Chapter 36 (Every person can be manipulated)

While hiking the steep Laojin Cliff trail on Wallach IX, Mother Superior Raquella startles Valya and tests her reaction to Tula’s departure. Valya maintains control, asserting dual loyalty to House Harkonnen and the Sisterhood. Raquella questions where Valya’s priorities lie and hints at leadership potential.

Sister Fielle joins them, shifting the conversation toward the Sisterhood’s rift with Dorotea, now entrenched at the Imperial court training acolytes. Valya claims their faction is stronger and presses for expanded training, including Truthsaying and new combat methods. Fielle emphasizes philosophy over violence, but Valya argues that better fighting skills could have mitigated past massacres and might deter future threats.

Raquella acknowledges Valya as the Sisterhood’s best fighter but warns against labeling Dorotea a traitor, stressing the importance of reconciliation. Valya apologizes for her intensity, framing it as dedication to the Sisterhood’s long-term goals.

Building on this, Valya proposes traveling to Ginaz to study Swordmaster techniques, intending to adapt bodily control, defenses, and combat thinking for the Sisterhood’s benefit. Raquella sees value in learning from other schools and notes Fielle’s Mentat perspective as complementary.

Despite caution about deepening divisions, Raquella grants Valya permission to undertake the Ginaz mission, hoping the Sisterhood can still find common ground with Dorotea even as it strengthens itself.