A vice well-handled is something my Baron celebrates. From top to bottom, this attitude permeates the culture of our entire power structure — the appetite that drives excellence. Euphoria and withdrawal. So many substances become the carrot and the stick all at once.
“Well-handled”. That’s the trick, isn’t it? It’s an art that only us rare few handle with any grace. The truth is that addiction, particularly to Semuta, has become an epidemic within Harkonnen ranks. It is by great pains that we keep outsiders from seeing just how bad the situation is.
Addiction is a most useful tool, but it occasions many messes that require tedious cleaning. Case in point: one Maxim Kazmir. He’s grown sloppy and will require pruning shortly. He may still have uses in the lower ranks, so long as we give him the fantasy that he might one day rise again. Carrot. Stick.