Chapter 70 (Even an Emperor must)

Taref boards the Imperial Barge as a maintenance worker to corrupt its FTL and foldspace navigation, but the memory of shooting Manford Torondo torments him. Hearing Manford’s “voice,” Taref questions his orders, does only partial sabotage, and decides to stop being Venport’s pawn. He leaves, sending word that he won’t finish the job.

On Arrakis, Josef Venport escorts Emperor Salvador and a bloated entourage to a spice operation, masking his frustration while managing security and timing. Mid-journey, Taref informs Josef he has refused the mission. Realizing his elegant plan to lose the barge has failed, Josef resolves on a costlier, immediate solution.

Josef arranges with loyal operatives to hold back the factory’s carryalls and alerts spotters to report only to him. At the landing site, he quietly plants a focused limpet charge on the Imperial shuttle’s engine, ensuring it cannot evacuate.

Inside the noisy harvester, Josef tolerates Salvador’s complaints long enough to set the stage. Receiving the private signal he awaited, Josef slips to the roof deck, boards an escape flyer, and coordinates with spotter pilots who have detected distant wormsign.

As Josef departs, he remotely detonates the limpet, crippling the shuttle, then instructs the spotters to make the worm report public. With carryalls withdrawn and evacuation cut off, he deliberately strands Emperor Salvador and his court on the active harvester, bait for the approaching sandworm.