Jessica Atreides

The Bene Gesserit plan to couple Jessica with Duke Leto Atreides I initially appeared to work perfectly. Jessica became the official concubine of Leto Atreides I, which allowed him to also marry, should a political union prove advantageous for the Great House. Jessica felt a great deal of pity as she observed the great grief that Leto felt over the death of his first son, Victor Atreides. Jessica nurtured Leto as came out of mourning, and she guided him towards living a fulfilling life again.

However, the relationship between the two quickly evolved into genuine love, which ultimately ruined the Bene Gesserit plans. Due to her love for her partner, Jessica disobeyed her orders to produce a daughter, and instead consciously produced a son, Paul Atreides, who would be heir to House Atreides, which was much desired by Duke Leto.

In 10,187 AG, when Leto announced that he was going to marry Ilesa Ecaz to strengthen House Atreides, Jessica took the upcoming nuptials in dutiful stride. Jessica, out of her love for Leto, genuinely tried to welcome Ilesa to Cala City, and showed her the daily tasks of managing Castle Caladan. The wedding was not destined, as Ilesa was killed at her and the Duke's wedding ceremony, which started the War of Assassins of 10,187 AG. Once the war ended, and Leto and Paul returned home victorius over House Moritani, Leto promised he would never marry, and that Jessica would be his one and only mate.

In 10,188 AG, Jessica and Paul visited Ix so that Paul could spend time as an exchange student in Vernii City, just as his father had done decades earlier. To Jessica's dismay, while there, the Bene Gesserit guilt-caster Stokia and three other Sisters visited Tessia Vernius. They demanded that Tessia produce more children for the Gesserit breeding program, which Tessia refused. Unbeknowst to Jessica, Stokia used her psychic powers to put Tessia into a comatose trance, which rendered Tessia helpless.

Neither Jessica, nor the Vernius house Suk doctor, Wellington Yueh, could find a cure for Tessia. It was strongly believed by Jessica, and Tessia's husband, Rhombur Vernius, that the ever more powerful Ixian technocrats, led by Bolig Avanti, were somehow responsible for what had happened, though nothing could be proved. Stokia offered to take Tessia to Wallach IX to be treated, which, after a few days, Rhombur agreed.

Later that day, Rhombur decided to tell his son, Bronso Vernius, about his true parentage, that he was the artificially conceived son of Tyros Reffa. Bronso reacted as an 11-year old, and encouraged Paul to run away with him off-world. Jessica was concerned about her missing son, and Gurney Halleck and Duncan Idaho were dispatched from Caladan to aide in finding them. A few days later, Duke Leto joined Jessica on Ix, as word arrived that the duo had first done to Chusuk, and now could be found on Balut with a Jongleur performing group.

When Jessica and the rest of the searchers from House Atreides and House Vernius arrived on Balut, they found both Bronso and Paul well treated by the performing group. The Jongleur group was to give a performance in honor of the Governor of Balut's upcoming marriage in the planet's famed Theater of Shards, and the event was expanded to include the newly arrived dignataries from Ix and Caladan. Since Bronson and Paul had previously set up the mirrors in the cavernous Hall, Paul noticed the slight difference in the mirrors' positionings.

As the light bounced around during the spectacular gala , the light began to be focused into an intense energy beam, as was the resulting sound that followed it. The Governor was saved from an assassination attempt, when Rhombur pushed Balut's leader out of the way, as the intense sound blast hit him, and ravaged his body. Jessica and the others recoiled in horror as Rhombus died, and Bronso cradled his dying father. Bronso, only 11, turned bitter, as Rhombur asked, "Is Paul safe?", and then died. Deeply hurt that his father did not speak of him or his mother while dying, Bronso cast Jessica and the rest of House Atreides out of his life. The Atreides returned to Caladan.

After her son conquered both House Corrino and House Harkonnen to become Emperor, Jessica remained on Arrakis for a year. She accompanied Emperor Muad'Dib on his first official state visit back to Caladan. Paul and Jessica met with the minor Ecaz official that Paul had put in place as governor of Caladan, Prince Xidd Orlaq.

While there, Paul attempted to return to the joy of his childhood, but was unable to, as he realized that he was no longer just a Duke, but an Emperor. When a courier came to Cala City, and announced that Fremen warriors had taken Kaitain, Paul made his mother, Duchess, and ruler of the water planet; a post that Jessica was happy to assume. A year later when Jessica visited Paul on Arrakis, she happened to arrive on the same heighliner with Gurney Halleck. When she returned to Caladan, Jessica and Gurney settled into the rule of Caladan with continued justice and fairness.

As a ruler of Caladan, Jessica, with Gurney's help, was considered to have ruled with both justice and fairness. Jessica exspecailly loved to join in the local festivities in Cala City during the changing of the seasons. One such festival was the one of the "Empty Man". The Empty Man festival was the retelling of an old tale, about a man who fed on the souls of others, but found that he could never get filled up, and he ended up dying a permanent death in a horrible manner.

As the years went by, and Paul's Jihad reached fever pitch, Jessica began to wonder of her son's sanity, and that perhaps he had turned to Abomination. During a visit to the Motherhood on Wallach IX, Jessica was approached by Mohiam, who suggested just that. Mohiam offered Jessica the post of Mother Superior of the entire Bene Gesserit order, if she would kill Paul when given the chance. Later, when Jessica visited Bronso (Vernius) of Ix, on the underground planet, Paul stepped out of the shadows, to explain to his mother the role of the Jihad.

Paul explained that after seeing his atrocities, after the whole Imperium believing him to be some type of messiah, mankind would never trust in one human for a type of salvation again. Paul also continued that Bronso would spread propaganda throughout the Empire focusing on Paul's humanity, bringing him "down a few notches" in the eyes of humanity. Jessica returned to Caladan re-invigorated, and determined to protect her son's role and image.

Jessica immediately returned to Caladan to find the planet in an uproar. The people of the water world had declared independence from the Emperor, and were holding rallies of secession. Gurney, in Jessica's absence had tried to negotiate and reason with the planetary rebels, to no avail. When Jessica arrived at Castle Caladan in Cala City, she summoned ten of the secessionist leaders to brokering negotiations. Jessica served them all a bountiful dinner with toasts of drinking water.

Unbeknownst to the rebels, Jessica secretly poisoned the water, and turned the toxic substance into an inert mixture in her own body, by using Gesserit techniques. As the mayor of Cala City, and others that Jessica had known for years fell and dropped dead; Jessica realized she "did what she had to do" to save Caladan from the misguided rebel leaders, and from Paul's wrath had he found out about the rebellion.

Immediately after the supposed death of Paul, Jessica returned with Gurney to Arrakis, out of concern for her grandchildren, Leto and Ghanima. She was also dismayed about the rising cruelty that her daughter Alia used in consolidating her power after Paul's "death". She watched with alarm as Alia created the Mahdinate, a super-religious organization based on the Atreides family. Jessica was also concerned about how Alia banned all forms of opposing expression, and had executed Paul's childhood friend, Bronso Vernius of Ix, for his writings the changes that Paul had gone through. She eventually returned to Caladan in deep concern for the Empire.