Dominic Vernius

Expanded Dune

This article or section refers to elements from Expanded Dune.

Dominic Vernius was Earl of House Vernius of Ix.

He married Lady Shando Balut, from whom he had his offsprings: an illegitimate child named Tyros Reffa, and his legitimate sons Rhombur and Kailea.

Service in Battle

While still a young man, he lent Ixian forces to the Padishah Emperor Elrood IX to assist against the Ecazi Revolt and restore the Archduke Ferdinand Ecaz to the Mahagony Throne. It is during this time that he met and befriended Duke Paulus Atreides of Caladan.

As a reward for his loyal service, the Emperor had expanded House Vernius' fief to include several more planets of the Alkaurops system and became a popular and welcome guest to the Imperial court, balls and other events.

Romance

At one such celebration in Caladan, he met the Emperor's concubine, Shando Balut. They fell in love and produced an illegitimate (bastard) child who went on to be named Tyros Reffa. Elrood had eventually moved on to prefer newer, younger concubines and had grown tired of Shando, so he accepted her request to be released from concubinage.

After doing so, she and Dominic immediately wed. This earned Elrood's enmity. Dominic had the habit to treat the Emperor "cordially", as an equal. He also referred to him as "Roody", a pet name that Shando used to call him. That Shando had revealed this confirmed Roody's suspicions that she did not respect their privacy and may have revealed other Imperial secrets to the ruler of Ix.

After marriage, Dominic and Shando would produce two children: Rhombur Vernius and Kailea Vernius.

Fall

Years later, House Vernius came up with a new Heighliner design with more capacity. This required less flights; however Imperial tax was based on the number of flights rather than on the amount of cargo; the Heighliner redesign therefore resulted in a substantial reduction in income for House Corrino and evoked once more Elrood IX's wrath. The Emperor threatened him to break the agreement with the Landsraad and proceed with an inspection to Ix to investigate whether Ixian scientists develop illegal thinking machines in violation of the Butlerian Jihad and repression against his suboid working class. In 10,153 AG the still vengeful emperor sponsored a suboid revolt against the leaders of Ix and a Tleilaxu invasion with assistance from the Emperor. During the revolt, Shando was injured by a maula pistol trying to protect Kailea. The couple went to a secret security chamber, where his son Rhombur and his guest Leto of House Atreides were waiting. They told to the children that House Vernius was forced to go renegade while Sardaukar forces landed on Ix, and proceded to Vernii City to "keep the peace".

Duke Paulus Atreides sent a rescue mission for the three heirs.

Dominic and Shando paid a huge bribe to the Guild, so that no records would be kept of their respective destinations and boarded a heighliner that would take them into exile, hiding from Elrood.

The Earl was forced to set up bases on Salusa Secundus and Arrakis. The Ixian ambassador Cammar Pilru attempted to garner Landsraad support in retaking Ix, but the Tleilaxu accused the Ixians of creating thinking machines, therefore justifying their acts. Because Ix's internal affairs were completely closed off to the rest of the empire, there was no open knowledge of the Sardaukar presence. In fact, it is noted by some that the Empire's strength seemed to wane, and that they were promoting more officers than they were getting recruits. This was because the soldiers stationed on Ix were off the books. It was similar in many respects to the tactics used against the Atreides, which should be expected as both perpetrated by the same man.

The Vernius children were secretly sent to Caladan under the protection and care of Paulus Atreides. Lady Shando was hunted down and executed by Sardaukar forces on Bela Tegeuse, while Dominic hid on Arrakis with some loyal men.

Dominic would later find out that Rhombur was trying to help rebels on Ix, and that Kailea had become Leto's concubine and given birth to a son, Victor Vernius, who was not dubbed Victor Atreides since he was a bastard.

Death

After many years he decided that he would use the family atomics to bomb Kaitain, repeating the fate of Salusa Secundus. After contacting the water merchant Esmar Tuek, he was betrayed by him and Sardaukar forces surrounded his Arrakis base. In the end he detonated a stone burner and took a large number of Sardaukar with him.

Appearances

• 'Dune: House Atreides