12 The Atreides retainers who escaped that coup were swallowed up into the general population and in fact fought against Paul's Fremen in the ensuing general re\olt Significantly, not until the revolt had gained some measure of success and some hope of ultimate victory did the scattered Atreides join it. Such a waiting is completely uncharacteristic of retainers whose blood Lord is engaged in guerrilla fighting and in obvious need of assistance Finally, the idea that a fifteen-year-old off-worlder who is the scm of a privileged class could galvanise hemen will, direct Fremen resistance, and, especially, lead Fremen forces in battle is considerably beyond the capacity of reasonable men to believe. To 6I wonder whether it is -t d f 7House Atreides had for all practical purposes ceased to exist with the assassination of its leader on Arrakis in 10191 None of its scattered retainers seems to have joined the Fremen in their revolt until the final, triumphant stages of it in 1019^ In fact, it seems that Atreides retainers fought against the Fremen m the initial stages of the revolt It is certainly reasonable to assume that leaderfess nobles of that time would have attached themselves to others ot the noble class and so gain Imperial pleasure rather than fight alongside insurgent Fremen -e d "And better than most -j b *This rationale is based on the assumption that Lilian C-A and Harq al-Ada are m fact authors of the niss they are purported to have written The assumption is questionable -t d f "*It also suggests that Paul was base born, for the Comnos apparently did not wish to have their line connected to his by blood, but only by official mamage Not did they claim a common ancestor with him -j b ATREIDES PAUL 82 ATREIDES PAUL believe that such a thing were possible is to betray ignorance of Remen custom, of Fremcn law, of Fremen mythology, and of Fremen reason Paul was in all likelihood Fremen-hom, probably native to Sietch Tabr He may have been the son of Stilgar, then Sietch Naib, but there is no firm evidence to support this contention l4 He must have distinguished him self early in the areas of military planning and tactics, of political theory, and of both on- and off-world history Under the name of Usul and still in his teens, he had by the tune of the Harkoimea 0013? in 10191 amassed a large contingency of Fremen warriors under his immediate command When, in 10193, the Atreides retainers collected around him and proclaimed him their Duke, he immediately saw value in being so proclaimed, for without Great House support of some kind the Fremen revolt must assuredly have been doomed He consolidated Fremen and Atreides supporters and attacked, gaming at Amtkeen one of history's few truly decisive victories After the Battle of Arrakeea he was named Muad'Dib by the Fremen, Kwisatz Haderach by the Bene Gessent, and Emperor by the nobili