don’t want it either.” He beseeched Cioba. “Make him see that. Convince him that this is a sincere offer and not a trick.”
She rose from the table. “I shall do my best, Josef. I’ll use everything I learned from the Sisterhood — and Fielle can affirm the truth of my words. If Norma Cenva will guide a ship, I’ll depart for Salusa immediately.”
61
If you perceive that a person holds power over you, whether or not it is true, then your weakness is very real.
The atomic cleansing of Kolhar had blistered the face of the planet and erased Venport’s machine contamination. As far as Manford was concerned, the nuclear blasts had forever ended the hubris of that godless man. Venport was on the run, and soon he would be completely defeated. Any VenHold remnants elsewhere in the Imperium would be hunted down and dealt with as a matter of priority.
After that was accomplished, Manford would solidify his political influence and ensure that Emperor Roderick ruled with the proper mindset. The soul of humanity would be saved, at last.
Sitting in a custom chair at the window of his office on the fourth floor, Manford’s heart swelled with joy. He had not felt such perfect satisfaction in a very long time. The spirit of Rayna Butler must be watching over him with pride, and he kept her beautiful icon painting close.
As his victorious Butlerian ships returned to Lampadas, the size of the crowds astonished even him. So many people! More than half a million souls had gathered from all across the world, and more had emigrated from other planets, just to be closer to him. Warm tears filled his eyes, and his heart pounded as if it might burst from his chest.
Beside him, Anari Idaho gazed out the window at the incredible gathering, as if vindicated that Manford had finally received his due. His look-alike double wanted to go out to be seen by the public, to “take the risk” among so many people, but Manford knew there was no real danger to his person. He sent the body double away and out of sight; the real Butlerian leader would face his followers himself.
Even after such a resounding success at Kolhar, Deacon Harian remained grim. “There will be hell to pay because of the atomics. The Emperor will not ignore it, and people will hate what you have done.”
“Some have always hated what I do, but I do what is necessary anyway.”
Anari added, “The battle for the human soul is not an easy one. We will silence those who complain too loudly.”
Manford left unsaid: Even Emperor Roderick.
Now, when he looked out the high window at the throngs crowded across Empok, their faces uplifted in a delirious hope of glimpsing him, he knew that every one of them would forfeit their lives in service to his goals — Rayna Butler’s goals. By carrying her eternal message, he possessed a weapon far more powerful than atomics.