They say where one goes, the other follows.
In the sprawling expanse of the cosmos, Paul Atreides and Seraphina Sylvane are bound together by an unbreakable tether. Despite the light years and planetary divides throughout the Known Universe, their...
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Seraphina Sylvane woke with a harsh headache, her body slumped awkwardly from her seat. She silently thanked the Green Mother for the seatbelt that kept her from falling further. Alarms blared incessantly in the cockpit of her thopter, a harsh symphony of warning tones. It took her a moment to register the ship's awkward tilt, realizing she was now dangling sideways. A pained groan escaped her lips as she tried to orient herself, the ringing in her ears exacerbating her disorientation.
"Ow..." Seraphina whimpered, her voice trembling. A sharp pain on her temple seeing it was bleeding from the impact. She took a shaky breath, wincing at the sight of blood seeping from the wound. "Damnit..."
Flashes of recent memories assaulted her mind, fragments of chaos and loss. She squeezed her eyes shut, her lips wobbling as she fought back tears. Her mother's face appeared vividly, the image of her sacrifice searing into Seraphina's soul. She didn't have the time to mourn. To internalize the reality and the grief. The frantic moments of her escape replayed in stark detail-the unregistered flight detected, the pursuing ornithopters. She was no best pilot; her attempts at controlling the thopter had been frantic and desperate.
In the skies above Arrakeen, the chaos of the ongoing war surrounded her. Burning buildings and falling missiles created a deadly obstacle course. Seraphina's hands shook as she gripped the controls, narrowly dodging explosions and debris. The city was a hellscape, a battlefield of fire and destruction. She wove through the inferno, her heart pounding in her chest, every near miss a testament to her sheer will to survive.
Seraphina was able to escape the city, but the relentless pursuit of the three ornithopters continued into the farthest desert. They fired, and with a deafening explosion, a missile struck one of her thopter's wings. The impact threw her into a violent spin, the craft lurching uncontrollably. She fought to regain control, her vision blurring with the strain, but it was futile. The desert loomed beneath her, a vast expanse of unforgiving sand.
The crash was brutal. The thopter slammed into the dunes, metal screeching and shattering. Seraphina was jolted violently, her body straining against the seatbelt. When the wreckage finally settled, she was left hanging sideways, unconscious and bleeding.
Now Seraphina was wide awake, thanks for the relentless headache she's feeling. With a grimace, she fumbled for the seatbelt release. Her fingers were slick with blood, making the task agonizingly slow. Finally, the latch gave way, and she tumbled out of the seat, crashing painfully onto the side of the thopter. Agony shot through her injuries, but she forced herself to move.
She glanced out the shattered canopy, her heart sinking as she spotted the two ornithopters still searching the skies. Her mind raced; she had to escape before they found her. Clutching her shoulder, she scrambled through the wreckage, her movements hampered by pain and the shifting sands.
With a determined cry, she crawled out of the thopter and stumbled onto the dunes. Each step was a struggle, her body protesting with every movement. She cast a frantic glance skyward, the ornithopters still circling, their searchlights piercing the darkness. Desperation fueled her, driving her forward despite the pain.
