Chapter 78 (When I gaze up into the night sky)

After a day of preparations, Vorian Atreides moves through Caladan’s spaceport, burdened by recent murders and the Harkonnen vendetta threatening anyone of Atreides blood. He concludes he must leave to avoid drawing danger to his kin and plans to travel to Kepler despite Emperor Salvador’s ban, prioritizing family safety over imperial dictates.

Resolving to protect his extended lineage, Vorian warns Atreides claimants on Caladan and commissions his Kolhar banking contact to compile a comprehensive report on potential descendants across the Imperium. He reflects on the long, tangled Atreides–Harkonnen history—from Xavier and Abulurd to Griffin—and recognizes Tula Harkonnen’s escalating campaign after Orry’s murder.

Willem Atreides arrives at the spaceport and declares he will accompany Vorian. Though Willem’s grief sharpens his resolve, he argues he seeks not vengeance but purpose beyond Caladan. Vorian, seeing echoes of his past self and of Leronica in the young man, agrees on the condition that Willem avoid reckless revenge.

Accepting a defensive posture—“If a Harkonnen tries to kill us, we kill them first”—Vorian and Willem board the shuttle to the spacefolder. Their departure sets a new course: warn scattered Atreides relatives, outrun the vendetta, and confront threats beyond Caladan, even at the risk of imperial repercussions.