Commander of Dune

Chapter 2

The riddle that the Reverend Mother was focusing on was – why was the Throne entertaining the submissions? Like clockwork on every centennial anniversary of the invasion and subsequent occupation the latest Ambassador would submit to the latest ruler and the result was the same;

We are in negotiations.

It was obvious that House Atreides had cut the historic ties to the planet and its people, but if they had why the charade?  

It was a minor mystery, but one that entertained.

~*~*~*~*~

As with any Royal protégé worth their weight in water Ammaso and Dax Atreides had observed the proceedings.  Tall dark and handsome the twins were the most eligible bachelors not only on Dune but through out the Empire.  Though it was tradition that the elder become heir to the throne – many suspected that the younger Atreides would ascend.

Ammaso was the hot head of the two and today was no exception.  “This is ridiculous!” He raged back in their quarters.

Dax watched.  He was used to his brother’s ranting.

“The Tleilaxu cannot be allowed to continue to squat on Caladan!” He raged.  “I can’t understand mother’s reluctance to intervene.  After all it is our ancestral home.”

“And as the Prince of Caladan you cannot allow this to happen.” Dax teased.  “What is your stake in this Amasso?  I thought that you had stopped going there.”

His brother mumbled a response.

“Amasso.” Dax drawled.  “Come on cough up.”

“I maintain a residence there.”

Dax was confused.  “Residence?”

“A summer home.” Amasso snapped.

“… and that’s enough for you to go off like this?”  He snorted.  “For God’s sake.  We have been Fremen longer that Caladanian.”

Amasso sighed.  “Focus, Dax!  It’s the principal of the matter.  Caladan is the Ancestral Home of House Atreides.  That alone should have been enough at the time of the invasion to get involved!”

“I never thought I’d hear about ‘the principal of the matter’ from you.”  Dax got more comfortable in the chair.  “Next you’ll be proposing that you should go over there and do something about it.” He teased.

Ammaso stopped pacing.  “Now there; little brother is an idea!”  Older by one minute he usually teased his brother about being the younger.

Dax sat up straight at the comment.  “Ammaso don’t.”

“We’ll see.” The elder did not commit and poured himself a spice wine.

Dax in turn walked out.

~*~*~*~*~

The younger Atreides found himself outside. He tightened the abacus around himself, adjusted the still suit that he wore and headed out.  He didn’t like it when Amasso got into these moods.

Reverend Mother Mo’Hadin had been at the window thinking when Dax crossed her line of vision.  She watched him adjust his clothing and head out.

An inner perception told her to watch the young man, and her inner voices concurred.  There was no reason to.  He was a young man like any other, true he was royalty second in line to the throne but covered up this way he was winding his way and no one had noticed him – yet.

Using the network of CCAVUs she watched the young man.  The palace was located on the edge of the metropolis and it did not take a long walk for one to find one’s self on the edge of the desert.

Every step he took brought him closer to the desert and further away from the city.  He was expecting something and there it was – worm sign.  

'Why was it every time I approach the wilderness that the Guardian of the Desert appears?' He wondered. 'Do they not want me there?'  He changed his direction.  The worm sign matched him.  The colossus did not break the sand line but there was no mistaking its bulk below the surface.

Dax finally gave up and returned to the palace.

'Did the worms of Arakkis have a unique link to this youth?' Mo’Hadin contemplated what she had just witnessed.  'It had been the aim and claim of the Tyrant that there would be a gem of his consciousness in each worm – had he achieved this?'  The woman’s mind raced. 'She had been hearing murmurs that one of the Twins seemed to be manifesting powers with the worms, was it Dax?  This bore investigation.'

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