─── ･ ｡ﾟ⟡ 🌑 ⟡ ˚｡ ･ ───
twelve
'Once in a lifetime, you meet someone who changes everything.'
─── ･ ｡ﾟ⟡ 🌑 ⟡ ˚｡ ･ ───
PAUL
My head is held high, and an air of confidence is present as I walk into the meeting room to find everyone else already seated, except for Dad.
"Your first strategy meeting," Gurney says aloud, alerting the other members of my presence.
Oh, no, here we go.
"Paul Atreides, who catches hunter-seekers in his bare hands and saves a damsel in distress like a hero of old."
Some of the other members laugh, including Gurney, though Thufir isn't one of them.
"Thanks for the humiliation, old man," I whisper to Gurney with a pat on his shoulder as I pass him to my seat.
"Gotta keep an eye on you." He murmurs.
Just as I nearly sit down, one of the members calls a sharp 'attention' and we all stand as Dad walks in. He finds his seat next to mine, briefly patting my back.
"Let's get started," he says, everyone taking their seats as he does the same, and my fingers intertwine as my hands rest on the table, mimicking his. "Thufir. Operations."
"I secured a copy of the Harkonnens' account books." He replies, and the men around us murmur. A triumph of spycraft. "The Harkonnens were taking 10 billion solaris out of here every year."
The number hits the room like a bomb. A muted gasp of shock and awe. The officers sit up straighter in their chairs. In Dad's eyes, there is a sudden flare of hope.
"'They shall suck of the abundance of the seas,'" Gurney recites, "'and the treasure hid in the sand.'"
A small smile forms at his complex words before it fades as Thufir speaks.
"We won't see profits like that for a while. Not with the equipment they left us."
"How bad is it?" Dad asks, clearly intrigued and concerned.
Without another word, Thufir stands up and leads us outside. He pulls out an umbrella to shield himself from the sun as we walk in the scorching heat, heading for what looks like silos.
"These are spice silos," he explains. "We're meant to fill every crate."
"All of them?" I ask, my gaze darting around. There's barely anything filled from what it looks like.
"Every 25 standard days," Thufir confirms. "Harkonnen sabotage slows us down."
"But who's meant to arbitrate?" I turn to Dad. "Isn't there a Judge of the Change to oversee the transition?"
From next to me, Gurney nods in acknowledgment, seemingly realizing what I'm saying. "Who did the Emperor appoint?"
"Dr. Liet Kynes, Imperial Ecologist. Been here 20 years. Eccentric, from what I'm told."
"I want to see these harvesting fields myself," Dad says, still staring at the silos.
"I wouldn't recommend it, my lord," Thufir replies, holding respect in his tone, though there's caution.
"Have this Judge of the Change accompany us." He's standing his ground with an overwhelming sense of calm like always, not once raising his voice. "A meeting's long overdue. And we'll get a bit of Imperial protection."
YOU ARE READING
𝐲𝐮𝐚𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐧 ⁀➴ paul atreides
Fanfiction(n.) - two people meant to be together; destiny ↳ ❝ [ Yuanfen ] ❞ ━ paul atreides x fem! reader ┕ 𝐈𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡, (y/n) is in an arranged marriage with a man she doesn't...
