NOVEL NEXT 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....
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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."
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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!!!!!!"
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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.
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