Briefing
LOCATION: Harkonnen capital on Arrakis, Carthag_=========__A last minute transmission with most of the leaders involved in the anti-Tleilaxu coalition _has been prepared to discuss the final strike on the Tleilaxu artificial spice facilities.__IRULAN: House Corrino located the main Tleilaxu artificial melange production bases. _And the reports are... concerning._COUNT VERNIUS: Why is that, your highness?_IRULAN: Their defences will be extremely hard to break. And their ghola production is _very high. They aren't lacking offensive or defensive power. _DUKE: Then we should coordinate our attack._BARON: We can attack them from different directions. Try to take out their remaining _bases nearby, to draw their attention elsewhere._IRULAN: That won't work, Baron. They are aware what we want to do._BARON: I know what you are trying to say, and there is absolutely no way I will fight _alongside the Atreides again._DUKE: Likewise. We must find another plan._EXECUTRIX: This is way beyond egos and rivalries. That is foolish. This is about our _very survival. That is fact. If the Tleilaxu are able to release their artificial spice in the _Imperium, Arrakis will not count anymore. That is bad. The Tleilaxu will have huge _power and influence. That is a threat._BARON: Screw you, Executrix. And your analysis._IRULAN: They are right, though. Baron Vladimir, Duke Leto, this is hardly the time to let _egos get in front of logical thinking. You were both asking to get on the golden lion _throne. Is it your duty to ensure our empire's stability and prevent such abominations _from happening._BARON: I am moved by your attention, princess, but do not teach me what I should do _as emperor. My experience is way ahead of yours._DUKE: You are right, your highness. House Atreides will fight alongside House _Harkonnen, if this is what our empire needs right now. _BARON: Screw you all. One battle, Duke Leto. Only one more battle!_DUKE: You can be sure we aren't interested in cooperating with you for more._COUNT VERNIUS: Then let's move on and discuss the battle plan._IRULAN: My supreme Bashar has analyzed the field, and came up with the best _approach. There were a few different plans, depending on how many of you would be _up to fight together. But now that everyone accepted a temporary alliance, we can _move on with the main plan. Attack and destroy them all._BARON: Is that your amazing plan, princess Irulan?_IRULAN: It is, Baron._BARON: You said the enemy is numerous. That they are powerful both in attack and _defense._IRULAN: They are. But our forces combined can defeat them. We have more than _enough offensive force to do it. Considering... House Richese does not interfere._EXECUTRIX: House Richese has sided with the Tleilaxu. That is fact. They will _interfere. That is concern._IRULAN: Are you sure? Burseg Varlaz, please, establish comm link with Count _Richese.__Transmission established...__IRULAN: Greetings, Count. This is princess Irulan, of House Corrino._COUNT RICHESE: Not only princess Irulan of House Corrino, from what I can see. _There seem to be other great Houses in this conversation._IRULAN: Indeed, they are. We would like to let you know that we are preparing a _frontal assault on the Tleilaxu installations._BARON: Great strategy, princess. Go ahead and tell the enemy everything we are _planning. Maybe even tell them how many times we're going to bathroom a day, so _they can attack us while we're SHITTING..._COUNT RICHESE: Ahh, the renowned Baron Vladimir Harkonnen and his ... amazing _vocabulary. You praise yourself as having one of the best strategic minds in the _Imperium, yet you failed to realize we know everything you want to do for days. The _Tleilaxu are well prepared for your attack. There is no other option for you, other than _going right for the heart of the artificial melange production. If you don't do so, they will _release it soon in the Imperium._IRULAN: Precisely, Count Richese. Which is exactly why I did not hide anything from _you. Now, if our dear Baron will allow me..._BARON: Yea yea, whatever. Go ahead, enlighten us with your amazing battle plan. _And by the way, I AM the best strategist in the Imperium._DUKE: Hah, clearly you are! Amazing battle plan for the Caladan invasion._BARON: And you're asking me to fight alongside this man ?_IRULAN: Cut it, both of you! I've been made fun of because I am a female and _because I am young, yet I am the most mature here. _COUNT RICHESE: I agree with this, your highness. Which is why I will be talking _directly to you. I'll let the baron and the duke get a room._IRULAN: Our proposition is simple: withdraw your troops from Arrakis. Or, even better, _join the Landsraad forces against the Tleilaxu._COUNT RICHESE: Does anyone here have the impression that House Richese _betrays their allies often? Or why would you believe we want to turn against the _Tleilaxu?_IRULAN: Because, Count, if you don't do it, the Landsraad will not be happy. _COUNT: The Landsraad, or the 5 of you here? I don't see any other houses interfering _in this fight._IRULAN: We are the only Houses who are ready and prepared for war, due to the _previous invasions and battles. The others had no war planned, it would take a while _to mobilize their resources into military. You were part of that Landsraad meeting, Count _Richese. You know what their opinion was. _COUNT RICHESE: House Richese will not turn against their allies. Unlike what our _Ixian friends believe, we do have principles._COUNT VERNIUS: Hard to believe that. After all, you are ready to side with the _Tleilaxu but refuse to side with the Landsraad._IRULAN: Remember, you are a member of the Landsraad, dear Count. If you turn _against us, this will not be forgotten. I can assure you, even if the Tleilaxu manage to _release their melange in the Imperium, I will mobilize all other Houses who always _supported me. We will all unleash on the Tleilaxu, and on EVERYONE who supported _them. _COUNT RICHESE: Is this a threat, your highness?