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Expanded Dune
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"Priestess Serena appears to be a devout woman, and I would like to believe in her purity and sanctity. She has spent years in the study of available writings and doctrines from ancient human philosophers. No other person has spent so much time talking with Kwyna, the Cogitor in residence at the City of Introspection. Serena’s passion is evident and her beliefs beyond reproach, but is she aware of all of the things that are done in her name?"
Rendik Tolu-Far's opinion of Serena[src]


Saint Serena Butler (222 BG - 164 BG) was a Salusan politican who was the first Interim Viceroy of the League of Nobles, and one of the chief instigators of the Butlerian Jihad, its High Priestess and later the second of its Three Martyrs.

Biography[]

Early life (222-203 BG)[]

"I don’t believe there is such a thing as a “lost cause”— only those without suitably dedicated followers."
―Serena Butler in an early address to League Parliament[src]


Born into a noble family on Salusa Secundus, she was the daughter of Viceroy Manion Butler and his wife Livia Butler. Serena was an ambitious and intelligent woman who seemed destined to follow in her father's vaunted political footsteps.

Her early political opinions espoused the view that the Unallied Planets should be welcomed into the League of Nobles, and their inhabitants - many of whom were pacifist Zensunnis and Zenshiites - should be won over with compassion and aid. Serena was also staunchly against slavery - a common practice within the League which saw hundreds of thousands of Budislamic practitioners held against their will. Such views were controversial among League nobles, and drew great attention to her.

While pursuing her political career, Serena also engaged in a romantic relationship with the upcoming military commander Xavier Harkonnen.

She had led a relief team to Caladan, an Unallied Planet where thousands of refugees from the Synchronized Worlds had fled. On her most recent crusade, she had delivered three space transports full of medical supplies to closed-off Tlulax, where the inhabitants were suffering from mysterious diseases.

Capture and slavery on Earth (203-201 BG)[]

"You and I have a great deal in common, Serena Butler. Each of us has an independent mind. I respect that in you, because it is such an integral part of my own personality."
Erasmus to Serena Butler during her slavery[src]


Serena's life took a dramatic turn after the Thinking Machine invasion of Giedi Prime. Incensed by the lack of action taken by the League, Serena covertly organized a military task force comprised of other frustrated and peripheral figures, and traveled to Giedi Prime in an attempt to wrest the planet from Omnius' control.

Though the plan was ultimately successful, Serena was captured and taken to Earth, where she was assigned to the household of the robot Erasmus. Upon her arrival and initial medical exam, she was informed she was pregnant with Xavier's child. Her family, and Xavier, concluded she had perished in the initial assault.

For almost two years Serena resided with Erasmus in his hillside villa, tending his gardens, and providing him with a stubborn but enlightening subject for his studies into humanity. After eight months she gave birth to her son, Manion - who she named after her father. During this time, she got to know Vorian Atreides, the son of the Titan Agamemnon and a custodian of Omnius. Though Serena was suspicious of the naive young man, both her beauty and her defiant attitude enchanted him.

Her interaction with Erasmus lessened after her child was delivered and she became increasingly occupied with motherhood. The child's presence troubled Erasmus, who after much thought became convinced Serena would be better off without children. Thus the robot had Serena sterilized, and killed young Manion by throwing him from a balcony.

Serena's initial fury at her child's death saw her destroy a guard robot, which in turn inspired the simmering unrest among the other human slaves in the vicinity. Led by Iblis Ginjo, thousands of humans revolted against the thinking machines. In the turmoil, and in the face of an impending and brutal crackdown, Serena escaped into space with Vorian and Iblis in the Dream Voyager.

Butlerian Jihad (201-164 BG)[]

Serenabless

Serena blessing jihadi soldiers before battle

"The army fosters technology, and technology breeds anarchy because it distributes the terrible machines of destruction. Even before this Jihad, one man alone could create and apply enough violence to ravage an entire planet. It happened! Why do you think the computer became anathema?"
―Serena Butler in her Zimia rallies[src]


Having been delivered back to Salusa Secundus by Vorian Atreides, Serena directed her grief and rage fully against Omnius, and helped inspire the League to escalate the conflict against the thinking machines. However, her role was gradually diminished by the emergence of the cunning Iblis Ginjo, who quickly rose through the League's political ranks, and eventually took the title of Grand Patriarch.

For many years, Serena became little more than a figurehead spending much of her time in the City of Introspection while about her the Jihad against Omnius raged on. She consulted frequently Cogitor Kwyna who guided her thoughts and decisions, although she also trusted blindly Ginjo. Her role to the Jihad was significant, although not active: she gave inspirational speeches and blessings to the soldiers. She and Manion became symbols of courage and icons on banners during the battles. Her life was threatened during assassination attempts against her life, which were arranged by Ginjo. This was the reason of the creation of the Seraphim Order, which forced her to limit her moves, and also would allow Ginjo to watch her more closely.

