Chapter 40

In the Dar-es-Balat museum penthouse, Taraza, Odrade, Sheeana, Waff, the false High Priest Tuek, and Rakian counselors meet amid rising hostility. The priests bicker over leadership while Waff frets over control. When the false Tuek defies Waff, Waff realizes his Face Dancer has over-identified with its role. Taraza seizes the moment, declaring Bene Gesserit and Tleilaxu support for Tuek, forcing the priests to retreat and binding the mimic to Sisterhood interests.

Privately, Taraza confronts Waff in Islamiyat, accusing him of withholding truths about the ghola and the Scattering. She reveals that no Reverend Mother has returned from the Scattering and implies subversion of those sent out. She declares a red line: the Bene Gesserit will never become axlotl tanks. When Waff nearly signals an attack, Taraza threatens catastrophic reprisals through Sheeana’s religious authority, staying his hand.

To cement the bargain, Taraza offers Bene Gesserit breeding access, naming Odrade as an Atreides candidate. In exchange, Waff divulges a critical secret: Honored Matres can induce total-body, prolonged orgasmic control over males. He warns of Tleilaxu readiness for slaughter if the Sisterhood attempts it. He then orders a Face Dancer demonstration, confirming the technique’s overwhelming power.

Later, alone, Odrade weighs the implications. She notes Sheeana’s evident arousal and resolves that training must intensify to prevent misuse. She meshes the demonstration with Rakian dance rituals and siaynoq, seeing a long rhythm culminating in violence and control. Remembering Bene Gesserit tests of humanity, Odrade contemplates Leto’s legacy and the danger of fossilized ritual becoming weaponized sex.

Sheeana returns to fetch Odrade at Taraza’s request. Odrade recalls asking Sheeana if she wished to be a Reverend Mother; both acknowledge the cost of discipline. Odrade concludes that all are caught in the same “dance,” and any single failure could summon disaster.