Magi Sabiyya: Magical Girls of Dune VI

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

Magi Sabiyya: Magical Girls of Dune V

I won’t forget the promise we made
I’ll close my eyes and ascertain it
Shaking off the darkness that closed in on me

I advance on

When can I see again here
The future that I lost?

Akemi Homura- Collection of personal chants

Farad’n at least had the decency of a quick death, Homura used the sword just as a distraction, when he noticed the grenade on his belt it was already too late, the shield enclosed most of the explosion, this would be considered a dishonorable way to end one’s enemy, Homura considered leaving things to fate or pride to be the true dishonor.

Ghanima lacked a similar fate, Fremen do not give up even when wounded, Madoka at first tried to incapacitate her. Ghanima had trained under Duncan Idaho, but only under Duncan Idaho, Madoka had trained under several Ginaz battle masters, it was like fighting a Duncan that did not hold back.

Madoka in the end did not end it, Homura had pierced the shield with her pistol and delivered the coup de grace.

On yet another entrance of the Citadel Kyouko and Sayaka were standing before a fully armed Duncan Idaho. His metallic eyes reflecting back Sayaka’s own fearful face. She expected soldiers but not the Weapons master of House Atreides.

“We can take him” Sayaka said more in question than a statement.

Kyouko scratched the ground with her spear “Of course”

Duncan bowed “I shouldn’t allow you to tarnish your honor in such an unfair match”

Kyouko shrugged “Of course, 2 on 2, as it should be”

Sayaka shivered, she feared this would happen, it seemed Kyouko was more of a Ginaz fighter than a Reverend Mother.

Out from the corner came out Duncan’s support, with a spear in hand, her metallic eyes with a warm expression. Now Kyouko started to shake, this was Mami, a ghola of her.

“The God Emperor was expecting you” Duncan said with a smile “Awakening her was surprisingly difficult, turns out she was only afraid of her own death”

Mami sighed “I asked you to keep that a secret”

“I WAS EXPECTING GURNEY HALLECK!” Kyouko yelled from sheer shock.

Sayaka instead screamed and attacked Duncan right away, he barely had time to activate his shield, Sayaka was fighting without one which made it easy for Duncan to slid an artery below her armpit.

This didn’t stop Sayaka, she continued for long enough for Duncan to see that the wound had healed, her body didn’t seem to be tired while his was starting to ache, after all actual close quarters combat lasts for an extended period of time, it is a short game.

Sayaka’s sword broke though she managed to deactivate Duncan’s shield with the broken blade, she shook it and slowly the sword started to grow again to full size. Duncan’s muscles were screaming, no wound he had done lasted on Sayaka, she wasn’t trying to win but to tire him out.

Mami stared at the fight “Kull wahad!”

“Tleilaxu stuff… I thought you’d knew about this” Kyouko extended her hand “Let’s call it a draw?”

Mami nodded “Sure” she had trained Kyouko, she knew what kind of demon Kyouko would be if actually fighting. Perhaps this was why the Emperor had requested for a Ghola of this Bene Gesserit, they’d listen to her.

“Explain it like I’m dumb” Kyouko said, at this point Sayaka was just toying with Duncan whose hits no longer had any strength to them.

“Leto II wants to ensure humanity keeps on living, it’s not exactly a painless process. Madoka and Homura are here to stop it. Walpurgis was just a pawn in Madoka’s game so she could obtain something, what, we don’t know yet, she’s invisible to the Emperor”

Kyouko tossed her spear at Sayaka’s feet “Humanity lives but suffers, or we die a slow death?”

Sayaka frowned “We live of course, everything takes effort!” She placed her blade next to Duncan’s neck.

“We are on the same side then” Mami said “Madoka wants exactly the opposite”

Sayaka looked at Duncan, she wouldn’t trust this Atreides man, but Mami spoke no lie, this was the Mami they knew, a face dancer or an unawakened ghola would be easy to dismiss, Mami had always been their mentor, she always knew better.

Duncan fell on the ground sweating “I… I will catch you in a minute”

Kyouko shrugged, she had held back for this guy, not for her, well Duncan had not really tried to kill her, he could have gone for the neck instead of the arm, it wouldn’t have made a difference for Sayaka, though it would have made a difference for Duncan, Leto would soon need another Ghola if he wanted to keep that guy in his employment.

