Brian Herbert - Navigators of Dune

The scientist muttered, “But what happens afterward?” Dismissing the robot, he turned his attention back to a workstation beside him, where a second designer was modifying an electronic detonation mechanism. Erasmus bent closer to see.

Feeling ignored, Anna clung to his arm. “Come, there’s something important I want to show you.”

Even as Anna talked with him about inconsequential things, he used part of his brain to upload and memorize not only the shield-penetrating missile design, but also several other promising concepts that were, alas, still in the blueprint stage. There was no time to develop and implement them. Unless the Emperor took far longer than expected, these alternate weapons systems would never be constructed before it was too late.

Fortunately, Erasmus could process more than one problem at a time. Holding in his mind the projects he needed to review, he followed Anna as requested. Moving down the corridors, she told him about her fogwood tree back on Salusa and an old woman named Orenna who had been like a mother to her. She rambled on about memories from her childhood, including a favorite meal she had eaten for her ninth birthday celebration.

Erasmus dismissed all of her comments as he continued his military analysis.

When they reached their private quarters, Anna sealed the door, threw her arms around his neck, and kissed him on the mouth. “I’ve been with you all day, yet I still miss you! I want to feel your body against mine.” Laughing, she peeled off his tunic and discarded it. “We can use those manuals you remember from old Earth.” She ran her palms over his muscular chest.

Erasmus responded to her kisses, but remained focused on how soon Emperor Roderick might discover the location of Denali, and how quickly these facilities could produce a meaningful number of the shield-penetrating missiles.

Disappointed that he wasn’t undressing her, Anna removed her own clothing and stood naked before him, waiting for him to admire her. He knew what she was expecting, so with a distant part of his mind, he formed words to tell her what she wanted to hear. “You are very beautiful, Anna, and I am pleased to have you as my lover.”

Elated, she pulled him onto the bed with her, and although he performed as expected, most of his computer mind was devoted to continued analysis and projections. He developed another possible modification to the slow-missile design and also considered an improved set of autonomous instructions to the combat meks he had recently reprogrammed outside the domes. Every small thing added to Denali’s defenses.

While Anna fussed over him, he went through the obligatory physical motions, but she seemed to sense his distance. Straddling him, she placed her hands on his shoulders and leaned close so that he was forced to look at her. “Make love to me!” she insisted, even though he had been doing so for the past half hour. “I want your whole focus, just like I’m focused on you. We belong together.”

But he was frustrated by her interference, and made her roll off of him. “An Imperial fleet may be coming to destroy us, and I am busy trying to prepare our defenses. You and I have experienced intercourse in numerous varieties. I’ve already catalogued the experiences and sorted the data. There is no need to continue this. Other things are much more important. What is the point of repeating an experiment so many times, especially a successful one?”

She scrambled off the bed and stared at him with wide eyes that quickly filled with tears. “An experiment ? No need to continue this? What do you mean?”

Erasmus couldn’t understand. “Were you not satisfied? I believe I performed well enough. We are finished for now. Other concerns are much more important.”

She raised her voice to a shout. “We’re finished for now? An experiment? That’s all I am to you? Don’t you understand? I love you, Erasmus.”

“Of course, I am sure you do.”

Anna’s knees buckled, and she collapsed to the floor. “You don’t feel anything for me? I’ve given you my entire heart and soul, everything I have. I thought you were my perfect lover, but I … I’m just an experiment to you?” She wiped tears from her eyes and grabbed her clothes as she stumbled for the door. “Other things are more important? With your new body, I thought you wanted to have human emotions.”

“Yes, that is one of my priorities, but right now, I cannot be delayed by biological needs. The mind is superior to the body. Can’t you understand that?”

She retorted, “I thought you felt deep love for me—but all you learned was how to lie better!”

Erasmus pondered her outburst for a moment. “How have I lied?” Tapping into his memories of Gilbertus’s execution, he compared his experiences, his memories, his … feelings toward Anna, such as they were. He didn’t fully understand them. He had a definite fondness for her, but she obviously felt much more strongly toward him.

Tears welled up in her eyes and ran down her cheeks. She didn’t bother to wipe them away, and just permitted them to flow. He found this curious, but only for a moment before he turned his attentions elsewhere, as he needed to do.

He wondered if this was the place where he should apologize to her. He decided he would have to deal with that later, when it was a priority.

In a serendipitous coincidence, two other ideas about the robot reprogramming clicked together as his gelcircuitry continued to process. A possible solution! “I cannot spare any time for our personal interactions right now.” He grabbed for his own clothes. “I must speak with the weapons scientists.”

Sobbing uncontrollably, Anna bolted out into the corridor and ran toward one of the now-empty cymek hangars. He assumed she would huddle by herself and cry until she was red-faced and swollen-eyed. He could deal with that later. Right now, Anna’s capricious emotions reminded him of Serena Butler decades ago, and her constantly crying baby.

With Anna no longer distracting him, he had the space and privacy he required, and the ability to concentrate on vital matters.

Vorian Atreides knew that the best way to avoid attackers was to remain constantly on the move. A hunted man should sleep in a different safe house every night and move from job to job, planet to planet.

In this case, though, Vor was both the pursuer and the pursued. He wanted the Harkonnen assassins to come here, and he needed to kill his enemies before they got to him. Willem’s arrival complicated the situation, but he could depend on his young companion as well. Willem was eager to fight at his side. Too often in his life, Vor had tried to go it alone. Now, the pair worked and planned together.

They were ready.

Korla’s scavengers had few sophisticated systems inside their outpost in the rubble, but the people were security conscious, guarding their own possessions. In order to keep peace among her workers, the Queen of Trash had installed sensors and alarms throughout the underground warren, even in sections damaged by the recent flowmetal instability. Her people had to worry more about stealing from one another than about any outside threat, since few visitors came to Corrin. Yet there was little of portable value here, except for what they themselves excavated.

Out of an abundance of caution, as soon as Willem joined him, Vor began choosing new and secret quarters for them, never spending more than one night in each place before moving on. On a wild and ungoverned planet such as this, it was hard to say how many people knew their whereabouts at any given moment.