"Frank Herbert - Dune 1 - Dune (2)" - читать интересную книгу автора (Herbert Brian & Frank)

as a Mentat for us, if you please."
"Baron, I've warned you not to trust one so young with this information. My observations of --
"
"I'll be the judge of this," the Baron said. "I give you an order, Mentat. Perform one of your
various functions."
"So be it," Piter said. He straightened, assuming an odd attitude of dignity -- as though it
were another mask, but this time clothing his entire body. "In a few days Standard, the entire
household of the Duke Leto will embark on a Spacing Guild liner for Arrakis. The Guild will
deposit them at the city of Arrakeen rather than at our city of Carthag. The Duke's Mentat, Thufir
Hawat, will have concluded rightly that Arrakeen is easier to defend."
"Listen carefully, Feyd," the Baron said. "Observe the plans within plans within plans."
Feyd-Rautha nodded, thinking: This is more like it. The old monster is letting me in on secret
things at last. He must really mean for me to be his heir.
"There are several tangential possibilities," Piter said. "I indicate that House Atreides will
go to Arrakis. We must not, however, ignore the possibility the Duke has contracted with the Guild
to remove him to a place of safety outside the System. Others in like circumstances have become
renegade Houses, taking family atomics and shields and fleeing beyond the Imperium."
"The Duke's too proud a man for that," the Baron said.
"It is a possibility," Piter said. "The ultimate effect for us would be the same, however."
"No, it would not!" the Baron growled. "I must have him dead and his line ended."
"That's the high probability," Piter said. "There are certain preparations that indicate when
a House is going renegade. The Duke appears to be doing none of these things."
"So," the Baron sighed. "Get on with it, Piter."
"At Arrakeen," Piter said, "the Duke and his family will occupy the Residency, lately the home
of Count and Lady Fenring."
"The Ambassador to the Smugglers," the Baron chuckled.
"Ambassador to what?" Feyd-Rautha asked.
"Your uncle makes a joke," Piter said. "He calls Count Fenring Ambassador to the Smugglers,
indicating the Emperor's interest in smuggling operations on Arrakis."
Feyd-Rautha turned a puzzled stare on his uncle. "Why?"
"Don't be dense, Feyd," the Baron snapped. "As long as the Guild remains effectively outside
Imperial control, how could it be otherwise? How else could spies and assassins move about?"
Feyd-Rautha's mouth made a soundless "Oh-h-h-h."
"We've arranged diversions at the Residency," Piter said. "There'll be an attempt on the life
of the Atreides heir -- an attempt which could succeed."
"Piter," the Baron rumbled, "you indicated --"
"I indicated accidents can happen," Piter said. "And the attempt must appear valid."
"Ah, but the lad has such a sweet young body," the Baron said. "Of course, he's potentially
more dangerous than the father . . . with that witch mother training him. Accursed woman! Ah,
well, please continue, Piter."
"Hawat will have divined that we have an agent planted on him," Piter said. "The obvious
suspect is Dr. Yueh, who is indeed our agent. But Hawat has investigated and found that our doctor


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is a Suk School graduate with Imperial Conditioning -- supposedly safe enough to minister even to
the Emperor. Great store is set on Imperial Conditioning. It's assumed that ultimate conditioning
cannot be removed without killing the subject. However, as someone once observed, given the right