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Bene-Gesserit trained indeed, Paul thought.
The Emperor cleared his throat, said: "Perhaps my respected kinsman believes he has things all his own way now. Nothing could be more remote from fact. You have violated the Convention, used atomics against--"
"I used atomics against a natural feature of the desert," Paul said. "It was in my way and I was in a hurry to get to you, Majesty, to ask your explanation for some of your strange activities."
"There's a massed armada of the Great Houses in space over Arrakis right now," the Emperor said. "I've but to say the word and they'll--"
"Oh, yes," Paul said, "I almost forgot about them." He searched through the Emperor's suite until he saw the faces of the two Guildsmen, spoke aside to Gurney. "Are those the Guild agents, Gurney, the two fat ones dressed in gray over there?"
"Yes, m'Lord."
"You two," Paul said, pointing. "Get out of there immediately and dispatch messages that will get that fleet on its way home. After this, you'll ask my permission before--"
"The Guild doesn't take your orders!" the taller of the two barked. He and his companion pushed through to the barrier lances, which were raised at a nod from Paul. The two men stepped out and the taller leveled an arm at Paul, said: "You may very well be under embargo for your--"
"If I hear any more nonsense from either of you," Paul said, "I'll give the order that'll destroy all spice production on Arrakis ... forever."
"Are you mad?" the tall Guildsman demanded. He fell back half a step.
"You grant that I have the power to do this thing, then?" Paul asked.
The Guildsman seemed to stare into space for a moment, then: "Yes, you could do it, but you must not."
"Ah-h-h," Paul said and nodded to himself. "Guild navigators, both of you, eh?"
"Yes!"
The shorter of the pair said: "You would blind yourself, too, and condemn us all to slow death. Have you any idea what it means to be deprived of the spice liquor once you're addicted?"
"The eye that looks ahead to the safe course is closed forever," Paul said. "The Guild is crippled. Humans become little isolated clusters on their isolated planets. You know, I might do this thing out of pure spite... or out of ennui."
"Let us talk this over privately," the taller Guildsman said. "I'm sure we can come to some compromise that is--"
"Send the message to your people over Arrakis," Paul said. "I grow tired of this argument. If that fleet over us doesn't leave soon there'll be no need for us to talk." He nodded toward his communications men at the side of the hall. "You may use our equipment."
"First we must discuss this," the tall Guildsman said. "We cannot just--"
"Do it!" Paul barked. "The power to destroy a thing is the absolute control over it. You've agreed I have that power. We are not here to discuss or to negotiate or to compromise. You will obey my orders or suffer the immediate consequences!"
"He means it," the shorter Guildsman said. And Paul saw the fear grip them.
Slowly the two crossed to the Fremen communications equipment.
"Will they obey?" Gurney asked.
"They have a narrow vision of time," Paul said. "They can see ahead to a blank wall marking the consequences of disobedience. Every Guild navigator on every ship over us can look ahead to that same wall. They'll obey."
Paul turned back to look at the Emperor, said: "When they permitted you to mount your father's throne, it was only on the assurance that you'd keep the spice flowing. You've failed them, Majesty. Do you know the consequences?"
"Nobody permitted me to--"
"Stop playing the fool," Paul barked. "The Guild is like a village beside a river. They need the water, but can only dip out what they require. They cannot dam the river and control it, because that focuses attention on what they take, it brings down eventual destruction. The spice flow, that's their river, and I have built a dam. But my dam is such that you cannot destroy it without destroying the river."
The Emperor brushed a hand through his red hair, glanced at the backs of the two Guildsmen.
"Even your Bene Gesserit Truthsayer is trembling," Paul said. "There are other poisons the Reverend Mothers can use for their tricks, but once they've used the spice liquor, the others no longer work."
The old woman pulled her shapeless black robes around her, pressed forward out of the crowd to stand at the barrier lances.
"Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam," Paul said. "It has been a long time since Caladan, hasn't it?"
She looked past him at his mother, said: "Well, Jessica, I see that your son is indeed the one. For that you can be forgiven even the abomination of your daughter."
Paul stilled a cold, piercing anger, said: "You've never had the right or cause to forgive my mother anything!"
The old woman locked eyes with him.
"Try your tricks on me, old witch," Paul said. "Where's your gom jabbar? Try looking into that place where you dare not look! You'll find me there staring out at you!"
The old woman dropped her gaze.
"Have you nothing to say?" Paul demanded.
"I welcomed you to the ranks of humans," she muttered. "Don't besmirch that."
Paul raised his voice: "Observe her, comrades! This is a Bene Gesserit Reverend Mother, patient in a patient cause. She could wait with her sisters--ninety generations for the proper combination of genes and environment to produce the one person their schemes required. Observe her! She knows now that the ninety generations have produced that person. Here I stand... but... I ... will ... never... do ... her... bidding!"
"Jessica!" the old woman screamed. "Silence him!"
"Silence him yourself," Jessica said.
Paul glared at the old woman. "For your part in all this I could gladly have you strangled," he said. "You couldn't prevent it!" he snapped as she stiffened in rage. "But I think it better punishment that you live out your years never able to touch me or bend me to a single thing your scheming desires."
"Jessica, what have you done?" the old woman demanded.
"I'll give you only one thing," Paul said. "You saw part of what the race needs, but how poorly you saw it. You think to control human breeding and intermix a select few according to your master plan! How little you understand of what--"
"You mustn't speak of these things!" the old woman hissed.
"Silence!" Paul roared. The word seemed to take substance as it twisted through the air between them under Paul's control.
The old woman reeled back into the arms of those behind her, face blank with shock at the power with which he had seized her psyche. "Jessica," she whispered. "Jessica."
"I remember your gom jabbar," Paul said. "You remember mine. I can kill you with a word."
The Fremen around the hall glanced knowingly at each other. Did the legend not say: "Andhis word shall carry death eternal to those who stand against righteousness. "
Paul turned his attention to the tall Princess Royal standing beside her Emperor father. Keeping his eyes focused on her, he said: "Majesty, we both know the way out of our difficulty."
The Emperor glanced at his daughter, back to Paul. "You dare? You! An adventurer without family, a nobody from--"
"You've already admitted who I am," Paul said. "Royal kinsman, you said. Let's stop this nonsense."
"I am your ruler," the Emperor said.
Paul glanced at the Guildsmen standing now at the communications equipment and facing him. One of them nodded.
"I could force it," Paul said.
"You will not dare!" the Emperor grated.
Paul merely stared at him.
The Princess Royal put a hand on her father's arm. "Father," she said, and her voice was silky soft, soothing.
"Don't try your tricks on me," the Emperor said. He looked at her. "You don't need to do this, Daughter. We've other resources that--"
"But here's a man fit to be your son," she said.
The old Reverend Mother, her composure regained, forced her way to the Emperor's side
, leaned close to his ear and whispered.
"She pleads your case," Jessica said.
Paul continued to look at the golden-haired Princess. Aside to his mother, he said: "That's Irulan, the oldest, isn't it?"
"Yes."
