Just go with the book one because when they changed Kyne's gender in the new films I wondered if Chani was still their child or not.
DUNE-A False Haerach-1(SI into brother of Irulan)
- Thread starter Drkest
- Start date
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- Tags
- dune self insert
Chapter 16-Say no to Prophecy!
Chapter 16
STILGAR
Arrakis was slow to change, despite the flash storms, life rarely changed on the sandy planet for living in such an environment was hard, living in such an environment under the authoritarian rule of the Emperor's dog, even harder.
On Arrakis things did not change in days, no they took years, their customs were older than himself going back nearly hundreds of years, having been passed on from one generation to another through the passage of time.
Yet change was coming to Arrakis, it had been percolating through the air for some time, and this was not the slow change of the times bygone. No, this change came fast, and came to uproot everything Stilgar had ever known about life in Arrakis.
It was not difficult to point out when this had begun, for he had watched its beginning with his own eyes as they had brought back that fated child to their Sietch from the broken remains of that ship. That had been the day of the beginning of this storm that threatened to envelop their whole way of life.
And it all had never been more apparent until today as the Naibs from Sietches all over the desert planet came to Sietch Tabr, pouring over from all parts of the globe, some sending their representatives. Such a gathering had not happened since they had decided to end the accursed people of Jacurutu centuries ago, and yet now it happened once more infront of his eyes as he sat in the Great Hall, watching the leaders of the Fremen gather and mingle in a single place, all at the behest of the youngest amongst them.
Inzal, the young man who had called this Council and had gathered them all here today, stood there near the center, watching everything with those blue orbs of his, scanning the crowd alone.
The young Naib represented not one Sietch but hundreds, if not thousands, for the little twenty people who had left with him all those years ago had now become thousands and were renowned throughout the land.
The famous 'Ajniha,' the wings.
For years, they had fought the Harkonnens, looted them, and saved and rescued thousands of Fremen, many of whom would go on to join his cause as their strength continued to grow. He would also warn a Sietch about any imminent Harkonnen attack, allowing them to escape in time, even replenishing their water reserves through his own wealth to buy them more time.
Many of the Naibs sitting here owed their lives to him, and that was why they had gathered with such haste at his call. He walked up to the young man as the lights began to dim until only one remained focused on the raised platform that acted as the stage.
"Stilgar," the young Naib greeted him, and once he had thought that the young man would replace him taking up his own mental once he had grown old and weary, yet a shame it had not gone as he had thought.
His own thoughts on Inzal remained conflicted to this day, and the young boy had grown up infront of his eyes. Yet the boy also stood against his very beliefs, stood against the tradition, and the values he had always held sacred. He had done good, much good, saved thousands, and provided for even more, yet the young boy spat on their beliefs, on their hope of a Messiah, on their prayers for a Greenish Paradise.
"Do you have any idea of what you are about to do?" he asked again, knowing full well the implications of the Council they were about to have.
The Fremem prided themselves on their unity. All Fremen, no matter from what corner of the planet, were united as one, yet Inzal's proposition threatened to divide them, to create a chasm that could uproot their very society.
"I do," he answered, looking into his eyes with his own blue orbs. He noticed that the young boy was now of equal height to himself, and then he began to move forward as the whispers began to die down, adding with a whisper.
"I am about to bring us all one step closer to our collective dream...." he spoke as he stepped into the brightest light set on the platform.
"...freedom."
00000
INZAL KAZAB CORRINO
"Today you have all gathered here on my summon," he began as he looked around the room, the probing eyes of the leader of their respective sietches all fixated on him as he took the stage.
"Many of you may have heard some things about it as well; others may have been caught by surprise at the suddenness of this meeting, and now I am giving you all the answers you have been looking for," he took a deep breath.
"I am not simply Inzal Kazab as you all think, the truth is that I am much greater than that. I am the son of the very man whom you all blame for your present situation. The blood of the Emperor runs through these veins, and though some of you may know it already. I wish to proclaim it for all..." and with that, he raised his hand.
"I AM INZAL KAZAB CORRINO, SON OF THE PADISHAH THE EMPEROR!" and murmurs broke out, for though his identity was quite well known, he had never confirmed it since that day, and many had thought it to be a simple rumor.
But it was no rumor.
"And I have gathered you all here for the dream of every Fremen is now within our grasps." He added as thousands of blue orbs landed on his form, hanging onto his words.
"Freedom is here, our long-last dream, and I plan on grasping it for myself. For Arrakis, FOR YOU!" he added.
"How? And why should we trust you? You are the son of the Emperor himself?" someone asked.
"Because I am a Freman as well, I was raised in this desert. I have fought alongside you people, fought for you people when all of you were complacent enough in simply waiting for a damned prophecized savior." He added.
"I do not stand here as the Naib of the largest number of Fremen because of my blood. I stand here because of my own hard work, my own effort, work that I did, tell me how many Fremen sietches have you saved," he asked as he pointed towards the man who had questioned him.
"How many people have you rescued out of Harkonnen prions? How many have you saved by giving them water? I did all that. I!" he shouted as he thumped his chest.
"We do not doubt your blood, Kazab. Yet we doubt your actions. You claim to bring us Freedom, so let us ask you how?
And he could see everyone looking at him.
"By taking over my Father's throne!" He announced and heard murmurs break out.
"Why should we trust you!"
"You are not one of us!"
And many more spoke against him, as he had expected. For though many owed him, many did not like him; their disdain kept unactionable only because of the reverence the young men and women of their sketches held for him.
"You wish to sit on your father's throne. You offer to give us freedom, yet what is to say that you are not only planning on using us!" one of the Naibs spoke as he stood up.
"He poisons our young, distorts their minds, pushes them away from the traditions and religion that have kept us alive for years!" he began as he looked at him.
"You spit on the prophecy of the Mahdi, on the promise of the Lisan-Al-Gaib with your very name! Why shall we lend you our aid!" he shouted, and Inzal shook his head.
"You seem to be mistaken! Korba," he said, stilling the Naib as Inzal spoke his name.
"I am not seeking your help, for I am not in need of it. I have enough men and equipment for this. I gathered you all here to speak of it to you all, and you ask why you should trust me over a prophecy!"
And then he shook his head as he opened his mouth once more.
"Because I am honest. Because I am flesh and blood, not some inane words uttered by Bene Gesserit Witch!" he used the Voice and saw them reel back at his words.
"Because I give you more than a promise of a better future, I work for it, give my own blood, sweat, and tears for it. I am not words on a scroll. I am flesh. I have fought for you, bled for you, killed for you. I do not promise you the Green Paradise of your dreams, but a sky you can call your own, land you may roam without fear, water you may drink to your fill." His words were followed by many nods, as many came out in his support.
"And for those of you who may wish to join me, know this that I do not offer you a glorious purpose as your so-called prophecies, I do not offer a religious Jihad like this Lisan-Al-Gaib, I offer you freedom, and nothing more...."
"...and even that with your own blood, sweat, and tears."
0000
Read ahead and support me on Patreon and help me write this and other such stories. It would be cool of you, and I will be very grateful for your patronage.
www.Patreon.com/Drkest
Have a fabulous day! 😊
STILGAR
Arrakis was slow to change, despite the flash storms, life rarely changed on the sandy planet for living in such an environment was hard, living in such an environment under the authoritarian rule of the Emperor's dog, even harder.
On Arrakis things did not change in days, no they took years, their customs were older than himself going back nearly hundreds of years, having been passed on from one generation to another through the passage of time.
Yet change was coming to Arrakis, it had been percolating through the air for some time, and this was not the slow change of the times bygone. No, this change came fast, and came to uproot everything Stilgar had ever known about life in Arrakis.
It was not difficult to point out when this had begun, for he had watched its beginning with his own eyes as they had brought back that fated child to their Sietch from the broken remains of that ship. That had been the day of the beginning of this storm that threatened to envelop their whole way of life.
And it all had never been more apparent until today as the Naibs from Sietches all over the desert planet came to Sietch Tabr, pouring over from all parts of the globe, some sending their representatives. Such a gathering had not happened since they had decided to end the accursed people of Jacurutu centuries ago, and yet now it happened once more infront of his eyes as he sat in the Great Hall, watching the leaders of the Fremen gather and mingle in a single place, all at the behest of the youngest amongst them.
Inzal, the young man who had called this Council and had gathered them all here today, stood there near the center, watching everything with those blue orbs of his, scanning the crowd alone.
The young Naib represented not one Sietch but hundreds, if not thousands, for the little twenty people who had left with him all those years ago had now become thousands and were renowned throughout the land.
The famous 'Ajniha,' the wings.
For years, they had fought the Harkonnens, looted them, and saved and rescued thousands of Fremen, many of whom would go on to join his cause as their strength continued to grow. He would also warn a Sietch about any imminent Harkonnen attack, allowing them to escape in time, even replenishing their water reserves through his own wealth to buy them more time.
Many of the Naibs sitting here owed their lives to him, and that was why they had gathered with such haste at his call. He walked up to the young man as the lights began to dim until only one remained focused on the raised platform that acted as the stage.
"Stilgar," the young Naib greeted him, and once he had thought that the young man would replace him taking up his own mental once he had grown old and weary, yet a shame it had not gone as he had thought.
His own thoughts on Inzal remained conflicted to this day, and the young boy had grown up infront of his eyes. Yet the boy also stood against his very beliefs, stood against the tradition, and the values he had always held sacred. He had done good, much good, saved thousands, and provided for even more, yet the young boy spat on their beliefs, on their hope of a Messiah, on their prayers for a Greenish Paradise.
"Do you have any idea of what you are about to do?" he asked again, knowing full well the implications of the Council they were about to have.
The Fremem prided themselves on their unity. All Fremen, no matter from what corner of the planet, were united as one, yet Inzal's proposition threatened to divide them, to create a chasm that could uproot their very society.
"I do," he answered, looking into his eyes with his own blue orbs. He noticed that the young boy was now of equal height to himself, and then he began to move forward as the whispers began to die down, adding with a whisper.
"I am about to bring us all one step closer to our collective dream...." he spoke as he stepped into the brightest light set on the platform.
"...freedom."
00000
INZAL KAZAB CORRINO
"Today you have all gathered here on my summon," he began as he looked around the room, the probing eyes of the leader of their respective sietches all fixated on him as he took the stage.
"Many of you may have heard some things about it as well; others may have been caught by surprise at the suddenness of this meeting, and now I am giving you all the answers you have been looking for," he took a deep breath.
"I am not simply Inzal Kazab as you all think, the truth is that I am much greater than that. I am the son of the very man whom you all blame for your present situation. The blood of the Emperor runs through these veins, and though some of you may know it already. I wish to proclaim it for all..." and with that, he raised his hand.
"I AM INZAL KAZAB CORRINO, SON OF THE PADISHAH THE EMPEROR!" and murmurs broke out, for though his identity was quite well known, he had never confirmed it since that day, and many had thought it to be a simple rumor.
But it was no rumor.
"And I have gathered you all here for the dream of every Fremen is now within our grasps." He added as thousands of blue orbs landed on his form, hanging onto his words.
"Freedom is here, our long-last dream, and I plan on grasping it for myself. For Arrakis, FOR YOU!" he added.
"How? And why should we trust you? You are the son of the Emperor himself?" someone asked.
"Because I am a Freman as well, I was raised in this desert. I have fought alongside you people, fought for you people when all of you were complacent enough in simply waiting for a damned prophecized savior." He added.
"I do not stand here as the Naib of the largest number of Fremen because of my blood. I stand here because of my own hard work, my own effort, work that I did, tell me how many Fremen sietches have you saved," he asked as he pointed towards the man who had questioned him.
"How many people have you rescued out of Harkonnen prions? How many have you saved by giving them water? I did all that. I!" he shouted as he thumped his chest.
"We do not doubt your blood, Kazab. Yet we doubt your actions. You claim to bring us Freedom, so let us ask you how?
And he could see everyone looking at him.
"By taking over my Father's throne!" He announced and heard murmurs break out.
"Why should we trust you!"
"You are not one of us!"
And many more spoke against him, as he had expected. For though many owed him, many did not like him; their disdain kept unactionable only because of the reverence the young men and women of their sketches held for him.
"You wish to sit on your father's throne. You offer to give us freedom, yet what is to say that you are not only planning on using us!" one of the Naibs spoke as he stood up.
"He poisons our young, distorts their minds, pushes them away from the traditions and religion that have kept us alive for years!" he began as he looked at him.
"You spit on the prophecy of the Mahdi, on the promise of the Lisan-Al-Gaib with your very name! Why shall we lend you our aid!" he shouted, and Inzal shook his head.
"You seem to be mistaken! Korba," he said, stilling the Naib as Inzal spoke his name.
"I am not seeking your help, for I am not in need of it. I have enough men and equipment for this. I gathered you all here to speak of it to you all, and you ask why you should trust me over a prophecy!"
And then he shook his head as he opened his mouth once more.
"Because I am honest. Because I am flesh and blood, not some inane words uttered by Bene Gesserit Witch!" he used the Voice and saw them reel back at his words.
"Because I give you more than a promise of a better future, I work for it, give my own blood, sweat, and tears for it. I am not words on a scroll. I am flesh. I have fought for you, bled for you, killed for you. I do not promise you the Green Paradise of your dreams, but a sky you can call your own, land you may roam without fear, water you may drink to your fill." His words were followed by many nods, as many came out in his support.
"And for those of you who may wish to join me, know this that I do not offer you a glorious purpose as your so-called prophecies, I do not offer a religious Jihad like this Lisan-Al-Gaib, I offer you freedom, and nothing more...."
"...and even that with your own blood, sweat, and tears."
0000
Read ahead and support me on Patreon and help me write this and other such stories. It would be cool of you, and I will be very grateful for your patronage.
www.Patreon.com/Drkest
Have a fabulous day! 😊
- Location
- England
Should be "prisons".
Should be "sietches".
Chapter 17-A Last Message?
Chapter 17
DUKE LETO ATREIDES
Weeks had passed since the fateful day he met the man named Kazab and learned of secrets that went beyond his wildest imagination. Secrets that had shaken him to the core, and the truth was that he had had little time to contemplate them.
House Atreides had walked into a trap when they had come to Arrakis, yet they had come nonetheless answering the call, and now their fates were in the balance.
It was quiet in the castle, yet the lack of noise did not mask the preparations being carried out outside these walls as his men prepared for the eventual assault. Weapons were being prepared, drills were being run, and traps were being laid, yet still, Leto was not satisfied.
He should be. For the first time since he had set foot on this accursed planet, they were on par, if not ahead of their enemies. They knew of the attack, of the traitor, yet still, he was not satisfied.
Jessica had been distraught as well, distraught because he had been distant from her, and a part of him was unable to rationalise and separate the order's actions from hers. The Sisterhood was reviled by many in the Imperium. They were called opportunists and deceivers. However, most had thought these words to be nothing but fiction, yet now he could not be so sure.
And that unsettled him. For all his life, he had trusted Jessica with everything. Could he do it now with all that he had come to know?
"I should," he whispered with a sigh. He could not fathom what it must have taken for her to reveal those secrets and reveal such things, knowing of the impact they would have on him. Yet she had, for she wished for him to be safe and make the correct choice.
And he would do so—not just for himself but also for Jessica, Paul, and the little girl who was yet to be born.
KNOCK. KNOCK.
As he was about to reach for the computer, his door was knocked, and he looked up.
"Come in," he ordered. He saw his Warmaster Gurney enter the room, his scowling lips thin as he walked up to him, and after a salute, he uttered those fateful words.
"You were right," he said as he passed him a small messenger rod.
"He was the traitor. I went over the three times by myself, and we finally have proof," he finished as Leto felt both relief and disappointment rush through him.
"Dr. Yueh has been passing on information to the Harkonnens," he said, closing his eyes. Inzal's words had been confirmed, and though this was but a start, it was also a sign of trust.
He could have lied to them and led them astray, yet he had not. He had come in earnest, asked for nothing, and helped them quite a bit. The young man was smart enough to not give out the hints as he had, yet he had done so deliberately, and though he could not speak to his motives, he had helped them.
"Should I have him brought in?" Gurney questioned, and he nodded.
"Have him surrounded. I will be there, I want to stare him in the eye as I ask him why he betrayed me and my family, of what made him join hands with those Harkonnen scum," he ordered, and his Warmaster hesitated before saluting.
"As you wish, my lord." He wished to see Yueh look him in the eye as he asked him about his betrayal.
"And Gurney," he called his most trusted companion.
"Have the Water and the other equipment we brought carried to the outskirts of the city and place no guards," it was his payment for Inzal's actions. And Gurney seemed to understand that.
"Have them surround Yueh. I will be there in a few minutes," he added, and as Gurney left the room, he sighed before he straightened out his uniform, opened up his computer, and hit a button.
Record.
He then looked straight into the camera as he began.
"My name is Leto Atreides....
.
.
.
Several minutes later, he stepped out of his solar, as his security detail was waiting right there. He beckoned one of them to himself and handed him a specialized messenger rod.
"Take this to Lady Jessica."
0000
LADY JESSICA
Paul Atreides's mother watched him practice with her blades and wished that a day would never come when he would have to use them. His movements were quick and fluid, showcasing hours and hours of practice, and he moved as he wore that shield with quickness and purpose that only a few warriors in the entire realm could.
The Sun had begun to fall, and the darkness of the night had begun to envelope the skies, the Arrakis sky with its two moons had now turned dark, providing a respite from the sizzling heat of the day.
Yet the dark brought no rest for the members of House Atreides, for they had no time to waste. As she stood near the window, she could see men drilling, moving, and getting ready for battle.
The air was thick with tension as everyone prepared for battle. Yet despite their preparations, she feared what would become of them, for she knew that the Sardukar was no joke, that the enemy they faced was not ordinary but perhaps the most feared force in the Galaxy.
"What are they doing?" suddenly, Paul's voice broke her out of her reverie, and she looked towards the direction he was pointing at and saw men moving massive containers to the outskirts of the city, containers that had been added to their cargo at the last minute.
"They are moving it towards the edge of the city, that is as if they are begging for it to be stolen," Paul added as he frowned, and her own heart skipped a beat as she realized just what the boxes held.
'Could it be?' she thought, knowing that only Leto or his counselors could make such a decision.
"My lady," she was called out and looked up and saw a soldier saluting to her.
"The duke sent this for you," said the soldier as he put forward a messenger rod, making her frown.
Leto could have come himself, for though there was some strife in between them at the moment, it had lessened in the last few days, just what had made him send her a missive like this, and just what did it have?
She took it from his hands and unfurled it as Paul turned towards the soldier.
"Why are you moving that container to the edge of the city? Who ordered it?" he questioned. The soldier looked towards the container before answering respectfully.
"It was the Duke, young lord," and the answer made her still, confirming her suspicion as she unrolled the rod, and began to skim over the message.
And her eyes widened as she read the contents of it, seeing them for what they were. An expression of trust and faith. For the first time since she had told Leto of the past and the truth of Inzal, betraying the order she had called a home for all her life, she did not feel alone as she felt Leto's trust in herself.
"Where is he?" she asked the soldier, and saw him hesitate a bit before he answered.
"He left with Commander Gurney and a dozen men, they were going to meet Dr. Yueh," he added and she stilled at that, until suddenly she felt the air in the room shift , as she heard the sound of a signal going off before the very roof of the training ground exploded.
BOOOM!
"My Lady watch out!"
"Paul!!!!!!"
.
.
.
.
Pain tore through her as she felt her consciousness return to her, her ears rung as she tried to open her eyes and saw red—a blurry red as she felt a pair of arms trying to shake her.
"Motherrr!"
"Mother!!!" she could barely make out the words due to the ringing in her ears and the noise and pandemonium all around her, as she saw rubble all around her. The person shaking her, sitting right besides her was none other than her son, Paul.
She coughed out, feeling her body weakened, yet not only from the wounds. Her Bene Gesserit training allowed her to recognize this poison for what it was. A paralytic, it had probably been laced into the explosives. And there was no need to even question by whom.
Yet poisons did not work on a Bene Gesseirt, yet she was too injured, too weak to neutralize it in its entirety. Paul seemed fine, probably because of the shield he wore. It must have protected him from the poison.
"Lee...t..o" he seemed to get the question as he stopped trying to shake her.
"The doctor blew himself up alongside bombs hidden inside the castle. They have broken the shield generators; we are under attack," he told her as she neutralized the poison in her body, and she realized that this would take time. Time that she did not have.
And so, using all her strength, she held onto her consciousness as she reached into her pocket and took out the cylinder Inzal had entrusted her with.
"Pa..l.." she called him out as she held it up.
"U...s..e.....it" she said and saw his eyes widen as he took it from her hands.
"Bu..."
BOOOOM!
"They are breaking through! We need to retreat and reform! Everyone back to the base!" she heard a shout as her consciousness began to slip away, as the last thing she saw was Paul twisting the top of the Cylinder, which gleamed an ominous blue, before he pushed the two edges together.
CLINK! CLUK!
PHEWMMMMM!
Then all the lights went out, and darkness enveloped the whole castle—and yet, truthfully, it was not just the castle. Every ship, frigate, and shield in the area suddenly ended up dead.
0000
Read ahead and support me on Patreon. Help me out if you can. It would be pretty cool of you and would mean a lot to me.
www.Patreon.com/Drkest
Have a fabulous Day!
DUKE LETO ATREIDES
Weeks had passed since the fateful day he met the man named Kazab and learned of secrets that went beyond his wildest imagination. Secrets that had shaken him to the core, and the truth was that he had had little time to contemplate them.
House Atreides had walked into a trap when they had come to Arrakis, yet they had come nonetheless answering the call, and now their fates were in the balance.
It was quiet in the castle, yet the lack of noise did not mask the preparations being carried out outside these walls as his men prepared for the eventual assault. Weapons were being prepared, drills were being run, and traps were being laid, yet still, Leto was not satisfied.
He should be. For the first time since he had set foot on this accursed planet, they were on par, if not ahead of their enemies. They knew of the attack, of the traitor, yet still, he was not satisfied.
Jessica had been distraught as well, distraught because he had been distant from her, and a part of him was unable to rationalise and separate the order's actions from hers. The Sisterhood was reviled by many in the Imperium. They were called opportunists and deceivers. However, most had thought these words to be nothing but fiction, yet now he could not be so sure.
And that unsettled him. For all his life, he had trusted Jessica with everything. Could he do it now with all that he had come to know?
"I should," he whispered with a sigh. He could not fathom what it must have taken for her to reveal those secrets and reveal such things, knowing of the impact they would have on him. Yet she had, for she wished for him to be safe and make the correct choice.
And he would do so—not just for himself but also for Jessica, Paul, and the little girl who was yet to be born.
KNOCK. KNOCK.
As he was about to reach for the computer, his door was knocked, and he looked up.
"Come in," he ordered. He saw his Warmaster Gurney enter the room, his scowling lips thin as he walked up to him, and after a salute, he uttered those fateful words.
"You were right," he said as he passed him a small messenger rod.
