After stripping off the thick pelts, the crew cut and separated the pieces well into the afternoon, tossing undesirable scraps overboard for the waiting sharks. The blubber would be rendered, and the rest would be sold as whale meat, a staple of the Lankiveil diet.

Vor indicated the increasing wind and waves, and Vergyl agreed. “We’d better head back to port.”

The Harkonnen patriarch manned the helm and steered the boat across the choppy, cold waters, heading toward the stark fjords. Vor hosed down the deck, then helped roll the sheets of fur and secure the lockers of fresh meat.

After working with Vergyl and his crew, getting to know the man’s wife and their son Danvis, Vor almost felt like a member of the family. They had been kind to him, openly grateful for the hours of work he provided without asking for pay. They accepted Vor’s story that he was doing research. He dreaded to think how everything would change if they discovered his true identity.

Danvis occasionally joined them on the whaleboats, but his parents sheltered him, hesitant to expose their only remaining son to danger. He was very unlike Griffin. One day Danvis would become the noble leader of Lankiveil, but Vor wondered if the young man would be easy pickings for the rival family operations. Or maybe life would toughen him. Since Vorian himself did not age, he could return to Lankiveil years hence to check on Danvis, give him the support he needed.

He sighed: Yet another generation of lives for which he felt responsible, yet another set of obligations. But after spending time here incognito, he felt more convinced that this was something he needed to do, to right the foundering ship of the Harkonnen family. He could not make them forgive him, but he could give them the financial stability they needed.…

The engines made a loud droning noise as the whaleboat plied the waves. Vor wiped his forearm across his brow and thought back on times he’d worked fishing boats on Caladan, the sweet moments he’d spent with Leronica — several lives ago.

A drizzle became a downpour as Vergyl throttled down the engines, working his way into the sheltered fjord. Even through the mist, Vor could see the village on the shore. He heard the happy chatter of the crew as they looked forward to hitting the tavern for a round of local ale. The cold rain bothered none of them; in fact, the fresh downpour washed away some of the odor of butchered whales that hung about the ship.

That evening, while the other crewmembers were drinking, and Vergyl returned to spend the night with his family, Vor dispatched a coded courier message aboard a departing transfer ship. The instructions would go to one of his financial contacts on Kolhar, the nearest planet with a bank that held part of his distributed fortune. He had the means to make a difference here, and he saw it as a way to lighten the shadow on his conscience. He instructed his banker to pay off the Harkonnen family debts in full, anonymously.

The sudden transfer of wealth would allow the Harkonnens to repair their whaling fleet, rebuild the spaceport, and be more competitive in shipping the harvested fur to offworld markets. Then they could resist the Bushnell incursions … without ever learning the identity of their secret benefactor.

Vorian Atreides intended to be long gone before the funds arrived.

He could not possibly make everything right, but this was a start. In the morning, he would tell Vergyl and Sonia he needed to leave Lankiveil, his “research project” completed. And he would be on his way somewhere else.

He had been thinking a great deal about Caladan. Maybe he would make his way back there.…

Chapter 36 (Every person can be manipulated)

The Mother Superior moved with surprising stealth for a woman of her age and frailty. She managed to startle Valya outside between two of the main school buildings. “I’ve been watching you closely, and you don’t seem saddened by your sister leaving.”

Valya calmed herself, kept her expression flat and unreadable. “She has been gone for weeks already, Mother Superior. I am not her keeper — and I am following your advice to control my emotions. I should not appear sad or disappointed that she made her own choice.”

Raquella seemed amused. “On the contrary, you seemed pleased by her departure — even eager to have her go. I find this odd, since you were the one who indoctrinated Tula into the Sisterhood. Do you consider her a failure now that she has given up on us?”

“No, Mother Superior — not a failure. And she hasn’t given up. Tula will succeed in whatever she attempts, though perhaps not in any way we anticipated. I have high hopes for her.”

Walking away from the main school grounds, the two women worked their way up a steep and rugged path along Laojin Cliff, a wooded hillside with an abrupt drop-off. It was the highest point in the vicinity, and Raquella liked to take the rugged walk at least once a week. The Mother Superior insisted on demonstrating that she was still physically and mentally fit to lead. Today, even Valya found it difficult to keep up with the Mother Superior’s pace.

“The loss of my brother Griffin was a tremendous blow,” Valya admitted as she kept up with Raquella. She cast her gaze down. “Having Tula back will make my parents and Danvis very happy.”

Raquella paused on the trail to give her a hard look. “You may be a Reverend Mother, but I can still read you. Are the goals of the Sisterhood paramount in your mind now? Above those of your family?”

Valya always felt uncomfortable trying to explain herself. “I have two families — House Harkonnen and the Sisterhood. I can be loyal to both.”

“A diplomatic answer, but potentially problematic.”

“I refuse to view the universe in simplistic terms.”

Raquella’s papery lips formed a genuine smile. “Perhaps that suggests a future leadership role for you.”

Valya fought to control the surge of excitement. Certainly the Mother Superior realized that Valya was the best choice to follow as her successor, to continue rebuilding the school. Before she could press the issue, the old woman changed the subject. “I received a report from observers in the Imperial Palace. Sister Dorotea has made herself invaluable as Emperor Salvador’s Truthsayer, and he has allowed her to begin training her own new acolytes on Salusa.” She let out a long, rattling sigh. “The splinter group of orthodox Sisters will have no incentive to reunite with us. I had so hoped for…” She shook her head. “Dorotea is my own granddaughter.”

Sister Fielle approached from the ridge above, negotiating her way down the slope along a steep zigzag trail. When Raquella waved for the Sister Mentat to join them, Valya was disappointed to lose an important private moment with the Mother Superior. Nevertheless, she shifted her thoughts, concentrated on solidifying her efforts to make Fielle an ally.

The young Sister Mentat shared greetings, giving Valya an unreadable smile, and the three fell into step together on the trail, with Raquella setting the pace to continue the climb. The Sister Mentat didn’t seem to mind returning uphill the way she had come.

Valya continued the discussion with some urgency, expecting Fielle to take her side. “Our faction is stronger than Dorotea’s, Mother Superior. We are the better organization with a greater long-term vision.” She controlled the intensity in her voice. “We can also work on Truthsaying abilities here among ourselves, and I’ll redouble our training in new combat techniques.” She hadn’t told the Mother Superior about her experimental new voice control. “We’re in a war for our very survival, and every Sister must know how to fight, both personally and in the larger political arena. Our Sisters have to be unparalleled as fighters and as advisers.”