Chapter 288: Monopolizing Spice! Mentats Unemployed Upon Graduation? A Dragon's Triumph!
Surface of Planet Caladan
After returning to the Atreides estate aboard his ship, Duke Leto entered the internal conference room. He sat silently in his chair, his brows furrowed deeply with worry.
Seeing this, the surrounding Atreides high command began to fidget. Could it be that the negotiations had failed?
After a long silence, Thufir Hawat finally stepped forward and asked, "My Lord Duke, what did the Universal Megacorp say?"
Ever since Hawat had witnessed the Universal Megacorp's shield technology, he'd been eager to establish a partnership.
As a Mentat with exceptional military expertise, Hawat understood perfectly well what this kind of shield technology could mean for House Atreides.
If they could obtain such advanced shields, then forget the minor nuisance that was House Harkonnen—even the Corrino royal family would be forced to kneel before House Atreides.
From then on, House Atreides would become the premier noble house of the Empire, and the Corrinos would have to fall in line.
Even in the worst-case scenario—if they couldn't get the shield tech—as long as they secured an alliance with the Megacorp, the corporation's fleet alone would be enough to let House Atreides roam the Galactic Empire unchecked.
That was why Hawat was so desperate to know the outcome of Leto's negotiations.
Under the expectant gazes of everyone in the room, Duke Leto looked up, sighed lightly, and spoke with a troubled tone: "The executive of Universal Megacorp wants to be Emperor of the Empire."
The room fell into sudden silence.
Everyone's minds seemed to blank out, buzzing with disbelief.
Some looked startled and afraid, some were pensive, and others even seemed thrilled—clearly imagining the possibility of joining Megacorp in overthrowing the Corrino dynasty.
But then again—conspiring with an outside power to usurp the throne was treason of the highest order.
To wager House Atreides' fate on a power grab alongside Megacorp—wasn't that far too reckless?
One misstep and House Atreides could be completely annihilated.
"Don't just sit there with your eyes wide open—that was only one of Megacorp's demands," said Duke Leto with a weary shake of his head, then continued to reveal the rest.
Megacorp wanted Arrakis. They wanted control of the spice.
And of course, he included Song Zhaomei's proposal of a power redistribution—restructuring the entire imperial order in exchange for cooperation.
After hearing everything, Hawat's frown turned into a delighted grin. In his eyes, this was a golden opportunity for the rise of House Atreides.
As a pure, emotionless Mentat—essentially a human computer—Hawat viewed everything from the lens of family benefit and offered strategies accordingly.
If they could form an alliance with Megacorp, the rewards for House Atreides would be considerable.
Even if it meant backing Megacorp's executive Li Ang to ascend the throne and becoming little more than the corporation's enforcers—what of it?
In the end, there'd just be a reshuffling of power. This time, House Atreides and Megacorp would sit at the top.
Let others suffer; as long as Atreides came out ahead, that was all that mattered.
However, the person who felt entirely differently was none other than Lady Jessica, Duke Leto's wife.
The news that Megacorp's executive wanted to become Galactic Emperor hit her like a bolt of lightning.
Jessica was not only Paul's biological mother but also a high-ranking member of the Bene Gesserit Sisterhood. She had followed the organization's orders to bear a child with Duke Leto.
Their goal? The Sisterhood's breeding program.
The purpose of this program was to select the genetic elite among the noble class and produce offspring—ultimately to cultivate the prophesied "Kwisatz Haderach," the one foretold in legend.
Of course, it wasn't random mating. The process was governed by strict principles.
With the effects of spice, the mother—having consumed it since youth—combined with a genetically valuable father, would produce a child capable of awakening ancestral memories from both sides.
Unlocking that genetic memory was equivalent to the child inheriting all the knowledge and intelligence of two powerful bloodlines.
Such a child would essentially become a god among men—with the computational prowess of a Mentat, the precognitive vision of a Navigator, and the command power of the Voice.
Since the Dune universe had never experienced a true uprising from the lower classes, the gap in intelligence and insight between social strata remained vast.