"He was the traitor. I went over the three times by myself, and we finally have proof," he finished as Leto felt both relief and disappointment rush through him.
"Dr. Yueh has been passing on information to the Harkonnens," he said, closing his eyes. Inzal's words had been confirmed, and though this was but a start, it was also a sign of trust.
He could have lied to them and led them astray, yet he had not. He had come in earnest, asked for nothing, and helped them quite a bit. The young man was smart enough to not give out the hints as he had, yet he had done so deliberately, and though he could not speak to his motives, he had helped them.
"Should I have him brought in?" Gurney questioned, and he nodded.
"Have him surrounded. I will be there, I want to stare him in the eye as I ask him why he betrayed me and my family, of what made him join hands with those Harkonnen scum," he ordered, and his Warmaster hesitated before saluting.
"As you wish, my lord." He wished to see Yueh look him in the eye as he asked him about his betrayal.
"And Gurney," he called his most trusted companion.
"Have the Water and the other equipment we brought carried to the outskirts of the city and place no guards," it was his payment for Inzal's actions. And Gurney seemed to understand that.
"Have them surround Yueh. I will be there in a few minutes," he added, and as Gurney left the room, he sighed before he straightened out his uniform, opened up his computer, and hit a button.
Record.
He then looked straight into the camera as he began.
"My name is Leto Atreides....
.
.
.
Several minutes later, he stepped out of his solar, as his security detail was waiting right there. He beckoned one of them to himself and handed him a specialized messenger rod.
"Take this to Lady Jessica."
0000
LADY JESSICA
Paul Atreides's mother watched him practice with her blades and wished that a day would never come when he would have to use them. His movements were quick and fluid, showcasing hours and hours of practice, and he moved as he wore that shield with quickness and purpose that only a few warriors in the entire realm could.
The Sun had begun to fall, and the darkness of the night had begun to envelope the skies, the Arrakis sky with its two moons had now turned dark, providing a respite from the sizzling heat of the day.
Yet the dark brought no rest for the members of House Atreides, for they had no time to waste. As she stood near the window, she could see men drilling, moving, and getting ready for battle.
The air was thick with tension as everyone prepared for battle. Yet despite their preparations, she feared what would become of them, for she knew that the Sardukar was no joke, that the enemy they faced was not ordinary but perhaps the most feared force in the Galaxy.
"What are they doing?" suddenly, Paul's voice broke her out of her reverie, and she looked towards the direction he was pointing at and saw men moving massive containers to the outskirts of the city, containers that had been added to their cargo at the last minute.
"They are moving it towards the edge of the city, that is as if they are begging for it to be stolen," Paul added as he frowned, and her own heart skipped a beat as she realized just what the boxes held.
'Could it be?' she thought, knowing that only Leto or his counselors could make such a decision.
"My lady," she was called out and looked up and saw a soldier saluting to her.
"The duke sent this for you," said the soldier as he put forward a messenger rod, making her frown.
Leto could have come himself, for though there was some strife in between them at the moment, it had lessened in the last few days, just what had made him send her a missive like this, and just what did it have?
She took it from his hands and unfurled it as Paul turned towards the soldier.
"Why are you moving that container to the edge of the city? Who ordered it?" he questioned. The soldier looked towards the container before answering respectfully.
"It was the Duke, young lord," and the answer made her still, confirming her suspicion as she unrolled the rod, and began to skim over the message.
And her eyes widened as she read the contents of it, seeing them for what they were. An expression of trust and faith. For the first time since she had told Leto of the past and the truth of Inzal, betraying the order she had called a home for all her life, she did not feel alone as she felt Leto's trust in herself.
"Where is he?" she asked the soldier, and saw him hesitate a bit before he answered.
"He left with Commander Gurney and a dozen men, they were going to meet Dr. Yueh," he added and she stilled at that, until suddenly she felt the air in the room shift , as she heard the sound of a signal going off before the very roof of the training ground exploded.
BOOOM!
"My Lady watch out!"
"Paul!!!!!!"
.
.
.
.
Pain tore through her as she felt her consciousness return to her, her ears rung as she tried to open her eyes and saw red—a blurry red as she felt a pair of arms trying to shake her.
"Motherrr!"
"Mother!!!" she could barely make out the words due to the ringing in her ears and the noise and pandemonium all around her, as she saw rubble all around her. The person shaking her, sitting right besides her was none other than her son, Paul.
She coughed out, feeling her body weakened, yet not only from the wounds. Her Bene Gesserit training allowed her to recognize this poison for what it was. A paralytic, it had probably been laced into the explosives. And there was no need to even question by whom.
Yet poisons did not work on a Bene Gesseirt, yet she was too injured, too weak to neutralize it in its entirety. Paul seemed fine, probably because of the shield he wore. It must have protected him from the poison.
"Lee...t..o" he seemed to get the question as he stopped trying to shake her.
"The doctor blew himself up alongside bombs hidden inside the castle. They have broken the shield generators; we are under attack," he told her as she neutralized the poison in her body, and she realized that this would take time. Time that she did not have.
And so, using all her strength, she held onto her consciousness as she reached into her pocket and took out the cylinder Inzal had entrusted her with.
"Pa..l.." she called him out as she held it up.
"U...s..e.....it" she said and saw his eyes widen as he took it from her hands.
"Bu..."
BOOOOM!
"They are breaking through! We need to retreat and reform! Everyone back to the base!" she heard a shout as her consciousness began to slip away, as the last thing she saw was Paul twisting the top of the Cylinder, which gleamed an ominous blue, before he pushed the two edges together.
CLINK! CLUK!
PHEWMMMMM!
Then all the lights went out, and darkness enveloped the whole castle—and yet, truthfully, it was not just the castle. Every ship, frigate, and shield in the area suddenly ended up dead.
0000
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Chapter 18-Dedicate Your Hearts!
Chapter 18
The Duke Leto of House Atreides was one of the more exemplary lords of the Imperium, he was a just man who inspired absolute loyalty from his men, and it was this reason that the betrayal of one of his close aides shook him to the core.
And as he stood with a retinue of guards infront of the traitor, he found himself questioning himself and much more as he stared into the eyes of the man who had betrayed him and his whole family to the accursed Harkonnens.
"Why?" he questioned, and as he saw the Doctors' eyes scan the surroundings, observing and understanding that he had been caught, he saw him still as resignation registered.
And he saw the doctor's eyes tear up as he collapsed onto his knees, and his voice shook.
"I am sorry, but all I did, I did for my poor Wa..."
"LOOK OUT!"
BOOM!
0000
SHISHAKLI
As Inzal left for the council, it fell to her to organize their forces as they gathered around the city for what she believed was to be the start of their liberation.
There was tension in the air. While they had gathered in sufficient numbers and carried out numerous attacks previously, it would not be wrong to say that this was their ultimate test and that they had never carried out an attack of such scale.
Yet her people were fearless as they sat hunkered down in the specially constructed bunker hidden in a cave just on the outskirts of the city. They had gotten here a day ago on Inzal's instructions as they waited for his arrival.
Everyone was ready, and as she crouched on the rocks, binoculars in hand, looking over at the city infront, silence reigned over the desert planet, with only the distant sounds of the worms' rumblings reaching her.
"Is everything ready?"
"AHHH!" she shrieked, reaching for her blade instantly and spinning it when her arm was caught. Then she realized just who had spoken up.
"Inzal," she called out, exasperated, as he simply smiled at her.
"Hello," he said as she breathed out and let go of the knife as she began to berate him.
"What the hell were you thinking sneaking up on me like that? I could have injured you!" and he scoffed as he raised a brow.
"As if, my dear," he mocked her flaunting, his superiority he looked her in the eye teasingly.
"What is our score in our spars again?" he asked teasingly. She shook her head as she spun the knife in her hand and put it back in her pocket.
"How did the Grand Council go?" she asked as she saw him look into the distance at the same city she had just been staring at with binoculars.
Yet she had no doubt that even without the binoculars, Inzal saw much more than she ever could hope to.
"As well as it could be expected to go, few of the Naibs tried to get in my way, but most of them owe me big debts and would not have dared to go against me," he said, and she shook her head.
"So, you have their support," she asked, jubilant at that achievement and he nodded.
"With some caveats, I do," he answered as he stared at her. Relief washed over her at his words, for she knew just how stubborn Fremen society was and though she had full belief in Inzal, she worried still. Yet she had not missed the rather glaring point.
"And what were those caveats?" she asked, as Inzal suddenly frowned, head snapping towards the skies.
"It is starting," he whispered, and she frowned when suddenly she saw the city shake as the ground beneath her shook.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Three massive explosions rocked the city, and then she saw the blue dome-like blanket covering it fall in front of her eyes as large ships and ornithopters began to flood the skies.
"Their shields are down," she gasped out as she recognised the symbols on the large frigates as sounds, shouts, alarms, and sirens filled the air, reaching even up to them.
"Harkonnens," she uttered with sheer disgust, for while she had no love for the Atreides, she held little except disgust for the accursed Harkonnens. She had seen first hand their atrocities, and cruelties, the sights she had seen in their prisons still often haunted her sleep.
"Not just Harkonnens, those ships carry on them the deadliest force of the Imperium. The proverbial dogs of the emperor," he added as she saw the attack commence.
"The Sardukar," she added, and though they had not faced this formidable enemy, from what she had heard from Inzal, they were a force of considerable strength and should not be underestimated.
"I will go and get the men ready," she added, and he shook his head, making her stop.
"Not yet," he added with a frown.
"Why?" she asked, perplexed by his words.
"They are attacking the Atreides. You said that we are allied with the Atreides. This is what we have been waiting for all this time," she asked, and he pointed towards the city.
"There is yet no signal," he added, and she realized his words.
"So, they have rejected our offer," she asked, surprised that the Atreides would choose extinction over joining hands with them.
"No, they will accept, but we will not jump in until the signal comes," he added and she nodded yet she still whistled and the men and women of their force jumped out off their hidden crevices and caves and began to assemble behind them both as they stood on that cave, nearly half of their full force including all the elites ready right behind them as the city went up in flames right infront of their eyes.
0000
INZAL KAZAB CORRINO
Inzal felt it when the last of the Harkonnen ships entered Arrakis's atmosphere, pushing the assault to its limits as the city burned in front of him.
Though he stood there impassively and without any worry, he was growing more and more worried by the second. The intensity of the attacks had been greater than his imagination, yet the more worrying aspect was the situation of the Duke and Lady Jessica.
He held little affection for the Atreides Duke, yet the man was a good ally. Ever since he had begun to run surveillance on the Duke, the man had not moved and was immobile. He had been right near the first explosion, and that worried him.
Add to that the fact that, despite it being nearly half an hour since the beginning of the attack, there was still no sign of the signal he had given to Lady Jessica, who, like the Duke, had been immobile ever since.
"Inzal, it has been enough time. Shouldn't we..."
"Not yet," he cut in as Shishakli backed off, and he continued to look on at the city infront as the clash between the Atreides and Harkonnen forces intensified. The Atreides had managed to form a line and were holding back the Harkonen forces, yet he knew that the stalemate would end as soon as the Saradukar joined the attack.
And then he felt it. He felt her move once more, and his heart began to thrum as he smirked and turned towards his men. Truthfully, there was not much to say; all of them had been briefed rather sharply over their respective duties and tasks by Shishakli and the other captains already.
"For years now, we have lived like rats on our land," he began as he attacked the transmitters to the mini-computer attached to his helmet.
"We have survived on scraps as we were hunted and killed just for the crime of living, made to watch as we were robbed of our treasures and our captors languished in luxury as we thirsted for water," he added as Shishakli came and stood by his side.
"Our captors would have us wait for a savior, keep us compliant with their so-called prophecies as they rob us of our very future! YET ALL THT CHANGES TODAY!" he shouted and saw the men and women perk up at those words.
"WE SHALL WAIT FOR NO MORE SAVIOR! WE HAVE SUFFERED ENOUGH! OUR FREEDOM! OUR FUTURES!" and he raised his fist into the air.
"WE SHALL TAKE IT WITH OUR OWN HANDS!"
"AYYYYYY!" the men roared with him as he felt it, the thrum as suddenly a blast happened, and a yellow hue spread all over the city and its skies and in an instant the city was plunged into a sea of darkness.
"OUR FUTURE BEGINS TODAY! TODAY WE TAKE OUR FIRST STEP INTO THIS ARDUOUS JOURNEY!" he began as he turned away from them and pushed up his mask, and with thought, the suspenders attached to his suit glew an ominous orange as he felt his body lighten up and took out his sword, and raised it in the air.
"SO SOLDEIRS! DEDEICATE YOUR HEARTS...."
He watched as the ships littering the skies above the city began to land, and the EMP pulse knocked out their primary power, forcing them to land at once.
And then, with the loudest voice he could muster, he brought down his blade and screamed.
"....AND CHARGEEE!"
0000
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The Duke Leto of House Atreides was one of the more exemplary lords of the Imperium, he was a just man who inspired absolute loyalty from his men, and it was this reason that the betrayal of one of his close aides shook him to the core.
And as he stood with a retinue of guards infront of the traitor, he found himself questioning himself and much more as he stared into the eyes of the man who had betrayed him and his whole family to the accursed Harkonnens.
"Why?" he questioned, and as he saw the Doctors' eyes scan the surroundings, observing and understanding that he had been caught, he saw him still as resignation registered.
And he saw the doctor's eyes tear up as he collapsed onto his knees, and his voice shook.
"I am sorry, but all I did, I did for my poor Wa..."
"LOOK OUT!"
BOOM!
0000
SHISHAKLI
As Inzal left for the council, it fell to her to organize their forces as they gathered around the city for what she believed was to be the start of their liberation.
There was tension in the air. While they had gathered in sufficient numbers and carried out numerous attacks previously, it would not be wrong to say that this was their ultimate test and that they had never carried out an attack of such scale.
Yet her people were fearless as they sat hunkered down in the specially constructed bunker hidden in a cave just on the outskirts of the city. They had gotten here a day ago on Inzal's instructions as they waited for his arrival.
Everyone was ready, and as she crouched on the rocks, binoculars in hand, looking over at the city infront, silence reigned over the desert planet, with only the distant sounds of the worms' rumblings reaching her.
"Is everything ready?"
"AHHH!" she shrieked, reaching for her blade instantly and spinning it when her arm was caught. Then she realized just who had spoken up.
"Inzal," she called out, exasperated, as he simply smiled at her.
"Hello," he said as she breathed out and let go of the knife as she began to berate him.
"What the hell were you thinking sneaking up on me like that? I could have injured you!" and he scoffed as he raised a brow.
"As if, my dear," he mocked her flaunting, his superiority he looked her in the eye teasingly.
"What is our score in our spars again?" he asked teasingly. She shook her head as she spun the knife in her hand and put it back in her pocket.
"How did the Grand Council go?" she asked as she saw him look into the distance at the same city she had just been staring at with binoculars.
Yet she had no doubt that even without the binoculars, Inzal saw much more than she ever could hope to.
"As well as it could be expected to go, few of the Naibs tried to get in my way, but most of them owe me big debts and would not have dared to go against me," he said, and she shook her head.
"So, you have their support," she asked, jubilant at that achievement and he nodded.
"With some caveats, I do," he answered as he stared at her. Relief washed over her at his words, for she knew just how stubborn Fremen society was and though she had full belief in Inzal, she worried still. Yet she had not missed the rather glaring point.
"And what were those caveats?" she asked, as Inzal suddenly frowned, head snapping towards the skies.
"It is starting," he whispered, and she frowned when suddenly she saw the city shake as the ground beneath her shook.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Three massive explosions rocked the city, and then she saw the blue dome-like blanket covering it fall in front of her eyes as large ships and ornithopters began to flood the skies.
"Their shields are down," she gasped out as she recognised the symbols on the large frigates as sounds, shouts, alarms, and sirens filled the air, reaching even up to them.
"Harkonnens," she uttered with sheer disgust, for while she had no love for the Atreides, she held little except disgust for the accursed Harkonnens. She had seen first hand their atrocities, and cruelties, the sights she had seen in their prisons still often haunted her sleep.
"Not just Harkonnens, those ships carry on them the deadliest force of the Imperium. The proverbial dogs of the emperor," he added as she saw the attack commence.
"The Sardukar," she added, and though they had not faced this formidable enemy, from what she had heard from Inzal, they were a force of considerable strength and should not be underestimated.
"I will go and get the men ready," she added, and he shook his head, making her stop.
"Not yet," he added with a frown.
"Why?" she asked, perplexed by his words.
"They are attacking the Atreides. You said that we are allied with the Atreides. This is what we have been waiting for all this time," she asked, and he pointed towards the city.
"There is yet no signal," he added, and she realized his words.
"So, they have rejected our offer," she asked, surprised that the Atreides would choose extinction over joining hands with them.
"No, they will accept, but we will not jump in until the signal comes," he added and she nodded yet she still whistled and the men and women of their force jumped out off their hidden crevices and caves and began to assemble behind them both as they stood on that cave, nearly half of their full force including all the elites ready right behind them as the city went up in flames right infront of their eyes.
0000
INZAL KAZAB CORRINO
Inzal felt it when the last of the Harkonnen ships entered Arrakis's atmosphere, pushing the assault to its limits as the city burned in front of him.
Though he stood there impassively and without any worry, he was growing more and more worried by the second. The intensity of the attacks had been greater than his imagination, yet the more worrying aspect was the situation of the Duke and Lady Jessica.
He held little affection for the Atreides Duke, yet the man was a good ally. Ever since he had begun to run surveillance on the Duke, the man had not moved and was immobile. He had been right near the first explosion, and that worried him.
Add to that the fact that, despite it being nearly half an hour since the beginning of the attack, there was still no sign of the signal he had given to Lady Jessica, who, like the Duke, had been immobile ever since.
"Inzal, it has been enough time. Shouldn't we..."
"Not yet," he cut in as Shishakli backed off, and he continued to look on at the city infront as the clash between the Atreides and Harkonnen forces intensified. The Atreides had managed to form a line and were holding back the Harkonen forces, yet he knew that the stalemate would end as soon as the Saradukar joined the attack.
And then he felt it. He felt her move once more, and his heart began to thrum as he smirked and turned towards his men. Truthfully, there was not much to say; all of them had been briefed rather sharply over their respective duties and tasks by Shishakli and the other captains already.
"For years now, we have lived like rats on our land," he began as he attacked the transmitters to the mini-computer attached to his helmet.
"We have survived on scraps as we were hunted and killed just for the crime of living, made to watch as we were robbed of our treasures and our captors languished in luxury as we thirsted for water," he added as Shishakli came and stood by his side.
"Our captors would have us wait for a savior, keep us compliant with their so-called prophecies as they rob us of our very future! YET ALL THT CHANGES TODAY!" he shouted and saw the men and women perk up at those words.
"WE SHALL WAIT FOR NO MORE SAVIOR! WE HAVE SUFFERED ENOUGH! OUR FREEDOM! OUR FUTURES!" and he raised his fist into the air.
"WE SHALL TAKE IT WITH OUR OWN HANDS!"
"AYYYYYY!" the men roared with him as he felt it, the thrum as suddenly a blast happened, and a yellow hue spread all over the city and its skies and in an instant the city was plunged into a sea of darkness.
"OUR FUTURE BEGINS TODAY! TODAY WE TAKE OUR FIRST STEP INTO THIS ARDUOUS JOURNEY!" he began as he turned away from them and pushed up his mask, and with thought, the suspenders attached to his suit glew an ominous orange as he felt his body lighten up and took out his sword, and raised it in the air.
"SO SOLDEIRS! DEDEICATE YOUR HEARTS...."
He watched as the ships littering the skies above the city began to land, and the EMP pulse knocked out their primary power, forcing them to land at once.
And then, with the loudest voice he could muster, he brought down his blade and screamed.
"....AND CHARGEEE!"
0000
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Chapter 19-A Meeting of Reveneg!
Chapter 19
BARON VLADIMIR HARKONNEN
"The shields are down," remarked Pieter, and he smirked as he raised his hand.
"Then let the attack commence," and with his command, the end of House Atreides as they knew it began as ships began to descend one by one, taking to the Arrakeen skies as the assault on the city began.
He could see the progress of the attack from the various screens displayed right infront of him, and he saw panic and turmoil spread through the Atreides rank and file as their ships destroyed laid waste to their weapons giving them little time to regroup.
"Hahahaha," he laughed as he watched his men slaughter the Atreides men, and just as the Atreides regrouped the Saradukar joined the attack and broke them.
It was mayhem and the Atreides were being pushed back, their chain of command hampered by the explosions.
And then he felt his own frigate move as they entered teh Araakeen skies as well, hence completing their mobilization.
"It is time for me to leave now, Baron," Piter added as he gave him a bow.
"I want the Duke alive. Incapacitated but alive," he reminded his bloodthirsty, Spice-addicted Mentat.
"Only then you may claim the spoils as you wish. Do not disappoint me, Piter," he chided and his Mentat smiled cruelly.
"I will not fail you, my Baron," and with that, he left, leaving him alone with his servants to enjoy the doom of the Atreides.
They were putting up a fight, or at least trying to put up a fight, yet they were outnumbered and in disarray, and the less he said about the Saradukar's cruelty, the better.
Even looking at them slaughtering unit after unit of Atreides men as if they were but mad beasts made a shiver run down his spine, yet he laughed. Laughed as he saw the of Atreides drawing near with every passing second.
"AHahahaha," and then it happened.
BOOOM!
A massive explosion rocked the city behind him, and the lights of the room went off, as he fell down on the seat with a heavy thud.
"AGHH!" he grunted in pain, his legs too weak to carry his weight because of that damned Bene Gesserit curse.
"What is going on?" he questioned in a raspy tone as he pushed himself up.
The lights began to flicker on, and he felt his suspenser orb activate once more.
"I WANT ANSWERS!" he screamed, as a soldier entered the room and knelt
"My lord, whatever that was, it eradicated our primary generators. We are running on emergency power at the moment. We will have to make an emergency landing!" and he felt a shiver run down his spine.
This was not part of the plan.
What was going on.
Was this a doing of the Atreides? Had the Emperor betrayed them.
And then he saw one of the screens infront of him light up, making him frown as he found himself staring at an all too familiar figure.
"YOU!" he snarled in rage as a million thoughts ran through his head.
"Hello there, Baron!"
"KAZAABBB!"
0000
SHISHAKLI
The wind pushed back her hair, yet over the years she had learnt enough that for her to better use Inzal's little contraption it was better for her to keep her hair rather on the short side for better vision during their tyrists through the skies.
Though her short hair was doing her little good as she blurred through the city, pressurized gas guzzling from behind her in a neat stream as she followed the lead of Inzal, who tore through enemies as if cutting through butter.
His movements had been refined to perfection, his actions unhindered by the lack of light around them, for he did not need his eyes to see. Any enemies missed by him would soon enough fall to her blades as they sped through the city like demons, and the Atreides soldiers had been shocked at first, yet when they had continued to ignore them and attack only teh Harkonnen soldiers, they began to ignore them as they took this opportunity to regroup.
