Chapter 14
DUKE LETO ATREIDES
Yesterday's events still rang in his head; even after an entire sleepless night, he had failed to grasp the sheer absurdity and severity of just what had happened in these very Halls.
He had expected the day to be eventful. Meeting a Freemen Naib was going to be interesting. And it had been Stilgar, which had been quite a surprise. He had learned much about the Fremen from their short meeting and gained both an understanding and respect for the people carving out a life for themselves in the harsh desert.
They had been, as he expected, hard people, tightly knit, and honorable as well. He could deal with them, slowly, and with adequate time, he had hoped to bring them to his side to use them against the eventual Harkonnen's or Crown's misadventure.
Yet Inzal Kazab had blown everything away, and he still tried to grasp the truth about the young man's identity. An identity that made this whole ordeal a lot more complex. His whole existence was one hidden secret after another, a Prince estranged and persecuted at his birth for reasons Jessica was hesitant to mention, showing him that this was somehow related to the Sisterhood.
It had been a betrayal to him as well, for he was not lost to the rumors and disgust affronted to the Sisterhood, by many people, believing themselves to be instruments of great collusion, and now as he learned more and more of their order, he could see the truth in those words.
An Abomination, she had labelled him. A child born with the consciousness of his predecessors stirring inside him, a fate he found in his ancestors' records. Yet, to condemn a child to such a destiny felt unbearably cruel. The thought of such a child inheriting the Imperium was a moral quandary he couldn't escape.
And yet he still loved her, loved Jessica despite all her secrets, knowing in his heart that she loved him enough, and now yet she was to bear him another child. A daughter, she had speculated, and he knew that he had to do something.
Their enemies were at their doors, and he had little time to prepare.
It was why he sat opposite the Keeper of the Change, the Imperial Ecologist, Liet Kynes.
"I believe you must have heard that there was an attack on my heir," he began, and the Imperical Ecologist nodded. Her long black hair was tied in a braid, and she wore a Fremen stillsuit.
"Indeed, and I was relieved to learn of Young Master Paul's safety," she replied, and her tone held no remorse, no surprise as if she was describing a simple change in weather and not a full violation of the norm and law in such circumstances.
"What is not known is that we caught the man operating the hunter-seeker used in the assassination," he began, and the doctor showed no reaction.
"He was found hiding in the walls, a Harkonnen spy," he began.
"That is a grave accusation, I hope you have a confession or sufficient evidence to back it up," the Doctor added making his temper rise, his behaviour, his words continued to give more and more credence to Kazab's words, that it was not just House Harkonnen moving against them.
"Unfortunately, the man killed himself before he could be interrogated, but..."
"Then I am afraid nothing, my lord. Nothing but empty wor...."
"DAMN YOU!" he cursed as his temper flared up.
"They tried to kill my heir! MY HEIR!" he roared as the doctor reeled back, surprised by his anger.
"They have destroyed the equipment and supplies, have sabotaged the whole spice mining operations. It took us days to get this whole castle in order, and now they have also attacked my heir. My family, and yet you sit hair giving me platitudes!" he roared, and the doctor seemed surprised by his rage and took a second to compose himself.
"I am but a servant of the Imperium, and I have been ordered..."
"..say nothing," he finished, and the doctor nodded, evading his eyes as he looked down, and Leto realized that Inzal's words were true.
The Crown had forsaken them.
"Indeed, I have been ordered to say nothing. See nothing," the doctor added, and he finally understood the implication behind those words.
"Do you truly understand what I am to infer from those words," he asked, and the doctor nodded.
"You are to infer what you may, my lord," he added.
Leto sighed and leaned back in his chair, his mind whirring with thought and betrayal as he realized the sheer odds he faced. Suddenly, a thought erupted in his head.
"Then am I to expect the same courtesy?" he questioned suddenly, making the doctor frown.
"What do you mean, my lord," the doctor asked, and Leto looked her in the eye.
"Will you remain quiet and blind to whatever you may see here, to what I may or may not do?" he asked and saw the doctor shrugged.
"I have already said it, my lord. I have been ordered to..."
"...see nothing, say nothing." He finished, and the young doctor Kynes nodded as he stood up.
"I believe I must leave. I will be leaving the city for a few days. I hope the Lord permits me this excursion," he asked, and Leto nodded.