They were given a new set of clothes, which both denied, though Kyouko took the food, sweetmeats made with ground up pistachios and spice.

Magi Sabiyya: Magical Girls of Dune IV

Someday the light of love that you will share in your eyes
Will transcend time
Surely it will break one of the fleeting dreams
Rushing towards destruction

Casting aside hesitation
What is it that you desire?

Kaname Madoka -Magia Prana Bindu

Bene Gesserit assassins usually are what remains of the acolytes. Those whose results are not satisfactory to be archivists, truthsayers or marry into the Landsraad. Killing is not exactly difficult for a well trained Bene Gesserit. Though those who actually have training to kill, on top of the skills taught by the sisterhood, they end up working with Reverend Mother Bella in building QB.

Homura joined knowing she’d end up here, after all she had dreamed it. She also knew mentioning her dreams would only make the sisterhood assign her somewhere else. Prescience is a rare trait in the sisterhood, that is more a Guild type of thing.

The Atreides were all prescient, this is what made them terrifying, but other than that the sisterhood had few seers. Homura was a trained Sardaukar, not exactly bad for other tasks but the sisterhood could not waste the training of a soldier that way.

Homura was already a Reverend Mother when she joined, her prescience blown wide open, and she knew this was the place to be. The main reason was an obsession over another sister.

Kaname Madoka, she had requested to be here, yet another prescient sister, not a Reverend Mother yet but her potential was a match for St Alia of the Knife, this also terrified them. Would Madoka emerge a savior or a witch?

Homura did not know the answer either. Homura didn’t know Madoka’s face nor who she was she just knew here was the place to be, that Homura would be home here. Madoka was indeed it, she also had come here expecting something.

Madoka spoke of an old tale, the Wizard of Oz standing at the end of the yellow path, yet he is a liar and the path is full of suffering, the witches hid in fear of his gaze. Madoka had the strong belief that whoever wrote that had no idea his message had a hint of truth, prescience in old Terra, not like a legend but something that was just discovered to be a prophecy. The world was full of such things.

Madoka would believe her insane, but she had seen it, she had seen hints of it. Homura would not let her see the whole thing, she was afraid, at that point she saw only darkness. Madoka would trust Homura with her life, she had in several occasions.

Sayaka and Kyouko were less strange. Sayaka was in an arranged marriage with a musician that would play for House Corrino, the Jihad happened, the man married someone else and Sayaka had given up her humanity to become something closer to a face dancer.

Tleilaxu had tried before, all subjects developed cancers and died a painful death, their last attempt was with Sayaka, if a Reverend Mother came out of it unscathed it meant the process was unfit for anyone but Reverend Mothers, only they had the proper body control to keep the change stable. Sayaka being a success proved the efforts of the Tleilaxu were futile, the only way to attain immortality was through cloning.

Kyouko lost everything to the Jihad, the daughter of a priest in Ginaz, he was among the first to fall, he hated the Bene Gesserit and outright called Emperor Muad’Dib an abomination of nature, the proof that the sisterhood were seeking the end of civilization as they knew it. He called his wife and child witches, infiltrated agents to skew his religion, they were infiltrated indeed, but they were there to make sure others heard his message, slip bits of the missionaria protectiva in his discourse.

Kyouko never saw the Jihad as a curse, in fact it released her from a duty she heavily disliked.

She didn’t like the job as assassin either. In the end she left in her last assignment, fulfilled it but she did not return for a new one. Bella knew Kyouko would remain in Arrakis, she needed a Reverend Mother with no sense of self preservation to retrieve her, that was Sayaka.

Homura stood in the hall, pistol in her right hand and blade in her left. Sardaukar were trained from birth in their non-dominant hand, the weirding way of the Bene Gesserit basically made her ambidextrous. Madoka hid behind her, their shields produced a faint ozone smell.

In front of them yet another Sardaukar, just like Homura his uniform was changed, it held the Hawk of the Atreides, his robe was a jubba cloak, a fremen robe. Homura in the other hand wore the dark cloak of the Reverend Mother, her uniform bore a Bene Gesserit symbol.

