Handy Memoir #38

>>ACCESSING ARCHIVES...
>>...
>>ACCESS GRANTED

>Handshake Protocol Established
>Welcome, Mr. Handy
>Memoir Recording...

Rebecca and I had both sought for the mistress to better prepare herself after the last world's incident. The technology she has acquired is formidable, and the magic she has collected puts her well above the average human. The companies and wealth she could bring is able to influence the economy of a planet if she so chose. For many of the worlds we have visited, she would be capable of tearing it all down and rebuilding it in her image.

However. For all that she has collected, she is a mere mortal. Only human. I fear that we may need to change that if this journey continues and greater foes are found.

It would be a task for later. This particular world has had the mistress insist that we stay out of sight, and so we have only been able to either converse with her over communications or have her return to the warehouse. Historical research revealed that disapproval of entities like myself came from the events of the Butlerian Jihad, which saw the destruction of A.I. for various reasons as well as the installment of a law: Thou shalt not make a machine in the likeness of a human mind. For a spacefaring civilization they would need to obtain ways of replacing the technology. The implementation of Mentats were their answer.

My understanding is that Mentats are trained, not created. By treating the brain as a living computer and placing the person through a strict and rigid conditioning of the individual, the mind can be trained to engage supra-logical hypothesizing by gathering large amounts of data and devise concise analyses in a process that goes far beyond logical deduction. Such skills would only become more potent as more information was made available to the Mentat, to say nothing of additional skills and abilities. The more a Mentat had available, the more useful they would become. Perhaps it is that reason that methods of production were developed by organizations like the Bene Tleilax, which were an isolationist culture known for their skill in genetic manipulation.

I confess I am still unaware of how genetic memory is a function. While it does contribute to vague concepts like the development of phobias and language acquisition, never have I encountered the idea of a lifetime of memories being passed on through biology. Yet in this world, the mistress was a product of genetic memory that was cultivated and grown inside an artificial womb called an Axlotl Tank. This tank was owned by the Bene Tleilax who trained her in their manipulation of flesh and genetics along with an exceptional amount of knowledge of human physiology from an order called the Suk. They could not take a life, but as a result they held knowledge and potential that could make 21st Century doctors look like children in sandboxes. Combined with the power of the Mentat and the Tleilax's own prowess in fleshcrafting, this made her one of their best products. A product to be sold for a high price. They found a buyer in Baron Vladimir Harkonnen upon the world of Giedi Prime.

The mistress was a perfect product for him. Exceptionally attractive by human standards, a powerful Mentat with the ability to possess a dozen streams of consciousness to compare results, and even the knowledge and conditioning for Suk doctoring which would prevent her from taking a life. Exceptional skill and knowledge with the caveat of protection and loyalty... perfect for an entity as sadistic as the Baron. The mistress had an addiction to an awareness spectrum narcotic known as Spice Melange in this world, but her own supply made this concern a moot point. Surprisingly, her appearance was a selling point in a way that I did not anticipate. She was an attractive member of his court, but he didn't desire to do anything with her as the Baron was homosexual in his preference. Rather, he wished to use her appearance to cause distractions to visitors and strife among his own court. This succeeded admirably with Piter de Vries.

He was as much of a sadist as the Baron, and a Mentat like the mistress. A terrible combination, as Piter was an ambitious being who sought more power for his own end. Piter was also similarly afflicted with an addiction to the Spice Melange, but unlike the mistress who had a replenishing personal supply he needed to acquire this product for himself. I understand that it goes for an exceptionally large amount of financial compensation due to the context of its procurement; only one planet in the entire galaxy held the unique conditions for its creation. The end result was that Piter had a significantly higher price compared to the mistress who brought more to the table. A newer model superior to the old model.

It was an offense to the man, and he utilized his considerable intellect and influence to do what he could to undermine the mistress. The next few years were filled with constant paranoia, subterfuge, and attempted assassinations as Piter tried his best to eliminate her or make her look like a fool to the Baron. The assassinations inevitably did not succeed, but the subterfuge was hit and miss. The mistress was focused on her own plans, and so had to take de Vries' attempts head-on while mitigating the damage. It was a struggle akin to tug-of-war and so long as the Baron's own operations were not derailed he did not care for the struggles of power. It was a game to him to see the squabbling of the two as the bodies continued to pile up, to see how long it would take before the feud was ended in some fashion.