The smart ones were all concentrated among the nobility. The lower classes were little more than expendable livestock.
That was why the Sisterhood specifically targeted noble elites—to breed with them and ensure the highest quality offspring, minimizing genetic defects.
And from the perspective of the noble houses, the Sisterhood's reproductive services were like a luxurious custom package. Whatever type of woman they wanted—they could get.
The experience was so exquisite, the nobles were more than happy to play along.
Through their outstanding service, the Sisterhood gradually inserted themselves behind the scenes of every major noble house, becoming a force that could not be ignored.
However, the Sisterhood's ultimate goal wasn't just to advance through maternal status, but to produce the Kwisatz Haderach—that legendary being of prophecy.
For thousands of years, their breeding program had been quietly ongoing across all noble houses. The elites gave it their all, and the Sisterhood's members worked tirelessly between the sheets.
Finally, Lady Jessica's son Paul showed great potential to become that one-in-a-million "Chosen One."
And in the diplomatic delegation currently en route to House Atreides to deliver the Emperor Shaddam's decree was none other than Reverend Mother Helen, a top figure within the Sisterhood.
As the Reverend Mother, she was effectively the head of the entire organization—a matriarch, and also Jessica's mentor.
Helen's purpose on this trip was to evaluate Paul and determine whether he had the qualifications to become the Kwisatz Haderach.
But just as this critical moment arrived, the emergence of Megacorp threw the Sisterhood's entire plan into chaos.
Megacorp's executive didn't just want the throne—he intended to restructure the imperial power structure from the ground up.
That was equivalent to a full-on anti-vice crackdown: wiping out the entire operation, clients and courtesans alike. The breeding program they had spent millennia cultivating was about to be flushed down the drain.
Without powerful patrons, what could the Sisterhood possibly rely on to continue their work?
After all, the Sisterhood didn't create value through labor. Their survival hinged on clinging to the noble class, trading beauty and seduction for resources—solely for the sake of continuing their grand breeding plan.
If the executive of the Universal Megacorporation truly became Emperor and ruled over the Galactic Empire, then the Bene Gesserit—this ancient organization that had sustained itself for thousands of years through selective breeding—would come to an end!
At this moment, Lady Jessica felt deeply conflicted, torn between opposing emotions.
On the one hand, she was relieved that her son, Paul, would no longer be bound by fate and could live according to his own will.
On the other hand, she was troubled by the failure of the Bene Gesserit's breeding program and the looming collapse of the Sisterhood itself.
As a member of the Bene Gesserit, breeding and producing the prophesied savior had been their solemn duty, their sole belief in life.
This belief had long been ingrained deep within them, and changing it was utterly impossible. That was the root of Lady Jessica's anxiety.
At this moment, she lowered her head, hiding her inner turmoil and fear. The Bene Gesserit, as an organization, had never possessed true military power.
They had no real army, nor strong enough weaponry. Assassination and other underhanded methods were far from sufficient to alter the situation.
"Could it be… the Sisterhood plans to assign another member to the executive of the Megacorporation and restart the breeding program?!"
The thought suddenly surfaced in Jessica's mind.
But the only issue was—she didn't know whether the executive would even be willing to accept the Bene Gesserit's customized "services."
As Jessica sank into contemplation, Duke Leto and Thufir Hawat continued discussing the details of their potential cooperation.
"They even want the entire Arrakis and control over the spice trade? That's outrageously greedy. Still… it's not entirely unacceptable."
Hawat was taken aback at first, but after a moment of reflection, he quickly realized something was wrong:
"Arrakis is the only natural source of spice. If the Megacorporation were to fully control it and monopolize the spice, then our entire navigation system would collapse!"
Upon hearing this, Lady Jessica suddenly tensed up, biting her lip as a deeper wave of dread overtook her.
Spice wasn't just essential for interstellar travel—it was also crucial for the Bene Gesserit. Their members relied on spice to cultivate the power of the Voice, the ability to manipulate others with speech.
If Arrakis's spice supply were cut off, and they lost their vocal manipulation abilities, then the Bene Gesserit's only advantage would vanish entirely!
