Chapter 07

[Freakzilla]

The trouble with some kinds of warfare (and be certain the Tyrant knew this,
because it is implicit in his lesson) is that they destroy all moral decency in
susceptible types. Warfare of these kinds will dump the destroyed survivors
back into an innocent population that is incapable of even imagining what such
returned soldiers might do.
-Teachings of the Golden Path, Bene Gesserit Archives

Teg flashes back to his childhood durring a family dinner, his mother is a Bene Gesserit on permanent assignment and an acolyte teacher. She is discussing the Tleilaxu with Miles' father, a CHOAM dealer. Later, she teaches Miles about Face Dancers. Later in life, Teg discovers a note to his mother from the BG revealing that he was bred to be a warrior mentat. Later the love he felt for his mother was transfered to the Sisterhood itself, now one of the most powerfull forces in the universe. While in the BG schools he learned of his Atreides ancestry when they tested him for prescience with spice. He failed but the spice awakened him to his True Self. This magical feeling has returned and increased ever since accepting the position as weapons master to the ghola. He feels that RM Schwangyu is a threat to the ghola.

[harqalada]

What do you make of the power ranking Teg reflects on in this chapter? BG are far superior to CHOAM and the Fish Speakers (no surprise), and at least as powerful as the Guild and "balanced" with Ix and the Bene Tleilaxu. This is something which *almost* bothers me about Dune, the sense that the BG are always so far beyond everyone in basically all ways except Paul and Leto II. Do other people really get the impression that the BT or Ix (really? Ix?) are keeping up with or threatening the BG in some way? I know FH gives the suggestion that the BT are very powerful from time to time, but it always seems like a vague reality that's trumped by every single particular.

Also, does the Duniverse really comprise many far-flung galaxies? This chapter contains a reference to foldspace travel in a "heartbeat" between distant galaxies.

Also, Teg uses exactly the same formulations to describe the insights of his True Self - "magical" and "arbitrary forms are transient" - that Waff places so much emphasis on a couple of chapters before - is that supposed to be some kind of confirmation of BT views?

[Freakzilla]

What do you make of the power ranking Teg reflects on in this chapter? BG are far superior to CHOAM and the Fish Speakers (no surprise), and at least as powerful as the Guild and "balanced" with Ix and the Bene Tleilaxu. This is something which *almost* bothers me about Dune, the sense that the BG are always so far beyond everyone in basically all ways except Paul and Leto II. Do other people really get the impression that the BT or Ix (really? Ix?) are keeping up with or threatening the BG in some way? I know FH gives the suggestion that the BT are very powerful from time to time, but it always seems like a vague reality that's trumped by every single particular.

I'm a book behind you here, hopefully this doesn't spoil anything...

The BT make spice and Ix makes no-ships and navigation machines, so there's that. The BG have the largest military.

Also, does the Duniverse really comprise many far-flung galaxies? This chapter contains a reference to foldspace travel in a "heartbeat" between distant galaxies.

Leto II described his empire as "multi-galactic", so... yeah.

Also, Teg uses exactly the same formulations to describe the insights of his True Self - "magical" and "arbitrary forms are transient" - that Waff places so much emphasis on a couple of chapters before - is that supposed to be some kind of confirmation of BT views?

Your guess is probably better than mine there.

[Freakzilla]

Revised