Mentats of Dune

Mentats of Dune

By Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson

There is beauty in the eyes of the youth who dreams of a bright future (Wisdom of the Ancients)

Though Caladan was quiet and bucolic, it boasted and impressive Air Patrol Agency. The scattered fishing fleets, the occasional sea storms, and the creatures out in the deep oceans, - all required the locals to be ready to mount a rapid and efficient rescue when necessary.

Vor smiled when he studied the history of the Caladan Air Patrol and their years of service. No one knew that the rescue organization had been established and funded well over a century ago through an anonymous foundation set up by Vorian Atreides. Yes, he still had many ties here.

Though they were still young, his great-great-grandsons Willem and Orry had made themselves important pilots in the Patrol. Both young men had a love of fast and dangerous flying in their blood, but Vor decided this was a much better profession than piloting warships against robot vessels in the Jihad.

After that long, late-night confession and conversation with Shander Atreides, Vor felt relieved. He rarely got a chance to shed so many secrets. Even so, from Shander's raised eyebrows and uncertain chuckle, he wasn't sure the wealthy old fisherman – actually Vor's great-grandson – completely believed him. Shander was aware only that one of the ancestors had been a great war hero, as attested to by the statue in the town square; but that was far back in the days of the Jihad, and the fact meant little to their daily lives. Nevertheless, Shander accepted Vorian's friendship, seeing him as a curiosity and a spinner of tales. Good company overall, regardless of the past.

Mentats of Dune. Illustration by Elena.

In a broader sense, Vor wanted to reconnect with the tapestry of his family, his roots, and to apologize for the aloof way he had treated Leronica and their two sons... generations ago. Although no one on Caladan even remembered the slight, Vor needed to do it for himself.

His openness and candor surprised some on Calada whe heard his story, while others simply assumed he had a wild imagination. Vor didn't mind; he intended to stay on beautiful Caladan for a while – for quite a while, in fact. Willem and Orry were strangers to him, be he could hardly wait to meet them.

On the third day after Vor arrived on Caladan, Shander Attreides offered to meet him for lunch to introduce him to the two young men, who were due back from a long patrol. At the last minutes, Shander had to respond to an insistent customer, some kind of urgent repair order for fishing nets, and so Vor went to the landing-field cafe himself. He had faced greater challenges before.

Walking in, he felt tense but eager to meet Willem and Orry. Vor found the sitting at a table by a window that overlooked the Air Patrol field, where seaplanes took off and landed. He was startled when he caught his first glimpse of the two laughing young men. Even in their flight suits, they looked very much like the twins Estes and Kagin. He caught his breath, felt a pang, and then smiles as he stepped forward.