Great Schools of Dune, #2
Mentats of Dune
by Brian Herbert, Kevin J. Anderson
Contents
Chapter 39 (Every grain of sand in the desert is different)
Overview
Taref conducts multiple EsconTran sabotages at Junction Alpha, including destroying a Butlerian pilgrim transport, and reports his successes to Josef Venport and Draigo on Kolhar. He learns Shurko died during a botched assignment. Venport then sends Taref back to Arrakis to recruit more Freemen operatives, while Draigo announces Baridge’s capitulation to VenHold.
Summary
Taref arrives at the EsconTran spacedocks under a false identity and hires on at Junction Alpha. Disillusioned by offworld sameness yet broadened by travel, he follows Draigo’s instructions and sabotages Escon operations. He cripples a cargo ship and destroys a pilgrim transport of Butlerians, accepting the deaths as part of his mission.
Working alone, Taref reflects on his scattered friends and the Freemen’s insularity. After multiple successful acts, he boards a VenHold vessel to Kolhar to report. In the admin-tower, he briefs Josef Venport, who praises the damage to Escon and the elimination of fanatics, while Draigo remains impassive.
Venport reveals that one operative was lost when reassigned aboard a sabotaged ship; Draigo identifies him as Shurko. The news shakes Taref, who questions bringing his friends into the work, but he composes himself before his superiors.
Draigo then assigns a new mission: return to Arrakis to recruit additional Freemen for VenHold sabotage efforts. Venport presses the appeal of leaving the desert; Taref agrees, conflicted but drawn to home. As they conclude, Draigo reports a strategic win—Baridge will renounce the Butlerian pledge in exchange for renewed VenHold trade.
Who Appears
- TarefFreeman operative; sabotages Escon ships at Junction Alpha, reports to Venport, mourns Shurko, and accepts a mission to recruit more Freemen on Arrakis.
- Josef VenportDirecteur of VenHold; praises Taref’s sabotage, minimizes losses, and orders Taref back to Arrakis to expand recruitment.
- Draigo RogetVenHold Mentat; oversees Taref’s mission, confirms Shurko’s loss, and announces Baridge’s capitulation.
- ShurkoTaref’s friend; lost with a sabotaged ship after unexpected reassignment, his death deeply affects Taref.