The Death of Duty

Chapter 8 - Master

The journey to Giedi Prime could have been minutes or hours, I wasn't sure. The silence in my head was deafening, bordering on thunderous. No one had bothered to remove my gag, and I was slumped somewhere in the corner with crates and storage. Feyd no doubt nearby in the shadows should I attempt anything.

But it was useless. I was tied up and surrounded by my enemies. It was better to wait for the right moment. If I was destined to be trapped on Giedi Prime, I might as well use it to my advantage. I swayed the war away from the Fremen at Arakeen, but now I could sway it back—bring House Harkonnen crumbling down—for them. For him.

So I didn't fight as they unloaded me off the ship, or as they shoved me into a walk nearly every five seconds.

Giedi Prime was colorless—the sky an unnerving white and the buildings and land a deep black. Black and white stretched for miles and miles in every direction—architecture, land masses, the people. The sun was a massive ball of black in the sky, darkening the planet as if likening it to the disposition of its inhabitants.

The Harkonnens were a cold, brutal house, and with the aid of the Harkonnen military, they had managed to all but enslave the natives of Giedi Prime, using them for labor.

The lack of plant life on the surface was due to the inability for photosynthesis from the Harkonnen industrialization across the entire planet. How anything managed to survive in this wasteland was a mystery in itself.

A tight grip landed on my bicep, and I didn't bother looking to know Feyd-Rautha was there, forcefully guiding me up a set of black stone stairs. Harkonnen Castle stood there, awaiting, daunting. The geometry of its architecture was as complicated as the dynamic between its inhabitants. The black stone absorbed any amount of light, creating the illusion of a black hole on the surface of the planet.

Barony, the capital city of Giedi Prime, was made entirely of the same black stone. The buildings resembling black fingers reaching through barren soil, stretching toward the sky for air.

The immediate atmospheric change as I stepped into the castle was startling. The air was less thick, less full of smog and pollution inside, though the hints of despair and hopelessness remained.

Feyd guided me down the long dark hallway, Harkonnen soldiers trailing behind. The baron had long since disappeared off the ship with his own cabal, no doubt mulling over the recent events. There was power to be applied and leverage to be exploited. House Harkonnen's position now was a far cry from where they'd been days ago.

As we walked, I counted the number of corners we turned and the doors we passed, making note of every inch inside the castle. If I wanted to eviscerate my enemies, I would have to get familiar with my surroundings.

Feyd eventually stopped us outside an unremarkable door, the same as the others, nearly no way to distinguish it from the rest.

"Leave us," he said to the Harkonnen soldiers, releasing his grip on my arm.

They bowed and disappeared down another long hall, leaving just the two of us. Feyd stood a foot in front of me, staring down with hard contemplation. I looked up at him with brows drawn, a scowl on my face. The blood that had leaked from his nose at the impact of my forehead against his face had since been wiped away, all evidence of it gone.

While I was in Feyd's line of sight, I wasn't sure he was actually seeing me.

Finally, he pushed the door open and dipped his head, gesturing for me to walk. I glared at him but entered anyway, not in the right condition to fight him.

"Your quarters," he announced, following me into the room. I took in the space, the walls were a dark grey stone, and the floor a cold concrete worn from years of use, devoid of any rugs or carpets. There was a bed pushed against the far wall straight back from the door. It was not ornate or extravagant, but a bed was a bed. It had corpulent pillows and a thick blanket draped over it. Off to the side, there was a small metal table with a chair, sterile and gleaming, underneath a small window—too small to fit through. Overall, it was barren and cold, the single light fixture harsh as it left no corner untouched. There was a faint smell of dampness and chemicals.