h style or subtlety He delighted in crushing his opponents by sheer strength But above all, he obeyed orders, having little persona] initiative Such a character appealed to Vladimir when he was awarded the melange riches of Arrakis The Baron had great ambitions for this financial coup-a CHOAM Directorship and the defeat of House Atreides Vladimir had too many other irons m the fire to administer Arrakis personally and Feyd-Rautha was too young to serve ID hts stead, but Glossu was trusted and available House Harkonnen needed alt the capital it could get for Vladimir's schemes Consequently, when Glossu was made Siridar-Regent, his orders were to produce high yields of melange with the lowest possible overhead, to squeeze the planet s population and economy In addition, his success would also be measured by how much spice he was able to stuff into secret Harkonnen warehouses The Count was the needed steamroller Arrakis' native population became a slave-labor force But as repression continued, more and more Arrakians either plotted rebellion or fled to the desert And with each instance of sabotage, real or suspected, Glossu increased the numbers of agents, executions, and police sweeps By these techniques the general popula tion was cowed Yet the dungeons of Carthag became the central symbol of evil as they continuously swallowed anyone even remotely associated with anti Harkonnen mtnguc or propaganda Meanwhile the Arrakians worked reluctantly for minimal wages and neglected the maintenance of spice-production equipment The major cost of this repression was the number of Fremen who fled to the desert Beast Rabbaa could not reach them mere nor could he survey their activities, because the Guild refused to orbit reconnaissance satellites over the southern polar regions of Dune Harkonnen expeditions there were in variably wiped out Fremen enclaves remained outside his control, resulting in the Revolution undertaken by Muad'Dib Then Glossu's cruelty returned to him, fatally This cruelty is usually attributed to House Harkonnen itself, whose genetic constitution over the centuries acquired a sadistic nature Yet mis cause fails to perceive Counl Glossu as an individual in his own time Much of his bullying was probably the result of sibling rivalry between him and his younger and more intelligent and attractive brother, Feyd-Rautha An older brother, passed over for approval, will often turn bitter, especially if the reasons for the preference are sound Following the defeat of the Red Duke on Arrakis and Glossu s restoration as Siridar-Regent, he squeezed the Arrakians even harder, not only tor personal relish but to gain favor with his uncle He had something to prove Even though Feyd Rautha was na-Baron, Glossu thought he could advance his own fortunes by surpassing his previous history of ruthlessness with a supreme demonstra tion of loyalty, as it were Little did he know that this brutality was exactly what Vladimir wanted before deposing him to bnng m Feyd-Rautha as the savior of \rrakis But Vladimir's scheme was frustrated Before the rupturing of the Shield Wall Glossu had been sent to review the perimeter of Harkonnen forces around Arrakeen There he was killed during the onslaught of sand worm riders storming through the breach In spite of his reputation for ferocity, Glossu Rabbdn must go down m history as a mere tool, used at ever} turn by Baron Harkonnen He might feel better were he to know that both Feyd Rautha and his uncle also died in the greater game of empire S T Farther references HOUSE HARKONNEN HARKONNEN VLADIMIR HARKONNEN FEYD-RAUTHA, KleVMlZ D KlUiaT Fear My Power Respect My Name 10 000 Years of Harktmnens (Geidi Pnme Trammel) Marya von Wikk heiser House Harkonnen tr Arazni Pezb SAH 76 (Paseo Institute of Galacto-Fremeti Culture) RAKIS HMDS.