Mentats of Dune

Chapter 40 (If a person is properly instructed)

In his half-timbered cottage on Lampadas, Anari tended the Butlerian leader. She felt possessive of Manford and always made herself available, should he need her in any way. She wanted him to feel safe and protected, but not helpless.

In her efforts, she was aided by a meek and matronly woman who cooked meals, maintained the cottage, and performed chores. Ellonda was soft-spoken and sweet, without the slightest whisper of doubt about the Butlerian cause. The housekeeper accepted the holy teachings as a matter of course, not bothering with nuances, simply agreeing with Manford in all cases. She often hummed as she darned his clothes or helped him into bed, though Manford was perfectly capable of moving about his own quarters.

Anari passed Ellonda in the hallway, and without knocking she walked into the room where Manford was reading at his private desk. He promptly closed a book, startled. Anari noticed his jerky movements, the sweat on his brow, and immediately looked for a threat. “What’s wrong?”

His tone was uncharacteristically defensive. “Nothing you need to worry about. I am merely … disturbed by what I just read.”

Manford tried to hide the book — which, in itself, told Anari what it was, because she’d seen him with it before. “Why do you torture yourself by reading the lab journals of Erasmus?”

His shoulders slumped in shame, but he still held the volume close. “To understand our enemies. We must never forget how dangerous they are. This strengthens my resolve.”

Anari sniffed. “We defeated the thinking machines. Our only enemy now is the weakness of human resolve.”

“The thinking machines remain a danger. The robot Erasmus wrote, ‘Given enough time, they will forget … and will create us all over again.’ I cannot let that happen.”

“I want to burn those books,” Anari grumbled, “so no one can read them — and so you no longer have nightmares.”

He placed the volume in a desk drawer and locked it. “I have more than enough nightmares — I’ve lived my life with them. They won’t go away, whether or not you burn the journals in my possession. I … need to know what they contain.”

Anari was disturbed to see him like this. He often read the laboratory journals in private, and she worried that he was increasingly obsessed with Erasmus, like a child playing with fire. Someday, for his own protection, she might slip into his office and destroy the volumes anyway. He would be angry with her, but she would be doing it for the proper reasons, to protect him.

He glanced at papers she carried, awkwardly changed the subject. “Something important?”

She placed a set of documents on his desk. “Despite your public blessing, it is clear that the ships of EsconTran are not divinely protected. You need to know just how bad it is, before you decide to travel offworld.”

For weeks Anari had been studying schedules and actual witness reports of ship arrivals, as well as a complete accounting of which vessels vanished en route. There were far, far too many accidents.

He pushed the papers aside without reading them. “I’ll be safe. You don’t need to worry about me.”

She remained firm. “You’re wrong, Manford — I do need to worry about you. It’s my main reason for existence.”

Anari had read the documents carefully, a number of related reports that had been prepared for her. In one of them, Rolli Escon had admitted that some vessels had been lost due to “unforeseen difficulties,” but he claimed the same thing occurred with any foldspace shipping company.

Ellonda bustled through the door carrying a tray with two cups and a pot of fragrant herbal tea. The old woman was more hurried in her movements than usual; she had been outside the office door arranging and rearranging the cups as Anari and Manford talked, waiting for an appropriate time to interrupt. Now she came in, smiling. “An evening tea to relax you before you go to sleep. You always talk about serious business, but you know it is best to settle down and not worry about everything, because God is on our side.”

Even though Ellonda had cooked his meals for several years now, Anari intercepted the cup, tasted the tea, and waited for a few seconds before pronouncing it safe, finally passing it over to Manford. Ellonda did not look offended; it was a daily ritual. Anari did not fully trust anyone, when it came to protecting Manford.

He said, “Thank you, Ellonda. God is on our side, and I am His tool, with a sacred mission.” He nodded. “Just as Anari’s mission is apparently to worry about me.”

“In all things,” she said. Without question Anari would give her life for him — she would also give her soul to this man, and that was worth a great deal more to her. But whose side was God on? She was hesitant to point out that VenHold ships had impeccable safety records. Why would God protect vessels belonging to the blasphemous Josef Venport?

Ellonda bustled around the room, setting up cups, straightening furniture, arranging pillows. She tried to remain unobtrusive, without success, but Anari turned her attention to the documents on Manford’s desk. Spreading them open, she pointed to a summary page. “Until now, we feared that EsconTran’s failure rate might be as high as one percent. Judging by the most recent information, I think their losses are many times that.” She became implacable. “Based on my research into the matter, it is too dangerous for you to travel aboard their ships. Each time you take a foldspace voyage, there is a significant risk that you could disappear.”

He shook his head. “Too many worlds need to hear my message and be reminded. Every time I speak to a wayward populace, it is necessary. I am required by God to make certain my people fight the temptation of machines. That is what Rayna Butler taught me, and I must show them how to be strong.”

