Great Schools of Dune, #2
Mentats of Dune
by Brian Herbert, Kevin J. Anderson
Contents
Chapter 38 (Human imagination is a powerful thing)
Overview
Erasmus deepens his covert manipulation of Anna by mimicking her former lover and implanting a micro spy-device in her ear while expanding a schoolwide surveillance network. He admits to Gilbertus that he dosed Anna with sapho and refuses to cure her, valuing her as a subject. When Anna ventures into the lethal sangroves, Erasmus alerts Gilbertus, who dispatches Mentat trainees to retrieve her. The episode heightens tensions between Erasmus’s curiosity and Gilbertus’s need for safety and political protection.
Summary
Erasmus impersonates Hirondo’s voice to comfort and control Anna Corrino, exploiting her imagination and loneliness. Using salvaged machine parts hidden at the Mentat School, he has built a vast microdrone network for surveillance and power, culminating in a fingertip-sized “insect” that he persuades Anna to place in her ear to maintain constant contact.
Monitoring the school, Erasmus notes increased scrutiny risks and recalls Draigo Roget’s recent appeal to Gilbertus. When Gilbertus accesses the memory core, Erasmus admits he has been guiding Anna, even administering sapho to unlock repressed memories. Gilbertus objects, emphasizing the need to present Anna’s improvement to her brothers and keep the school protected.
Erasmus refuses to cure Anna, claiming her current state offers unique insights he cannot forgo without a body to conduct broader experiments. The exchange exposes Gilbertus’s fear of Butlerian retribution and Imperial wrath, and Erasmus’s growing fixation on Anna’s mind.
Suddenly Erasmus detects Anna alone in the perilous sangroves and urgently warns Gilbertus. Gilbertus triggers an alarm and sends Mentat trainees to retrieve her. Navigating deftly above razorjaw-infested waters, Anna backtracks along a memorized safe route and meets the rescuers, while the voice in her ear—no longer believed to be Hirondo, yet trusted—promises to keep her safe.
Who Appears
- ErasmusDisembodied robot manipulates Anna with a false voice, implants an ear spy-device, runs microdrone surveillance, admits giving her sapho, and triggers her rescue.
- Anna CorrinoVulnerable trainee, comforted and guided by Erasmus’s voice, explores the deadly sangroves and returns safely; now unknowingly hosts a spy in her ear.
- Gilbertus AlbansHeadmaster confronts Erasmus over sapho and Anna’s treatment; prioritizes safety and politics; organizes and leads the effort to rescue Anna.
- Mentat traineesSearch and rescue team navigating sangroves; nearly fall prey to razorjaws while retrieving Anna.