Navigators of Dune

Disappointed that he wasn’t undressing her, Anna removed her own clothing and stood naked before him, waiting for him to admire her. He knew what she was expecting, so with a distant part of his mind, he formed words to tell her what she wanted to hear. “You are very beautiful, Anna, and I am pleased to have you as my lover.”

Elated, she pulled him onto the bed with her, and although he performed as expected, most of his computer mind was devoted to continued analysis and projections. He developed another possible modification to the slow-missile design and also considered an improved set of autonomous instructions to the combat meks he had recently reprogrammed outside the domes. Every small thing added to Denali’s defenses.

While Anna fussed over him, he went through the obligatory physical motions, but she seemed to sense his distance. Straddling him, she placed her hands on his shoulders and leaned close so that he was forced to look at her. “Make love to me!” she insisted, even though he had been doing so for the past half hour. “I want your whole focus, just like I’m focused on you. We belong together.”

But he was frustrated by her interference, and made her roll off of him. “An Imperial fleet may be coming to destroy us, and I am busy trying to prepare our defenses. You and I have experienced intercourse in numerous varieties. I’ve already catalogued the experiences and sorted the data. There is no need to continue this. Other things are much more important. What is the point of repeating an experiment so many times, especially a successful one?”

She scrambled off the bed and stared at him with wide eyes that quickly filled with tears. “An experiment? No need to continue this? What do you mean?”

Erasmus couldn’t understand. “Were you not satisfied? I believe I performed well enough. We are finished for now. Other concerns are much more important.”

She raised her voice to a shout. “We’re finished for now? An experiment? That’s all I am to you? Don’t you understand? I love you, Erasmus.”

“Of course, I am sure you do.”

Anna’s knees buckled, and she collapsed to the floor. “You don’t feel anything for me? I’ve given you my entire heart and soul, everything I have. I thought you were my perfect lover, but I … I’m just an experiment to you?” She wiped tears from her eyes and grabbed her clothes as she stumbled for the door. “Other things are more important? With your new body, I thought you wanted to have human emotions.”

“Yes, that is one of my priorities, but right now, I cannot be delayed by biological needs. The mind is superior to the body. Can’t you understand that?”

She retorted, “I thought you felt deep love for me—but all you learned was how to lie better!”

Erasmus pondered her outburst for a moment. “How have I lied?” Tapping into his memories of Gilbertus’s execution, he compared his experiences, his memories, his … feelings toward Anna, such as they were. He didn’t fully understand them. He had a definite fondness for her, but she obviously felt much more strongly toward him.

Tears welled up in her eyes and ran down her cheeks. She didn’t bother to wipe them away, and just permitted them to flow. He found this curious, but only for a moment before he turned his attentions elsewhere, as he needed to do.

He wondered if this was the place where he should apologize to her. He decided he would have to deal with that later, when it was a priority.

In a serendipitous coincidence, two other ideas about the robot reprogramming clicked together as his gelcircuitry continued to process. A possible solution! “I cannot spare any time for our personal interactions right now.” He grabbed for his own clothes. “I must speak with the weapons scientists.”

Sobbing uncontrollably, Anna bolted out into the corridor and ran toward one of the now-empty cymek hangars. He assumed she would huddle by herself and cry until she was red-faced and swollen-eyed. He could deal with that later. Right now, Anna’s capricious emotions reminded him of Serena Butler decades ago, and her constantly crying baby.

With Anna no longer distracting him, he had the space and privacy he required, and the ability to concentrate on vital matters.

After expending a great deal of effort in searching for a thing, one may find that the reality is quite different from what was expected.

—Mentat School admonition

Vorian Atreides knew that the best way to avoid attackers was to remain constantly on the move. A hunted man should sleep in a different safe house every night and move from job to job, planet to planet.