“You cannot teach them if you are killed!”

“And we will all lose if I don’t press forward to complete my work.”

Anari couldn’t hide her frustration. “Send me in your place, then, if you don’t absolutely have to be there yourself. Or send your double.”

Manford frowned. “I will go where I need to go.” He sighed, looking at her with great meaning in his eyes — not quite tears, but a reflection of his deep caring. “Your fears are misplaced. It is not my destiny to die a small and remote death.”

THE ORTHODOX SISTER came as a gesture of good faith from Reverend Mother Dorotea at the Imperial Court, although Manford was certain Emperor Salvador knew nothing about it.

Sister Woodra arrived at dawn, dressed in conservative dark robes that concealed her figure. She was middle-aged, neither unattractive nor attractive — not that Manford bothered with such considerations. Woodra followed her faith and helped strengthen the unspoken alliance between the antitechnology Sisters and the Butlerians.

Upon arriving at Lampadas, she had convinced Deacon Harian to escort her directly to the leader’s home. A scowling Anari Idaho answered the door at daybreak, not wanting Manford interrupted. The broad-shouldered Swordmaster stood in the doorway, wearing her weapon at her hip and denying them entry. “He is still asleep.”

Deacon Harian bowed his shaved head in deference but refused to depart. “Apologies, but Sister Woodra comes on urgent business from Salusa Secundus. She has not adjusted to our time.”

“Then she can wait. Manford does not accept intrusions into his private home, especially not at this hour. He conducts business in his headquarters offices in town. Tell her to come back later.”

Though it was barely dawn, Manford had actually been up for some time, always troubled by nightmares when he slept and deep concerns when he was awake. Before the argument could escalate, he called from the back room, “Thank you, Anari. I will meet her now. She has traveled a long way.”

He emerged walking on his hands. Pausing in the middle of the room, he looked up quizzically at Sister Woodra. “I’ve seen you on one of my visits to the Imperial Court. Your face is familiar.”

She bowed formally, regarding the Butlerian leader with respect and, best of all, without pity. “We who serve there do our best to be unobtrusive, Leader Torondo. I was with Sister Dorotea when your Mentat defeated the mek in pyramid chess, and afterward when you announced the rampage festival.”

Manford nodded. “Yes, I can place you now.”

She bowed again. “I am here to offer my services as a Truthsayer. There are those who resist the Butlerian teachings and try to undermine your efforts at every turn.”

“I am all too aware of that,” Manford said. “And what, precisely, can you do for me as a Truthsayer?”

“Some Sisters have a heightened sensitivity to falsehood, which enables us to detect lies and concealments.”

“A useful skill,” Anari interrupted. “But you will find no liars here.”

“I detect no falsehood in your voice, Swordmaster, nor in Deacon Harian’s.”

“And me?” Manford said. “What do you detect in me?”

“You are the most sincere person I have ever met. You believe in your cause without doubt or reservation.”

With a quiet grunt, Manford turned himself about and told them to follow him into his sitting room. Without being asked, Anari settled him into a chair, where he could comfortably converse with his visitors.

Woodra’s steady voice carried complete respect. “My Sisters and I understand the critical importance of your cause, Leader Torondo, but the battle is far from over. You need to know who is telling the truth and who merely pays lip service while secretly being Machine Apologists. Many have taken your pledge, yet they continue to purchase luxuries from Josef Venport.”

Manford clenched his jaw, breathed in, and exhaled a long sigh. “Do not speak that man’s name in this house.” He noticed that Anari tightened her grip on her sword hilt.

Woodra nodded. “I would prefer never to speak it again.”

Hearing that everyone was up, the housekeeper came in with a tray and proceeded to lay out a quick breakfast for the guests. “Sorry it’s such an informal meal, sir, but this should hold you while I make fresh pastries.”

“No need for pastries, Ellonda,” Manford said. “My guests understand that a simple meal is enough, and a simple life is enough.”

The old woman smiled and poured his tea first. Anari took the cup from Ellonda and tasted a sip before allowing Manford to drink.

The Butlerian leader spoke to his small audience, although he knew they were already convinced. “At first glance, we may look the same. Human beings have eyes and ears, minds and bodies. But all people don’t hear the truth that is plain to the righteous. We don’t all see the pure path that righteous people must follow. We don’t all behave in the proper manner.” His listeners remained so silent that it seemed as if they had stopped breathing. Manford gave a small nod. “Even I didn’t recognize the perfect truth at first … until Rayna taught me. And the moment I heard it, I knew.”

He closed his eyes and drifted into his memories. Humanity seemed comparatively safe now, though still scarred and weak — and struggling against the temptation of technology. Growing up, Manford had been desperately poor, and had run away from home, seeking something. He had no grandiose dreams, just wanted a truth to believe in. He didn’t even realize he was searching until the first time he heard Rayna Butler. She was an old woman then, pale and ethereal, her skin like parchment. But she made holy pronouncements in the purest of words, reflecting her absolute purity of thought.

