Only I Will Remain

Chapter One

Jessica had seen the test countless times now in her years of study at the Bene Gesserit school on the planet Wallach IX. Upon reaching the age of sixteen, each sister of the Bene Gesserit order was to be put to the gom jabbar, subjected to pain as a test of her humanity. A Bene Gesserit sister who could not control her impulses was not fit for the order, and naturally would meet her fate at the end of the gom jabbar, its tip dipped in a toxin that would kill instantly. As far as deaths went, the Reverend Mother had once told Jessica that it was a far kinder fate than a sister would have suffered elsewhere, installed in some great house as an advisor, wife, concubine, or Truthsayer, unable to master her impulses as a Bene Gesserit sister. But no matter how much Jessica tried to remind herself of this, her pulse still quickened every time a sister was put to the test.

She would not have admitted that to Theissan of course. Tonight, Theissan was to be tested, and would become a tried sister of the order. After her trial, she would be eligible to be commissioned as an advisor to a powerful house in the Imperium, which would position her to bear a child to some duke or baron as the order saw fit, furthering the Bene Gesserit's selective breeding program that had spanned thousands of years. Jessica herself had yet to be sent off to a noble house, and at age twenty she was beginning to wonder why.

Jessica pushed this thought from her mind as she made her way down the green marble hallways of the Bene Gesserit school, the setting sun casting a warm glow through the rows of open windows. She fixed a soft smile upon her face as she knocked gently on Theissan's door. When she heard her invitation, Jessica opened the door, and saw the young girl sitting at the end of her small bed. Theissan's fire red hair was a shocking contrast to the black daily uniform of the Bene Gesserit students. She lifted her eyes to meet Jessica's, but dared not react until Jessica had closed the door behind her.

"Tell me again," Theissan said quietly.

"It's over in a moment," Jessica said, reassuring the sixteen-year-old girl once more, as she had done already three times. "You've trained your whole life for this. You will not easily forget your training."

Theissan blinked unevenly, unsure, but trusting her older friend. Four years may have separated them in age, but Jessica had grown fond of Theissan over the years. Jessica had always kept her peers at a distance for fear that she might one day lose them, but with Theissan she had struggled to maintain that detachment. And as Theissan's expression changed from disbelief to trust, fear began to grip Jessica's heart.

I must not fear-- the mantra Jessica had been told her whole life. It came to her in that moment, as she feared she might lose Theissan tonight.

"Come," Jessica said. "The Reverend Mothers, and the sisters, are waiting for you."

Theissan did not rise immediately, but within a moment she stood next to Jessica. An understanding passed between them—neither would speak again until after Theissan's test. Now was the time for Theissan to begin to gain control of her mind. A sister's walk to her test was to be a silent one.

By the time they both reached the great hall of the school, the sun had set completely. The ceiling of the school had opened considerably once they reached this hall. It was meant to impress those who visited the order. As if the very power of a Bene Gesserit sister was not impressive enough, Jessica thought.

And the sight before them had always impressed Jessica more than any hall or mansion could. A circle of seated Reverend Mothers surrounded two central chairs, facing each other. Around the seated Mothers were standing sisters of the order. And already sat at one of the central chairs was the Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam. The box had already been placed upon the arm of the chair.

Fear is the mind killer...

"Sit," the Reverend Mother bid, and Theissan obeyed without the Reverend Mother having to use the Voice.