Farad’n Corrino, yet another semi-prescient of the whole Kwisatz Haderach program, his hands sweating, every future in his eyes ended the same way, a dark shadow looming over Leto’s Golden path. A witch in a field of lillies holding a scythe.

“I’ll deal with the one behind” Ghanima said holding her crysknife, she switched on her shield.

Farad’n unsheathed his own ceramic blade, he could tell Ghanima how this was a bad idea, how the one behind was worse than the lillie witch, yet she probably knew already.

Magi Sabiyya: Magical Girls of Dune III

Neko Miko Reimu ai shiteru
Neko Miko Reimu nani shiteru
Neko Miko Reimu shuran yurari
Neko Miko Reimu muron furari

Ginaz battle chant

Kyouko stared at Sayaka while she mended her clothes, it was not the first time she saw someone heal quickly but not this quickly.

Sayaka put on her robe “Tleilaxu did something at the request of Reverend Mother Bella, I cannot have children. I still choose to age”

Kyouko smiled as she took a spiced date and ate it “Of course the Tleilaxu did something and no Reverend Mother would allow that to enter the genepool. A face dancer and a Reverend Mother, Bella really is desperate”

Sayaka unsheathed her sword, stared at its reflection “After the Rossak pain wounds stopped mattering, you know, nothing compares to it. I was to marry, he played the violin”

“The Zensunni Jihad?” Kyouko asked in a low voice

Sayaka laughed, it was forced, painful “I wish, a tragedy would sound better. He married someone else, after I gave myself to the Tleilaxu for their experiments. He had lost a hand, the Tleilaxu gave him a new one, I never told him I did it. I even wonder why I’m telling you this. I’m supposed to be better, I am Bene Gesserit!”

“We are still women” Kyouko ate another date, she offered one to Sayaka.

Sayaka took it, took a small nibble of it.

“Though, is this pain for the loss of the idea of the life you’d have? Or for him specifically?” Kyouko noticed pain in Sayaka’s story, but the pain was not when she mentioned him, the pain was when she mentioned someone else, Kyouko was observant enough to notice how Sayaka stared at her, quite normal for some Bene Gesserit, many of which never even considered breeding with men.

Sayaka blushed, she now considered the idea of having mended her clothes in another room. “Are you hitting on me?!”

Kyouko chuckled “So our plan is to storm the citadel?”

Sayaka shrugged “Homura just sent a quick transmission, I barely speak Sardau. Any ideas?”

The Sardaukar receiver was still strange to Kyouko, it basically received a message in morse code and printed it in a small iron needle. Kyouko stared at the markings, Homura had not encrypted it, but she used a lot of slang.

Kyouko shrugged “I thought you knew her better”

“I know only what Madoka tells me about her, though it sounds like an entirely different person” Sayaka rested against her chair “Any ideas then?”

Kyouko nodded “In a month there will be a large pilgrimage for the death of Muad’Dib, security will be tight but we can enter the citadel then”

Sayaka had expected more pushback from Kyouko, though she was a far better Reverend Mother than herself, she was quick to realize the trouble they were in, the odd idea of following orders from Homura’s prescience, it appeared to make no sense, she had saved Madoka putting her life at risk.

Homura’s motifs always seemed strange, in fact she always stopped Madoka from drinking the poison, perhaps she knew Madoka’s potential, she couldn’t be wasted to the Rossak poison. They needed the water of life. Perhaps this is what they needed to do, probably Kyouko had already come to the same conclusion.

Sayaka sheathed her sword “We have little time, we need little time”

Magi Sabiyya: Magical Girls of Dune I

Frogs go mlem mlem

Snakes go pbbppbpthpbthppth

Thanks for coming folks

Ginaz child song

Sayaka found the restaurant in a rundown neighborhood of Arrakis, this was far enough from the shrine of Leto, from Leto II’s citadel and construction projects. Inside the smell of spice attacked her nostrils, out of Arrakis spice would be used very sparingly in food, in Arrakis spice was rather common for food, Fremen cuisine had such large amounts of spice one had to remain grounded to reality itself to stay sane.