He heard Rayna tell a large audience that humanity’s worst possible mistake would be to forget the dangers of technology. Ambitious humans had created Omnius in the first place, she said, and the cymek Titans had once been human. “Darkness lives within the human heart, and technology feeds it.”

Young Manford had followed her from venue to venue, listening to more than a dozen speeches before she noticed him in the audience. She summoned the starry-eyed young man, talked privately with him, and he gave himself wholeheartedly to her cause, volunteering to be an assistant.

Though she was old enough to be his grandmother, Rayna was so beautiful and angelic that she captured his heart. He secretly scoured through archives until he located images of Rayna Butler as a young woman, and found that she had been as beautiful as he imagined. Soon Manford came to realize he was in love with her, in an unattainable way like the feelings that Anari now had for him.

After he learned what Rayna had to say, Manford built upon her teachings, and she added his contributions to her lectures, until together they developed the Butlerian philosophy into an all-encompassing way of life. Reliance on human skills rather than the crutch of machines, rigorous effort and strengthening rather than the laziness of computers. She had the charisma and passion to change the universe, to reshape the human race — until a madman’s bomb tore her to pieces. Manford had thrown himself in the way, tried to protect her. In that moment, it did not occur to him not to give his life for her.

But he had not been swift enough, and Rayna died in his arms. He held her, barely conscious himself, not realizing that the lower portion of his own body had been blown off, and his legs were gone.…

“I can’t do anything less than what Rayna’s memory requires of me,” he said now. “So many human souls are slipping through our fingers.”

“Then we need to squeeze our fists tighter,” Woodra said.

They finished their simple breakfast, and Manford realized he was glad to have the Truthsayer at his side. When it was time for Anari to carry him to his headquarters, a breathless young courier arrived at his doorway. “Leader Torondo! Directeur Escon has arrived with an important message for you. His ship just arrived in orbit.”

Harian scowled. “That man always says he has an urgent message.”

“Yes, but sometimes he really does.” Manford turned to the courier. “Tell him to wait in my headquarters office. We will be there shortly.”

The young man ran off down the street without catching his breath.

Anari settled Manford onto her strong shoulders, and in the early morning light she carried him through town to the Butlerian headquarters. Deacon Harian and Sister Woodra accompanied them, while Ellonda stayed behind to tidy the house.

When the party marched in, Rolli Escon was pacing Manford’s office, nervous and flustered. He blurted out, “My Lord Torondo, I wanted—”

“Leader Torondo. I am no nobleman.”

Anari Idaho deposited Manford into his high desk chair and asserted herself. “We know your vessels are unsafe, Directeur. Leader Torondo should not travel aboard them.”

Escon was taken aback. “My vessels are not unsafe! I travel in them myself and will continue to do so.” He looked dyspeptic at the reminder, then changed the subject to his urgent news. “I come here, sir, to tell you about Baridge! I just learned it myself. Deacon Kalifer and his governmental leaders have turned against us.”

“How so?”

“The planet’s population voted to set aside your pledge and bow to Josef Venport’s ultimatum! They have requested an immediate shipment of supplies as soon as a VenHold ship can get there.”

“How do you know this?” Anari said.

“My ships were there! We heard the deacon’s transmission.”

Anger welled up within Manford. “If we let Baridge get away with their hypocrisy, then other weak worlds will fall. We cannot let them change their minds! I must go to Baridge myself.” He smiled tersely at Directeur Escon. “We may need to purge the entire planet — it’ll be a thousand times more instructive than the lesson you saw at Dove’s Haven.”

Escon looked decidedly ill.

In a firm voice, Anari said, “As I said earlier, Manford, it is too dangerous for you to travel aboard a spacefolder until EsconTran improves their safety record. Let me go to Baridge in your stead. I’ll take care of it personally.”

Manford flushed. “No, this is too important. I have to be—”

Anari cut him off in front of the other listeners, which irritated him, but she would not sway. “I’ll punish the hypocrites. And if Escon’s ship should vanish with me aboard, then you can send another deputy. And another after that. But for the sake of our sacred cause, you must remain safe.”

He did not want to argue in front of the others, nor did he want to seem petulant. “Then I’ll send my double … just so they can see me.”

“Your double is already delivering a speech on Walgis, Leader Torondo,” Harian pointed out. “He was dispatched last week to hold a rally on—”

Manford waved his hand to silence the deacon.

Anari turned to Rolli Escon. “We must go to Baridge right now. Since you insist that your ships are safe, you will fly with me.”

“My ships are safe!”

Sister Woodra watched him, then turned back to Manford. Her eyes had a strange glitter. “This man is not telling an outright lie, but he does doubt his own words.”

Manford regarded the Sister. “I don’t need a Truthsayer to tell me what is so obvious.”