Explosions and screams filled the city as she tore through a couple of Harkonnen soldiers, her movements fast enough that no blood splattered on her clothes, as Inzal's voice rang out.
"There," he said as he pointed towards one of the top floors of the castle, and she immediately pulled on her hooks before redirecting, already knowing what this meant.
She did not miss how several Harkonnens soldiers were entering the keep through the massive hole in the wall, and she clicked her tongue hoping that they would not be too late.
Inzal seemed to have the same worries as herself as she felt him speed up, taking nearly a vertical path as he ran along the wall of the keep, right under the enemy soldiers who did not see him coming and were cut down in an instant as he jumped in the center of the group of three and spun around cutting their heads off.
"ARGH!" they screamed as their lifeless bodies were down, forcing her to avoid them as she whizzed past them and jumped into the castle itself.
There, she found Inzal standing over half a dozen enemy soldier corpses, his blade pinning two of them to the ground.
His eyes, though, were focused on the person standing infront of him, huffing and bleeding, grasping a dagger in one hand and glaring at Inzal.
"Hello there, cousin," Inzal spoke as he lowered his mask, and she saw the young ducal heir's eyes widen.
"You," he said, and it was only then she noticed the body of a person lying behind him, a person she immediately recognized to be the mother of the young duke as Inzal plucked out his blades and swung them to wipe off the blood from them.
WHIZZZ!
0000
INZAL KAZAB CORRINO
Inzal threw his blade behind him without a glance and felt the flicker of light he had felt earlier dissipate as the soldier tried to sneak behind himself, and Shishakli was killed in an instant.
"Huh," Shishakli's head whipped behind her, and she gasped as she saw the Harkonnen soldier behind her falling to his knees as Inzal pulled back his blade with a pull of his hand.
"Check her," he asked Shishakli. She walked past him and Paul, who eased up as he looked him in the eye.
"Cousin?" he confirmed, sounding a bit perplexed.
"Didn't Lady Jessica tell you?" he confirmed, sounding a bit hurt as he shook his head.
"We are related in more than one way," Inzal cleared up as he tapped the young Duke on the shoulder.
"She has been poisoned by a paralytic of sorts, but she is out of danger," Shishakli told him, much to his relief.
"Good," he said. Just then, the door opened as he had expected it to, and a familiar face, clad in full Atreides armor, walked in. He perked up immediately upon seeing Shishali and him, and seeing her close to Lady Jessica, he blurred towards her and swung his blade at her.
Yet Inzal was much faster and made to intercept, deflecting the punch so that Duncan Indaho found his sword embedded into the ground as Inzal blocked his punch.
"Calm down, Ser Duncan, I come in peace," he told him as he stared the most skilled warrior of the Atreides in the eye.
"Duncan!" Paul called out, and he felt the man ease up. Paul raised a hand.
"They are allies," he told the man whose eyes narrowed before he pulled himself back.
"My lord! We are under attack, the Harkonnens and the Saradukar are attacking and have somehow shut down all primary power..."
"Actually, that second part was our doing," Inzal cut in with a smile.
"That blast," Paul caught on as he took out teh broken EMP generator, he had given to Lady Jessica.
"You call yourself our allies, yet you sabotage us like that!" Duncan roared in rage.
"Ahh, but you see my dear knight, you are not the only one without power," Inzal elaborated as he stepped beyond the man, eyes perking up as he felt and heard men approach them.
"Paul, have the Atreides army move out of the city. My men are out there with ornithopters and other equipment ready to move you and your men to safety. Leave this city to me," he said as he glanced back at teh ducal heir, who had a conflicted look on his face.
"But this is our city...." he muttered as his fists balled up.
"...we cannot just abandon it...and I cannot make such a decision without my fathe..."
"Paul," he called out as he took out his blades.
"Trust me, if not for my actions, then for the fact that your mother did. I told you, didn't I? We are related in more than one way. That signal you used signaled the formation of an alliance between my people and House Atreides. I will not abandon you, your family, or your people," he assured the young ducal heir, who nodded after a second.
"But we need to find our father..."
"You do not need to worry about that," he said as the doors to the room slid open once more, and he found himself face to face with about a dozen Harkonnen soldiers, being led by a man he had sought to meet for a long time.
"You!" the man gasped, his thin, lean figure stilling as his gaze landed on him.
"Duke!" Duncan gasped as he saw the duke being carried by the Harkonnen soldiers, yet Inzal was not concerned with the Duke or the Harkonnen soldiers that had begun to surround him.
No, his gaze was locked onto the man infront of him. The man who was responsible for the death of Queen Anirul Corrino, his mother.
"Do you have any idea how long I have wished to meet you, Piter?" and his bloodlust must have seeped out, for he saw the Mentat still as he took out a pair of daggers from his belt and got into a stance.
"What are you doing here, Kazab? I thought we had no more quarrels!"
"Ohh, we have quite a quarrel, Piter de Vires. After all, you killed someone quite dear to me," Inzal said as he pushed up his mask.
"I have killed many a people. You will have to be more specific," he taunted.
"My mother..."Inzal answered sharply.
"...or as you would know her, the Queen Anirul Corrino."
He saw Duncan and Paul gasp at those words, and Piter de Vires' eyes widened in shock.
0000
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BARON VLADIMIR HARKONNEN
"The shields are down," remarked Pieter, and he smirked as he raised his hand.
"Then let the attack commence," and with his command, the end of House Atreides as they knew it began as ships began to descend one by one, taking to the Arrakeen skies as the assault on the city began.
He could see the progress of the attack from the various screens displayed right infront of him, and he saw panic and turmoil spread through the Atreides rank and file as their ships destroyed laid waste to their weapons giving them little time to regroup.
"Hahahaha," he laughed as he watched his men slaughter the Atreides men, and just as the Atreides regrouped the Saradukar joined the attack and broke them.
It was mayhem and the Atreides were being pushed back, their chain of command hampered by the explosions.
And then he felt his own frigate move as they entered teh Araakeen skies as well, hence completing their mobilization.
"It is time for me to leave now, Baron," Piter added as he gave him a bow.
"I want the Duke alive. Incapacitated but alive," he reminded his bloodthirsty, Spice-addicted Mentat.
"Only then you may claim the spoils as you wish. Do not disappoint me, Piter," he chided and his Mentat smiled cruelly.
"I will not fail you, my Baron," and with that, he left, leaving him alone with his servants to enjoy the doom of the Atreides.
They were putting up a fight, or at least trying to put up a fight, yet they were outnumbered and in disarray, and the less he said about the Saradukar's cruelty, the better.
Even looking at them slaughtering unit after unit of Atreides men as if they were but mad beasts made a shiver run down his spine, yet he laughed. Laughed as he saw the of Atreides drawing near with every passing second.
"AHahahaha," and then it happened.
BOOOM!
A massive explosion rocked the city behind him, and the lights of the room went off, as he fell down on the seat with a heavy thud.
"AGHH!" he grunted in pain, his legs too weak to carry his weight because of that damned Bene Gesserit curse.
"What is going on?" he questioned in a raspy tone as he pushed himself up.
The lights began to flicker on, and he felt his suspenser orb activate once more.
"I WANT ANSWERS!" he screamed, as a soldier entered the room and knelt
"My lord, whatever that was, it eradicated our primary generators. We are running on emergency power at the moment. We will have to make an emergency landing!" and he felt a shiver run down his spine.
This was not part of the plan.
What was going on.
Was this a doing of the Atreides? Had the Emperor betrayed them.
And then he saw one of the screens infront of him light up, making him frown as he found himself staring at an all too familiar figure.
"YOU!" he snarled in rage as a million thoughts ran through his head.
"Hello there, Baron!"
"KAZAABBB!"
0000
SHISHAKLI
The wind pushed back her hair, yet over the years she had learnt enough that for her to better use Inzal's little contraption it was better for her to keep her hair rather on the short side for better vision during their tyrists through the skies.
Though her short hair was doing her little good as she blurred through the city, pressurized gas guzzling from behind her in a neat stream as she followed the lead of Inzal, who tore through enemies as if cutting through butter.
His movements had been refined to perfection, his actions unhindered by the lack of light around them, for he did not need his eyes to see. Any enemies missed by him would soon enough fall to her blades as they sped through the city like demons, and the Atreides soldiers had been shocked at first, yet when they had continued to ignore them and attack only teh Harkonnen soldiers, they began to ignore them as they took this opportunity to regroup.
Explosions and screams filled the city as she tore through a couple of Harkonnen soldiers, her movements fast enough that no blood splattered on her clothes, as Inzal's voice rang out.
"There," he said as he pointed towards one of the top floors of the castle, and she immediately pulled on her hooks before redirecting, already knowing what this meant.
She did not miss how several Harkonnens soldiers were entering the keep through the massive hole in the wall, and she clicked her tongue hoping that they would not be too late.
Inzal seemed to have the same worries as herself as she felt him speed up, taking nearly a vertical path as he ran along the wall of the keep, right under the enemy soldiers who did not see him coming and were cut down in an instant as he jumped in the center of the group of three and spun around cutting their heads off.
"ARGH!" they screamed as their lifeless bodies were down, forcing her to avoid them as she whizzed past them and jumped into the castle itself.
There, she found Inzal standing over half a dozen enemy soldier corpses, his blade pinning two of them to the ground.
His eyes, though, were focused on the person standing infront of him, huffing and bleeding, grasping a dagger in one hand and glaring at Inzal.
"Hello there, cousin," Inzal spoke as he lowered his mask, and she saw the young ducal heir's eyes widen.
"You," he said, and it was only then she noticed the body of a person lying behind him, a person she immediately recognized to be the mother of the young duke as Inzal plucked out his blades and swung them to wipe off the blood from them.
WHIZZZ!
0000
INZAL KAZAB CORRINO
Inzal threw his blade behind him without a glance and felt the flicker of light he had felt earlier dissipate as the soldier tried to sneak behind himself, and Shishakli was killed in an instant.
"Huh," Shishakli's head whipped behind her, and she gasped as she saw the Harkonnen soldier behind her falling to his knees as Inzal pulled back his blade with a pull of his hand.
"Check her," he asked Shishakli. She walked past him and Paul, who eased up as he looked him in the eye.
"Cousin?" he confirmed, sounding a bit perplexed.
"Didn't Lady Jessica tell you?" he confirmed, sounding a bit hurt as he shook his head.
"We are related in more than one way," Inzal cleared up as he tapped the young Duke on the shoulder.
"She has been poisoned by a paralytic of sorts, but she is out of danger," Shishakli told him, much to his relief.
"Good," he said. Just then, the door opened as he had expected it to, and a familiar face, clad in full Atreides armor, walked in. He perked up immediately upon seeing Shishali and him, and seeing her close to Lady Jessica, he blurred towards her and swung his blade at her.
Yet Inzal was much faster and made to intercept, deflecting the punch so that Duncan Indaho found his sword embedded into the ground as Inzal blocked his punch.
"Calm down, Ser Duncan, I come in peace," he told him as he stared the most skilled warrior of the Atreides in the eye.
"Duncan!" Paul called out, and he felt the man ease up. Paul raised a hand.
"They are allies," he told the man whose eyes narrowed before he pulled himself back.
"My lord! We are under attack, the Harkonnens and the Saradukar are attacking and have somehow shut down all primary power..."
"Actually, that second part was our doing," Inzal cut in with a smile.
"That blast," Paul caught on as he took out teh broken EMP generator, he had given to Lady Jessica.
"You call yourself our allies, yet you sabotage us like that!" Duncan roared in rage.
"Ahh, but you see my dear knight, you are not the only one without power," Inzal elaborated as he stepped beyond the man, eyes perking up as he felt and heard men approach them.
"Paul, have the Atreides army move out of the city. My men are out there with ornithopters and other equipment ready to move you and your men to safety. Leave this city to me," he said as he glanced back at teh ducal heir, who had a conflicted look on his face.
"But this is our city...." he muttered as his fists balled up.
"...we cannot just abandon it...and I cannot make such a decision without my fathe..."
"Paul," he called out as he took out his blades.
"Trust me, if not for my actions, then for the fact that your mother did. I told you, didn't I? We are related in more than one way. That signal you used signaled the formation of an alliance between my people and House Atreides. I will not abandon you, your family, or your people," he assured the young ducal heir, who nodded after a second.
"But we need to find our father..."
"You do not need to worry about that," he said as the doors to the room slid open once more, and he found himself face to face with about a dozen Harkonnen soldiers, being led by a man he had sought to meet for a long time.
"You!" the man gasped, his thin, lean figure stilling as his gaze landed on him.
"Duke!" Duncan gasped as he saw the duke being carried by the Harkonnen soldiers, yet Inzal was not concerned with the Duke or the Harkonnen soldiers that had begun to surround him.
No, his gaze was locked onto the man infront of him. The man who was responsible for the death of Queen Anirul Corrino, his mother.
"Do you have any idea how long I have wished to meet you, Piter?" and his bloodlust must have seeped out, for he saw the Mentat still as he took out a pair of daggers from his belt and got into a stance.
"What are you doing here, Kazab? I thought we had no more quarrels!"
"Ohh, we have quite a quarrel, Piter de Vires. After all, you killed someone quite dear to me," Inzal said as he pushed up his mask.
"I have killed many a people. You will have to be more specific," he taunted.
"My mother..."Inzal answered sharply.
"...or as you would know her, the Queen Anirul Corrino."
He saw Duncan and Paul gasp at those words, and Piter de Vires' eyes widened in shock.
0000
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- Location
- PR
Plot twist!!!! Was not expecting this scene at all.
Wow. I was actually expecting him to use the opportunity to kill the Duke Harkonnen.
His nephews would end up fighting each other for the Duke position and bungle any plans or deals with the Emperor thus ruining any other current and future plans.
Wow. I was actually expecting him to use the opportunity to kill the Duke Harkonnen.
His nephews would end up fighting each other for the Duke position and bungle any plans or deals with the Emperor thus ruining any other current and future plans.
Chapter 20-A Son's Revenge!
Chapter 20
PITER D'VIRES
Kazab was an enemy unlike any faced by the Baron, and as his Mentat, it came to him to either dispose of or protect the Baron against such enemies. A task in which he had failed.
The Baron had suspected the infamous freedom fighter to be an agent of the Padishah Emperor, one set to discredit the House Atreides. He had wished to leverage that by denying the Emperor a chance to chastise the Atreides, trying to force his hand into a full blown attack.
Yet that did not mean. He did not wish the threat of the so-called freedom fighter neutralized, a task which had proven itself to be more difficult than they had imagined. The strange contraption used by him had allowed Kazab to fly through their cities at speeds unimaginable, and in the desert he walked into and through thick and heavy storms as if they meant nothing to him.
They had thought him to be a very well-trained Saradukar, one of the elites specifically trained for this mission.
Yet it seems they had been wrong.
"You lie," he replied coldly, even as he took out his daggers, his mind refusing to believe the wild statement of the enemy that had alluded him to this day.
"Ohh, but it is not Piter," he replied, and though, unlike the Bene Gesserit, Mentats had little affinity to probe out the truth, he was beginning to realize that his words might not be false.
And if they were true, then many things would come into question.
"Then why would your mother..." suddenly, it clicked as his eyes landed on Lady Jessica, and he wet his lips.
"Ohhh, so that is what it is," he realized that this probably had something to do with their rather secretive sisterhood, and he smiled as he imagined what the Baron would make out of this information.
"Truth or not, it seems I must deliver you the Baron alive," he replied as he spun his daggers in his hand and ordered the men to surround him.
"The future is about to become very exciting," he said as the men surrounded him and raised their guns.
"I thought you were going to take me alive," Kazab teased as he pulled up his mask. Finally, he realized that his eyes were not the deep green they had always thought them to be. No, they were blue, a bright blue. His hair was different as well, a striking silvery or whitish color that quite matched the colorings of the Royal House.
"I just need your mouth, I could easily make do with an absent limb or two," and with that his eyes tightened.
"Atta..." but before the words had truly left his mouth, he saw Inzal blur from his position and it was only through sheer instincts that he raised his dagger enough to block the blade coming for his neck.
CHINK!
Metal slides on metal as that damned Duncan Idaho slew two of the men, but he had little time to focus on him as he felt pain ripple through him and saw his other blade piercing his side.
He tried to cut his head, yet he lowered himself even as other soldiers descended upon him, and Piter reached for his sword, trying to pin him down. But he he saw him click and felt the weight behind his blade disappear as he jumped up.
"It is over, Piter," and with that, he suddenly spun as he came crashing down again. The heads of the other soldiers were cut clean off, and he felt a blade pierce through him as he felt his arms grow weak and limp.
"GUGHH!" he vomited out blood as his daggers fell to the ground, and his body fell to the ground as Kazab stood over him, looking down at him imperiously with those blue orbs of his.
"Do not worry, though," Kazab spoke as he heard the other soldiers die, and he felt the Baron's plan unravel in front of him.
"Your Baron shall be joining you soon enough," and with that, Kazab raised his foot and brought it down as Piter's vision became dark.
0000
INZAL KAZAB CORRINO
Inzal was not fond of letting himself become emotional. The constant abuse of his powers and the sheer amount of responsibility resting on his shoulders meant that he had to make cold, hard decisions at a moment's notice.
Yet as he stared at the crushed head of Piter de Vires, a small sense of elation and relief ran through him at having completed his revenge. His feelings about his mother were complicated. Anirul Corrino had done little for him, yet he could not deny that she and Lady Jessica were the reason he was alive to this day. Lackluster they may be, but their actions had given him a life.
And for that, he held a soft corner for them.
And so, years ago, when in a Spice trance, he had felt his mother's signature vanish from the galaxy, a pang of sadness rippled through him. Her own consciousness buried deep in the sea of consciousnesses in his mind had riled up at that, emerging as nothing more than a small whisper.
'I am sorry.'
And on that day, he vowed to exact his revenge, and now, it was half complete.
He took out a small transmitter probe from his pocket and let it fly as he turned toward the others in the room.
"Shishakli, you know what to do next," he ordered, and he nodded.
"I will be," and he could see Paul and Duncan looking at him with a thousand questions.
"You are the Emperor's son," Paul gasped out as he stepped back.
"I am," he answered. There was no need to lie anymore.
"How?" Duncan Idaho gasped out, surprised by the revelation," and his gaze landed on Lady Jessica's limp form as he felt the transmitter's signal connect with all receivers in the area.
"She will be able to answer all your questions. But you need to get you and your men out of here. I have my men waiting for you in the desert. Leave the city discreetly. Shishakli shall lead you," he ordered, and after some hesitation, the young ducal heir nodded.
Inzal saw the transmitter's light turn green, and he turned to face the camera and looked straight into it. Just like that, he closed his eyes as he sighed, and then, with the practise of years, pushed his powers to the limits as he felt the fruit of his labor over the past two years show.
Across Arrakis, thousands upon thousands of little pods rose into the skies. Pods that had been placed by him and Shishakli with painstaking effort would formulate the last part of his elaborate plan.
He felt them power up, as each pod began to connect with the other, and he saw a countdown begin to flash over his screen.
~60 seconds~
He could keep the Baron entertained for that long, and so fighting through the pain, he opened his eyes and smiled into the camera which was now transmitting to all screens on the Baron's big ship.
"Hello there, Baron." And he could feel the man's rage even with no screen.
"I believe it is time we had a little heart-to-heart after all. I have just kinda destroyed your plan of eradicating the Atreides." With that, the drone's camera moved as it focused on the bloody remains of the Harkonen soldiers around him before focusing on the most important body.
The body of his Mentat.
0000
BARON VLADIMIR HARKONNEN
The baron felt his whole plan collapse the moment he laid his eyes on the bloody remains of his Mentat, a mental tasked with recovering the body of the Duke.
He had made a miscalculation along the way at some point, a miscalculation that had cost him everything. This plan, one which he had spent years making was going up in smoke infront of his eyes.
He recognized the training room inside the castle.
And turned to one of his servants.
"Have a message sent to our men. Have them converge on the training room inside the castle. Kazab is there!" he ordered.
"Baron, the transmission.."
"MAKE IT HAPPEN!" he shouted as that damned Kazab continued.
"But do not worry so much, Baron. You will soon be joining your precious Mentat," Kazab continued, and for the first time, he noticed that his hair and eyes were different.
His eyes, as he had expected, were a bright blue, gleaming in the dark, though what was most striking was his hair. Even while covered with Harkonnen's blood, he could make out the silver looks drenched in caked blood.
"...Corrino..." he gasped out as he felt a shiver run down his spine. He felt that the man could stare at him and look at him through the camera.
"Get the ship in the sky!" he ordered.
"But Lord Baron the engines are down, we...."
"I said get it flying!" he screamed as he threw the food tray at the servant, and it cut into his head, and he fell down as blood burst from his head.
"GET IT FLYING!"
"And if you are thinking of getting away, then I am afraid we might have a little problem...." the man cut in, and Baron felt dread grasp his heart as he saw that man smile.
With that, he saw him click a finger and frowned, yet suddenly he heard an electric buzzing sound and looked out the window to his side as he saw a blue sphere form around up in the skies.
And he recognized it to be a shield. Yet from what he could see, it had ended as it continued to envelop the Arrakis skies.
"...because that is no longer an option." That damned cretin continued as Baron felt fear entrench him, as sweat dripped down his face.
"I am coming for you, Baron. I am coming..." With a small laugh, he disappeared from the screens, leaving behind a sweating and perplexed Baron.
0000
As the transmission shut down, Inzal felt his senses pick up all of the enemy forces converging toward his location. He stepped forward and looked at the swarm of enemies surrounding the building.
He put up his mask and cloak before reaching for a button on his computer.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Explosions once more rocked the city, this time destroying what little secondary power stations there were. Others basked the area around the building into a thick black smoke as screams of soldiers filled the air.
He closed his eyes as he stepped forward and let the gravity take his body.
"Let us end this!"
For in this darkness, where eyes were blind, he saw more than anyone else.
0000
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PITER D'VIRES
Kazab was an enemy unlike any faced by the Baron, and as his Mentat, it came to him to either dispose of or protect the Baron against such enemies. A task in which he had failed.
The Baron had suspected the infamous freedom fighter to be an agent of the Padishah Emperor, one set to discredit the House Atreides. He had wished to leverage that by denying the Emperor a chance to chastise the Atreides, trying to force his hand into a full blown attack.
Yet that did not mean. He did not wish the threat of the so-called freedom fighter neutralized, a task which had proven itself to be more difficult than they had imagined. The strange contraption used by him had allowed Kazab to fly through their cities at speeds unimaginable, and in the desert he walked into and through thick and heavy storms as if they meant nothing to him.
They had thought him to be a very well-trained Saradukar, one of the elites specifically trained for this mission.
Yet it seems they had been wrong.
"You lie," he replied coldly, even as he took out his daggers, his mind refusing to believe the wild statement of the enemy that had alluded him to this day.