She sat at one of the tables, Sayaka took a date from a plate over the table, she found even this was spiced. Courtesy over a table was a sure sign that the owner of the establishment was not Arrakian, they had lived through such scarcity that no Arrakis business would give something for free unless it was charity.

Sayaka looked around, the waitress looked back, she bobbed her head once, Sayaka nodded. A few moments later Sayaka had a flat bread wrapping some spiced meat, it looked like a cigar.

“Can I order something else?” Sayaka asked to the waitress.

She smiled and chuckled “Burritos, spice beer and water, that’s all I sell”

Sayaka sighed and took a bite “I’ll have some water”

“That you’d need to pay upfront, 100 solaris for a glass” The waitress waved at a Fremen who had just sat down.

“What?! 100 for water?! How much is the food?!”

The waitress sighed “1 for a burrito 2 for a beer”

“How does that make any sense?! For all I knew I could distill the beer and drink that water”

The waitress shook her head “You have no idea how spice beer is made right? Seriously is that who they send for me? I was expecting more!” The waitress crossed her arms.

Now Sayaka started to notice a few things, this waitress looked too calm for such an environment, not out of apathy, she was aware of how many of her patrons were armed, she had received Sayaka as an important guest.

Sayaka noticed the shield generator at the waitress’ sleeve, even considering to attack would put this woman on edge. Sayaka instead started to eat “Bella knew you’d run if anyone else came”

The waitress relaxed “I’ll bring you a beer… I’ll tell you how it’s made after you eat”

Sayaka imagined something like the old processes to make sake, mikos chewing rice. The spice didn’t help. The image and the spice mixed in her head, she was aware the shrine was not there, but she could still see it. The blessing of the swords, this was not a genetic memory, this was not enough spice.

Sayaka was not the miko, her mother had forced Sayaka’s hand into a box that made her feel pain, in exchange she received a sword, she would have received it either way, but Sayaka would have been buried with it if she jerked away from the box.

Ginaz had adapted to the Bene Gesserit rather well, after all many forgotten techniques for weapons were perfectly remembered by Reverend Mothers who had actual memories from the times of old Terra. Sayaka’s sword was concealed under her robe, this was probably something this waitress had noticed, it was easy to hide it for the naked eye, not to another Bene Gesserit.

Sayaka waited until the restaurant was empty, it required hours but patience is a trait every member of the sisterhood had to learn. She left the solaris for her food over the table, then unsheathed her sword.

The waitress got out of the kitchen holding a spear. This was why this waitress wouldn’t run, it would be dishonorable to run from combat. Reverend Mother Bella knew that it required someone brash like Sayaka.

“Still the food is too cheap, and nobody here buys water” Sayaka’s sword had a slight blue tinge, ceramic, very light.

The waitress bowed “There are other ways to make money in Arrakis. The tyrant pays his bounties well”

“Miki Sayaka” She bowed, if two battlemasters of Ginaz fought it was customary to give their names, of course in a war nobody did, but in instances like this they followed tradition.

The waitress attacked, Sayaka moved out of the way though the spear detached into different segments linked with chain, the momentum hit Sayaka with the edge of the blade cutting deep into her chest.

“Sakura Kyouko” the spear became solid once more.

Sayaka started getting up, Kyouko was not expecting her to get up “Don’t push yourself, we can fight again when you are better”

Sayaka though was already getting better, the gash was quickly closing, until nothing remained.

Kyouko took a step back and readied herself. She wondered what monstrosity had the Tleilaxu done to Sayaka.

Kyouko’s spear wrapped around the sword, a tug was enough to break it, though just like Sayaka the blade fixed itself, it turned liquid and quickly made a new one. Kyouko dropped her spear, Sayaka stopped.

“Geez! What lab did you escape from?!” Kyouko smiled as Sayaka sheathed her blade again, then picked up the pieces that had broken, they had turned soft and gooey, Sayaka put them somewhere under her cape.

“Bella needs you. One of our acolytes got kidnapped by Count Walpurgis”

Kyouko picked up her spear and rested it on her shoulders “Send Mami then, she has you and she has Mami”

“Unless you want to wait for a ghola, an abomination named Charlotta took her out” Sayaka sighed “Or we wait until her daughter grows up and awaken those memories, but I doubt we have the time”