Eventually the war grew stagnant and popular support began to dwindle and moved by Kwyna's warnings, she once again took up the reigns of power, much to the frustration of Ginjo. After the Liberation of Ix, she claimed the position as Head of the Jihad Council. Ginjo as a response and in order to retain his power, proposed her to marry and order the war as a couple, to which Serena denied.

The following years, she even visited Hessra and tries to persuade the Ivory Tower Cogitors to join the aim of the Jihad. Later, she was essential in persuading Aurelius Venport in offering his new Spacefolder technology (proprietary to VenKee Enterprises) to the Jihad.

Death[]

The Cogitors pondering Serena's claims, proposed mutual truce between Omnius and the League. When confronted with this prospect, Serena volunteered as the League ambassador to Corrin. Officially she was to broker a truce, but secretly she and Iblis concocted a suicidal confrontation that would see her die at the hands of the thinking machines and thus create another martyr.

Serena 'met' Omnius in the Central Spire and apart from the truce; she demanded that Omnius release free all the human slaves. Omnius claimed it was not part of the truce, but Serena continued defiantly to provoke him. Eventually Erasmus showed up, whom she thought dead at the Battle of Earth. In her rage, she fell on him, but he pushed her away.

Eventually Omnius decided to execute the embassy. Erasmus however, having consumed historical archives, noticed her smile, and ordered the executor robots to stop. He explained to Omnius that Serena was bait, and planned to become a martyr. Niriem then, following the 'plan B' ordered by Ginjo, delivered a fatal blow, killing her and restarting outrage among the League, and left Ginjo all the power to the Jihad.

Legacy[]

On Salusa Secundus, a set of fabricated images of Serena's 'execution' were created by Tlulaxa cooperatives of Ginjo. The images, as well as a burned body was supposedly discovered on a space drone, sent by the Machines but actually were planted by Ginjo himself. The images showed 'Serena' crucified and burned part by part by a Machine. This Serena was a clone body made by the Tlulaxa, out of her DNA taken during her visit on the planet.

The memory of Serena Butler remained a powerful call to arms throughout the rest of the Jihad. Her death, and that of her child, was interpreted by many throughout the League as showing the immoral and brutal attitude of Omnius. Later, Serena's great-grand-niece Rayna Butler was inspired by her great-aunt to create the Cult of Serena, a pseudo-religious organisation that worshipped Serena and rid humanity of thinking machines.

Clones[]

When the League of Nobles turned against the organ harvesters of Tlulax, Rekur Van went to the Synchronized Worlds and tried to offer Erasmus Serena's modified DNA. They created a clone of her, but she was so different from the original, that Erasmus killed her soon after out of disappointment. Other disappointing clones were created the following years; the latest of them brought affection to Gilbertus Albans, but eventually she died during the Bridge of Hrethgir.

Gholas and Other Memory[]

"I am Serena Butler. I started the mother of all jihads."
―Serena explains her importance in Sheeana Brugh's Other Memory[src]


After Muad'Dib's Jihad, the reign of the God Emperor, the Famine Times and the Scattering, the end of the age and the coming of Kralizec began. Duncan Idaho and Sheeana Brugh, with various crew and captives, escaped in the no-ship, the Ithaca, from the united Honored Matres/Bene Gesserit capital of Chapterhouse. They were subsequently pursued by the Outside Enemy who tried to ensnare them in their tachyon net, but the Ithaca escaped by folding space.

As the Ithaca began its journey from one part of the Universe to another, it was revealed that one member aboard the ship, Scytale, a Tleilaxu Master, had cells of Serena and other leaders from mankind's history, that he kept in a Nullentropy tube. The Bene Gesserit Sheeana Brugh, her sisters and acolytes, specifically chose to create a ghola of Serena in an axlotl tank, as well as a ghola of Xavier Harkonnen, as Sheeana began to suspect that the Enemy might be Thinking Machines.

Unbeknownst to them, the Jewish Rabbi aboard the Ithaca, was really an Enhanced Face Dancer. As he pretended to pray with Rebecca, who had volunteered to be an axlotl tank, the Rabbi killed the unborn gholas of both Xavier and Serena. This ended the first attempt to produce a ghola of Butler.

Soon afterwards, the Ithaca was captured during Kralizec and brought to Synchrony. As Erasmus watched the passengers of the Ithaca enter the Cathedral capital of the planet, Sheeana's Other Memory kicked in, and the voice of Serena gasped in horror to see her age-old nemesis. Later, this voice would be abated, as the Ultimate Kwisatz Haderach, Duncan Idaho, explained to all, that Machines and Man would no longer be enemies, but would work as partners for a brighter future.

As Idaho allowed the Bene Gesserit and the Tleilaxu to re-settle on Synchrony, it was revealed that another ghola of Serena had been created. This ghola was a protégé of Sheeana, and was well on her way in Bene Gesserit Training as a young girl.

Appearances[]


Preceded by
None
High Priestess of the Butlerian Jihad
200 BG - 164 BG
Succeeded by
None
Preceded by
Manion Butler (as Viceroy)
Interim Viceroy of the League of Nobles
190 BG - 164 BG
Succeeded by
Unknown, eventually Brevin O'Kukovich
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