bh.houseatreides-第90部分

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　bulls；　sir；〃　he　insisted。　〃The　Duke　needs　to　know　about　it　before　his　bullfight。〃
　Yresk　laughed　at　him　again。　〃When　I　need　the　advice　of　a　child　in　my　business；　I'll　be　sure　to　ask　you；　young　Idaho。〃　The　stablemaster　left；　and　Duncan　returned　to　the　stalls　to　stare　at　the　agitated；　ferocious　Salusan　bulls。　They　glared　back　at　him　with　burning；　faceted　eyes。
　Something　was　terribly　wrong。　He　knew　it；　but　no　one　would　listen　to　him。
　Imperfections；　if　viewed　in　the　proper　light；　can　be　extremely　valuable。　The　Great　Schools；　with　their　incessant　questing　for　perfection；　often　find　this　postulate　difficult　to　understand；　until　it　is　proven　to　them　that　nothing　in　the　universe　is　random。
　…From　The　Philosophies　of　Old　Terra；　one　of　the　recovered　manuscripts
　In　the　darkness　of　her　isolated　and　protected　bedroom　in　the　Mother　School　plex；　Mohiam　sat　straight　up；　holding　her　swollen　belly。　Her　skin　felt　tight　and　leathery；　without　the　resilience　of　youth。　Her　bedclothes　were　drenched　in　perspiration；　and　the　nightmare　remained　fresh　in　her　mind。　The　back　of　her　skull　pounded　with　visions　of　blood；　and　flames。
　It　had　been　an　omen；　a　message。。。a　screaming　premonition　that　no　Bene　Gesserit　could　ignore。
　She　wondered　how　much　melange　her　nurse　had　given　her；　and　if　it　might　have　interacted　with　some　other　medication　they'd　administered。　She　could　still　taste　the　bitter　gingery…cinnamon　flavor　inside　her　mouth。　How　much　spice　was　it　safe　for　a　pregnant　woman　to　take？　Mohiam　shuddered。　No　matter　how　she　tried　to　rationalize　her　terror；　she　could　not　ignore　the　power　of　the　sending。
　Dreams。。。nightmares。。。prescience　　foretelling　terrible　events　that　would　shake　the　Imperium　for　millennia。　A　future　that　must　never　e　to　pass！　She　dared　not　ignore　the　warning。。。but　could　she　trust　herself　to　interpret　it　correctly？
　Reverend　Mother　Gaius　Helen　Mohiam　was　but　a　tiny　pebble　at　the　beginning　of　an　avalanche。
　Did　the　Sisterhood　really　know　what　it　was　doing？　And　what　about　the　baby　growing　inside　her；　still　a　month　from　term？　The　vision's　focus　had　been　centered　on　her　daughter。　Something　important；　something　terrible。。。。　The　Reverend　Mothers　had　not　told　her　everything；　and　now　even　the　Sisters　in　Other　Memory　were　afraid。
　The　room　smelled　damp　from　the　rain　outside：　The　old　plaster　walls　were　wet　and　powdery。　Though　precise　heaters　kept　her　private　chamber　at　a　fortable　temperature；　the　homiest　warmth　came　from　the　embers　in　the　low　fire　opposite　her　bed　　an　inefficient　anachronism；　but　the　aroma　of　woodsmoke　and　the　yellow…orange　glow　of　coals　inspired　a　sort　of　primal　placency。
　The　fires　of　destruction；　the　blaze　of　an　inferno　sweeping　from　planet　to　planet　across　the　galaxy。　Jihad！　Jihad！　That　was　to　be　the　fate　of　humanity　if　something　went　wrong　with　the　Bene　Gesserit　plans　for　her　daughter。
　Mohiam　sat　up　in　her　bed；　posed　herself　mentally；　and　ran　a　quick　check　through　the　systems　of　her　body。　No　emergencies；　everything　functioning　normally；　all　biochemistry　optimal。
　Had　it　only　been　a　nightmare。。。or　something　more？
　More　rationalization。　She　knew　she　must　not　make　excuses；　but　she　had　to　heed　what　the　premonition　had　shown　her。　Other　Memory　knew　the　truth。
　Mohiam　remained　under　close　observation　by　the　Sisters　　possibly　even　now。　A　purple　light　in　the　corner　of　her　room　was　attached　to　a　night…vision　eye；　with　watchdogs　on　the　other　end　who　reported　to　Reverend　Mother　Anirul　Sadow　Tonkin；　the　young　woman　who　seemed　to　carry　an　importance　beyond　her　years。　Finally；　though；　in　Mohiam's　dream　the　secretive　Other　Memory　Voices　had　hinted　at　Anirul's　place　in　the　project。　The　nightmare　had　jarred　them　loose；　shocked　the　reticent　recollections　into　veiled　explanations。
　Kwisatz　Haderach。　The　Shortening　of　the　Way。　The　Bene　Gesserit's　long…sought…after　messiah　and　superbeing。
　The　Sisterhood　had　numerous　breeding　programs；　building　upon　various　characteristics　of　humanity。　Many　of　them　were　unimportant；　some　even　served　as　diversions　or　shams。　None　held　such　prominence　as　the　Kwisatz　Haderach　program；　though。
