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This article refers to elements from The Dune Encyclopedia Pages for this subject as it appears in other canons:
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Hwi Noree (13698 or 13702[1]- 13728 AG) was the bride of God Emperor Leto Atreides II, and the last Ixian Ambassador to Arrakis before Leto's death.
Hwi Noree, a woman of Ixian manufacture, was bred, raised, and trained to a greater degree than any other emissary to the God Emperor's court — no mean distinction, considering the representatives who had preceded her — for she was meant to be Leto's final love object, the instrument through which he could be made vulnerable and, thus, perhaps controlled. For some 13 millennia the Ixians had been the great experimenters — no aspect of animate or inanimate existence escaped their curious, probing intellects. In Leto II, it is believed that the Ixians perceived an enigma beyond anything in their vast experience and the temptation to get to the core of the mystery motivated their creation of Hwi Noree. For surely Hwi was not meant to be anything as simple as a spy or assassin. Rather she could be seen as Ix's greatest experiment: the key that would unlock the secrets of the impenetrable heart of the God Emperor. Ultimately, undoubtedly, those secrets in her maker's hands could have been very useful.
Early Life[]
Noree was "born" sometime between 13698 and 13702 AG, in the first known Ixian no-room. Her life was the result neither of ordinary conception nor of the more exotic, but relatively common, breeding techniques in use among the Tleilaxu prior to this time. Instead, Noree was the end product of a unique experiment, one whose success depended on the efforts of Tleilaxu and Ixians alike: she was cloned in a process similar to, but more complicated than, that employed in producing gholas.
The complications made the operation far more delicate. A ghola was grown from cells taken from an adult original and spent an average of two years in an axolotl tank, maintained by a nutrient bath until it reached full development. When removed from the tank, it was a blank slate which contained the memories of the original but it could not put them to use until shocked into recalling them; once that shock was delivered, the ghola became the person from whom it had been copied.
Noree, on the other hand, was to be a mirror-clone, the exact opposite of the individual who had supplied the genetic material for her growth — Erlin Malky, former Ixian ambassador to the God Emperor. She was also to begin life as an infant, rather than as an adult replica. Producing her required the best efforts of the Ixian scientists, applied to a foundation of knowledge provided them by the Bene Tleilax. It is still unknown how many, if any, attempts at this mirror-cloning were made before one was successful. The Ixians were far too concerned about security to keep readily available records. The Spacing Guild became a silent partner in the enterprise because of the Ixians' fear of discovery; Guildsmen were used in testing the prescience-blocking ability of the no-room.
Some data concerning the project has been discovered. It is known that Malky was recalled to Ix in 13698 and taken to the no-room chamber; he was later seen to emerge from the chamber carrying an infant. That child was Hwi Noree.
Like her birth, Noree's childhood is poorly documented. Information later provided to the God Emperor by Noree herself and by various spies, recorded in his Journals, indicates that she was trained from her earnest years to make her overpoweringly attractive to Leto II. Her intellect and intuitive sense were keenly honed by a series of the most talented instructors the Inquisitors could obtain, including a number of Bene Gesserit Sisters. The educational process was overseen by the Inquisitors and by their minions, however, and the usually pervasive influence of the Sisterhood had little effect on the child.
In 13712, following his permanent recall from Arrakis, Noree's "Uncle" Malky began to take an active part in the girl's education. His contribution consisted chiefly of giving Noree a complete brief on Leto II and the workings of his court. Of all the members of his society, Malky was the best equipped to provide such a brief, having spent a total of 21 years as Ix's representative in the court — longer than any other ambassador. By 13723, when his "niece" was summoned before the Inquisitors to determine her fitness for his old post, Malky had taught the young woman all he knew of the God Emperor.
Service to the God Emperor[]
From the earliest Journal entries concerning Noree, Leto II comments on her gentle, open personality, her honesty, her intelligence, and her wit. Malky and his Ixian masters must certainly have been delighted by the manner in which their god-trap was performing. Leto had been even more deeply impressed by their creation than they had hoped.
The developments which followed, however, were not as ideal to the Ixians. While Leto's immediate attraction to and affinity for Noree fit the Ixian scenario, her subsequent loyalty shift to him had not been anticipated. Noree, haying been trained throughout her life as a partner for the God Emperor, discovered that she fit the role far better than her masters had projected. Thus, the Ixians were confronted by an unexpected variable: an ally and planned consort of the God Emperor who would not allow herself to be controlled by the authorities of her homework.
When spies relayed word of Noree's defection, the Inquisitors' initial reaction appears to have been to send Malky to the young woman in an attempt to divert her back into their plan — or else dispose of her should that fail. This plan was eventually dismissed as too risky a course to follow, and Malky was kept in hiding, protected by the cover of the no-room. The Inquisitors had no wish for Leto to discover the true nature of his intended bride.
The Inquisitors were not alone in making plans for the young Ixian. After they were wed, Leto intended to mate Noree with his majordomo, Moneo, as he had earlier mated his sister/wife Ghanima with Harq al-Ada. Her brief affair with Leto's current Duncan Idaho caused him — for reasons not confided even to his Journals — to scuttle the plan. However, he later mentioned it to Moneo while dismissing it as being "too late." Noree passed serenely through these machinations, accepting Leto's commands and asking no questions. Of her own plans, it is known only that she intended to marry the God Emperor and to serve him faithfully. It was a course doomed to failure.
Death[]
En route to their wedding at Tuono Village, Leto's Royal Cart was attacked, resulting in the Fall. Hwi Noree was one of the attack's first victims. During its earliest moments, Noree slipped from the cart and plummeted into the river below. Given what is known of her character, one of the results of her death would have distressed Noree herself: Duncan Idaho, outraged at her having been killed, seized the lasgun of Nayla Nycalliste, who had carried out the attack, and destroyed her with it.
The second result would undoubtedly have pleased her. Leto, deprived of his sandtrout skin, survived briefly after he reached the riverbank. As he exchanged his last words with Idaho and Siona Atreides, Leto said that his association with Noree had strengthened him, an accolade she would have treasured.
See also[]
Notes[]
- ↑ There are discrepancies between original and encyclopedia sources as to the year of Noree's birth.