"Ohh, but it is not Piter," he replied, and though, unlike the Bene Gesserit, Mentats had little affinity to probe out the truth, he was beginning to realize that his words might not be false.
And if they were true, then many things would come into question.
"Then why would your mother..." suddenly, it clicked as his eyes landed on Lady Jessica, and he wet his lips.
"Ohhh, so that is what it is," he realized that this probably had something to do with their rather secretive sisterhood, and he smiled as he imagined what the Baron would make out of this information.
"Truth or not, it seems I must deliver you the Baron alive," he replied as he spun his daggers in his hand and ordered the men to surround him.
"The future is about to become very exciting," he said as the men surrounded him and raised their guns.
"I thought you were going to take me alive," Kazab teased as he pulled up his mask. Finally, he realized that his eyes were not the deep green they had always thought them to be. No, they were blue, a bright blue. His hair was different as well, a striking silvery or whitish color that quite matched the colorings of the Royal House.
"I just need your mouth, I could easily make do with an absent limb or two," and with that his eyes tightened.
"Atta..." but before the words had truly left his mouth, he saw Inzal blur from his position and it was only through sheer instincts that he raised his dagger enough to block the blade coming for his neck.
CHINK!
Metal slides on metal as that damned Duncan Idaho slew two of the men, but he had little time to focus on him as he felt pain ripple through him and saw his other blade piercing his side.
He tried to cut his head, yet he lowered himself even as other soldiers descended upon him, and Piter reached for his sword, trying to pin him down. But he he saw him click and felt the weight behind his blade disappear as he jumped up.
"It is over, Piter," and with that, he suddenly spun as he came crashing down again. The heads of the other soldiers were cut clean off, and he felt a blade pierce through him as he felt his arms grow weak and limp.
"GUGHH!" he vomited out blood as his daggers fell to the ground, and his body fell to the ground as Kazab stood over him, looking down at him imperiously with those blue orbs of his.
"Do not worry, though," Kazab spoke as he heard the other soldiers die, and he felt the Baron's plan unravel in front of him.
"Your Baron shall be joining you soon enough," and with that, Kazab raised his foot and brought it down as Piter's vision became dark.
0000
INZAL KAZAB CORRINO
Inzal was not fond of letting himself become emotional. The constant abuse of his powers and the sheer amount of responsibility resting on his shoulders meant that he had to make cold, hard decisions at a moment's notice.
Yet as he stared at the crushed head of Piter de Vires, a small sense of elation and relief ran through him at having completed his revenge. His feelings about his mother were complicated. Anirul Corrino had done little for him, yet he could not deny that she and Lady Jessica were the reason he was alive to this day. Lackluster they may be, but their actions had given him a life.
And for that, he held a soft corner for them.
And so, years ago, when in a Spice trance, he had felt his mother's signature vanish from the galaxy, a pang of sadness rippled through him. Her own consciousness buried deep in the sea of consciousnesses in his mind had riled up at that, emerging as nothing more than a small whisper.
'I am sorry.'
And on that day, he vowed to exact his revenge, and now, it was half complete.
He took out a small transmitter probe from his pocket and let it fly as he turned toward the others in the room.
"Shishakli, you know what to do next," he ordered, and he nodded.
"I will be," and he could see Paul and Duncan looking at him with a thousand questions.
"You are the Emperor's son," Paul gasped out as he stepped back.
"I am," he answered. There was no need to lie anymore.
"How?" Duncan Idaho gasped out, surprised by the revelation," and his gaze landed on Lady Jessica's limp form as he felt the transmitter's signal connect with all receivers in the area.
"She will be able to answer all your questions. But you need to get you and your men out of here. I have my men waiting for you in the desert. Leave the city discreetly. Shishakli shall lead you," he ordered, and after some hesitation, the young ducal heir nodded.
Inzal saw the transmitter's light turn green, and he turned to face the camera and looked straight into it. Just like that, he closed his eyes as he sighed, and then, with the practise of years, pushed his powers to the limits as he felt the fruit of his labor over the past two years show.
Across Arrakis, thousands upon thousands of little pods rose into the skies. Pods that had been placed by him and Shishakli with painstaking effort would formulate the last part of his elaborate plan.
He felt them power up, as each pod began to connect with the other, and he saw a countdown begin to flash over his screen.
~60 seconds~
He could keep the Baron entertained for that long, and so fighting through the pain, he opened his eyes and smiled into the camera which was now transmitting to all screens on the Baron's big ship.
"Hello there, Baron." And he could feel the man's rage even with no screen.
"I believe it is time we had a little heart-to-heart after all. I have just kinda destroyed your plan of eradicating the Atreides." With that, the drone's camera moved as it focused on the bloody remains of the Harkonen soldiers around him before focusing on the most important body.
The body of his Mentat.
0000
BARON VLADIMIR HARKONNEN
The baron felt his whole plan collapse the moment he laid his eyes on the bloody remains of his Mentat, a mental tasked with recovering the body of the Duke.
He had made a miscalculation along the way at some point, a miscalculation that had cost him everything. This plan, one which he had spent years making was going up in smoke infront of his eyes.
He recognized the training room inside the castle.
And turned to one of his servants.
"Have a message sent to our men. Have them converge on the training room inside the castle. Kazab is there!" he ordered.
"Baron, the transmission.."
"MAKE IT HAPPEN!" he shouted as that damned Kazab continued.
"But do not worry so much, Baron. You will soon be joining your precious Mentat," Kazab continued, and for the first time, he noticed that his hair and eyes were different.
His eyes, as he had expected, were a bright blue, gleaming in the dark, though what was most striking was his hair. Even while covered with Harkonnen's blood, he could make out the silver looks drenched in caked blood.
"...Corrino..." he gasped out as he felt a shiver run down his spine. He felt that the man could stare at him and look at him through the camera.
"Get the ship in the sky!" he ordered.
"But Lord Baron the engines are down, we...."
"I said get it flying!" he screamed as he threw the food tray at the servant, and it cut into his head, and he fell down as blood burst from his head.
"GET IT FLYING!"
"And if you are thinking of getting away, then I am afraid we might have a little problem...." the man cut in, and Baron felt dread grasp his heart as he saw that man smile.
With that, he saw him click a finger and frowned, yet suddenly he heard an electric buzzing sound and looked out the window to his side as he saw a blue sphere form around up in the skies.
And he recognized it to be a shield. Yet from what he could see, it had ended as it continued to envelop the Arrakis skies.
"...because that is no longer an option." That damned cretin continued as Baron felt fear entrench him, as sweat dripped down his face.
"I am coming for you, Baron. I am coming..." With a small laugh, he disappeared from the screens, leaving behind a sweating and perplexed Baron.
0000
As the transmission shut down, Inzal felt his senses pick up all of the enemy forces converging toward his location. He stepped forward and looked at the swarm of enemies surrounding the building.
He put up his mask and cloak before reaching for a button on his computer.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Explosions once more rocked the city, this time destroying what little secondary power stations there were. Others basked the area around the building into a thick black smoke as screams of soldiers filled the air.
He closed his eyes as he stepped forward and let the gravity take his body.
"Let us end this!"
For in this darkness, where eyes were blind, he saw more than anyone else.
0000
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Chapter 21-The Night of Death!
Chapter 21
PAUL ATREIDES
Paul Atreides watched a storm of Fremen flying over the city, which was now basked in absolute darkness. He could hear men screaming and fighting, and he hoped that his last message to the Atreides men had gotten through to them before the city had been plunged into absolute darkness.
"Why have you destroyed the city's electrical grid?" Paul questioned as the Fremen woman led them out of the city.
"Because unlike the Harkonen and the Saradukar, we do not need the light to see," and her cryptic words when they suddenly landed on the ground, and he was surprised as he saw a whole squadron of Fremen standing there, fighting what seemed to be Harkonen men.
She led them towards the back of the group before halting in front of a group of five holding a flag.
"We have the Duke and his family with us. The Duke and Lady Jessica are injured and need medical attention. Take them out to the bunker and have them treated, and begin our own evacuations," she said, and with a nod, a group of Fremen rushed towards Duncan, who had refused to leave his father's side.
And with his nod, he followed the Fremen into what seemed like Desert jeeps as fighting ensued all around them.
"You come with me," and he was surprised by that voice for how familiar it had seemed.
And then he was pushed inside a jeep-like thing as the Fremen soldier entered the seat beside him, and his guess had been right. She was indeed a girl, a very familiar girl, for when she pulled down her mask and showed him her face.
A face that he had seen many times in his dreams.
"Sihaya," he gasped out, words slipping out of his mouth, the name he had used for her in his dreams, and the words felt so familiar to him. She perked up at that, her blue eyes darting towards him with a frown before she turned away once more.
"Go," she ordered, and the driver began to drive off. As they pulled out of the city, beside him, he could see Atreides men and women, along with the other city dwellers, being evacuated.
"I thought all the electronics had stopped working," he asked.
"Not all," she confirmed before she turned to face him.
"And this is not electronic. It's a combustion engine vehicle," and they rode through the sand dunes.
"And what of the Sandworms?" he asked worriedly and saw the girl raise a brow.
"You are quite knowledgeable about the sandworms," she said, and he shrugged, the tension fading away from him as he felt him and his family escape the attack and rush towards safety.
"The sandworms usually say away from the city, and the distance we are to cover with this is not that much. But we still have taken precautions against them," she replied. He watched as she pointed towards the sky, and he watched two ships take to the skies.
And suddenly, they came to a halt infront of what seemed to be a rocky mountain, and she nodded as she jumped out, prompting him to do the same.
"Get out," she said, and as he did, his eyes landed on the other car, the one with his mother and father.
"Mother," he rushed towards her as he saw her awake and conscious, trying to stand up as a Fremen soldier wanted to support her.
"Paul!" she gasped out as he wrapped his arms around her and felt relief run through him.
"Thank god, thank god," she gasped as they separated, and she gently caressed his face.
0000
CHANI KYNES
Chani watched as one of the two cities of Arrakis was basked in a thick black cloud, as mass evacuation for the city dwellers and the Atreides men was carried out.
Besides, a dozen or so jeeps and other small aircraft continued to evacuate men, women, and children. A slew of soldiers continued to fly through the skies, using the ships as anchors to carry whomever they could.
The ducal heir was hugging his mother, and suddenly, she saw the blonde woman's eyes land on the body of her husband. The duke was heavily injured, yet from what she could make out, he would make it.
"Leto! Leto!" the woman gasped as she tried to rush towards him. However, she was not steady enough and was about to stumble to the ground when Chani held her by the shoulder and stopped her from hitting the ground.
"Calm down," she said as she helped her to her feet.
"The Duke will be fine. He is being taken to our best healers," she told her, looking towards the men who were carrying him away.
"Take him to the healers. Tell them to heal him no matter the cost. Inzal has authorized the use of his own water for him and all the Atreides injured," she informed him and saw the man nod.
"It will be done," and the Duke's concubine, Lady Jessica, seemed to understand the significance behind that, of just what Inzal was sacrificing for House Atreides and its men.
"Take her with you. She is injured as well," she said as another Fremen woman rushed towards and supported the woman, who gave her a nod as she followed behind the Duke's body.
The Ducal heir, on the other hand, was watching the city with a curious gaze.
"What is going on there?" he asked as he pointed towards the city.
"Death," she told him, knowing that he would learn of it sooner or later, and he looked towards her with a frown.
"When the Sun rises tomorrow, that city will be nothing more than a Harkonen and Saradukar grave," she told him, knowing that Inzal.
"How?" he gasped out.
Then she watched as a blue bubble erupted in the sky and began to envelop the sky, and immediately, she felt a wave of elation pass through the Fremen as a loud cheer erupted and spread across the clearing.
"YEAHHHHHH!" "VICTORRRRRY!
"FREEEDOM!" "KAZAAAAAAAAAB!"
"What was that?" the ducal heir asked with a frown. She looked towards him and replied honestly.
"The sign of our victory, she told him. A planet-wide shield that will stop any movement inside and outside from Arrakis without our explicit permission," she told him. She saw him frown as he looked at the shield.
"But I thought it was impossible..." he gasped out, and that was the massive belief.
"...because of the frequent storms."
"Inzal Kazab has a habit of doing the impossible.
And suddenly, she recalled something from earlier and turned to face him.
"Earlier in the jeep," she began as she tapped him on the shoulder.
"...you called me something. What did you say?" she asked, again to confirm whether she had heard right or not.
And the ducal heir turned red and shook his head.
"It was nothing..."
"Really?" she questioned again, and he nodded.
"Yeah, I was just surprised," he said, and though she did not believe him, she let it go as she saw the jeeps coming to a halt.
And then a familiar face landed infront of her, along with a dozen or so other soldiers.
"Shishakli," she rushed towards her old friend and hugged her. Their dream from their childhood was so near.
"Chani," she greeted her, wrapping her arms around her and burying her head in the crook of her neck.
"We did it. We did it," she celebrated, and Shishakli nodded as she glanced back at the city.
"Yes, we did," yet she did not miss the worry on her face.
"The evacuations are complete, Commander Shishakli. What are our next orders," Jamis, another ex-member of Sietch Tabr, questioned.
Her friend separated from her, the worry gone from her face as she looked at the gathered soldiers.
"We provide the city dwellers and the Atreides shelter for today. Provisions have already been prepared, and we will use the water we extracted from the city earlier and establish a perimeter around the city," she said.
"All those who try to flee, kill them," she ordered.
"Yes, commander," and with that, they left, leaving her alone with her friend again, whose neutral expression broke once again as she looked at the smoke-covered city with worry once again.
"You are worried about him," she asked and nodded.
"I begged him to let me accompany him on this, yet he did not let me. He is surrounded by the best of our men, yet still, anything can happen," Shishakli said worriedly.
"The 'Ajniha' will die before they let anything happen to him," she assured her, knowing just how vigorously the elite of Inzal's men followed him. They would all kill themselves at his word; that was the level of their devotion and loyalty.
She knew that to be true for her friend as well.
"You must believe in him," she said.
"I do, yet that does not mean I cannot worry about him," Shishakli added.
"I know," and with that, they stood there as hours passed, away from the city.
Hours passed, and the sky turned dark. Then, the darkness broke as the Sun erupted from the East, breaking the cloud of darkness. As soon as her friend saw that, she could wait no longer as she pulled up her mask.
"I am going in."
0000
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PAUL ATREIDES
Paul Atreides watched a storm of Fremen flying over the city, which was now basked in absolute darkness. He could hear men screaming and fighting, and he hoped that his last message to the Atreides men had gotten through to them before the city had been plunged into absolute darkness.
"Why have you destroyed the city's electrical grid?" Paul questioned as the Fremen woman led them out of the city.
"Because unlike the Harkonen and the Saradukar, we do not need the light to see," and her cryptic words when they suddenly landed on the ground, and he was surprised as he saw a whole squadron of Fremen standing there, fighting what seemed to be Harkonen men.
She led them towards the back of the group before halting in front of a group of five holding a flag.
"We have the Duke and his family with us. The Duke and Lady Jessica are injured and need medical attention. Take them out to the bunker and have them treated, and begin our own evacuations," she said, and with a nod, a group of Fremen rushed towards Duncan, who had refused to leave his father's side.
And with his nod, he followed the Fremen into what seemed like Desert jeeps as fighting ensued all around them.
"You come with me," and he was surprised by that voice for how familiar it had seemed.
And then he was pushed inside a jeep-like thing as the Fremen soldier entered the seat beside him, and his guess had been right. She was indeed a girl, a very familiar girl, for when she pulled down her mask and showed him her face.
A face that he had seen many times in his dreams.
"Sihaya," he gasped out, words slipping out of his mouth, the name he had used for her in his dreams, and the words felt so familiar to him. She perked up at that, her blue eyes darting towards him with a frown before she turned away once more.
"Go," she ordered, and the driver began to drive off. As they pulled out of the city, beside him, he could see Atreides men and women, along with the other city dwellers, being evacuated.
"I thought all the electronics had stopped working," he asked.
"Not all," she confirmed before she turned to face him.
"And this is not electronic. It's a combustion engine vehicle," and they rode through the sand dunes.
"And what of the Sandworms?" he asked worriedly and saw the girl raise a brow.
"You are quite knowledgeable about the sandworms," she said, and he shrugged, the tension fading away from him as he felt him and his family escape the attack and rush towards safety.
"The sandworms usually say away from the city, and the distance we are to cover with this is not that much. But we still have taken precautions against them," she replied. He watched as she pointed towards the sky, and he watched two ships take to the skies.
And suddenly, they came to a halt infront of what seemed to be a rocky mountain, and she nodded as she jumped out, prompting him to do the same.
"Get out," she said, and as he did, his eyes landed on the other car, the one with his mother and father.
"Mother," he rushed towards her as he saw her awake and conscious, trying to stand up as a Fremen soldier wanted to support her.
"Paul!" she gasped out as he wrapped his arms around her and felt relief run through him.
"Thank god, thank god," she gasped as they separated, and she gently caressed his face.
0000
CHANI KYNES
Chani watched as one of the two cities of Arrakis was basked in a thick black cloud, as mass evacuation for the city dwellers and the Atreides men was carried out.
Besides, a dozen or so jeeps and other small aircraft continued to evacuate men, women, and children. A slew of soldiers continued to fly through the skies, using the ships as anchors to carry whomever they could.
The ducal heir was hugging his mother, and suddenly, she saw the blonde woman's eyes land on the body of her husband. The duke was heavily injured, yet from what she could make out, he would make it.
"Leto! Leto!" the woman gasped as she tried to rush towards him. However, she was not steady enough and was about to stumble to the ground when Chani held her by the shoulder and stopped her from hitting the ground.
"Calm down," she said as she helped her to her feet.
"The Duke will be fine. He is being taken to our best healers," she told her, looking towards the men who were carrying him away.
"Take him to the healers. Tell them to heal him no matter the cost. Inzal has authorized the use of his own water for him and all the Atreides injured," she informed him and saw the man nod.
"It will be done," and the Duke's concubine, Lady Jessica, seemed to understand the significance behind that, of just what Inzal was sacrificing for House Atreides and its men.
"Take her with you. She is injured as well," she said as another Fremen woman rushed towards and supported the woman, who gave her a nod as she followed behind the Duke's body.
The Ducal heir, on the other hand, was watching the city with a curious gaze.
"What is going on there?" he asked as he pointed towards the city.
"Death," she told him, knowing that he would learn of it sooner or later, and he looked towards her with a frown.
"When the Sun rises tomorrow, that city will be nothing more than a Harkonen and Saradukar grave," she told him, knowing that Inzal.
"How?" he gasped out.
Then she watched as a blue bubble erupted in the sky and began to envelop the sky, and immediately, she felt a wave of elation pass through the Fremen as a loud cheer erupted and spread across the clearing.
"YEAHHHHHH!" "VICTORRRRRY!
"FREEEDOM!" "KAZAAAAAAAAAB!"
"What was that?" the ducal heir asked with a frown. She looked towards him and replied honestly.
"The sign of our victory, she told him. A planet-wide shield that will stop any movement inside and outside from Arrakis without our explicit permission," she told him. She saw him frown as he looked at the shield.
"But I thought it was impossible..." he gasped out, and that was the massive belief.
"...because of the frequent storms."
"Inzal Kazab has a habit of doing the impossible.
And suddenly, she recalled something from earlier and turned to face him.
"Earlier in the jeep," she began as she tapped him on the shoulder.
"...you called me something. What did you say?" she asked, again to confirm whether she had heard right or not.
And the ducal heir turned red and shook his head.
"It was nothing..."
"Really?" she questioned again, and he nodded.
"Yeah, I was just surprised," he said, and though she did not believe him, she let it go as she saw the jeeps coming to a halt.
And then a familiar face landed infront of her, along with a dozen or so other soldiers.
"Shishakli," she rushed towards her old friend and hugged her. Their dream from their childhood was so near.
"Chani," she greeted her, wrapping her arms around her and burying her head in the crook of her neck.
"We did it. We did it," she celebrated, and Shishakli nodded as she glanced back at the city.
"Yes, we did," yet she did not miss the worry on her face.
"The evacuations are complete, Commander Shishakli. What are our next orders," Jamis, another ex-member of Sietch Tabr, questioned.
Her friend separated from her, the worry gone from her face as she looked at the gathered soldiers.
"We provide the city dwellers and the Atreides shelter for today. Provisions have already been prepared, and we will use the water we extracted from the city earlier and establish a perimeter around the city," she said.
"All those who try to flee, kill them," she ordered.
"Yes, commander," and with that, they left, leaving her alone with her friend again, whose neutral expression broke once again as she looked at the smoke-covered city with worry once again.
"You are worried about him," she asked and nodded.
"I begged him to let me accompany him on this, yet he did not let me. He is surrounded by the best of our men, yet still, anything can happen," Shishakli said worriedly.
"The 'Ajniha' will die before they let anything happen to him," she assured her, knowing just how vigorously the elite of Inzal's men followed him. They would all kill themselves at his word; that was the level of their devotion and loyalty.
She knew that to be true for her friend as well.
"You must believe in him," she said.
"I do, yet that does not mean I cannot worry about him," Shishakli added.
"I know," and with that, they stood there as hours passed, away from the city.
Hours passed, and the sky turned dark. Then, the darkness broke as the Sun erupted from the East, breaking the cloud of darkness. As soon as her friend saw that, she could wait no longer as she pulled up her mask.
"I am going in."
0000
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Chapter 22-The Call for a Congreagtion!
Chapter 22
IRULAN CORRINO
Irulan found herself sitting across her father in the royal garden, and for the last few days, it was as if a quiet chill had erupted all over the castle. There had been no festivities, no celebrations, no feasts. It was as if the castle was in mourning, and only she knew that it truly was.
Soon enough, the fateful day approached the fateful day when House Corrino would join House Harkonnen in their treachery and put an end to one of the most powerful Houses of the Landsraad. House Atreides,
Over the years, House Atreides gained much power, and their influence grew considerably until they became a threat to the Royal power.
"Was it truly necessary?" she asked her father, who simply sat there looking at the greenery all around him.
Unlike other Houses in the Imperium, House Atreides was special, boasting a direct connection to the Royal House. The Emperor and the Duke shared blood and had been dear friends in the past, though duties, jealousy, and other such things had caused a rift in their bond.
"It was," her father answered without looking at her.
"Leto and his House grew too powerful. They had begun overreaching, trying to grasp beyond their station," he answered sharply.
"If I do not deal with them today, soon enough, they shall have their hands around our own necks. And I will not stand for that. Never," he answered resolutely.
And she gulped down as she looked at the ground.
"There could have been other solutions," she added, and she saw him finally turn towards her with a raised brow.
"Marriage," she elaborated and saw him raise a brow.
"That would be akin to handing them the throne. No, the throne is House Corrino's, and it shall remain so," he said with finality before turning away from her.
"If only I had been blessed with a so..." and he cut himself off as he shook his head.
And her lips thinned at those words, that desire for a son. It had always overshadowed her own existence ever since she had first opened her eyes.
"But what of House Harkonnen? Doesn't this give them much leverage over us," she asked.
