Aurelius Venport

From Dune

Aurelius Venport [d. 164 BG] was a highly acclaimed entrepreneur, credited with founding the private corporation that would later evolve into the Spacing Guild. He was a egocentric man, and realized at the end of his life that the knowledge he had not really fulfilled his own image.

Contents 1 Life 1.1 VenKee 1.2 Death 2 Behind the Scenes 3 Appearances

[edit] Life

Venport was a successful and well-known businessman within the League of Nobles before the start of the Butlerian Jihad. But he found even greater success during the protracted conflict with the thinking machines.

At the start of the Jihad, Venport was the mate to Zufa Cenva, the premier Sorceress of Rossak. Cenva chose him as her mate because of his promising genetics profile.

But despite his genetics potential, he failed to provide Zufa with a living child after several attempts. Zufa blamed Venport exclusively for her lack of breeding success and severed the relationship, believing she could find a more genetically capable mate.

[edit] VenKee

Along with a business contact, the Tleilaxu Tuk Keedair, Aurelius founded VenKee Enterprises, initially for distribution of the Spice Melange from Arrakis. Later the company focused more on faster-than-light travel, especially after their Arrakis spice-mining rights were forcibly removed and opened up to competing businesses.

Venport was a good friend to Zufa's dwarf daughter Norma Cenva from a previous relationship. Norma's adaptation of the Holtzman Effect enabled VenKee to branch out into faster than light space travel. While she worked on Poritrin, he came often to visit her until he realized he was in love with her. The two had a family when Norma was captured by Xerxes and tortured. Norma however not only survived but had her dormant psychic abilities awakened and transformed her body to a gorgeous one. The pair eventually had a son, Adrien Venport and Norma played a significant role in the expansion of the VenKee business empire.

He was persuaded to offer the technology to the Army of the Jihad. That would be a setback to his finance, but on the long run, it would make him one of the most rich persons, after the end of the war. For this, he was awarded the Manion Cross.

[edit] Death

Yorek Thurr, Iblis Ginjo's head of Jipol, had all along been a double agent for Omnius. His service included information on the whereabouts of Zufa Cenva and Aurelius Venport's shuttle. Which allowed the Neos to attack them.

While returning with his previous mate Zufa from Salusa Secundus their vessel was intercepted by Beowulf and other neo-cymek rogues, when the Titans Hecate's asteroid helped them survive. It swallowed their ship in order to help them. But believing the ancient cymek to be hostile Zufa destroyed all three beings with a massive mental energy discharge.

[edit] Behind the Scenes

Aurelius Venport was mentioned once in Frank Herbert's God Emperor of Dune, when Leto Atreides II reminisces via Other Memory on Venport, Norma Cenva, and the Spacing Guild.

[edit] Appearances

• Dune:The Butlerian Jihad
• Dune:The Machine Crusade
• Dune:The Battle of Corrin (Mentioned only)
• God Emperor of Dune (Mentioned only)