Chapter 42 (Those Sisters flock together like birds—carrion birds)

After years of missionary work, Sister Arlett returns to the Sisterhood’s new base on Wallach IX. Mother Superior Raquella, who secretly knows Arlett is Dorotea’s mother, considers using Arlett as an unofficial envoy to the orthodox faction on Salusa Secundus. Raquella updates Arlett: Valya Harkonnen has gone to Ginaz and Tula left the school, while the Emperor permits their strained operations on Wallach.

Raquella brings Arlett to observe Fielle and Sister Mentats collating bloodlines and histories. The Mentats present far-reaching projections for guided breeding, promising a path toward superior human potential. Arlett voices concern about unintended consequences, but Raquella invokes Other Memory to affirm the necessity of the plan and orders the work to continue.

Privately, Raquella confronts her mortality and the leadership vacuum ahead. She weighs Valya’s strength and devotion against Valya’s volatility, and reconsiders Dorotea’s defection—wondering if Dorotea’s alignment with the Emperor preserves key teachings. Raquella concludes that healing the schism may hinge on Dorotea.

Determined to act while time remains, Raquella assigns Arlett to travel to Salusa Secundus and quietly establish contact with Truthsayer Dorotea. She instructs Arlett to invite Dorotea to Wallach IX for reconciliation, revealing that her own death is near so Dorotea will sense the truth and be moved to meet.