The Sisterhood's higher-ranking members might appear to be aristocratic playthings tailored for noble households, but they were far from mere decorations.
Within many noble houses, the Bene Gesserit held real influence—they were often one of the official wives, and thus had a legitimate voice.
But if spice fell under enemy control and was withheld from them, the Sisterhood would be doomed. Their entire way of life would be severed.
For a brief moment, Lady Jessica couldn't help but wonder: was the Megacorporation deliberately targeting the Bene Gesserit? Pretending to ally with House Atreides, while stabbing the Sisterhood in the back at every turn?
"They're planning to gift us a system for calculating navigation trajectories."
Duke Leto shook his head with a wry smile, and began explaining the Megacorporation's astonishing accomplishments in artificial intelligence, along with the numerous technological enhancements they were offering.
"This system comes with specialized programs and protective mechanisms that prevent unauthorized access or data extraction. It's designed to block others from reverse-engineering it to create AI."
But Leto's words didn't put Hawat at ease. Instead, the Mentat narrowed his eyes, clearly turning the implications over in his mind.
Truthfully, Hawat had always been relatively open-minded about artificial intelligence, but spice wasn't just about star travel.
Due to the Empire's strict ban on AI, nearly all scientific research, massive clerical work, and data storage had to be handled by human Mentats.
Each Mentat was essentially a living database, carrying imperial knowledge and secrets within their mind.
If the spice supply were cut off and Mentats became obsolete, who would then handle the data and administrative functions?
If AI systems were used to replace the Navigators, then logically, AI would also start replacing the Mentats—perhaps through legal loopholes, bypassing the ban on artificial intelligence.
That led to a troubling question: what if those AI systems malfunctioned or broke down? Would they have to run to the Megacorporation for help every single time?
The delays alone would be a massive drain on resources and productivity.
This farcical, self-deceiving approach might sound reasonable on the surface, but a deeper look revealed it simply wouldn't work.
Most importantly, if spice were cut off, the Mentat profession would vanish altogether.
That was what truly worried Hawat—what would happen to all those trained Mentats?
Damn it. Before choosing this path, everyone said being a Mentat would lead to wealth and a place as an advisor in noble houses. And now? They graduate only to find out AI's taken their jobs? Talk about bad timing!
Graduating straight into unemployment—rage, despair, freezing shock!
Hawat feared that a mass of disgruntled Mentats might be incited by ill-intentioned parties to rebel—and that would be a disaster.
"The Megacorporation wants to give us AI devices and monopolize spice production. Their intent is clear—they want us to embrace artificial intelligence and computer technology."
Hawat's expression turned grim. He understood all too well what the arrival of AI would mean for the great houses and the Empire at large.
If the Megacorporation seized control of the spice, then Mentats, Navigators, and Truthsayers would all fall under their thumb.
The political landscape and ideology of the Galactic Empire would undergo a radical transformation. And yet, despite this, the arrival of AI was unstoppable.
Because this was humanity's only path to a truly advanced future in the Dune universe. Miss that chance, and the only option left would be to reset everything under the old system.
"Your Grace, I believe we can—and should—accept!"
At that moment, Hawat's tone shifted. His words rang out with conviction: "If we don't cooperate with the Megacorporation, the best-case scenario for House Atreides is a slow decline."
"We'd be confined to Caladan forever. Your political influence would plummet, and we might even be labeled rebels!"
"But if we choose to ally with the Megacorporation, then House Atreides becomes the premier family of the Empire. You will lead House Atreides to a true renaissance."
It was a simple equation.
The Megacorporation controlled absolute military power—antimatter shields, hard-light barriers, energy-based weaponry. One fleet alone could sweep through the Empire like a natural disaster.
Resisting them would be pointless. At best, it would just raise the Empire's casualty count by tens of billions.
But if House Atreides pledged loyalty now and joined in carving up the Megacorporation's political and economic spoils, they would gain the rewards of backing the right power at the right time.
If House Atreides now had a golden opportunity to ride the coattails of a dominant force straight to the top, why wouldn't they seize it?
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