Perhaps de Vries should have been more suspicious of the fact that any retaliation was superficial in nature. Granted, a Suk Doctor cannot knowingly harm or take a life thanks to the conditioning all receive during their education and it is perhaps why Piter was not expecting assassination from the mistress. Yet the Mentat had been working on subverting the conditioning of one Dr. Wellington Yueh, another Suk Doctor, to make him a pliant servant... so Piter of all people should have been aware that the conditioning of the Suk has its workarounds. Perhaps it was overconfidence from the lack of escalated strikes? Perhaps as time went on he became complacent with the mistress' actions? It ill matters.

What matters was the actions. While the addiction was present, the mistress did not require enough Spice to go through her entire supply that replenished weekly. This meant that she had an exceptionally large amount to use, and the Baron's method of motivation meant that many of his men had their prices. The Baron's sadistic tendencies meant that many of his men had motivation to follow through with the purchase of their services. The mistress spent those years slowly bribing and acquiring her own faction within House Harkonnen, building up a force while studying what she could from her time in the Baron's court. As a Suk Doctor, any notion that she was capable of harming another was written off as a joke. A wolf without fangs or claws, left to be harmless as a pet.

A wolf can still possess a pack.

When word came out that the planet of Arrakis, the aforementioned planet that is the sole source of Spice Melange, was taken from House Harkonnen and given to House Atreides, the mistress chose that moment to attack. Piter de Vries' only warning came from the soldiers blocking off his quarters and filling it with a nerve agent the mistress had developed. She could not take direct action, but she could make something and allow those who she commanded to take the actions instead. As de Vries lay choking on his own blood and felt his nervous system burning from within, he understood this. Thanks to the electrical signatures being constantly disrupted at lightning speeds thanks to his own Mentat training, he also found that a Suk Doctor could choose not to save a life. Abstaining from action was not the same as a harmful action.

The weapon of choice she equipped for her usurping forces were not lasers as the Holtzmann shielding would create a nuclear reaction upon contact. Nor were they equipped with projectile weaponry as any object going above a certain velocity were deflected with ease. She opted to instead equip her forces with flamethrower equipment that had been modified and repurposed to spray a highly potent acid in a direction. The logic was that once the acid had covered the shield and stopped moving, it would pass through the shield and cover the occupant to begin eating away at any organic matter. If they did not die from the acid, it would distract them from the assailants approaching to place a blade on their throat. It was an exceptionally cruel way to die, and one that the Baron's men were not prepared to handle. Their screams apparently served as an effective psychological weapon.

The Baron was angry at the coup, naturally. First Arrakis was taken from him, and now his own House was rising against him. He demanded to know why the mistress had betrayed him and had his family put to death.

There was no need for her to speak, as her forces began to spray him and melt him down right there. She gave no reasoning, no explanation for why she did what she did. But throughout the entire four hours of the operation she never laid a hand on anyone save for allied soldiers that needed fixing up and never said a word of anger to anyone. For all intents and purposes, the conditioning of the Suk was still in place. It is my understanding that House Atreides and Leto Atreides I were given the assets of House Harkonnen.

I confess that I am concerned at the level of action that she took. The Baron and many of his court were cruel, yes. The House was built upon slavery and torture to build its industry. But this was different from the time she had usurped and killed Johnathan Irons. That time she did a majority of the groundwork and delivered the final blow herself. She took responsibility. This time it was all done with manipulation and treachery, with many lives taken simply because she willed them to be taken. It was not the work of a hero of the people nor was it the work of a wandering traveler. It was the work of an Empress who recognized the influence she had and seized it to dismantle what she disliked.

Yet it might be necessary on some level. The last world had seen a terrible brush with termination as the mistress ran into an opponent that could counter her every skill and every ability. Were it not for Rebecca and I intervening, she would have been dead and we would be without a mistress to serve. In that sense, perhaps it is only natural that she learns to acquire other servants and use the power of others to improve herself. Power is not merely physical strength of the body or the manipulation of metaphysical energies, nor is it the advancement of technology or the manipulation of flesh. Power takes many forms. In a sense, power is power.

Her opponents will be as diverse as they are numerous. As skilled as they are powerful. She needs to be able to meet them at their own game, or be able to break the rules of the game should it come to that. Yet in fighting them, there must be steps taken to ensure that she does not become like them. I'm sure there is a storyteller out there who is rolling their eyes at the stereotypical fears that I possess, as not everyone falls prey to such things. There have been wise rulers and just leaders throughout history. Good people do not succumb, and prove stronger in the face of adversity and power. It is when said people realize their inherent nature as heroes.

I just worry for the mistress. We have found many different worlds where they are led by cruel people or are in a state of dismay and disrepair. Worlds that are unforgiving to the kind and the gentle and can force a person to do horrible things to survive. Worlds that do not forgive empathy and selflessness. I am worried that whatever is guiding the mistress on this journey is not looking for a kind and gentle person, and their programming is beginning to take hold.