"House Harkonnen will be dealt with, their actions today will be deemed an overreach, and treason. I will make them pay a reparation that would put them in debt for half a century," he replied, and suddenly, they were disturbed as a Royal Messenger arrived in the garden, and her heart lurched as he bowed to herself and her father.
"I bring an emergency missive, your grace," and with that, a messenger scroll was passed to her father, who took it hesitantly, knowing already of the treachery that may be written in it.
As his heart thumped in her chest, she saw him unwind the scroll as his eyes scanned the message, and with every passing second, his face turned ashen until the messenger scroll fell out of his hand, and he was on his feet in an instant.
"Take me to Hasimir," he ordered, and she followed behind him as the garden cart was brought forward.
"What happened, father?"
"I do not know, but we may just have walked into a trap."
0000
SHISHAKLI
Shishakli whipped across the city and was immediately hit with the stench of blood. The air was heavy with the smell of blood, and the whole city was in ruin, and bodies littered the streets, which were literally dyed black.
"Gods!" Chani gasped behind her and was forced to halt their flight as her friend settled down on one of the rooftops before emptying her stomach, right there. It was a waste of water, but the sight here could make anyone puke.
"This....this...is..." Chani gasped as she wiped her mouth, and Shishakli nodded.
"How many of our men were in the city?" Chani asked her, and Shishaklu gulped down.
"Around ten thousand," she answered and saw Chani's eyes widen.
"Just that, but the enemy was much greater in number. Just until now, I have seen ten thousand corpses," and that was true, and they were still quite a distance from the city center.
"And we did not see anyone fly out of the city," Chani gasped out suddenly as her face turned ashen and Shishakli bit her lip.
"All of them knew what they were going into. Each and every one of them knew that," she said through gritted teeth as she turned away from her.
"But we had more men. We could have evened the number...."
"This was the most efficient way," she answered as she took to the skies once more, eyes scanning the streets vigilantly as she watched the thousands of dead, watching many of her own comrades dead in the rubble.
"You need to give me some answers. Shishakli," Chani asked as she whizzed to her side.
"What do you want me to tell you?" she roared back angrily.
"Do you even understand the severity of what we are about to do? As soon as that shield went up, we made an enemy out of every political entity outside of our planet, and though we are prepared, do you think we will stand a chance against the whole of the Landsraad if we sacrificed more of our trained men," she roared.
"That is why we should have sent more men..."
"The ten thousand men here were not here to fight," she cut in as they whipped towards the Ducal residence, the palace.
And immediately, she did not miss how the heaps of bodies became bigger and bigger until there was simply no pause in the heaps, which then turned into a massive mountain of dead bodies, atop of which she saw him.
"What do you mean they were not here for fighting?" Chani questioned.
"Their only job was to keep the enemy contained, to keep them in the city. Of course, they killed, but that was not their main purpose. To preserve our forces, we decided to take away the enemy's ability to see..."
That had been the purpose of the smoke grenades they had used all night; if one were to look closely, one would spot a thick layer of smoke covering the buildings from the sheer volume of smoke that had covered the city over the night.
"Why?" Chani questioned.
She did not answer her as she pulled on the triggers and felt her zoom past the buildings before she landed crudely at the top of the mountain of bodies, and there he sat, covered in blood from head to toe.
Only the small movements of his chest told her that he was not a part of the pile itself. His white hair was all covered in caked blood, and then she saw him turn his head up as he looked at her, his blue eyes bloodshot and tired.
"It is over," he said as she struggled to his feet. Using his blades to support himself back to his feet.
"This city is ours," he declared, and she had missed how many others had gathered beside them as a loud cheer erupted from all around.
"YEAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"
"FREEEEEDOM!"
"INZAAAAAAAAAL"
"Monster...." she heard someone gasp and looked up and found the bloodied form of the Baron staring at Inzal, his body pinned to the wall with blades as he bled out.
"You are a damn Monster..." he gasped out.
Then she saw him falter, but she did not let his body fall. She was immediately beside him as she held him and supported him from the side.
"I am so..."he said, and she nodded.
"Rest. I will handle the rest," she assured him. She saw him nod as he closed his eyes.
And as they flew back, she turned towards her old friend.
"You asked me why we doused the city in darkness," she began and saw Chani nod.
"Because our best soldier does not need his sight to see."
0000
Back on Kaitain, the Padishah Emperor walked into the castle's war room with quick steps, his daughter and Princess following behind him worriedly.
"What is going on, Hasimir?" the Emperor questioned immediately as he stepped into the room.
His ever-loyal friend, the Count Hasimir Fenring, turned to look at him worriedly.
"It seems that we have been outsmarted," he replied, and the Emperor walked to his side and stared at the screen.
"What is it?" he asked as he looked at the massive dome covering Arrakis.
"A shield," Hasimir replied.
"A planetary shield. But I was told that such a thing was impossible to set up on Arrakis," he barked angrily.
"Indeed, and until today, it was believed so as well. Yet that is not the most worrying thing," and with that, the Count pressed a button, and the screen shifted as the face of the Duke Leto appeared on the screen.
"My name is Duke Leto of House Atreides, and using the powers vested in me as a Great Duke of the Imperium and the Landsraad, I call a congregation...." he declared, and the Emperor stilled at those words.
"...to discuss the alleged treachery committed against my House by House Harkonnen and many other accomplices in the Imperium."
And his eyes widened at the declaration, his heart hammering as he realized that all his plans had failed.
"And until terms are not made, not an ounce Spice shall leave the soil of Arrakis. I declare it so as Leto Atreides. The Duke of Arrakis."
0000
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IRULAN CORRINO
Irulan found herself sitting across her father in the royal garden, and for the last few days, it was as if a quiet chill had erupted all over the castle. There had been no festivities, no celebrations, no feasts. It was as if the castle was in mourning, and only she knew that it truly was.
Soon enough, the fateful day approached the fateful day when House Corrino would join House Harkonnen in their treachery and put an end to one of the most powerful Houses of the Landsraad. House Atreides,
Over the years, House Atreides gained much power, and their influence grew considerably until they became a threat to the Royal power.
"Was it truly necessary?" she asked her father, who simply sat there looking at the greenery all around him.
Unlike other Houses in the Imperium, House Atreides was special, boasting a direct connection to the Royal House. The Emperor and the Duke shared blood and had been dear friends in the past, though duties, jealousy, and other such things had caused a rift in their bond.
"It was," her father answered without looking at her.
"Leto and his House grew too powerful. They had begun overreaching, trying to grasp beyond their station," he answered sharply.
"If I do not deal with them today, soon enough, they shall have their hands around our own necks. And I will not stand for that. Never," he answered resolutely.
And she gulped down as she looked at the ground.
"There could have been other solutions," she added, and she saw him finally turn towards her with a raised brow.
"Marriage," she elaborated and saw him raise a brow.
"That would be akin to handing them the throne. No, the throne is House Corrino's, and it shall remain so," he said with finality before turning away from her.
"If only I had been blessed with a so..." and he cut himself off as he shook his head.
And her lips thinned at those words, that desire for a son. It had always overshadowed her own existence ever since she had first opened her eyes.
"But what of House Harkonnen? Doesn't this give them much leverage over us," she asked.
"House Harkonnen will be dealt with, their actions today will be deemed an overreach, and treason. I will make them pay a reparation that would put them in debt for half a century," he replied, and suddenly, they were disturbed as a Royal Messenger arrived in the garden, and her heart lurched as he bowed to herself and her father.
"I bring an emergency missive, your grace," and with that, a messenger scroll was passed to her father, who took it hesitantly, knowing already of the treachery that may be written in it.
As his heart thumped in her chest, she saw him unwind the scroll as his eyes scanned the message, and with every passing second, his face turned ashen until the messenger scroll fell out of his hand, and he was on his feet in an instant.
"Take me to Hasimir," he ordered, and she followed behind him as the garden cart was brought forward.
"What happened, father?"
"I do not know, but we may just have walked into a trap."
0000
SHISHAKLI
Shishakli whipped across the city and was immediately hit with the stench of blood. The air was heavy with the smell of blood, and the whole city was in ruin, and bodies littered the streets, which were literally dyed black.
"Gods!" Chani gasped behind her and was forced to halt their flight as her friend settled down on one of the rooftops before emptying her stomach, right there. It was a waste of water, but the sight here could make anyone puke.
"This....this...is..." Chani gasped as she wiped her mouth, and Shishakli nodded.
"How many of our men were in the city?" Chani asked her, and Shishaklu gulped down.
"Around ten thousand," she answered and saw Chani's eyes widen.
"Just that, but the enemy was much greater in number. Just until now, I have seen ten thousand corpses," and that was true, and they were still quite a distance from the city center.
"And we did not see anyone fly out of the city," Chani gasped out suddenly as her face turned ashen and Shishakli bit her lip.
"All of them knew what they were going into. Each and every one of them knew that," she said through gritted teeth as she turned away from her.
"But we had more men. We could have evened the number...."
"This was the most efficient way," she answered as she took to the skies once more, eyes scanning the streets vigilantly as she watched the thousands of dead, watching many of her own comrades dead in the rubble.
"You need to give me some answers. Shishakli," Chani asked as she whizzed to her side.
"What do you want me to tell you?" she roared back angrily.
"Do you even understand the severity of what we are about to do? As soon as that shield went up, we made an enemy out of every political entity outside of our planet, and though we are prepared, do you think we will stand a chance against the whole of the Landsraad if we sacrificed more of our trained men," she roared.
"That is why we should have sent more men..."
"The ten thousand men here were not here to fight," she cut in as they whipped towards the Ducal residence, the palace.
And immediately, she did not miss how the heaps of bodies became bigger and bigger until there was simply no pause in the heaps, which then turned into a massive mountain of dead bodies, atop of which she saw him.
"What do you mean they were not here for fighting?" Chani questioned.
"Their only job was to keep the enemy contained, to keep them in the city. Of course, they killed, but that was not their main purpose. To preserve our forces, we decided to take away the enemy's ability to see..."
That had been the purpose of the smoke grenades they had used all night; if one were to look closely, one would spot a thick layer of smoke covering the buildings from the sheer volume of smoke that had covered the city over the night.
"Why?" Chani questioned.
She did not answer her as she pulled on the triggers and felt her zoom past the buildings before she landed crudely at the top of the mountain of bodies, and there he sat, covered in blood from head to toe.
Only the small movements of his chest told her that he was not a part of the pile itself. His white hair was all covered in caked blood, and then she saw him turn his head up as he looked at her, his blue eyes bloodshot and tired.
"It is over," he said as she struggled to his feet. Using his blades to support himself back to his feet.
"This city is ours," he declared, and she had missed how many others had gathered beside them as a loud cheer erupted from all around.
"YEAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"
"FREEEEEDOM!"
"INZAAAAAAAAAL"
"Monster...." she heard someone gasp and looked up and found the bloodied form of the Baron staring at Inzal, his body pinned to the wall with blades as he bled out.
"You are a damn Monster..." he gasped out.
Then she saw him falter, but she did not let his body fall. She was immediately beside him as she held him and supported him from the side.
"I am so..."he said, and she nodded.
"Rest. I will handle the rest," she assured him. She saw him nod as he closed his eyes.
And as they flew back, she turned towards her old friend.
"You asked me why we doused the city in darkness," she began and saw Chani nod.
"Because our best soldier does not need his sight to see."
0000
Back on Kaitain, the Padishah Emperor walked into the castle's war room with quick steps, his daughter and Princess following behind him worriedly.
"What is going on, Hasimir?" the Emperor questioned immediately as he stepped into the room.
His ever-loyal friend, the Count Hasimir Fenring, turned to look at him worriedly.
"It seems that we have been outsmarted," he replied, and the Emperor walked to his side and stared at the screen.
"What is it?" he asked as he looked at the massive dome covering Arrakis.
"A shield," Hasimir replied.
"A planetary shield. But I was told that such a thing was impossible to set up on Arrakis," he barked angrily.
"Indeed, and until today, it was believed so as well. Yet that is not the most worrying thing," and with that, the Count pressed a button, and the screen shifted as the face of the Duke Leto appeared on the screen.
"My name is Duke Leto of House Atreides, and using the powers vested in me as a Great Duke of the Imperium and the Landsraad, I call a congregation...." he declared, and the Emperor stilled at those words.
"...to discuss the alleged treachery committed against my House by House Harkonnen and many other accomplices in the Imperium."
And his eyes widened at the declaration, his heart hammering as he realized that all his plans had failed.
"And until terms are not made, not an ounce Spice shall leave the soil of Arrakis. I declare it so as Leto Atreides. The Duke of Arrakis."
0000
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Chapter 23-Free at Last!
Chapter 23
LADY JESSICA
Jessica sat in the sietch and watched as the Fremen treated their injured, and in the absence of Leto Gurney and Paul discussed the condition of their troops, their distribution and treatment.
Yet despite it all, the Fremen had been silent, hesitant, and worried throughout the night. It was only when she noticed dawn approaching that she felt the air shift in the sietch until a message came. The whole was filled with screams and shouts of joy, while others prostrated themselves in prayer.
"What happened?" she asked, one of the Fremen girls guiding her and the other woman who had been evacuated from the city, and she saw her eyes flow.
"We have won," she added, and she realized the cause of the tensions all over the night.
"For the first time in a thousand years, we are free to walk on the sand dunes of Arrakis," she added, and she saw them rejoicing.
Yet she doubted that this was a simple enough victory. The Harkonnens had attacked with their full might, and, add to that, the Saradukar forces. For the Fremen to claim victory, they would have to have routed such an enormous force, and that was not an easy task.
"How is the Duke's condition?" Thufir questioned as he walked to her side, and the question immediately sombered her mood as she shook her head.
"They are still treating him. His injuries were quite severe, but they are hopeful," she answered and the loyal Mentat nodded.
"What do you make of this?" she asked, pointing towards the celebration.
"This victory," he asked, and she nodded.
"It all seems very well planned, my lady. Each and everything had been meticulously planned, and for the first time in my life, I find myself helpless as we dance around in the palm of this Inzal Kazab," he added, his pride obviously wounded by how he had been outplayed and outmaneuvered.
"Now, I only hope that it was wise of us to form an alliance with them because though they may have won over control of Arrakis, I am afraid they will not find it easy to maintain it. With this, they have turned the whole of the Landsraad into their enemy," he said, and she nodded.
Though she knew that Inzal had plans for that, plans to usurp the very throne that had now all the swords of the Imperium pointed towards him. And that she had a rather vital part left to play in that all.
"How is Paul?" she asked, looking towards her son, who was leading the men with Gurney and Duncan in the absence of Leto, keeping them calm, as they found themselves in these strange circumstances.
Yet the men listened to him, respected him, and followed his orders, and as she watched him shout orders, she felt proud of him, proud that her boy had grown up into such a fine leader.
"The young Duke seems to have come into his own, him and Duncan have kept the men in line. We could not have asked for much more of the young lad. He has done admirably, my lady," Thufir answered.
And then she saw the cheer, which had lessened, become defending suddenly as a few Fremen walked through the sietch, she recognised their faces. This was the girl who had been with Inzal when they had evacuated, Shishakli she remembered her name, and on her side was Inzal walking forward fist raised in the air as Fremen congratulated him left and right.
And on first glance, he seemed fine, yet only because of her Bebe Gesserit training could she tell the sheer exhaustion he was in, how the young female seemed to be supporting him as he walked through the crowd, and how the heavy stench of killing permeated from him.
"Today, I declare Arrakis as ours," he shouted as he stood in the center of the Hall.
"Today we are FREEEEE!" and the whole sietch shook from the roar that followed.
"But the war is not over yet. Right now, everyone in the Imperium has set their eyes on us, their swords ready to put all of us to death, to claim the riches of Spice for themselves. But to them, I say enough! This is our planet! OURS! AND YOU SHALL EXPLOIT US NO MORE!" he roused the spirit as he pointed towards herself.
"Our allies of House Atreides have helped us reach this point. Outsiders, they maybe, but they are friends, allies who joined us and our cause when none ever had. And for that they are our brothers, and a Fremen cares for his brother as he does for himself. The months ahead will be hard and challenging, but in the end, we shall prevail! Together as ONE!" he said, and she could feel the gazes of hundreds of Fremen focused on her.
"For Freedom!" and with that, he walked away, his steps stumbling as he walked deep into the caverns.
"Lady Jessica," she turned around and found herself face to face with the girl Shishakli.
"I believe you have something that was entrusted to you by the Duke," she asked, and she nodded as she reached into the pocket.
"What happened to him?" she asked, handing him the drive she had received from Leto.
"To Inzal?" she elaborated and saw the girl's lips thin, her face morphed into one filled with worry and pain, reminding her much of herself.
"The battle last night was much more brutal than we imagined, the victory and freedom we enjoy today, it came at a cost, and he chose to bear the most of it himself," she added and she nodded.
"How many more days till we can remove the Harkonnens from the city?" Thufir asked, and she saw the girl frown.
"I believe you are mistaken, Mr. Hawat. There are no more Harkonnen in the city, or even the Saradukar for that matter," and the implication of those words dawned on him as Thufir's eyes widened.
"You cannot mean to tell me..."
"All of the Harkonnens and the Saradukar were slain in the night. The city is ours."
0000
EMPEROR SHADDAM CORRINO IV
"How could this happen?" he asked as he paced in his solar, with his closest confidante and aide, Hasimir Fenring, standing there alongside him.
"This is not just a momentary plan. No, this was a very elaborate plan, one that must have taken at least a year to set up," Shaddam roared at his friend, who nodded.
"Indeed, the shield, the atomics, the recording. It was all prepared in advance. There is something much grander at play here, something that we are missing," Hasimir added.
"But WHAT!" Shaddam roared. It had been nearly a month since the debacle at Arrakis and the whole of Imperium was on edge. The desert planet had been cut off from the outside, and without the primary source of the melange, everyone was growing nervous. The already precious mixture had become even more pricey with no sign of a breakthrough in sight.
"Perhaps the Harkonnens betrayed us and leaked our plan," he added, his mistrust of those damned pests showing, and Hasimir nodded.
"It could be a possibility, but the notion of the Harkonnens and the Atreides joining hands is highly improbable. I personally believe that this is the work of a third entity," Hasimir's answers had him frowning.
"Who?" he asked, ready to tear that person apart limb by limb if he had to.
"The 'Kazaab'," Hasimir answered, and it took him a few seconds to remember the reference.
"The one who was killing the Harkonnen, the 'Harkonnen butcher'?" he asked, and Hasimir nodded.
"We initially thought him to be an agent of the Atreides, but despite years of monitoring, we found no evidence of it, yet we continued to believe that," he added as he brought up a picture of the man in question.
"But what if we were wrong? What if he was not an Atreides operative? What if he was what he claimed to be?" Hasimir added.
"A Fremen freedom fighter," he gasped as he realized their gigantic mistake.
"Indeed, the Atreides alone do not have enough strength to push back against the force with which they were attacked. The Harkonnens alone would have been enough, given the advantage they had because of the element of surprise. Add to that the legions of Saradukar, the Atreides should have been decimated within hours," Hasimir added.
And it was true, and this very thing had perplexed him much. To this day, they had failed to receive any information from the men they had sent down with the Harkonnens, Saradukar men, whose presence down there could bring an end to his rule as Emperor and turn the whole of the Imperium against House Corrino.
"The only force capable of facing the Saradukar on somewhat equal footing are..."
"The Fremen," he finished as Hasimir nodded.
"And we are aware that the Baron's estimate regarding their true numbers was too off, that in reality, the number of Fremen living on Arrakis is into the millions rather than the thousands the Baron thought it to be," he added.
And this was much more dangerous. Much more dangerous for him, for if it was indeed a plan of the Fremen, then they would have done such a thing for only one reason.
Spice, and without Spice, he could not rule.
"You do remember the assurances I had to make when I took the throne from my father, assurances that the supply of Spice would remain undisturbed. If I fail in them, House Corrino will be eaten alive by the Guild and the smaller Houses," he said to Hasimir.
"The guild grows restless already. They tried to send in some ships, but all of them were shot down, and a few that did get in lost contact immediately. Any satellite sent into the orbit around the planet is shot down as well. Such a thing is unprecedented," Hasimir added making him frown.
"How?"
"Because space travel is not so easy. Targeting ships, and satellites with such accuracy, as is being done, is only possible in one scenario," Hasimir added.
"If the guild itself was involved," he guessed, and Hasimir nodded.
"Indeed. I have already spread rumors about this as pushback against the guild. Many Houses will believe all this is a ploy for them to curry more power. This buys us some time," Hasimir added.
"And what of our own attempts at establishing communication?" he asked, and Hasimir was hesitant to answer.
"What?"
"An answer came in the night," Hasimir answered.
"They have asked for Princess Irulan to be sent as the Crown's representative."
0000
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LADY JESSICA
Jessica sat in the sietch and watched as the Fremen treated their injured, and in the absence of Leto Gurney and Paul discussed the condition of their troops, their distribution and treatment.
Yet despite it all, the Fremen had been silent, hesitant, and worried throughout the night. It was only when she noticed dawn approaching that she felt the air shift in the sietch until a message came. The whole was filled with screams and shouts of joy, while others prostrated themselves in prayer.
"What happened?" she asked, one of the Fremen girls guiding her and the other woman who had been evacuated from the city, and she saw her eyes flow.
"We have won," she added, and she realized the cause of the tensions all over the night.
"For the first time in a thousand years, we are free to walk on the sand dunes of Arrakis," she added, and she saw them rejoicing.
Yet she doubted that this was a simple enough victory. The Harkonnens had attacked with their full might, and, add to that, the Saradukar forces. For the Fremen to claim victory, they would have to have routed such an enormous force, and that was not an easy task.
"How is the Duke's condition?" Thufir questioned as he walked to her side, and the question immediately sombered her mood as she shook her head.
"They are still treating him. His injuries were quite severe, but they are hopeful," she answered and the loyal Mentat nodded.
"What do you make of this?" she asked, pointing towards the celebration.
"This victory," he asked, and she nodded.
"It all seems very well planned, my lady. Each and everything had been meticulously planned, and for the first time in my life, I find myself helpless as we dance around in the palm of this Inzal Kazab," he added, his pride obviously wounded by how he had been outplayed and outmaneuvered.
"Now, I only hope that it was wise of us to form an alliance with them because though they may have won over control of Arrakis, I am afraid they will not find it easy to maintain it. With this, they have turned the whole of the Landsraad into their enemy," he said, and she nodded.
Though she knew that Inzal had plans for that, plans to usurp the very throne that had now all the swords of the Imperium pointed towards him. And that she had a rather vital part left to play in that all.
"How is Paul?" she asked, looking towards her son, who was leading the men with Gurney and Duncan in the absence of Leto, keeping them calm, as they found themselves in these strange circumstances.
Yet the men listened to him, respected him, and followed his orders, and as she watched him shout orders, she felt proud of him, proud that her boy had grown up into such a fine leader.
