Dune Messiah (pgs. 48-59) Summary

At an Imperial Council meeting including Paul, Irulan, Chani, Stilgar, Korba and Alia, Alia dives in, insisting the Qizarate are spies. Delegating Korba to lead prayers, Paul notices his 16-year-old sister has become a woman. Chani quietly studies her uncle, Stilgar, Paul's Minister of State, who is upset by the "fawning supplicants" and court pomp. When Korba returns, his fanatic eyes show he relishes religious power, and Paul wonders why Alia is being so cynical with him. Alia is a product of the same Bene Gesserit breeding program as Paul, but as an embryo is exposed to raw melange poison, becoming a "Reverend Mother" simultaneously with Jessica.

Stilgar is anxious to proceed with business. The first item is a proposed treaty with the "Tupile Entente," the last sanctuary of the defeated "Great Houses," that Paul does not...