　As　an　ancient　security　measure　at　the　beginning　of　the　hundred…generation　plan；　the　Reverend　Mothers　with　knowledge　of　the　scheme　had　sworn　themselves　to　silence；　even　in　Other　Memory；　vowing　to　divulge　the　full　details　to　none　but　a　rare　few　each　generation。
　Anirul　was　one　such；　the　Kwisatz　Mother。　She　knew　everything　about　the　program。　That　is　why　even　Mother　Superior　must　listen　to　her！
　Mohiam　herself　had　been　kept　in　the　dark；　though　the　daughter　growing　in　her　womb　was　to　be　only　three　steps　away　from　the　culmination。　By　now　the　real　genetic　plan　had　been　set　in　stone；　the　end　of　thousands　of　years　of　tinkering　and　planning。　The　future　would　ride　on　this　new　child。　Her　first　daughter；　the　flawed　one；　had　been　a　misstep；　a　mistake。
　And　any　mistake　could　bring　about　the　terrible　future　she　had　foreseen。
　Mohiam's　nightmare　had　shown　her　what　could　happen　to　humanity's　destiny　if　the　plan　went　astray。　The　premonition　had　been　like　a　gift；　and　difficult　as　the　decision　was；　she　could　not　fail　to　act　on　it。　She　didn't　dare。
　Does　Anirul　know　my　thoughts；　too；　the　terrible　act　foretold　in　my　dream？　A　warning；　a　promise　　or　a　mand？
　Thoughts。。。Other　Memory。。。the　multitude　of　ancient　ones　within　offered　their　advice；　their　fears；　their　warnings。　They　could　no　longer　keep　their　knowledge　of　the　Kwisatz　Haderach　silent；　as　they　had　always　done　before。　Mohiam　could　call　to　them　now；　and　at　their　discretion　they　would　e　forth；　individually　or　in　multitudes。　She　might　ask　them　for　collective　guidance；　but　she　didn't　want　that。　They　had　already　revealed　enough　to　awaken　her　with　a　scream　on　her　lips。
　Mistakes　must　not　be　allowed　to　happen。
　Mohiam　had　to　make　her　own　decision；　choose　her　own　path　into　the　future　and　determine　how　best　to　prevent　the　hideous　blood…filled　fate　she　had　foreseen。
　Rising　from　her　bed；　straightening　her　nightclothes；　Mohiam　moved　ponderously　through　darkness　into　the　next　room；　the　creche　where　the　babies　were　kept。　Her　swollen　belly　made　it　more　difficult　to　walk。　Mohiam　wondered　if　the　Sisterhood's　watchdogs　would　stop　her。
　Her　own　churning　thoughts　made　her　pause。　Inside　the　dim；　warm　nursery；　she　detected　the　irregular；　imperfect　breathing　of　her　first　Harkonnen　daughter；　now　nine　months　old。　And　in　her　womb　the　unborn　sister　kicked　and　twisted　　was　this　one　driving　her　forward？　Had　the　baby　inside　triggered　the　premonition？
　The　Sisterhood　needed　a　perfect　daughter；　healthy　and　strong。　Flawed　offspring　were　irrelevant。　In　any　other　circumstance；　the　Bene　Gesserit　could　have　found　a　use　even　for　a　sickly　and　crippled　child。　But　Mohiam　had　seen　her　vital　place　in　the　Kwisatz　Haderach　program　　and　seen　what　would　happen　if　the　program　went　down　the　wrong　path。
　The　dream　was　bright　in　her　mind；　like　a　holo…schematic。　She　simply　had　to　follow　it；　without　thinking。　Do　it。　Heavy　consumption　of　melange　often　offered　prescient　visions；　and　Mohiam　had　no　doubt　of　what　she　had　seen。　The　vision　was　clear　as　Hagal　crystal　　billions　murdered；　the　Imperium　toppled；　the　Bene　Gesserit　nearly　destroyed；　another　jihad　raging　across　the　galaxy；　sweeping　away　all　in　its　path。
　All　of　that　would　happen　if　the　breeding　plan　went　wrong。　What　did　one　unwanted　life　matter　in　the　face　of　such　epochal　threats？
　Her　sickly　first　daughter　by　the　Baron　Harkonnen　was　in　the　way；　a　risk。　That　girl…child　had　the　potential　to　ruin　the　orderly　progression　along　the　genetic　ladder。　Mohiam　had　to　remove　any　possibility　of　that　mistake；　or　she　could　find　the　blood　of　billions　on　her　hands。
　But　my　own　child？
　She　reminded　herself　that　this　was　not　really　her　child；　it　was　a　product　of　the　Bene　Gesserit　mating　index　and　the　property　of　every　Sister　who　had　mitted　herself　　knowingly　or　unknowingly　　to　the　overall　breeding　program。　She'd　borne　other　offspring　in　her　service　to　the　Sisterhood；　but　only　two　would　carry　such　a　dangerous　bination　of　genes。
　Two。　But　there　could　be　only　one。　Otherwise；　the　risk　was　too　great。
　This　weak　baby　would　never　suit　the　master　plan。　The　Sisterhood　had　already　discarded　her。　Perhaps　someday　the　child　could　be　raised　as　a　servant　or　cook　at