"The young Duke seems to have come into his own, him and Duncan have kept the men in line. We could not have asked for much more of the young lad. He has done admirably, my lady," Thufir answered.
And then she saw the cheer, which had lessened, become defending suddenly as a few Fremen walked through the sietch, she recognised their faces. This was the girl who had been with Inzal when they had evacuated, Shishakli she remembered her name, and on her side was Inzal walking forward fist raised in the air as Fremen congratulated him left and right.
And on first glance, he seemed fine, yet only because of her Bebe Gesserit training could she tell the sheer exhaustion he was in, how the young female seemed to be supporting him as he walked through the crowd, and how the heavy stench of killing permeated from him.
"Today, I declare Arrakis as ours," he shouted as he stood in the center of the Hall.
"Today we are FREEEEE!" and the whole sietch shook from the roar that followed.
"But the war is not over yet. Right now, everyone in the Imperium has set their eyes on us, their swords ready to put all of us to death, to claim the riches of Spice for themselves. But to them, I say enough! This is our planet! OURS! AND YOU SHALL EXPLOIT US NO MORE!" he roused the spirit as he pointed towards herself.
"Our allies of House Atreides have helped us reach this point. Outsiders, they maybe, but they are friends, allies who joined us and our cause when none ever had. And for that they are our brothers, and a Fremen cares for his brother as he does for himself. The months ahead will be hard and challenging, but in the end, we shall prevail! Together as ONE!" he said, and she could feel the gazes of hundreds of Fremen focused on her.
"For Freedom!" and with that, he walked away, his steps stumbling as he walked deep into the caverns.
"Lady Jessica," she turned around and found herself face to face with the girl Shishakli.
"I believe you have something that was entrusted to you by the Duke," she asked, and she nodded as she reached into the pocket.
"What happened to him?" she asked, handing him the drive she had received from Leto.
"To Inzal?" she elaborated and saw the girl's lips thin, her face morphed into one filled with worry and pain, reminding her much of herself.
"The battle last night was much more brutal than we imagined, the victory and freedom we enjoy today, it came at a cost, and he chose to bear the most of it himself," she added and she nodded.
"How many more days till we can remove the Harkonnens from the city?" Thufir asked, and she saw the girl frown.
"I believe you are mistaken, Mr. Hawat. There are no more Harkonnen in the city, or even the Saradukar for that matter," and the implication of those words dawned on him as Thufir's eyes widened.
"You cannot mean to tell me..."
"All of the Harkonnens and the Saradukar were slain in the night. The city is ours."
0000
EMPEROR SHADDAM CORRINO IV
"How could this happen?" he asked as he paced in his solar, with his closest confidante and aide, Hasimir Fenring, standing there alongside him.
"This is not just a momentary plan. No, this was a very elaborate plan, one that must have taken at least a year to set up," Shaddam roared at his friend, who nodded.
"Indeed, the shield, the atomics, the recording. It was all prepared in advance. There is something much grander at play here, something that we are missing," Hasimir added.
"But WHAT!" Shaddam roared. It had been nearly a month since the debacle at Arrakis and the whole of Imperium was on edge. The desert planet had been cut off from the outside, and without the primary source of the melange, everyone was growing nervous. The already precious mixture had become even more pricey with no sign of a breakthrough in sight.
"Perhaps the Harkonnens betrayed us and leaked our plan," he added, his mistrust of those damned pests showing, and Hasimir nodded.
"It could be a possibility, but the notion of the Harkonnens and the Atreides joining hands is highly improbable. I personally believe that this is the work of a third entity," Hasimir's answers had him frowning.
"Who?" he asked, ready to tear that person apart limb by limb if he had to.
"The 'Kazaab'," Hasimir answered, and it took him a few seconds to remember the reference.
"The one who was killing the Harkonnen, the 'Harkonnen butcher'?" he asked, and Hasimir nodded.
"We initially thought him to be an agent of the Atreides, but despite years of monitoring, we found no evidence of it, yet we continued to believe that," he added as he brought up a picture of the man in question.
"But what if we were wrong? What if he was not an Atreides operative? What if he was what he claimed to be?" Hasimir added.
"A Fremen freedom fighter," he gasped as he realized their gigantic mistake.
"Indeed, the Atreides alone do not have enough strength to push back against the force with which they were attacked. The Harkonnens alone would have been enough, given the advantage they had because of the element of surprise. Add to that the legions of Saradukar, the Atreides should have been decimated within hours," Hasimir added.
And it was true, and this very thing had perplexed him much. To this day, they had failed to receive any information from the men they had sent down with the Harkonnens, Saradukar men, whose presence down there could bring an end to his rule as Emperor and turn the whole of the Imperium against House Corrino.
"The only force capable of facing the Saradukar on somewhat equal footing are..."
"The Fremen," he finished as Hasimir nodded.
"And we are aware that the Baron's estimate regarding their true numbers was too off, that in reality, the number of Fremen living on Arrakis is into the millions rather than the thousands the Baron thought it to be," he added.
And this was much more dangerous. Much more dangerous for him, for if it was indeed a plan of the Fremen, then they would have done such a thing for only one reason.
Spice, and without Spice, he could not rule.
"You do remember the assurances I had to make when I took the throne from my father, assurances that the supply of Spice would remain undisturbed. If I fail in them, House Corrino will be eaten alive by the Guild and the smaller Houses," he said to Hasimir.
"The guild grows restless already. They tried to send in some ships, but all of them were shot down, and a few that did get in lost contact immediately. Any satellite sent into the orbit around the planet is shot down as well. Such a thing is unprecedented," Hasimir added making him frown.
"How?"
"Because space travel is not so easy. Targeting ships, and satellites with such accuracy, as is being done, is only possible in one scenario," Hasimir added.
"If the guild itself was involved," he guessed, and Hasimir nodded.
"Indeed. I have already spread rumors about this as pushback against the guild. Many Houses will believe all this is a ploy for them to curry more power. This buys us some time," Hasimir added.
"And what of our own attempts at establishing communication?" he asked, and Hasimir was hesitant to answer.
"What?"
"An answer came in the night," Hasimir answered.
"They have asked for Princess Irulan to be sent as the Crown's representative."
0000
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Chapter 24-A Bloody Welcome!
Chapter 24
INZAL KAZAB CORRINO
It had been a month since the battle that had won Arrakis its liberation, the city of Arrakeen had been doused in blood, it had taken a month to clear the city of the dead bodies, and even after that the stench of death and blood still hung in the air.
The massive planetary shield still shimmered in the skies, protecting them from the anger and rage of all of the Imperium.
Not a single speck of spice had left Arrakis in this month, and already many in the Imperium were panicking as the Royal and Harkonnen reserves drained out. According to his estimation, they would last another month, yet the desperation had forced the Emperor to make a parley as the Imperium gathered for the congregation.
And now, as he sat inside the palace in the solar often reserved for the Duke, he felt movement in the galaxy beyond as Irulan Corrino set sail towards Arrakis, as a representative of the Padishah Emperor.
He did not miss the Tleilaxu and Saradukar accompanying her. They would soon be dealt with. Yet all that would come later, for he had a more urgent issue at hand.
One in the form of his alliance with the Atreides.
Much had gone according to his plan, much except Duke Leto's injuries. The blast had taken a toll on the Duke, who had yet to wake up from his injuries, and though his life was in no danger, he was yet to open his eyes despite their various attempts.
And so, the leadership of House Atreides fell into the arms of the Duke's most treasured concubine, the mother of his only child, Lady Jessica.
"You asked to see me," he began, and she nodded. Much of the worry that had plagued her initially was long gone, as House Atreides's future now remained secure.
"I did. I wished to discuss the terms of our alliance with you," she added, and he frowned.
"And what would that be?" he asked.
"Leto," she began, and he frowned as she saw her lips whisper.
"I wish to have him treated by an Imperial Physician," she began, and he shook his head.
"We have no Imperial Physician on Arrakis, and you know as well as me that if I were to ask something like that of the Imperium, they would demand something in return, most probably to pull back the date of the congregation," he began.
"Then we will do just that," she added, yet it was not all so simple.
"But I cannot do that. I would need a Reverend Mother to convince the Emperor of my identity. Our Reverend Mother is on the death's door and cannot perform that duty. The only one who can ,is you and you are in no position to go through that trial," he asked.
"I will take that trial," she spoke firmly, her eyes much bluer than they had been when she had first come to Arrakis, and already she had put her child at risk.
"Do you know what that trial would do to the child in you?" he asked, for he had told her already of what had happened to him and what would happen if she drank the water of life.
And she looked down, her hand on her belly.
"I know," she said as she bit her lip,
"...but for Leto, I will take that risk," she said as she looked him in the eye.
"You will not be able to forgive yourself," he spoke, understanding the dilemma she faced.
"To subject a child to that, it is cruel. There is a reason that the Bene Gesserit fears the Abominations and prohibits any actions that would lead to the birth of one because it is cruelty, absolute cruelty," he warned her, and she, of course, must have known that.
"I know what you speak. The Possession, I researched it after your birth and why the Abominations were feared as much," she said slowly.
"But you beat it, you did it. For Leto, I am willing to take that risk," she said, and he leaned back.
"This will also help you," she said, and he frowned.
"How?" she asked, curious, and she hesitated before she spoke.
"I know of the toll all this is taking on you," and he stilled at those words in an instant.
"What do you mean?" he asked, trying to understand what she knew.
"The shields, the constant surveillance, the monitoring, distribution of resources, rationing. Your powers," she began as she looked him in the eye.
"I can see it, the toll they take on you. The constant pain you must endure as you push beyond your limits. After all, you were a product of centuries of genetic matching as well, a child conceived to achieve the Bene Gesserit's ultimate goal," she began, and he was surprised that she had pieced together enough.
No wonder she was so well thought of as a student.
"How did you put that together?" he asked.
"Because of Paul," and that worried him.
Inzal was not a full Kwisatz Haderach, he was powerful, blessed in ways that Paul would not be, but he lacked much as well, most notably his ability to glimpse into the future.
And now, with Paul stuck on Arrakis, a place where the air was tinged with the spice melange, it would trigger his blood, awaken the potential that lay buried. And though the water of life would be the ultimate test, he suspected that a heavy enough dose of the spice could achieve a similar result.
"He is much like you, born as a consequence of centuries of planning, and the spice has begun to change him, show his true potential. I see the toll it takes on him, and I can see the same for you, but in much graver form," she finished.
"Is your mind set on this," he began, and she nodded.
"For Leto, I will not stop at anything. He needs an Imperial Physician, and if the trial is what I must endure, then endure it I shall," she spoke resolutely.
"I will see what I can do," he said.
"And there is one more thing that I wish to discuss?" she began, and he beckoned her to continue.
"A Marriage between you and the daughter inside my belly," and this time, his answer was much more succinct.
"No."
0000
IRULAN CORRINO
The demands of the Atreides and their obscure allies were rather tame. Although they had agreed to parley with the Imperium, they had asked for one specific person to represent both the Emperor and the Imperium.
Her.
So, after an extended discussion, she finally decided to submit herself for the task despite the various risks it posed to her life.
This month, the Imperium was in absolute mayhem. Her father grew more and more frustrated and angry with every passing day. Already whispers were beginning to bubble against him, as the lack of spice halted nearly every aspect of life.
The Guild, the Bene Gesserit, the Bene Tleilaxu, and the CHOAM—every aspect of their society—were highly dependent on Spice, and so without it, everything came to a halt.
And only the presence of a common enemy and the fear of the Saradukar stopped an open rebellion against the Emperor.
And in such a dire situation, she felt it was her duty to help the Imperium and her House break the deadlock. So, after much deliberation, she was finally on her way to Arrakis, the desert planet that was meant to be the end of House Atreides.
Yet it could become one for House Corrino.
As the ship reached the shields, she saw only a small sector turn off rather than the whole shield. Their enemies were being very cautious, and their technology was even more obscure.
To combat the planet's constant sand storms, the shields were basically spread out using low-orbit satellites, which maneuvered themselves to avoid any storm that may affect their functioning.
It was ingenious and, according to the guild navigators, nearly impossible to pull off for more than one reason. Yet somehow, someone was coordinating them in such a way that it was made possible, and if that someone was a part of House Atreides, then that made it all the more dangerous for them and their House.
They descended into the skies. She watched the ship descend onto the largest city, Arrakeen, as a servant came forward.
"My lady, we are ready for you," and she nodded as she moved away from the window and towards the ship's gates, as she felt it slow down, and then the gates opened, and the first thing she felt was heat.
Arrakis was hot, hotter than she had thought, yet it did not affect her much as a herald descended the steps, followed by herself and her contingent of guards.
"I bring to you Princess Irluan Corrino. Daughter of the Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV and representative of House Corrino and the Imperium for the Parlay of Arrakis," he announced as the Saradukar followed her closely, alert and ready to face any danger.
A retinue was there to greet her as well, led by none other than Lady Jessica and the infamous Gurney Halleck, the Duke's trusted war master.
Yet they were not alone, for beside them were four Fremen warriors, wearing that same outfit her father had shown her before her descent, decorated with those overlapping wings.
'Kazab,' she thought, curious about what they were doing here.
"I am Lady Jessica, mother of Paul Atreides, representing House Atreides, and I greet you as a guest and offer you and your reti..."
Yet she stopped as someone stepped forward from behind her, and immediately she felt a deep connection to them, as if she had just found a missing limb, their gazes met and she found those eyes so familiar, that it sent a shiver down her spine.
"I believe I must stop you there," he said, placing a hand on Lady Jessica's shoulder and halting her.
And immediately, the Saradukar closed in on her.
"What is the meaning of this? Are you breaking your promise? You are making a mockery of thousands of treatises!" the herald shouted as she saw the Fremen step forward and pull back his mask, revealing a white, silvery, shiny mess of hair, much like hers.
"I allowed the King to send his Saradukar to ensure the Princess's safety, not that she was in any danger from me, or anyone on this planet to begin with," he began. The way he smiled at her felt so indulgent, reminding her of a smile that had long been lost to her, one that she could now only glimpse through motionless pictures.
"I did not allow him to send assassins," and she frowned at that as she saw his eyes narrow onto the herald, who stilled for a second.
"I know not of what you speak. I am simply the Emperor's herald, his voice in all matt..."
"There is no need to pretend anymore. I see you for what you truly are, Face Dancer," and she stilled at those words, for few did not know of the Face dancers of Bene Tleilaxu, assassins that could take the face of any man.
And then she saw his face morph as the herald straightened out.
"So, it was you who was behind this all," and she saw his face melt as the herald's form began to melt away, revealing the form of a face dancer, a Bene Tleilaxu master assassin.
"Indeed, I am," and she stilled at those words as she gulped, her eyes peeled as the tension in the air was enough to cut through metal.
"If you know of me, then you must also know of my orders," the face dancer began as she saw him take out a dagger and spin it in his hand.
"I do, and I am afraid I cannot let you do that."
"Who are you? And who do you represent?" she asked the Fremen before turning towards the Face Dancer.
"And why are you here? Who sent you here, and what is your mission?" she asked angrily as she saw him turn towards her.
A shiver ran down her spine as she saw him vanish, and she heard a whisper.
"I am sorry, Princess," and then she saw a dagger racing towards her.
CLANK!
0000
BOOM! Hope you liked it.
Read ahead and support me on Patreon. By becoming a patron, you can help me write this and other such stories. It would be awesome of you and would mean a lot to me.
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Have a nice day!
INZAL KAZAB CORRINO
It had been a month since the battle that had won Arrakis its liberation, the city of Arrakeen had been doused in blood, it had taken a month to clear the city of the dead bodies, and even after that the stench of death and blood still hung in the air.
The massive planetary shield still shimmered in the skies, protecting them from the anger and rage of all of the Imperium.
Not a single speck of spice had left Arrakis in this month, and already many in the Imperium were panicking as the Royal and Harkonnen reserves drained out. According to his estimation, they would last another month, yet the desperation had forced the Emperor to make a parley as the Imperium gathered for the congregation.
And now, as he sat inside the palace in the solar often reserved for the Duke, he felt movement in the galaxy beyond as Irulan Corrino set sail towards Arrakis, as a representative of the Padishah Emperor.
He did not miss the Tleilaxu and Saradukar accompanying her. They would soon be dealt with. Yet all that would come later, for he had a more urgent issue at hand.
One in the form of his alliance with the Atreides.
Much had gone according to his plan, much except Duke Leto's injuries. The blast had taken a toll on the Duke, who had yet to wake up from his injuries, and though his life was in no danger, he was yet to open his eyes despite their various attempts.
And so, the leadership of House Atreides fell into the arms of the Duke's most treasured concubine, the mother of his only child, Lady Jessica.
"You asked to see me," he began, and she nodded. Much of the worry that had plagued her initially was long gone, as House Atreides's future now remained secure.
"I did. I wished to discuss the terms of our alliance with you," she added, and he frowned.
"And what would that be?" he asked.
"Leto," she began, and he frowned as she saw her lips whisper.
"I wish to have him treated by an Imperial Physician," she began, and he shook his head.
"We have no Imperial Physician on Arrakis, and you know as well as me that if I were to ask something like that of the Imperium, they would demand something in return, most probably to pull back the date of the congregation," he began.
"Then we will do just that," she added, yet it was not all so simple.
"But I cannot do that. I would need a Reverend Mother to convince the Emperor of my identity. Our Reverend Mother is on the death's door and cannot perform that duty. The only one who can ,is you and you are in no position to go through that trial," he asked.
"I will take that trial," she spoke firmly, her eyes much bluer than they had been when she had first come to Arrakis, and already she had put her child at risk.
"Do you know what that trial would do to the child in you?" he asked, for he had told her already of what had happened to him and what would happen if she drank the water of life.
And she looked down, her hand on her belly.
"I know," she said as she bit her lip,
"...but for Leto, I will take that risk," she said as she looked him in the eye.
"You will not be able to forgive yourself," he spoke, understanding the dilemma she faced.
"To subject a child to that, it is cruel. There is a reason that the Bene Gesserit fears the Abominations and prohibits any actions that would lead to the birth of one because it is cruelty, absolute cruelty," he warned her, and she, of course, must have known that.
"I know what you speak. The Possession, I researched it after your birth and why the Abominations were feared as much," she said slowly.
"But you beat it, you did it. For Leto, I am willing to take that risk," she said, and he leaned back.
"This will also help you," she said, and he frowned.
"How?" she asked, curious, and she hesitated before she spoke.
"I know of the toll all this is taking on you," and he stilled at those words in an instant.
"What do you mean?" he asked, trying to understand what she knew.
"The shields, the constant surveillance, the monitoring, distribution of resources, rationing. Your powers," she began as she looked him in the eye.
"I can see it, the toll they take on you. The constant pain you must endure as you push beyond your limits. After all, you were a product of centuries of genetic matching as well, a child conceived to achieve the Bene Gesserit's ultimate goal," she began, and he was surprised that she had pieced together enough.
No wonder she was so well thought of as a student.
"How did you put that together?" he asked.
"Because of Paul," and that worried him.
Inzal was not a full Kwisatz Haderach, he was powerful, blessed in ways that Paul would not be, but he lacked much as well, most notably his ability to glimpse into the future.
And now, with Paul stuck on Arrakis, a place where the air was tinged with the spice melange, it would trigger his blood, awaken the potential that lay buried. And though the water of life would be the ultimate test, he suspected that a heavy enough dose of the spice could achieve a similar result.
"He is much like you, born as a consequence of centuries of planning, and the spice has begun to change him, show his true potential. I see the toll it takes on him, and I can see the same for you, but in much graver form," she finished.
"Is your mind set on this," he began, and she nodded.
"For Leto, I will not stop at anything. He needs an Imperial Physician, and if the trial is what I must endure, then endure it I shall," she spoke resolutely.
"I will see what I can do," he said.
"And there is one more thing that I wish to discuss?" she began, and he beckoned her to continue.
"A Marriage between you and the daughter inside my belly," and this time, his answer was much more succinct.
"No."
0000
IRULAN CORRINO
The demands of the Atreides and their obscure allies were rather tame. Although they had agreed to parley with the Imperium, they had asked for one specific person to represent both the Emperor and the Imperium.
Her.
So, after an extended discussion, she finally decided to submit herself for the task despite the various risks it posed to her life.
This month, the Imperium was in absolute mayhem. Her father grew more and more frustrated and angry with every passing day. Already whispers were beginning to bubble against him, as the lack of spice halted nearly every aspect of life.
The Guild, the Bene Gesserit, the Bene Tleilaxu, and the CHOAM—every aspect of their society—were highly dependent on Spice, and so without it, everything came to a halt.
And only the presence of a common enemy and the fear of the Saradukar stopped an open rebellion against the Emperor.
And in such a dire situation, she felt it was her duty to help the Imperium and her House break the deadlock. So, after much deliberation, she was finally on her way to Arrakis, the desert planet that was meant to be the end of House Atreides.
Yet it could become one for House Corrino.
As the ship reached the shields, she saw only a small sector turn off rather than the whole shield. Their enemies were being very cautious, and their technology was even more obscure.
To combat the planet's constant sand storms, the shields were basically spread out using low-orbit satellites, which maneuvered themselves to avoid any storm that may affect their functioning.
It was ingenious and, according to the guild navigators, nearly impossible to pull off for more than one reason. Yet somehow, someone was coordinating them in such a way that it was made possible, and if that someone was a part of House Atreides, then that made it all the more dangerous for them and their House.
They descended into the skies. She watched the ship descend onto the largest city, Arrakeen, as a servant came forward.
"My lady, we are ready for you," and she nodded as she moved away from the window and towards the ship's gates, as she felt it slow down, and then the gates opened, and the first thing she felt was heat.
Arrakis was hot, hotter than she had thought, yet it did not affect her much as a herald descended the steps, followed by herself and her contingent of guards.
"I bring to you Princess Irluan Corrino. Daughter of the Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV and representative of House Corrino and the Imperium for the Parlay of Arrakis," he announced as the Saradukar followed her closely, alert and ready to face any danger.
A retinue was there to greet her as well, led by none other than Lady Jessica and the infamous Gurney Halleck, the Duke's trusted war master.
Yet they were not alone, for beside them were four Fremen warriors, wearing that same outfit her father had shown her before her descent, decorated with those overlapping wings.
'Kazab,' she thought, curious about what they were doing here.
"I am Lady Jessica, mother of Paul Atreides, representing House Atreides, and I greet you as a guest and offer you and your reti..."
Yet she stopped as someone stepped forward from behind her, and immediately she felt a deep connection to them, as if she had just found a missing limb, their gazes met and she found those eyes so familiar, that it sent a shiver down her spine.
"I believe I must stop you there," he said, placing a hand on Lady Jessica's shoulder and halting her.
And immediately, the Saradukar closed in on her.
"What is the meaning of this? Are you breaking your promise? You are making a mockery of thousands of treatises!" the herald shouted as she saw the Fremen step forward and pull back his mask, revealing a white, silvery, shiny mess of hair, much like hers.
