Idaho skidded to a stop beside the cart. Leto opened the bubble cover.
'Face Dancers, every damned one'' Idaho panted.
Not trying to conceal his amusement, Leto asked: 'Whose idea was it to strip off your uniform?'
'Mine! But they wouldn't let me fight!'
Moneo came running up then with a group of guards. One of the Fish Speakers tossed a guard's blue cloak to Idaho, calling out: 'We're trying to salvage a complete uniform from the bodies.'
'I ripped mine off,' Idaho explained.
'Did any of the Face Dancers escape?' Moneo asked.
'Not a one,' Idaho said. 'I admit your women are good fighters, but why wouldn't they let me get into...'
'Because they have instructions to protect you,' Leto said. 'They always protect the most valuable...'
'Four of them died getting me out of there!' Idaho said.
'We lost more than thirty people altogether, Lord,' Moneo said. 'We're still counting.'
'How many Face Dancers?' Leto asked.
'It looks like there were an even fifty of them, Lord,' Moneo said. He spoke softly, a stricken look on his face.
Leto began to chuckle.
'Why are you laughing?' Idaho demanded. 'More than thirty of our people...'
'But the Tleilaxu were so inept,' Leto said. 'Do you not realize that only about five hundred years ago they would've been far more efficient, far more dangerous. Imagine them daring that foolish masquerade! And not anticipating your brilliant response!'
'They had lasguns,' Idaho said.
Leto twisted his bulky forward segments around and pointed at a hole burned in his canopy almost at the cart', midpoint A melted and fused starburst surrounded the hole 'They hit several other places underneath,' Leto said 'Fortunately, they did not damage any suspensors or wheels.'
Idaho stared at the hole in the canopy. noted that it lined up with Leto's body.
'Didn't it hit you?' he asked.
'Oh, yes,' Leto said.
'Are you injured?' 'I am immune to lasguns,' Leto lied. 'When we get time, I will demonstrate.'
'Well, I'm not immune.' Idaho said. 'And neither are your guards. Every one of us should have a shield belt.'
'Shields are banned throughout the Empire.' Leto said. 'It is a capital offense to have a shield.'
'The question of shields,' Moneo ventured.
Idaho thought Moneo was asking for an explanation of shields and said: 'The belts develop a force field which will repel any object trying to enter at a dangerous speed. They have one major drawback. If you intersect the force field with a lasgun beam, the resultant explosion rivals that of a very large fusion bomb. Attacker and attacked go together.'
Moneo only stared at Idaho, who nodded.
'I see why they were banned,' Idaho said. 'I presume the Great Convention against atomics is still in force and working well?'
'Working even better since we searched out all of the Family atomics and removed them to a safe place,' Leto said. 'But we do not have time to discuss such matters here.'
'We can discuss one thing,' Idaho said. 'Walking out here in the open is too dangerous. We should...'' 'It is the tradition and we will continue it,' Leto said.
Moneo leaned close to Idaho's ear. 'You are disturbing the Lord Leto,' he said.
'But...'
'Have you not considered how much easier it is to control a walking population?' Moneo asked.
Idaho jerked around to stare into Moneo's eyes with sudden comprehension.
Leto took the opportunity to begin issuing orders. 'Moneo, see that there is no sign of the attack left here, not one spot of blood or a torn rag of clothing-nothing.'
'Yes, Lord.'
Idaho turned at the sound of people pressing close around them, saw that all of the survivors, even the wounded wearing emergency bandages, had come up to listen.
'All of you,' Leto said, addressing the throng around the cart. 'Not a word of this. Let the Tleilaxu worry.' He looked at Idaho.
'Duncan, how did those Face Dancers get into a region where only my Museum Fremen should roam free?'
Idaho glanced involuntarily at Moneo.
'Lord, it is my fault,' Moneo said. 'I was the one who arranged for the Fremen to present their petition here. I even reassured Duncan Idaho about them.'
'I recall your mentioning the petition,' Leto said.
'I thought it might amuse you, Lord.'
'Petitions do not amuse me, they annoy me. I am especially annoyed by petitions from people whose one purpose in my scheme of things is to preserve the ancient forms.'
'Lord, it was just that you have spoken so many times about the boredom of these peregrinations into...'
'But I am not here to ease the boredom of others!'
'Lord?'
'The Museum Fremen understand nothing about the old ways. They are only good at going through the motions. This naturally bores them and their petitions always seek to introduce changes. That's what annoys me. I will not permit changes. Now, where did you learn of the supposed petition?'
'From the Fremen themselves,' Moneo said. 'A dele...' He broke off, scowling.
'Were the members of the delegation known to you'.''
'Of course, Lord. Otherwise I'd...'
'They're dead,' Idaho said.
Moneo looked at him, uncomprehending.
'The people you knew were killed and replaced by Face Dancer mimics,' Idaho said.
'I have been remiss,' Leto said. 'I should've taught all of you how to detect Face Dancers. It will be corrected now that they grow foolishly bold.'
'Why are they so bold?' Idaho asked.
'Perhaps to distract us from something else,' Moneo said.
Leto smiled at Moneo. Under the stress of personal threat, the majordomo's mind worked well. He had failed his Lord by mistaking Face Dancer mimics for known Fremen. Now, Moneo felt that his continued service might depend upon those abilities for which the God Emperor had originally chosen him. 'And now we have time to prepare ourselves,' Leto said. 'Distract us from what?' Idaho demanded.
'From another plot in which they participate,' Leto said. 'They think I will punish them severely for this, but the Tleilaxu core remains safe because of you, Duncan.'
'They didn't intend to fail here,' Idaho said.
'But it was a contingency for which they were prepared,' Moneo said.
'They believe I will not destroy them because they hold the original cells of my Duncan Idaho,' Leto said. 'Do you understand, Duncan?'
'Are they right?' Idaho demanded.
'They approach being wrong,' Leto said. He returned his attention to Moneo. 'No sign of this event must go with us to Onn. Fresh uniforms, new guards to replace the dead and wounded... everything just as it was.'
'There are dead among your courtiers, Lord,' Moneo said. 'Replace them!'
Moneo bowed. 'Yes, Lord.'
'And send for a new canopy to my cart!'
'As my Lord commands.'
Leto backed his cart a few paces away, turned it and headed for the bridge, calling back to Idaho. 'Duncan, you will accompany me.'
