DUNE-A False Haderach (OC X Shishakli) (OC x Alia)

Untitled Part 13

Chapter 7b

~At the start of DUNE~

DUKE LETO ATREIDES

Arrakis was a mess, and the desert planet was harsh, yet that was not the only tribulation they faced. House Harkonen had left landmines everywhere before leaving, hampering their ability to mine Spice or settle down quickly.

Systems had been broken, with vital components missing, and other equipment was either lacking or had been tampered with. His own men were on edge, for Arrakis was not their home.

Kaladan had been home, with its seas, dreary weather, and ample water. Arrakis was not home, and even though they were not as politically apt as him, even they could feel the impending danger that lingered in the air.

The attack on Paul had just made things more difficult, and though they had caught the spy, he had managed to kill himself so they could interrogate him for further information. Hawat had run another sweep of the dwelling, using every kind of sensor for any more such surprises, though it had come up blank.

Everyone was on edge, including Jessica who had been growing more and more distraught with every passing day, not that he was not worried as well. It was as if an invisible noose had been placed around their necks and was tightening by the day.

Though hopefully today would be the day, they would begin pushing against the impending doom that approached them, for Duncan Idaho was back and from the smile and glint in his eyes Leto knew that there was hope.

"They are there, spread across hundreds of sietches burrowing into the ground. Ten thousand to a group," he began with a smile, and his mind quickly ran the numbers.

"That would put the number at around millions, much more than what teh Harkonens suspected even after they revised their numbers later," he reasoned out as him and Gurney exchanged a glance with him.

"Yes, and they are monsters, all of them. They fight like demons and move through the deserts of Arrakis with extreme ease. I have fought against Sardukar as well, and I can confidently say that the Fremen are at least their equal if not better than them," Duncan was sincere in his praise. Leto knew no fighter better than the man and was inclined to believe his assessment.

"Do they have a leader, one who may speak for all Fremen?" he questioned.

"There is no leader as such, each sietch is led by one leader called a Naib, though they are tribal there is a sense of community among them, in the sense that every Fremen consider themselves a part of a singular nation," Duncan spoke, that complicated some things, he would have liked talking to a single man.

"What of the Kazab?" Gurney questioned from the side. And Leto nodded as Duncan frowned.

"Kazab is an anomaly. He belongs to no sietch per say but has men in nearly every one. He is somewhat of a freedom fighter and provides support to Fremenwhenever they need it in the form of medicine, supplies, anything that they may need, or through rescue, and even information about impending attacks. Reactions around him are mixed, though he is well-liked by many of the Fremen except those that are too old. He has considerable influence and could either be a very strong ally or a very destructive and troublesome enemy," Duncan's report was interesting.

"But wasn't long-distance communication over Arrakis nearly impossible because of the frequent storms? I thought they disrupted the electromagnetic wave transmission," Paul pointed out, and he had missed this, he had even forgotten that he was there.

He had been trained in the Bene Gesserit ways and much like his mother could lessen his presence.

"It does, and that is what makes him so dangerous. He is a sort of nomad, constantly moving his own group spread all over the place. Yet, he somehow is able to coordinate them well enough and maintain long-distance communications with such precision and accuracy that the Harkonnens failed to capture even a single one of his men in all these years," Duncan spoke as he reached forward on teh table and picked up some paper and a pen.