At VenHold headquarters on Arrakis, Directeur Josef Venport confronts his nervous spice-harvesting managers about an illegal competitor operating in the desert. Josef warns that he will do whatever is necessary to protect VenHold’s holdings, invoking his family’s sacrifices and investments to justify his anger over stolen melange.

Lilik Arvo and other crew chiefs offer little beyond excuses, but Ishanti, a tough deep-desert Zensunni woman who works informally for Josef, remains calm and confident. Josef trusts Ishanti’s knowledge of the desert more than his formal staff and orders messages, bribes, spotters, and rewards to expose the off-the-books spice operation.

Later, Josef isolates himself in private quarters in Arrakis City, reviewing VenHold’s vast business records and Cioba’s reports from Kolhar. The chapter reveals VenHold’s sprawling wealth, Josef’s efforts to hide the extent of his influence, and his contempt for Butlerian antitechnology fanatics who destroy usable derelict machine ships.

Ishanti locates an illegal spice-harvesting site, but the poachers escape before Arvo’s response team arrives. Arvo does intercept a small cargo ship loaded with contraband melange, which Josef confiscates, and VenHold engineers trace the vessel to Celestial Transport, Josef’s main rival in space transportation.

Arvo and Ishanti bring Josef the ship’s bound pilot. The captive argues that Arrakis is a free planet and that no one has exclusive rights to melange, but Josef insists the spice is his. Josef orders Ishanti to extract information and allows her to keep the prisoner’s water as payment, making clear that he will answer competition with ruthless force.