_IRULAN: You can be sure about it. My Sardaukar will slaughter your planet Richese. _And they will be aided by many Landsraad members. House Hagal is ready to aid me if _I give them the word. House Ecaz has also promised me assistance, if I will need it. _There are other minor Houses who pledged to support me with military in case I ask _them to. We will swarm you and the Tleilaxu._COUNT RICHESE: With this kind of threats you are..._IRULAN: Don't waste our time anymore, Count. It's time you decide. Withdraw your _forces, break the alliance with the Tleilaxu, and you can go back on Richese without _any further conflict. _COUNT RICHESE: I will not allow the Ordos to ..._IRULAN: You will. This stupid war between Houses Ordos and Richese will end now. _House Corrino is officially using its Great Power and Great House status to enforce _peace between the aggressor, House Richese, and the defender, House Ordos._EXECUTRIX: House Ordos has no interest in fighting Richese anymore. We will order _all our men to cease fire. That is the directive._IRULAN: What is it going to be, Count?_COUNT RICHESE: ... Very well then. We will sign a white peace with the Ordos and _will withdraw our troops from Arrakis. I want an ensurance that your Sardaukar and the _Ordos will not invade Richese after this is over._IRULAN: You'll have it signed by my ministers. And I will publicly defend you in the _upcoming Landsraad council meeting, even if you aided the Tleilaxu. You get quite a _lot of perks for what you did._COUNT RICHESE: Then we have a deal. House Richese is neutral now. Do whatever _you want, but don't expect us to give you any classified intel about our former allies._IRULAN: We are not. Farewell for now, Count Richese.__Transmission ended...__***** Behind the Baron, Radnor and Feyd are commenting on the events *****_FEYD: Well, father... Your military might does not seem stronger than Irulan's _diplomacy._RADNOR: You think he's gonna blow up in anger again?_FEYD: Normally he would, I mean, Irulan looks like the most influencial leader of a _Great House. But now, I think he's more concerned about the artificial spice not being _a thing. It's HIS spice, after all... you know all that stuff._RADNOR: Heh, I'm sure the Landsraad would like to disagree about that fact.__******__DUKE: That was... impressive, to say the least. _IRULAN: Everyone underestimated me, Duke Leto. I carefully analyzed everything. It _was obvious he will finally accept. Not because he wanted it, but because he had no _choice. He knew that I can indeed bring the entire Landsraad at his doorstep. Now, my _Supreme Bashar will let you know about the plan Houses Corrino and Vernius came up _with regarding this last assault._SUPREME BASHAR GARRON: The plan is simple. My Sardaukar and the ixian forces _are already deployed in the region. So far we've been able to withstand their attacks, _but that won't last for long. Houses Atreides, Harkonnen and Ordos are to set up to the _north. We can absorb most of the damage until your bases are up and running, but we _have to ... trust... that you will send help. Both us and House Vernius cannon stand _alone for long._DUKE: You have my word. House Atreides will aid you directly, Sardaukar General. _IRULAN: Baron Vladimir, I was hoping you could deploy next to the Ixian base and _provide assistance._BARON: I was also hoping the Ordos can do that._IRULAN: Can we stop with the childish games now, Baron?_BARON: Whatever. Clearly you're asking me to help the Ixians because they require _the might of my Harkonnen army. I will do so._EXECUTRIX: We will deploy in between the Corrino and Vernius bases and will _provide assistance to both of them. That is the directive._IRULAN: Very well then. Remember, the Tleilaxu have built an Imperial palace replica _in their base. That is where that abomination, my father's ghola, is located. We must _destroy that palace and kill the ghola._DUKE: Don't worry princess, we will.__==========_Objective: The final hour has come. The Tleilaxu have poked a sleeping giant in the _form of a relatively united Landsraad. Houses Atreides, Harkonnen, Ordos, Corrino and _Vernius are ready to fight together and destroy the Tleilaxu. Your task is simple: kill _them all. Destroy every single Tleilaxu building and unit in the region. Their artificial _spice is everywhere in the sector, so you'll have to harvest that. Besides that, you must _ensure that the Corrino and Vernius bases survive. Send help periodically and assist _them. The Ixian general is located in the Ixian Construction Yard. Protect it. If he dies, _the Ixian troops will desert, and we must maintain our numerical superiority over the _enemy. Princess Irulan is located in her palace, in the Sardaukar base. Make sure her _palace does not get destroyed at all costs. She must make it out alive, otherwise we're _losing the support of the Sardaukar. We might have the strongest military in the known _universe, or at least we used to, but the might of the Sardaukar is not something to turn _down.