Great Schools of Dune, #2
Mentats of Dune
by Brian Herbert, Kevin J. Anderson
Contents
Chapter 5 (Never underestimate the power of revenge)
Overview
Valya Harkonnen, driven by Griffin’s death and hatred of Vorian Atreides, survives the Agony and returns as a Reverend Mother to the reestablished Sisterhood on Wallach IX with her sister Tula. Welcomed by Reverend Mother Ellulia, Valya sees the order rebuilding under Raquella with VenHold support, preserving doctrine and training new recruits.
Valya positions Tula for training and vows to restore Harkonnen honor and pursue revenge, while news that Anna Corrino is under Mentat care shifts blame from the Sisterhood.
Summary
Valya Harkonnen reflects on leaving Lankiveil and the anguish she caused her parents after her brother Griffin’s corpse arrived from Vorian Atreides. Consumed by grief and vengeance, she risked the Rossak Agony, survived, and emerged a Reverend Mother with Other Memory, determined to use her new abilities to hunt Vorian and restore House Harkonnen’s standing.
Recalling Raquella Berto-Anirul’s long-term breeding vision and the Emperor’s purge of the Rossak School, Valya rejects Dorotea’s compliant faction at Salusa Secundus. She sets out with her teenage sister Tula to Wallach IX, intending to rejoin the true Sisterhood and position Tula for training to serve both the order and Harkonnen ambitions.
Arriving on Wallach IX, Valya and Tula are greeted by Reverend Mother Ellulia. Valya announces her new status and sponsors Tula. Ellulia explains that Raquella is away on Lampadas and that the reconstituted school is growing but still sacrifices many Sisters to the Agony; a damaged Sister, Ignacia, is shown as evidence of the cost.
Valya’s hard pragmatism clashes with Ellulia’s compassion for the Agony’s casualties, but both agree on rebuilding. Valya inquires about Anna Corrino and learns she is on Lampadas with Mentat Gilbertus Albans for cognitive restoration, easing blame on the Sisterhood for Anna’s condition.
Touring the austere prefab complex donated by Josef and Cioba Venport, Valya notes the order’s diminished circumstances yet witnesses determined reconstruction: Sisters reconstruct the banned Azhar Book from memory for eventual republication under Raquella’s arbitration. Despite the hardships, Valya commits Tula to training and renews her dual mission of advancing the Sisterhood and exacting revenge on Vorian Atreides.
Who Appears
- Valya HarkonnenNewly made Reverend Mother; returns to Wallach IX with Tula, driven by vengeance against Vorian and plans to elevate House Harkonnen.
- Tula HarkonnenSeventeen-year-old sister; brought by Valya to be trained by the Sisterhood, a tool in Harkonnen and Sisterhood ambitions.
- Reverend Mother ElluliaWelcomes Valya and Tula to Wallach IX; reports on Raquella’s absence, Agony failures, and ongoing reconstruction efforts.
- Sister IgnaciaA once-bright Sister now crippled from failing the Agony, exemplifying the costs the order bears.