"Do as you wish."
After all, it was not as if her presence would change much. He had already learned all he could from her.
0000
BARON VLADIMIR HARKONNEN
"Will you really spare her?" his Mentat Piter questioned as the Great Revered Mother, the Emperor's truthsayer left his halls after making a request to spare the Duke's little concubine and their son. Though the way she had behaved, it was as if she dared to command him.
The Nerve.
"No Atreides will live after the attack," he answered his Mentat. He could speak his mind in the cone of silence, with no fear of any eavesdropping or espionage.
"But..."
"I said I will not harm them," he reminded his spice-addicted Mentat, whose eyes widened for a moment.
"Arrakis is a dangerous planet, and warfare can be tumultuous. And even if I wished to spare them, there are forces greater than me at play here," he told Piter, who nodded.
"The Emperor," and he nodded.
"Indeed," he answered as he rubbed his head, his bloated figure a gift from the very order that had come to him just now. A gift he would never forget.
He was a handsome man once, strong and tall, until he had been cursed by one of these damned sisters, cursed into this monstrosity. And though he had come to live with it, not a day went by where he desired to exact his revenge on the witch that had done this to him.
"The Emperor will not spare a single Atreides. It was one of his conditions to give me his Sardukar. The House of Atreides will end soon, end in all but name," he said triumphantly.
Their forces were ready, circling the desert plane as they waited for the perfect opportunity to strike. Forces, which included the bulk of the Harkonnen army, were supplemented by two regimes of the Emperor's Sardukar.
Even if House Atreides were at the height of its power, it would still lose, for that was just how skilled the Sardukar were, and they were not at full power. The desert planet was not an easy planet to get accustomed to.
It was a brutal planet with a challenging atmosphere, where one had to carve out a life for themselves. House Atreides would take years to get accustomed to that.
"Speaking of that, I have concerning news about our little friend on Arrakis," Piter began, making him frown.
"What is it?" he questioned, he was too invested in this already, he could not afford a mess right now. He had invested a massive fortune in this and would need absolute victory to recoup it all.
"He mentioned in his reports that he felt as if he was being watched, that his cover may be blown," and he was taken by surprise.
"Impossible. Who would suspect a Healer such as him," he roared, and Piter shrugged.
"His reports grow infrequent. The last one mentioned that the Duke had hosted a Fremen as a guest in the castle, that they had spent quite some time in his solar alongside his warmaster and his other councillors," and that was dangerous.
"What do you recommend if his fears are true and the Duke or someone in his entourage does suspect him? What should we do?" he asked, and Piter rubbed his chin before he answered.
"The Emperor is invested in the devastation of House Atreides just as you, and even with the shields, we are certain of victory, even though we shall have to suffer greatly for it.
"We cannot seek more aid from the Emperor. Do not forget the Emperor is no friend of ours in this. The only reason he allies with us is because he fears House Atreides's ambition more than he fears ours," a mistake that would come to bite him later yet one that suited his agendas for now.
"Then we have him make a move early, and he has the means already, and our forces are ready as well," Piter suggested, and he nodded.
"If he cannot get close to the Duke, then he could buy us some time, the gas containers we left hidden inside roofs shall still be there, have him douse the whole castle in it, that should buy us enough time," he offered and Piter nodded.
"I shall have your message relayed," and Baron dismissed him.
"Have everything coordinated, Piter. This is our chance. One chance, bring me victory, and I shall give you a castle on the desert planet, and you shall have enough wealth to have anything you may wish," Peiter smirked.
"But what if I want something else," he challenged, and Baron narrowed his eyes.
"And what could rival this unlimited wealth?" he asked.
"I already have much wealth, and I find myself desiring a rather exotic experience," he spoke, and Baron frowned.
"And what may that be?"
"You see my pride was wounded years ago, when I failed to assassinate a certain someone, such a scar on my honor and pride haunts me to this day," and Baron was surprised by his boldness.
"You wish to take the Duke's concubine, the Lady Jessica,"
"She was the first person to escape my blade; her presence is an affront to my skill and pride, one that I feel I cannot tolerate anymore," he said, and Baron looked at his Mentat.
"Do as you wish, but I shall have no part in this. None may trace it back to us, for if they do, I shall not hesitate to give your name."
"I would expect nothing less from you, my Baron."
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