Being Meguca is suffering

Fish speaker proberb

Leto’s vision had darkened, there was a bit of light at the end but the how was entirely obscure. At this moment in the way to his citadel there were hidden two Bene Gesserit. Homura had not expected Madoka to drink the water of life, she had it in her pocket this whole time.

Madoka stared at Ghanima’s body, if there was any chance to return things had changed now, they had killed the Empress and her concubine. Madoka pulled out the vial from her pocket, she had been keeping it from the start, this lack of decision had messed with her plans for long enough.

This was her plan, it had to be complete then.

Madoka drank the entire vial. Homura rushed to catch the bottle but it was too late, she could only catch Madoka as her consciousness started to unfold. The catalysis happened almost immediately, every mind in her genetic memory jumped out as if released from a cage the moment the spice entered her body.

Homura knew now there was nothing to do, in her vision she could see a white path covering the blood soaked golden one. A tall angelic figure loomed over humanity as it died slowly, not starvation, not war, slow acceptance. Only the blood of the Atreides soaked this path, not the blood of millions.

Madoka the martyr who will release the world from the God Emperor. Every voice took a hold of her body, the scream held more than one tone as consciousnesses were forced to merge, this was different from other awakenings, the memories stayed somewhere else, a council of sorts. Madoka was susceptible to those memories, spice would empower them to near abomination.

Madoka rose, she smiled at Homura, her expression was back at normal, it had been fast, too fast. Inside of her mind a million arrows were shot, Madoka had instead eaten all those personalities, engulfed them and forced them into her cells.

“The worm awaits for us” Madoka said “Do you trust me?”

Homura nodded and took Madoka’s hand.

At this point time had passed, but it didn’t matter. Homura still had a lasgun on hand, and she was crazy enough to not have any survival instinct. At this point Madoka’s voice rang in their ears, she was not like Leto, a figure of greatness they could bow to.

Madoka was no different, she had taken a bow on display from one of the rooms. With Homura nobody was willing to wear a shield, Madoka did not give them any chance to even get close. They arrived at the throne room, blood covered those who were trying to stop bloodshed.

Sayaka and Kyouko stood in front of him, willing to protect this tyrant, after all he was the key for humanity’s safety. Leto’s golden path had almost vanished from his view.

Desperation crept into his mind. Madoka had already turned her shield on, she knew that no amount of fighting would end this, it had to be here, it had to be decisive.

Though why had their genes be discarded for the Kwisatz Haderach?

“I guess she is as invisible to you as she is to me. How do you know what will happen?” Leto forced his voice to be calm, this was the last bit of control he had.

“I trust her” Madoka said “I planned more than she knows, I had to put myself in danger, yet I knew Homura would be here for me. Not prescience, just trust”

This message was something Leto already imagined, but she had answered, they were having doubts. This was why their lineages were not considered. It was love, not like the one where Lady Jessica decided to birth a son for her husband. It was closer to Lady Jessica willing to blow up Arrakeen the moment Duke Leto had passed. They loved each other more than they loved humanity, more than they loved their plans. This was why they had waited, when waiting even a second meant Leto could do something to stop them.

He could do something.

“Perhaps you have demonstrated your skill as warriors. I need that for myself, yet my presence will change your plans” Leto laughed, he was terrified but he had to make it seem like he had planned this. He was blind to these two. Homura hid very well and Madoka obscured her vision, she was even worse than Alia, she was worse than her father.

“If you’d prefer I could send you to Salusa Secundus, train an army of women there. You are free to do as you please in the planet, I trust you” Leto smiled “I shall keep your friends here as my bodyguards. Now that water is plenty they will be my fish. They speak for me, my fish speakers” He laughed.

Homura still held up her lasgun, but her finger was no longer in the trigger. Madoka could still see her white path, but her way ended here, the Golden Path took them to those dreams in Salusa Secundus. Leto himself was offering that planet for them to rule. Madoka could not see the fear, but she knew he was afraid, he was appeasing.

Madoka turned off her shield. She knelt and started to cry, she wanted to save everyone in the Golden Path. But she couldn’t bring herself to end the happy future she had. Homura would do it if she asked, but she clearly was tempted as well. Homura in fact was willing to end humanity as a whole because Madoka had asked her to.

Leto could now see his path again, so this was it. Madoka didn’t want to be selfish, but she also knew what both paths entailed. She was forcing herself to follow the white path, painless. Perhaps seeing her friends on his side was what chipped the armor, perhaps it was not her decision to make.

It was not Leto’s decision either, but he had put that burden on himself, he would happily take Madoka’s burden. She was allowed to be happy, she hated that she loved the idea.

With time Madoka and Homura became the basis for what Salusa Secundus became, for what the fish speakers became. Madoka looked and acted friendly, but her prescience made her as aware as the Emperor himself, she knew what would come after, she knew what to prepare for, Arafel was a threat in her eyes.

Homura at least got a happy ending