"I allowed the King to send his Saradukar to ensure the Princess's safety, not that she was in any danger from me, or anyone on this planet to begin with," he began. The way he smiled at her felt so indulgent, reminding her of a smile that had long been lost to her, one that she could now only glimpse through motionless pictures.
"I did not allow him to send assassins," and she frowned at that as she saw his eyes narrow onto the herald, who stilled for a second.
"I know not of what you speak. I am simply the Emperor's herald, his voice in all matt..."
"There is no need to pretend anymore. I see you for what you truly are, Face Dancer," and she stilled at those words, for few did not know of the Face dancers of Bene Tleilaxu, assassins that could take the face of any man.
And then she saw his face morph as the herald straightened out.
"So, it was you who was behind this all," and she saw his face melt as the herald's form began to melt away, revealing the form of a face dancer, a Bene Tleilaxu master assassin.
"Indeed, I am," and she stilled at those words as she gulped, her eyes peeled as the tension in the air was enough to cut through metal.
"If you know of me, then you must also know of my orders," the face dancer began as she saw him take out a dagger and spin it in his hand.
"I do, and I am afraid I cannot let you do that."
"Who are you? And who do you represent?" she asked the Fremen before turning towards the Face Dancer.
"And why are you here? Who sent you here, and what is your mission?" she asked angrily as she saw him turn towards her.
A shiver ran down her spine as she saw him vanish, and she heard a whisper.
"I am sorry, Princess," and then she saw a dagger racing towards her.
CLANK!
0000
BOOM! Hope you liked it.
Read ahead and support me on Patreon. By becoming a patron, you can help me write this and other such stories. It would be awesome of you and would mean a lot to me.
www.Patreon.com/Drkest
Have a nice day!
- Location
- Anchorage, Alaska
ah yes, the self destructive nature of factions trying to tear the empire apart.
Chapter 25-A Daughter's Sacrifice!
Chapter 25
LADY JESSICA
The parlay day was fast approaching, and Lady Jessica knew she had to act. Her decision was made-she would undergo the ritual to become a Reverend Mother, all in a desperate bid to save Leto.
The very Leto lay there on the medical bed, unmoving, hooked to various machines, his body sealed inside a glass pod that kept him alive.
"Forgive me, for what I am about to do," she said, and with a heavy heart moved out of the medical bay, and as soon as she did she found an all too familiar face standing outside waiting for her.
"Paul," she called out, and her son looked up at her. He had changed much ever since they had stepped foot on this planet. Gone was the young ducal heir, the boy adored by many, and in his place had emerged the young Duke Atreides, the boy who had and was leading House Atreides through one of the most trying times in a century.
"I knew I would find you here," he said, and his eyes had gotten ever bluer, a consequence of the thick spice-laden air. Yet that was not the only thing that had changed about him. His gaze had changed as well, and so had he, and now, often, as she stared into his eyes, it reminded her of times when she would stare into the eye of her teacher, Reverend Mother Gaius Helem Mohaim.
"Have you come to stop me?" she asked, and he shook his head.
"I did, but a part of me tells me that it will be futile," he said, his tone soft and tired.
"Good, because I will not stop," she added, and Paul nodded and she moved past him, her transport was waiting for her.
"It is a mistake. I can see it," he added, and the words shook her. She looked back at him.
"The visions," he began as he looked down.
"They now plague my days, just like they did my nights. They are obscure and difficult to understand, but I can see why the Reverend Mother put me through that test about what you and your order were trying to create," he said as he looked her in the eye.
"I can see it. You will regret it," he said, and she felt her heart still at those words.
"Even so, I will not give up on him. If it is regret that is written in my future, then it is a regret I shall have," and with that, she walked away and began to walk out of the sketch, her heart racing with doubt and worry but her mindset.
She walked out of the sketch and found an ornithopter waiting for her, with Gurney and Inzal standing there.
Inza, Gurney," she greeted them both.
"The preparations for your journey have been made. The ritual preparations are underway. If everything goes according to plan, you will be here around the same time, Irulan arrives for the parlay," Inzal said as he handed her a messenger scroll.
"I will keep an eye on you, but in case of an emergency use this, it will send a beacon with your location. I will have aid there within an hour, no matter where you are on this planet," he assured, and she took it.
"Thanks," she said as she walked towards the Ornithopter. Gurney would be joining her on this expedition.
"Are you excited to see her, your sister Irulan?" she asked, and Inzal's lips turned up slightly.
"I am. I have heard rumors of how she looks quite like our mother," he finished.
"She does," she agreed. She had seen the Princess many times, and she closely resembled her old friend.
"You do not have to do this. There are risks to the ritual that even I cannot fores..."
"I have to," she cut in as she looked him in the eye.
"This is my role to play, and I will do it despite the risks. You just have to keep your promise to me," she asked, and he nodded.
"I will get that Imperial Healer, and no matter what happens, I will do everything in my power to keep your daughter safe and sane," he assured her.
"Then I can rest easy and do my part. Soon enough, Arrakis shall have a new Revered Mother," she said. She turned to step into the ornithopter, but suddenly, she stopped and turned.
"Inzal," she called out, and the white-haired boy stopped and faced her.
"Look after Paul. The Spice has begun to affect him. The visions, he told me they plague his days as well. Only you can help him along in this journey until I return," she asked, and he nodded.
"I will see what I can do."
0000
PADISHAH EMPEROR SHADDAM CORRINO IV
Being the Emperor of the Imperium meant he had to make hard choices, choices that ripped his heart apart yet were necessary to secure the future of the Imperium.
Leto had been a brother to him once, they shared blood, yet he could not let House Atreides threaten the Royal lineage as they had. The lack of an heir had complicated the matters further, enabling the duke to covet his throne, an overreach that needed to be answered.
The Duke had drown many houses to his side, using himself and his son as potential prizes, spitting in his face, taking advantage of his generosity, mocking hi for his failures to have a son.
The absolute destruction of House Atreides through House Harkonnen was an answer to all those aggressions and would serve as a symbol to any House that would ever try to overreach, back off, or suffer as the Atreides had.
House Harkonnen, they were scum, all of them. Sniceling, cunning, and greedy scum that thought themselves capable of using him to empower themselves, they would be taught a lesson as well.
He planned to pin the destruction of House Atreides on them and punish them heavily for the offense they had committed, yet now all his plans had been laid to waste.
"Was it truly necessary?" Hasimir questioned from the side as he sat there in his solar half drunk at what he had done. At what those damned Atreides were about to cost him and how he loathed both them and himself for that.
Yet he was Emperor, and he had to make the hard choices.
"It was," he said as he drowned another cup.
"She was your daughter, one who has done as you have ordered till day dutifully," Hasimir said as he turned to face her.
"Even now, she rides to Arrakis, unaware of the plot you have hatched for her," Hasimir said, and he frowned.
"Are you turning against me, Hasimir?" he asked, and the Count shook his head.
"I am not, but I am asking if it was truly the only way," and Shaddam shrugged.
"I did it because she is my daughter," he said, scoffing.
"And I have five," he added, hatefully, cursing at his fortunes.
"That is cruel of you," Hasimir said.
"But the truth nonetheless, and her sacrifice will make our House stronger. Right now, doubt creeps up in the hearts of many Houses, they question me, ME about what transpired on Arrakis. Rumors have begun to spread as well, close enough to the truth," he began angrily at all those scurrying, snivelling bastards and at their gall to question him. HIM. THE EMPEROR.
"What do you think will happen if they are confirmed, if the truth is revealed? We will be facing open rebellion. House Atreides will become the flag bearer of this rebellion, and my legacy would end with the end of the reign of House Corrino. I will not let that happen, no matter what," he finished, his resolve unshattered by what he had ordered.
"Even if it involves the murder of your own daughter," and he looked into Hasimir's eyes.
"Even that," he answered as he drowned another cup and threw the crystal glass at the wall.
"And what of her teacher, the Revered Mother? She has raised Irulan. Does she know the truth?" Shaddam scoffed at that.
"Of course she knows,
"Trusting the Bene Tleilaxu is dangerous. Few can fathom what those faceless monsters even want, yet have joined hands with them. It could be dangerous," Hasimir cautioned.
"Not any more dangerous than the danger we were already in. The Bene Tleilaxu want what the rest of the galaxy wants, and they will have it if and only if House Corrino gains control of the planet Akrrakis," he finished as he stumbled to his feet, his head was spinning yet still he walked up to Hasimir and placed his hand on his shoulder.
"I know it is hard, but that is the duty of the Emperor to make the hard choices. Irulan's sacrifice shall give us the leverage we need to break the atomics treaty and attack the Atreides with the full might of the Landsraad. We will be rid of both Atreides and those accursed Fremen in one single attack. Arrakis will be ours with its spice fields and sand worms, and all it would cost me is a daughter, of which I have five," he said as he tapped him on the shoulder.
"In two days' time, we shall announce the Atreide's treachery in breaking the rules of the parlay and killing Irulan. She will be remembered as a martyr, one who died trying to make peace with the wretched Atreides, and with that announcement, the House Atreides will lose all their support, and we will be free to do as we please," and just as he was about to step out the door.
"She is simply doing her duty, serving me and House Corrino in whatever what she could. Her death will be our salvation," he finished and opened the door.
"What if it had not been Irulan the Atredies had asked for? Would you have done the same?" Hasimir's voice made him stop and turn back, and he found his friend staring at him with those blue streaky eyes.
"What if it had been me they had asked for?" Hasimir asked.
And Shaddam looked his count in the eye before turning away.
"You are a good servant, Hasimir. A Good servant."
And with those words, he walked away, leaving the count alone in his solar.
0000
Read ahead and support me on Patreon. Help me write this and other such stories, by becoming a Patron. It would be pretty awesome of you and would help me out quite a bit.
www.Patreon.com/Drkest
Have an awesome day!
LADY JESSICA
The parlay day was fast approaching, and Lady Jessica knew she had to act. Her decision was made-she would undergo the ritual to become a Reverend Mother, all in a desperate bid to save Leto.
The very Leto lay there on the medical bed, unmoving, hooked to various machines, his body sealed inside a glass pod that kept him alive.
"Forgive me, for what I am about to do," she said, and with a heavy heart moved out of the medical bay, and as soon as she did she found an all too familiar face standing outside waiting for her.
"Paul," she called out, and her son looked up at her. He had changed much ever since they had stepped foot on this planet. Gone was the young ducal heir, the boy adored by many, and in his place had emerged the young Duke Atreides, the boy who had and was leading House Atreides through one of the most trying times in a century.
"I knew I would find you here," he said, and his eyes had gotten ever bluer, a consequence of the thick spice-laden air. Yet that was not the only thing that had changed about him. His gaze had changed as well, and so had he, and now, often, as she stared into his eyes, it reminded her of times when she would stare into the eye of her teacher, Reverend Mother Gaius Helem Mohaim.
"Have you come to stop me?" she asked, and he shook his head.
"I did, but a part of me tells me that it will be futile," he said, his tone soft and tired.
"Good, because I will not stop," she added, and Paul nodded and she moved past him, her transport was waiting for her.
"It is a mistake. I can see it," he added, and the words shook her. She looked back at him.
"The visions," he began as he looked down.
"They now plague my days, just like they did my nights. They are obscure and difficult to understand, but I can see why the Reverend Mother put me through that test about what you and your order were trying to create," he said as he looked her in the eye.
"I can see it. You will regret it," he said, and she felt her heart still at those words.
"Even so, I will not give up on him. If it is regret that is written in my future, then it is a regret I shall have," and with that, she walked away and began to walk out of the sketch, her heart racing with doubt and worry but her mindset.
She walked out of the sketch and found an ornithopter waiting for her, with Gurney and Inzal standing there.
Inza, Gurney," she greeted them both.
"The preparations for your journey have been made. The ritual preparations are underway. If everything goes according to plan, you will be here around the same time, Irulan arrives for the parlay," Inzal said as he handed her a messenger scroll.
"I will keep an eye on you, but in case of an emergency use this, it will send a beacon with your location. I will have aid there within an hour, no matter where you are on this planet," he assured, and she took it.
"Thanks," she said as she walked towards the Ornithopter. Gurney would be joining her on this expedition.
"Are you excited to see her, your sister Irulan?" she asked, and Inzal's lips turned up slightly.
"I am. I have heard rumors of how she looks quite like our mother," he finished.
"She does," she agreed. She had seen the Princess many times, and she closely resembled her old friend.
"You do not have to do this. There are risks to the ritual that even I cannot fores..."
"I have to," she cut in as she looked him in the eye.
"This is my role to play, and I will do it despite the risks. You just have to keep your promise to me," she asked, and he nodded.
"I will get that Imperial Healer, and no matter what happens, I will do everything in my power to keep your daughter safe and sane," he assured her.
"Then I can rest easy and do my part. Soon enough, Arrakis shall have a new Revered Mother," she said. She turned to step into the ornithopter, but suddenly, she stopped and turned.
"Inzal," she called out, and the white-haired boy stopped and faced her.
"Look after Paul. The Spice has begun to affect him. The visions, he told me they plague his days as well. Only you can help him along in this journey until I return," she asked, and he nodded.
"I will see what I can do."
0000
PADISHAH EMPEROR SHADDAM CORRINO IV
Being the Emperor of the Imperium meant he had to make hard choices, choices that ripped his heart apart yet were necessary to secure the future of the Imperium.
Leto had been a brother to him once, they shared blood, yet he could not let House Atreides threaten the Royal lineage as they had. The lack of an heir had complicated the matters further, enabling the duke to covet his throne, an overreach that needed to be answered.
The Duke had drown many houses to his side, using himself and his son as potential prizes, spitting in his face, taking advantage of his generosity, mocking hi for his failures to have a son.
The absolute destruction of House Atreides through House Harkonnen was an answer to all those aggressions and would serve as a symbol to any House that would ever try to overreach, back off, or suffer as the Atreides had.
House Harkonnen, they were scum, all of them. Sniceling, cunning, and greedy scum that thought themselves capable of using him to empower themselves, they would be taught a lesson as well.
He planned to pin the destruction of House Atreides on them and punish them heavily for the offense they had committed, yet now all his plans had been laid to waste.
"Was it truly necessary?" Hasimir questioned from the side as he sat there in his solar half drunk at what he had done. At what those damned Atreides were about to cost him and how he loathed both them and himself for that.
Yet he was Emperor, and he had to make the hard choices.
"It was," he said as he drowned another cup.
"She was your daughter, one who has done as you have ordered till day dutifully," Hasimir said as he turned to face her.
"Even now, she rides to Arrakis, unaware of the plot you have hatched for her," Hasimir said, and he frowned.
"Are you turning against me, Hasimir?" he asked, and the Count shook his head.
"I am not, but I am asking if it was truly the only way," and Shaddam shrugged.
"I did it because she is my daughter," he said, scoffing.
"And I have five," he added, hatefully, cursing at his fortunes.
"That is cruel of you," Hasimir said.
"But the truth nonetheless, and her sacrifice will make our House stronger. Right now, doubt creeps up in the hearts of many Houses, they question me, ME about what transpired on Arrakis. Rumors have begun to spread as well, close enough to the truth," he began angrily at all those scurrying, snivelling bastards and at their gall to question him. HIM. THE EMPEROR.
"What do you think will happen if they are confirmed, if the truth is revealed? We will be facing open rebellion. House Atreides will become the flag bearer of this rebellion, and my legacy would end with the end of the reign of House Corrino. I will not let that happen, no matter what," he finished, his resolve unshattered by what he had ordered.
"Even if it involves the murder of your own daughter," and he looked into Hasimir's eyes.
"Even that," he answered as he drowned another cup and threw the crystal glass at the wall.
"And what of her teacher, the Revered Mother? She has raised Irulan. Does she know the truth?" Shaddam scoffed at that.
"Of course she knows,
"Trusting the Bene Tleilaxu is dangerous. Few can fathom what those faceless monsters even want, yet have joined hands with them. It could be dangerous," Hasimir cautioned.
"Not any more dangerous than the danger we were already in. The Bene Tleilaxu want what the rest of the galaxy wants, and they will have it if and only if House Corrino gains control of the planet Akrrakis," he finished as he stumbled to his feet, his head was spinning yet still he walked up to Hasimir and placed his hand on his shoulder.
"I know it is hard, but that is the duty of the Emperor to make the hard choices. Irulan's sacrifice shall give us the leverage we need to break the atomics treaty and attack the Atreides with the full might of the Landsraad. We will be rid of both Atreides and those accursed Fremen in one single attack. Arrakis will be ours with its spice fields and sand worms, and all it would cost me is a daughter, of which I have five," he said as he tapped him on the shoulder.
"In two days' time, we shall announce the Atreide's treachery in breaking the rules of the parlay and killing Irulan. She will be remembered as a martyr, one who died trying to make peace with the wretched Atreides, and with that announcement, the House Atreides will lose all their support, and we will be free to do as we please," and just as he was about to step out the door.
"She is simply doing her duty, serving me and House Corrino in whatever what she could. Her death will be our salvation," he finished and opened the door.
"What if it had not been Irulan the Atredies had asked for? Would you have done the same?" Hasimir's voice made him stop and turn back, and he found his friend staring at him with those blue streaky eyes.
"What if it had been me they had asked for?" Hasimir asked.
And Shaddam looked his count in the eye before turning away.
"You are a good servant, Hasimir. A Good servant."
And with those words, he walked away, leaving the count alone in his solar.
0000
Read ahead and support me on Patreon. Help me write this and other such stories, by becoming a Patron. It would be pretty awesome of you and would help me out quite a bit.
www.Patreon.com/Drkest
Have an awesome day!
- Location
- England
Should be "drawn".
I think that it should be "yet you".
Apostrophe in the wrong place. Should be "Atreides'".
Last edited:
Chapter 26-Hello Sister!
Chapter 26
CHANI KYNES
Chani Kynes stood on the palace's roof, armed with a laser sniper, peering down at the retinue that had come to negotiate on behalf of the Imperium, led by none other than Princess Irulan, Inzal's sister.
Yet she was not here to harm her, and why would they. She was Inzal's sister, his twin. No, she was the last contingency, being the sharpest shot among the Fremen, she was stationed their as the last line of defence for the Princess.
"I still do not think that all this is necessary," she said as the ship began to descend. She was not the only one stationed here; Paul, who had accompanied her a lot over the last month, sat beside her.
They had gotten much closer in this time, with her being impressed by the Atreides heir and his ability to adapt to their ways. He was a good leader, much like Inzal. Yet she had noticed him becoming quieter by the day, quieter and more pensive, yet she had not asked him why.
"It is," Paul said as the ship came to a halt and a ramp descended down, and they caught the first glimpse of the retinue and immediately her eyes were drawn to the Princess, and she was as Paul had told her.
Of a sharp, small, regal face adorned with shining blonde golden hair that shimmered in the Sun, she was the embodiment of poise and sophistication as she descended down along with the herald.
"But she is the Emperor's daughter. Why would he wish to harm her?" she questioned. She saw Paul look at the retinue with that pensive gaze.
"Because, in a way, she is a threat to him as well, and in this game of Thrones, you either win, or you die," and she frowned at those last ominous.
"Who said that?" she asked, and he frowned as his gaze narrowed.
"Inzal will," he whispered, and she frowned.
"Will?" she asked, surprised when he suddenly narrowed his eyes.
"He was right. Focus on the herald. He is the mole," he said, and she nodded and turned and looked through the scope as she focused on the herald and saw his face dissolve.
"What is that?" she asked.
"He is a face dancer, an assassin from the Bene Tleilaxu. They are the most dangerous assassins in all of the Imperium," he told her, and she was taken aback.
"Only the Emperor could have sent one here," he said, and she was devastated that a father could do this to their own child.
"He is moving!" he shouted, and she saw him vanish in the blink of an eye.
"The Prince..." and then she saw him jump towards the Princess, his blade slashing at her neck, when suddenly it was intercepted by Inzal, who had been able to respond to that inhuman speed.
0000
INZAL KAZAB CORRINO
Inzal parried the face dancer's slash aimed at Irulan's neck, forcing himself in between herself and the faceless assassin.
"Get back!" he shouted to his own men and to the Princess as he parried another strike before suddenly the face dancer spun in the air and sent a dagger flying towards Princess. Inzal jumped back and parried it with his own blade. He slid back until he was in front of Irulan and her guards, who stood on the edge of the bridge.
"You truly are impressive," the face dancer began as Inzal stared him in the face.
"None of my victims have ever lasted for more than a few seconds against me. You are the first one who has held me back for as long as you have," he complimented him.
"Well, that is good and all, but I am afraid your days of killing are over. I doubt you will stop, and I will not let you harm the Princess, not as long as I draw breath," he finished as he breathed out slowly and pushed beyond his humanity, beyond his limits.
"Then I will simply have to kill you as well," spoke the dancer before he vanished once more, and Inzal jumped in the air, and intercepted the assassin once more as he tried to go by him.
"Not so fast," and the assassin was taken aback by this as Inzal parried his strikes and kicked him in the gut, sending him barreling back before he landed infront of the Princess once more.
"You," Irulan began as she stepped forward.
"Why are you doing this? Who sent you after me?" she asked as the face dancer rose back to his feet.
"And why would I do that?" he scoffed.
"I said answer me," and she used her voice in desperation as the face dancer laughed.
"Your Bene Gesserite trickery does not affect me, Princess. Well, but I will answer you in honor of your courage," he began.
"I was sent here to assassinate you by none other than your own father, the Emperor," and the answer made her still as her face paled, and he saw her shoulders slump as the magnitude of that betrayal hit her.
"But why?" she asked in a shaky tone.
"That you are smart enough to figure it out on your own," he said as he vanished once more, and Inzal clashed with him once more. Their blades blurred through the air as Inzal cut him off from trying to approach Irulan.
"You have served your purpose," Inzal whispered and saw the man stiffen as he pressed on teh disengage switch on his blades and felt them detach from his swords much to the surprise of the assassin, who was taken aback at the shift in weight, and that moment of imbalance was all he would need as he craned his head to the side, and the assassin's blade whipped past his face cutting through his skin as Inzal's hand pushed through his skin.
GOUG!
And he felt it rip through the man's body as he was showered in blood as the Bene Tleilaxu assassin began to lose his strength, and he swung once more, yet Inzal kicked him with his leg as he pulled out his arm from his chest, the beating heart of the Bene Telilaxu still in his hand.
Inzal crushed it in his hand as the assassin stumbled back before falling to his knees.
"Who are you?" he gasped out as he fell to the ground.
Inzal walked up to him, and he could feel everyone's gaze focused on him, especially Irulan's and the rest of the retinue, where everyone was waiting for his reply.
He reached for his mask, lowered it, and pushed back the hood to reveal his white hair, which had spots of red in it, as he turned towards the Princess.
"My name is Inzal Kazab Corrino," he finished, and he saw her eyes widen, being a Bene Gesserit she must be able to see that he was not lying.
"I am the Firstborn son of the Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV and Anirul Corrino," he answered, and many in the retinue stiffened and whispered at those words.
