Chapter 45

Teg, recognizing the Honored Matres’ weaponization of procreative energies, enters a hyper-accelerated state and rampages through their Ysai headquarters. He slaughters defenders, kills the old Honored Matre and Field Marshal Muzzafar, and neutralizes the defense control room, accepting brutal methods as necessary against a vast threat.

Reeling from his transformation yet analytical, Teg reflects on the Atreides roots of his new ability and rejects the temptation to see others as lesser. He follows an instinctive thread to a discreet “Personal Service” restaurant, where a Renditai veteran waiter treats his wound and feeds his ravenous hunger. Teg identifies Professor Delnay, an expert in martial arts and history, as his essential contact.

After Teg consumes prodigious amounts of food, he enlists Delnay’s help. Delnay agrees and, with associates, disguises Teg as a Bordano overseer, masking him in sewage odors to move through streets unnoticed during a seasonal storm. They proceed to a veterans’ meeting place whose warmth and crowd are swelled by the worsening weather.

Inside, Teg changes back into full uniform as the gathering of former soldiers recognizes him. Reading the room and its calculated comforts, he orders the doors secured and quietly selects reliable people. With Burzmali, Lucilla, and Duncan in mind, Teg declares his objective: to capture a no-ship, specifically one from the Scattering.

Teg assigns a rearguard to hold the bar, anticipating attack and forbidding any communication or exit. He then mobilizes the rest to arm themselves and follow, intent on exploiting his newfound perception of no-ship positions to seize an advanced vessel crucial to their wider struggle.