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.He saw some of that, but more fear.“Most of you knew my father, Duke Leto.He instilled in me the principles of honor and leadership, which I intend to maintain on the Imperial throne — if you will let me.”Paul let his gaze rest on a diminished-looking Armand Ecaz sitting stonily in his chair.Several noblemen and dignitaries were taking notes, and still more leaned forward curiously, waiting to see how they could benefit from the situation.“As Shaddam had no legal sons, and I have taken his eldest daughter Irulan as my wife, I am the legitimate heir to the Lion Throne.But my rule is not a mere continuation of Corrino rule.We have all learned our lesson from that! Some have seen this transition of power as a time of turmoil, but you can help me establish stability again.”“Stability?” shouted a man from a high tier.“Not much stability left, thanks to you!” Paul saw that the outspoken man had long gray-blond hair tied back behind his shoulders, a leonine frosty beard, and piercing pale blue eyes.He recognized Earl Memnon Thorvald, the bitter brother of one of Shaddam’s later wives.Paul had invited him, thinking that Thorvald might hold enough of a grudge against the Corrinos to make him an ally.Now though, the Earl’s palpable anger made it clear that he was in another category.Paul might have to isolate him.“You may speak freely, Earl Thorvald!” Paul shouted to the upper tier.“Though few noble leaders will agree with you.”Showing surprise at the invitation, Thorvald nonetheless obliged.“Your Fremen armies are like packs of wild wolves.We can all see what they’ve done to Kaitain.They burned the Imperial Palace — and you allowed it!” He gestured.“You call this establishing a rule of stability?”“Call it the price of war — a war I never sought.” Paul spread his hands across the podium.“We can stop the bloodshed immediately.Your holdings will be safe and protected if you sign an alliance with me.You know the law is on my side, as is the power base.And,” he added, bringing out his most powerful card, “I control the spice.The Spacing Guild and CHOAM are behind me.”Thorvald’s anger only intensified.“So, our choice is between bloody instability and bowing to religious tyranny?”Bolig Avati, the lead administrator of the Ixian technocrats, rose to his feet and spoke in a firm voice.“If we agree to your proposed alliance, Paul Atreides, must we worship you as a god? Some of us have outgrown the need for false and convenient deities.”The Hall filled with angry muttering, some of it directed at the dissenters, some disturbingly in agreement with them.More leaders agreed with Thorvald than Paul anticipated.Raising his voice over the mounting commotion, Paul said, “My best fighters were bred in the harsh deserts of Arrakis.They fought the ruthless Harkonnens and the Emperor’s Sardaukar.What they have seen of Imperial justice has not benefited them.But if you join me, my Jihad armies will not touch your worlds.One day when there is no enemy left to fight, there will be no more need for a powerful central army.”He drew a breath, let his expression become sterner.“If my words do not convince you, then I have the option of applying additional incentives — embargoes, monetary levies, even blockades.I have already declared a heavy tariff on any Guild flights servicing worlds that refuse to acknowledge my rule.” As the muttering increased, he made his voice even louder.“I have not yet imposed a complete moratorium on transportation to those planets, but I retain that as an option.I much prefer cooperation to coercion, but I mean to put a speedy end to this wasteful conflict, regardless.”“From the beginning you planned to become a tyrant, didn’t you?” Thorvald shouted, resting his large hands on the balcony rail of the high tier.“I have had my fill of emperors.The galaxy has had its fill of them.My planet will do just fine without your raving fanatics or benevolent boot heel.The Landsraad made a mistake by allowing House Corrino to rule much too long! And we still haven’t learned our lesson.” He called over his shoulder as he stormed out.“I only hope the rest of you awaken from your semuta trance soon enough.”Fedaykin guards moved to intercept Thorvald, but Paul signaled them to stop.This was a delicate time.He realized now that he could not, by any means, change the mind of Memnon Thorvald, and if he applied force inappropriately and acted as a bully, he would lose many of these others as well.“I am glad this occurred,” Paul said, intending to surprise his audience.“I cannot pretend not to be disappointed that Earl Thorvald spurned my offer, but I am glad the rest of you have heard me out, and have decided to be rational.” He glanced from one Atreides banner to the other hanging beside his podium, before turning again to the audience.“You understand my terms.”Those who care nothing for their own lives find it easy to become heroes.—ST.ALIA OF THE KNIFEA month after returning from the conquest of Kaitain and his meeting with the Landsraad representatives, Paul stood at the edge of the plains of Arrakeen, looking out on the site of his most important military victory.Stilgar had joined him for the upcoming victory ceremony here, after which they would meet with other military advisers to discuss the most effective uses for the elite Fremen warriors.Gurney Halleck had already taken an enthusiastic regiment of fighters to Galacia, but there were many more conquests to plan.And Paul knew the Jihad was just beginning.He had demanded and obtained records from the Spacing Guild, notations of thousands of planetary systems, so many worlds that only a Mentat could remember them all.He also had full CHOAM company records, since he controlled the majority share, with his Directorship overshadowing all the others combined.He doubted if Shaddam IV had ever truly grasped the size of his own Imperium, the wealth and territory over which he supposedly ruled.Paul was certain that the Guild and CHOAM kept some profits hidden; whole planets not marked on any charts, their locations known only to the best Steersmen, were used as hiding places for weapons caches, perhaps even stockpiles of confiscated family atomics.All of these planets had to be encompassed in the government of Muad’Dib
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