Count Dooku had finally come back from his hunting party.
It had been a long time. His horse broke his leg, and he had had to kill the good beast. His men-at-arms had given him one of their own, but the horse that bore them both had started limping, and the whole party had been slowed down.
Dooku could have left his men there to go back on foot and been back alone to the mansion, but he had always been generous. Didn't the Omega Gospels insist on the values of charity and helping the poor?
Thus, Dooku had spent two weeks to simply come back home.
Initially, it had been a simple hunting trip. He had planned to be away for one week, conveniently when his mother-in-law was coming to visit the children. The countess hadn't been very happy about it, but she had reluctantly given him the permission. Dooku smiled. She would be angry like a devil from the symbiots' hell now.
Then, when five days had gone by, the horse had broken his leg. They were in the hills in the inner lands, far from anything. He hadn't brought any communicator or radio. The only one they had was at the mansion. Coming back on foot took much longer, and they now had to hunt not just for sports, but to eat. It was a new experience, and Dooku had enjoyed it, but he was glad it was finally over.
His wife was so excited when he came back. Was he hurt, why did he take so long?
She urged him to answer her questions and he laughed and said he would tell her everything. He thought he would be talking a lot this evening, before going to bed.
He didn't expect to be the one asking the most questions.
"What do you mean, symbiots on Hubbard?
-Yes, darling. Mother told me the news when she came two weeks ago. They say the monsters arrived on Hubbard, but noone knows how.
-Well, Hubbard has always been near Stigmata, so that was to be expected. We're safe on Clarke anyway.
-It's not certain, my love. You know the Regent learnt of other planets invaded by Symbiots, and there are jump gates that could lead to Arrakis, or E2. Maybe even Clarke?
-The Regent said that?
-No, he didn't say Clarke, but, you know, the Guilds. They are doing something on the moon. they might be preparing to explore a new world, and if symbiots are there...
-Calm down, my sweet. The Guilds aren't evvis. They are sane people. Greedy people, I'll agree with that, but sane. They wouldn't risk hurting their money-farms.
-Sane, sane. You know everyone thought Kawallen was sane. Truly, he was a mad monster.
-Well, he committed suicide, we're rid of that threat at least.
-Are you so sure? They trialled the Klorin house, you know. And found them guilty. They put an interdict on them."
Dooku coughed.
"You mean, the whole house?
-Well, yes, except here, on Clarke, they decided to renege their vows of fealty and declared independence.
-They wanted to avoid the reprisals. What did the Regency do about it?
-Nothing.
-What? You mean house Klorin is found guilty of being accomplice to a mass murderer, who directly caused the death of two sceptre-holders, and they didn't do anything?
-No.
-Anything else I need to know?
-Well... Errovus Secundus has mostly been nuked if I understood well. The Regent didn't drop troops to claim the nuclear weapons from that crazy Guilds girl and she mostly blew up the planet.
-Crazy guilds girl? Blewed up the planet?
-Yes. What did you say about guildsmen being sane, honey?"