"Impossible," Princess Irulan gasped as she looked him in the eyes.
"It cannot be. You cannot be real. I always thought it was all a delusion, a simple dream," she wailed wildly.
"I believe I am more than a simple delusion..." he said with a smile as he walked towards the Princess, and the Saradukar came in between them.
"...I have been wanting to meet you for a long time, sister," he added.
"But I was an only child. I asked repeatedly. Yet I was told that I have no twin," she shouted, half in denial, half in hope.
"But you do, Princess," Lady Jessica finally cut in, and the Princess's head whipped towards her.
"I was there on the day your mother bore you and your brother and how you were separated. On the day Anirul gave birth to you, before you, she gave birth to a male child, one who was born into this world cursed in ways more than one way," she began, and he saw Anirul's eyes narrow onto him.
"Cursed?" she asked, and he nodded.
"Blessings, I would say," Inzal cut in.
"After all, if it was not for them, I would not be alive here today," he said, and he saw her look down before she took a step forward, much to the surprise of the Saradukar.
"Stand back," she said softly, and the Saradukar followed her command as she stepped closer to him.
"I wi..."
And then hours later, with the whole of the Imperium waiting in trepidation, a message was transmitted from the planet of Arrakis, much to the surprise and anguish of the Emperor, who watched with a drunken, muddled gaze as his daughter, who had no purpose being alive appeared on the screen.
"I am Princess Irulan Corrino and I was tasked with negotiating with the Atreides and their allies on behalf of the Imperium. And today, I bring you great news," she halted as the Emperor crushed the table with his hands as he gasped out.
"Impossible."
"That a compromise has been reached. The congregation will be pushed forward by a month. The Embargo in Spice will be lifted, and sips laden with spice shall begin departing the Arrakeen soil as soon as certain demands are met."
0000
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CHANI KYNES
Chani Kynes stood on the palace's roof, armed with a laser sniper, peering down at the retinue that had come to negotiate on behalf of the Imperium, led by none other than Princess Irulan, Inzal's sister.
Yet she was not here to harm her, and why would they. She was Inzal's sister, his twin. No, she was the last contingency, being the sharpest shot among the Fremen, she was stationed their as the last line of defence for the Princess.
"I still do not think that all this is necessary," she said as the ship began to descend. She was not the only one stationed here; Paul, who had accompanied her a lot over the last month, sat beside her.
They had gotten much closer in this time, with her being impressed by the Atreides heir and his ability to adapt to their ways. He was a good leader, much like Inzal. Yet she had noticed him becoming quieter by the day, quieter and more pensive, yet she had not asked him why.
"It is," Paul said as the ship came to a halt and a ramp descended down, and they caught the first glimpse of the retinue and immediately her eyes were drawn to the Princess, and she was as Paul had told her.
Of a sharp, small, regal face adorned with shining blonde golden hair that shimmered in the Sun, she was the embodiment of poise and sophistication as she descended down along with the herald.
"But she is the Emperor's daughter. Why would he wish to harm her?" she questioned. She saw Paul look at the retinue with that pensive gaze.
"Because, in a way, she is a threat to him as well, and in this game of Thrones, you either win, or you die," and she frowned at those last ominous.
"Who said that?" she asked, and he frowned as his gaze narrowed.
"Inzal will," he whispered, and she frowned.
"Will?" she asked, surprised when he suddenly narrowed his eyes.
"He was right. Focus on the herald. He is the mole," he said, and she nodded and turned and looked through the scope as she focused on the herald and saw his face dissolve.
"What is that?" she asked.
"He is a face dancer, an assassin from the Bene Tleilaxu. They are the most dangerous assassins in all of the Imperium," he told her, and she was taken aback.
"Only the Emperor could have sent one here," he said, and she was devastated that a father could do this to their own child.
"He is moving!" he shouted, and she saw him vanish in the blink of an eye.
"The Prince..." and then she saw him jump towards the Princess, his blade slashing at her neck, when suddenly it was intercepted by Inzal, who had been able to respond to that inhuman speed.
0000
INZAL KAZAB CORRINO
Inzal parried the face dancer's slash aimed at Irulan's neck, forcing himself in between herself and the faceless assassin.
"Get back!" he shouted to his own men and to the Princess as he parried another strike before suddenly the face dancer spun in the air and sent a dagger flying towards Princess. Inzal jumped back and parried it with his own blade. He slid back until he was in front of Irulan and her guards, who stood on the edge of the bridge.
"You truly are impressive," the face dancer began as Inzal stared him in the face.
"None of my victims have ever lasted for more than a few seconds against me. You are the first one who has held me back for as long as you have," he complimented him.
"Well, that is good and all, but I am afraid your days of killing are over. I doubt you will stop, and I will not let you harm the Princess, not as long as I draw breath," he finished as he breathed out slowly and pushed beyond his humanity, beyond his limits.
"Then I will simply have to kill you as well," spoke the dancer before he vanished once more, and Inzal jumped in the air, and intercepted the assassin once more as he tried to go by him.
"Not so fast," and the assassin was taken aback by this as Inzal parried his strikes and kicked him in the gut, sending him barreling back before he landed infront of the Princess once more.
"You," Irulan began as she stepped forward.
"Why are you doing this? Who sent you after me?" she asked as the face dancer rose back to his feet.
"And why would I do that?" he scoffed.
"I said answer me," and she used her voice in desperation as the face dancer laughed.
"Your Bene Gesserite trickery does not affect me, Princess. Well, but I will answer you in honor of your courage," he began.
"I was sent here to assassinate you by none other than your own father, the Emperor," and the answer made her still as her face paled, and he saw her shoulders slump as the magnitude of that betrayal hit her.
"But why?" she asked in a shaky tone.
"That you are smart enough to figure it out on your own," he said as he vanished once more, and Inzal clashed with him once more. Their blades blurred through the air as Inzal cut him off from trying to approach Irulan.
"You have served your purpose," Inzal whispered and saw the man stiffen as he pressed on teh disengage switch on his blades and felt them detach from his swords much to the surprise of the assassin, who was taken aback at the shift in weight, and that moment of imbalance was all he would need as he craned his head to the side, and the assassin's blade whipped past his face cutting through his skin as Inzal's hand pushed through his skin.
GOUG!
And he felt it rip through the man's body as he was showered in blood as the Bene Tleilaxu assassin began to lose his strength, and he swung once more, yet Inzal kicked him with his leg as he pulled out his arm from his chest, the beating heart of the Bene Telilaxu still in his hand.
Inzal crushed it in his hand as the assassin stumbled back before falling to his knees.
"Who are you?" he gasped out as he fell to the ground.
Inzal walked up to him, and he could feel everyone's gaze focused on him, especially Irulan's and the rest of the retinue, where everyone was waiting for his reply.
He reached for his mask, lowered it, and pushed back the hood to reveal his white hair, which had spots of red in it, as he turned towards the Princess.
"My name is Inzal Kazab Corrino," he finished, and he saw her eyes widen, being a Bene Gesserit she must be able to see that he was not lying.
"I am the Firstborn son of the Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV and Anirul Corrino," he answered, and many in the retinue stiffened and whispered at those words.
"Impossible," Princess Irulan gasped as she looked him in the eyes.
"It cannot be. You cannot be real. I always thought it was all a delusion, a simple dream," she wailed wildly.
"I believe I am more than a simple delusion..." he said with a smile as he walked towards the Princess, and the Saradukar came in between them.
"...I have been wanting to meet you for a long time, sister," he added.
"But I was an only child. I asked repeatedly. Yet I was told that I have no twin," she shouted, half in denial, half in hope.
"But you do, Princess," Lady Jessica finally cut in, and the Princess's head whipped towards her.
"I was there on the day your mother bore you and your brother and how you were separated. On the day Anirul gave birth to you, before you, she gave birth to a male child, one who was born into this world cursed in ways more than one way," she began, and he saw Anirul's eyes narrow onto him.
"Cursed?" she asked, and he nodded.
"Blessings, I would say," Inzal cut in.
"After all, if it was not for them, I would not be alive here today," he said, and he saw her look down before she took a step forward, much to the surprise of the Saradukar.
"Stand back," she said softly, and the Saradukar followed her command as she stepped closer to him.
"I wi..."
And then hours later, with the whole of the Imperium waiting in trepidation, a message was transmitted from the planet of Arrakis, much to the surprise and anguish of the Emperor, who watched with a drunken, muddled gaze as his daughter, who had no purpose being alive appeared on the screen.
"I am Princess Irulan Corrino and I was tasked with negotiating with the Atreides and their allies on behalf of the Imperium. And today, I bring you great news," she halted as the Emperor crushed the table with his hands as he gasped out.
"Impossible."
"That a compromise has been reached. The congregation will be pushed forward by a month. The Embargo in Spice will be lifted, and sips laden with spice shall begin departing the Arrakeen soil as soon as certain demands are met."
0000
Read ahead and support me on Patreon. Help me write this and other such stories, by becoming a Patron. It would be pretty awesome of you and would mean a lot to me.
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Have an awesome day!
Chapter 27-The Whisper of a Name!
Chapter 27
IRULAN CORRINO
Irulan had always felt that a part of her missing, that she was the incomplete half of a picture, the whispers and assurances of a voice that she would often dream of yet would never hear again for years.
And now she had her answer, as she sat in the once Atreides castle, heartbroken at what her own father had envisioned for her, what the very order she was a part of, had revered religiously, had done to her family.
His face was different than her own, less pale, yet their features were similar, in some ways, not a lot, for he had taken after their father a bit more just as she had done so for their mother.
"You look much like her," he said, and those words coming from him had a profound effect.
"But you never said...." but he did, of course, he did, and he recalled as well, for he was no ordinary human.
No, he was Bene Gesserit's worst nightmare, one born aware during birth, one born with the access to his genetic memories while being nothing more than a plethora of cells in their mother's womb.
An Abomination.
And by law, all abominations were to be killed for the sheer danger they posed, as a sort of mercy to the child that was never born, for until this day in the thousands of years of recorded history no Abomination had ever survived, they had lived yet as not themselves but as an amalgamation or a copy of a strong personality inhabiting their memories.
Possession, it was called, yet somehow he had been able to beat it, and survive for all these years, a testament to his mental prowess.
And that was not his only anomaly, no that was but the beginning.
"How did you know?" she asked, referring to the betrayal of her own father.
"I was monitoring the movements inside his castle for days, and when I saw a Bene Tleilaxu member replace the herald, I knew that something was up," he said, unbothered at how he had just admitted to being able to see and monitor movements half a galaxy away.
Yet that was just one of his powers as a False Haderach. However, she believed that a Half Haderach was the more appropriate term, one who was only half of what their order sought so dearly.
A Kwisatz Haderach, the one who could be at many places at once, and if one were to go by the literal definition of the word Inzal, was just that.
"Moreover, say what you will of our father, but he knows politics. He knew that his days were numbered, as he must have been told by the Reverend Mother himself, and so he knew that the only way to save his own neck for what he had done to the Atreides was to make them into abhorrent villains. Villains that the whole galaxy would wish to destroy them," he finished as he stood up.
"And you were but a pawn in that scheme of his," he told her.
She knew that her father cared little for her, that he yearned for a son, and that her presence was only ever a reminder of the son he never had. But she could hardly fathom the Revered Mother being a part of the plot, the very person who had helped her through the pain of losing her mother and taught her the ways of the Sisterhood.
"I know what you are thinking," he cut in, and her head snapped up.
"I know that you are thinking of the Reverend Mother on how she has betrayed you, and how could she do this to you," he spoke softly, and his words pained her greatly.
"But understand this, Irulan, she is not loyal to you or our family. She is only an instrument of the Order, and she serves only that as do all Bene Gesserit," he said sharply his own hate against
"And you are not the only one she has betrayed," and with that, he turned towards Lady Jessica, who sat with them, silent and with a swollen belly.
"I was once an apprentice under her, just as your mother was," she began softly, her lips thinning as she laid her emotions bare, letting go of the control over them.
"And yet she sent me and my kin to death, knowing that I carried an innocent child in my womb. All for I had defied her and the Order in giving Leto a son and interfered in their grand plans," she said, and she could seldom believe it, that her father's lack of a son was not an affliction that it was deliberate action from their mother and the sisterhood.
And she was a mess, with rage, frustration, sadness, joy, and emotions. They were too much for her, and she could feel her control getting strained with every passing second.
"I need to go now, I need to make preparations to oversee the Spice deliveries," Inzal said as he gave her a nod and walked away, leaving her alone with Lady Jessica.
"And Irulan," he stopped by her seat, and she looked up at him as he gently caressed her face and smiled.
"I know that you are troubled and feel betrayed. I would as well if I discovered that I had a brother such as me," he added with a chuckle, and she smiled at his jab.
"But as long as you are with me, you do not have to fear for your life or anything else at all. Take all the time you need. None here shall seek to use you, harm you, or even disturb you. You are free," he assured her.
"Even if I decide to go against you," and he nodded and walked away.
"Even then. After all, isn't it an elder brother's duty to look after their sister?"
0000
REVEREND MOTHER GAIUS HELEM MOHAIM
With Irulan's address, all the plans to end the Atreides line had been foiled, and the Emperor and themselves had been pushed back into a corner, yet it all had made one thing clear as well.
"How could this happen? How could a Face Dancer of the Bene Tleilaxu fail," Shaddam asked, nearly driven to madness after his constant failures.
"I do not know, but all indications point to one single thing, that the plans have failed and that Princess Irulan has changed sides," and what a shame was that. Irulan Corrino was a valuable pawn, one that would have provided much-needed legitimacy to a successor of their choice through her Royal Blood.
And yet, now she could feel all their plans unravelling infront of her eyes.
"Of course, she has. What should one expect from daughters?" Shaddam roared in rage as Hasimir stood there impassive, his gaze constantly turning towards her.
"With the departure of the Imperial Physician and all the equipment they asked for, the embargo on Spice has been lifted, and shipments have begun coming in," Hasimir informed.
"I DON'T CARE ABOUT SPICE!" Shaddam roared.
"MY VERY THRONE IS BEING THREATENED! IF WE DO NOT DEAL WITH THIS SOON ENOUGH, MY REIGN WILL END, AND AN ATREIDES WILL SIT WHERE I SIT!" and his fears were indeed true, rumors about the treachery of House Corrino and House Harkonnen had taken root, and with each passing day, the two Houses lost political power.
"We have no choice now, Princess Irulan's message was broadcasted all over the galaxy. We cannot break the terms," Hasimir advised, and as she had said they were in a deadlock.
The end of House Atreides had seemed like a done deal. None had even imagined that the House would be able to survive the combined might of House Corrino and House Harkonnen. They had believed that in one night, everyone sitting on this table would be rid of all their political headaches.
The end of the Atreides will create a power vacuum that only House Corrino could fill. It would rid House Harkonnen of their eternal rivals, and for herself and the order, it would put an end to a prospect that had come ahead of its time, put an end to renegades who had defied their order's codex not one but twice.
And yet, each and every one of their plans had been unraveled, broken apart, and turned around in a way that could only happen in one way.
The Kwisatz Haderach.
'Could it really be....' had Jessica's son been the one they had sought all these years? Was he truly the one, a Kwisatz Haderach, and if so, then the powers of this being were beyond her imagination?
There was no other explanation.
.
.
Hasimir watched as the Revered Mother left the room, leaving him alone with the Emperor.
"While scouring the transmission from the ship, I was able to scour out a rather interesting audio," Hasimir told him as the Emperor frowned.
"What?"
Hasimir reached out and played it for him.
"My...shhhh...ame...s....Inza....Kaza....orrino..."
And he saw the Emperor pale as he had, as he had tried to make sense of what he had heard.
"Inzal," he whispered, awestruck and pale hands shaking as he looked into Hasimir's eyes.
"It was the name we chose for a son."
0000
Read ahead and support me on Patreon. Help me write this and other such stories by becoming a Patron. It would be pretty cool of you and would mean a lot to me.
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Have an awesome day!
IRULAN CORRINO
Irulan had always felt that a part of her missing, that she was the incomplete half of a picture, the whispers and assurances of a voice that she would often dream of yet would never hear again for years.
And now she had her answer, as she sat in the once Atreides castle, heartbroken at what her own father had envisioned for her, what the very order she was a part of, had revered religiously, had done to her family.
His face was different than her own, less pale, yet their features were similar, in some ways, not a lot, for he had taken after their father a bit more just as she had done so for their mother.
"You look much like her," he said, and those words coming from him had a profound effect.
"But you never said...." but he did, of course, he did, and he recalled as well, for he was no ordinary human.
No, he was Bene Gesserit's worst nightmare, one born aware during birth, one born with the access to his genetic memories while being nothing more than a plethora of cells in their mother's womb.
An Abomination.
And by law, all abominations were to be killed for the sheer danger they posed, as a sort of mercy to the child that was never born, for until this day in the thousands of years of recorded history no Abomination had ever survived, they had lived yet as not themselves but as an amalgamation or a copy of a strong personality inhabiting their memories.
Possession, it was called, yet somehow he had been able to beat it, and survive for all these years, a testament to his mental prowess.
And that was not his only anomaly, no that was but the beginning.
"How did you know?" she asked, referring to the betrayal of her own father.
"I was monitoring the movements inside his castle for days, and when I saw a Bene Tleilaxu member replace the herald, I knew that something was up," he said, unbothered at how he had just admitted to being able to see and monitor movements half a galaxy away.
Yet that was just one of his powers as a False Haderach. However, she believed that a Half Haderach was the more appropriate term, one who was only half of what their order sought so dearly.
A Kwisatz Haderach, the one who could be at many places at once, and if one were to go by the literal definition of the word Inzal, was just that.
"Moreover, say what you will of our father, but he knows politics. He knew that his days were numbered, as he must have been told by the Reverend Mother himself, and so he knew that the only way to save his own neck for what he had done to the Atreides was to make them into abhorrent villains. Villains that the whole galaxy would wish to destroy them," he finished as he stood up.
"And you were but a pawn in that scheme of his," he told her.
She knew that her father cared little for her, that he yearned for a son, and that her presence was only ever a reminder of the son he never had. But she could hardly fathom the Revered Mother being a part of the plot, the very person who had helped her through the pain of losing her mother and taught her the ways of the Sisterhood.
"I know what you are thinking," he cut in, and her head snapped up.
"I know that you are thinking of the Reverend Mother on how she has betrayed you, and how could she do this to you," he spoke softly, and his words pained her greatly.
"But understand this, Irulan, she is not loyal to you or our family. She is only an instrument of the Order, and she serves only that as do all Bene Gesserit," he said sharply his own hate against
"And you are not the only one she has betrayed," and with that, he turned towards Lady Jessica, who sat with them, silent and with a swollen belly.
"I was once an apprentice under her, just as your mother was," she began softly, her lips thinning as she laid her emotions bare, letting go of the control over them.
"And yet she sent me and my kin to death, knowing that I carried an innocent child in my womb. All for I had defied her and the Order in giving Leto a son and interfered in their grand plans," she said, and she could seldom believe it, that her father's lack of a son was not an affliction that it was deliberate action from their mother and the sisterhood.
And she was a mess, with rage, frustration, sadness, joy, and emotions. They were too much for her, and she could feel her control getting strained with every passing second.
"I need to go now, I need to make preparations to oversee the Spice deliveries," Inzal said as he gave her a nod and walked away, leaving her alone with Lady Jessica.
"And Irulan," he stopped by her seat, and she looked up at him as he gently caressed her face and smiled.
"I know that you are troubled and feel betrayed. I would as well if I discovered that I had a brother such as me," he added with a chuckle, and she smiled at his jab.
"But as long as you are with me, you do not have to fear for your life or anything else at all. Take all the time you need. None here shall seek to use you, harm you, or even disturb you. You are free," he assured her.
"Even if I decide to go against you," and he nodded and walked away.
"Even then. After all, isn't it an elder brother's duty to look after their sister?"
0000
REVEREND MOTHER GAIUS HELEM MOHAIM
With Irulan's address, all the plans to end the Atreides line had been foiled, and the Emperor and themselves had been pushed back into a corner, yet it all had made one thing clear as well.
"How could this happen? How could a Face Dancer of the Bene Tleilaxu fail," Shaddam asked, nearly driven to madness after his constant failures.
"I do not know, but all indications point to one single thing, that the plans have failed and that Princess Irulan has changed sides," and what a shame was that. Irulan Corrino was a valuable pawn, one that would have provided much-needed legitimacy to a successor of their choice through her Royal Blood.
And yet, now she could feel all their plans unravelling infront of her eyes.
"Of course, she has. What should one expect from daughters?" Shaddam roared in rage as Hasimir stood there impassive, his gaze constantly turning towards her.
"With the departure of the Imperial Physician and all the equipment they asked for, the embargo on Spice has been lifted, and shipments have begun coming in," Hasimir informed.
"I DON'T CARE ABOUT SPICE!" Shaddam roared.
"MY VERY THRONE IS BEING THREATENED! IF WE DO NOT DEAL WITH THIS SOON ENOUGH, MY REIGN WILL END, AND AN ATREIDES WILL SIT WHERE I SIT!" and his fears were indeed true, rumors about the treachery of House Corrino and House Harkonnen had taken root, and with each passing day, the two Houses lost political power.
"We have no choice now, Princess Irulan's message was broadcasted all over the galaxy. We cannot break the terms," Hasimir advised, and as she had said they were in a deadlock.
The end of House Atreides had seemed like a done deal. None had even imagined that the House would be able to survive the combined might of House Corrino and House Harkonnen. They had believed that in one night, everyone sitting on this table would be rid of all their political headaches.
The end of the Atreides will create a power vacuum that only House Corrino could fill. It would rid House Harkonnen of their eternal rivals, and for herself and the order, it would put an end to a prospect that had come ahead of its time, put an end to renegades who had defied their order's codex not one but twice.
And yet, each and every one of their plans had been unraveled, broken apart, and turned around in a way that could only happen in one way.
The Kwisatz Haderach.
'Could it really be....' had Jessica's son been the one they had sought all these years? Was he truly the one, a Kwisatz Haderach, and if so, then the powers of this being were beyond her imagination?
There was no other explanation.
.
.
Hasimir watched as the Revered Mother left the room, leaving him alone with the Emperor.
"While scouring the transmission from the ship, I was able to scour out a rather interesting audio," Hasimir told him as the Emperor frowned.
"What?"
Hasimir reached out and played it for him.
"My...shhhh...ame...s....Inza....Kaza....orrino..."
And he saw the Emperor pale as he had, as he had tried to make sense of what he had heard.
"Inzal," he whispered, awestruck and pale hands shaking as he looked into Hasimir's eyes.
"It was the name we chose for a son."
0000
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Indeed they are Lady Jessica even had an older sister who was terminated in the womb (I think) then her bio mom (the same reverend mother that trained her) had to return to the Baron for another try he SA'd her so she afflicted him with an affliction that made him the infamous fatty fucked up family.
EDIT: That's not even talking about how the Bene Gessrits founder was the bastard daughter of House Atreides founder.