Hunters of Dune

The Hunters Of Dune

The ?Ithaca? piloted by Duncan is folding in unknown parts of space, in order to escape the tachyon net of the old man and the old woman. The Spacing Guild Administrators go to Ix, to find a way to pilot their ships without the aid of spice (desperately needed by the Navigators), because of what Murbella has demanded from them and what she will not give. Because of the Guild's help to the Honored Matres in destroying Rakis, the Guild will get no spice unless they prove their loyalty to the Bene Gesserit. The Face Dancer leader Khrone, sends Uxtal (the only one of the Lost Tleilax), to serve Matre Superior Hellica, whom is instructed to produce the drug used by the Honored Matres in axlotl tanks. Khrone is doing the work of the old man and the old woman by having Uxtal make the gholas Baron Vladimir Harkonnen and Paul Atreides (Paolo). On the ?Ithaca?, Scytale is desperate to make a ghola of himself, for he is dying. The nullentrophy capsule is his only way of getting his ghola. His hidden secret is powerful enough, that his is allowed his ghola after the first few have been made. Back on Chapterhouse, Murbella's Valkyries are attacking those Honored Matres on other planets, which refuse to integrate with the Bene Gesserits, to become one powerful group against the great unknown enemy. Murbella accesses Other Memory to learn of the origin of the Honored Matres. And on the no-ship, Sheanna stops the ghola program because of the warning given to her by Sayyadina Ramallo of Arrakis. Also, the children gholas are expressing dangerous and threatening actions of their past lives, to the ?Ithaca?s? current situation. Usul takes enough spice to induce a vision of his death, but not to awaken his memories. The old man and woman inform Khrone that they have no need of his Paul ghola, because of the trap they have set when the ?Ithaca? discovers the Handlers. Khrone goes ahead, and awakens the Baron's memories, but it comes with the price of the abomination Alia haunting him in his head. In the final assault on Tleilax by Murbella, the Waff ghola finds refuge with the Navigator Edrik, by offering not only spice but sandworms! The book ends with Murbella in control of the Honored Matres and Bene Gesserits, as she intends to launch an offensive attack on the Enemy, revealed to be Omnius. Now a new version of the Evermind, determined to destroy mankind. In contrast, the Oracle of Time is revealed to be Norma Cenva!