Sandworms of Dune - Entry #8

     Erasmus.  Hateful creature.  But in trying to figure out how Serena could exist in Other Memory, Erasmus conjectured a possibility.  In fact, Erasmus had created many clones of Serena in his attempt to bring her back.  He had used these clones multiple times during the Butlerian Jihad.  Perhaps, one of those clones who had Serena's being locked up in her DNA, had survived, had children, and had eventually awakened the memories within.

     I have to admit that the transference of Other Memory from one Bene Gesserit to the next is not as well-developed as some of the other special skills demonstrated in the Dune story.  But at least this presents a "feasible" possibility and demonstrates the authors' ability to tie pieces of the story over a 15,000 year span.

     And then there's the Face Dancers.  Erasmus finds the young Master Scytale in the medical center.  Scytale was destroying the axlotl tanks to assure that "thinking machines and traitorous Face Dancers" (Sandworms of Dune, p. 392) didn't just take the secret of making melange using the tanks.  Erasmus tries to convince Scytale to come to his side ... and to help him make a ghola although he doesn't tell him that he wants a ghola of Serena Butler.  In the argument that ensues, Scytale insists that he would always oppose the thinking machines even if it meant aligning with the witches.  Here is a piece of their exchange:

     "Interesting. New enemies make unexpected alliances."
     The Tleilaxu didn't move.  "In the final assessment, we're all humans -- and you are not."
     Erasmus chuckled.  "And what about Face Dancers?  They fall between, don't they?  These aren't the shape-shifters you produced long ago, but are instead far superior biological machines that I helped create.  And because of them, Omnius and I are, in effect, the greatest of all Face Dancers -- among many other things."
     Scytale didn't move.  "Haven't you noticed the Face Dancers are no longer reliable?"
     "Ah, but they are reliable to me."
     "Are you sure?"

(Sandworms of Dune, p. 393)