Chapter 34 Chapter Thirty-Four

Jessica was waiting for Idaho by the living room window.It was a comfortable room, with soft couches and old-fashioned chairs.There are no suspended chairs in her apartment, and the globe lamps on the walls are crystals from another era.Her windows are on the second floor, looking directly onto the garden below. She heard the servant's door open, and then Idaho's footsteps on the floor.She listened without turning around.She must first suppress the silent and terrifying emotional fluctuations in her heart.With the help of the turtle breathing training she had received, she took a deep breath and felt her emotions gradually calm down.

The sun high in the sky cast beams of light into the garden, and the dust danced merrily in the beams.The beams illuminated a silver spider's web that hung between the branches of a linden tree so tall that it nearly covered her window.It was cool in the room, but outside the closed windows, the air was maddeningly hot.The entire castle of Corinor is hidden in the green shade of this fiery world. I heard Idaho stop behind her. Without turning around, she said, "Language means deception and illusion, Duncan. Why do you want to talk to me?" "Probably only one of the two of us will survive," he said.

"And you want me to say something nice about what you've done?" She turned to see him standing there calmly, looking at her with his unfocused gray metallic eyes.How hollow they looked! "Duncan, are you worried about your place in history?" She said this with a slight reproach, and remembered another scene where she confronted this man.He was ordered to spy on her at that time, but he was very disturbed by it, and after a drunk, he confided the truth.But that was Duncan before his rebirth.He is not that person anymore.There is no conflict within this person, no torment.

His smile confirmed her conclusion. "History will judge," he said, "but I doubt I'm interested in the verdict of history." "Why are you here?" she asked. "Same reason as you came here, ma'am." There was no shock on her face after hearing this sentence, but there was a storm in her heart: Does he really know why I came here?Only Ghanima knows.Did he get enough data to do Mentat calculations?possible.What should he do once he confesses her?If she told him why she was here, would he denounce it?He must have known that all their conversations, all their actions were under the watchful eye of Falakon or his servants.

"The Atreides family has come to a painful crossroads," she said. "Families are killing each other. You are my Lord's most loyal man, Duncan. When Lord Harkonnen—" "We don't talk about Harkonnen," he said. "That's another time. Your duke is dead." He wondered: Didn't she guess that Paul had found out about Harkonnen among the Atreides? Ni's blood?It had been a difficult time for Paul, but it had brought Duncan Idaho closer to the family.The kind of trust that Paul showed when he was honest with him was unimaginable.Paul knew what the Baron's men had done to Idaho.

"The Atreides family is not dead yet," Jessica said. "What is the Atreides?" he asked. "Are you the Atreides? Are you Aria? Ghanima? Those who serve the family? I look at these people, and they Personal pain is written all over their faces! Are they Atreides? Your son was right: 'My followers will never escape their fate of pain and oppression.' I want to be free from all this, madam." "You really joined Farakon?" "Didn't you do the same, ma'am? Didn't you come here just to convince him to marry Ghanima and settle all his problems?"

Does he really think so?She expressed doubts, did he say it to those secret watchers? "The Atreides family has always had a core philosophy," she said. "You know that, Duncan. We trade loyalty for loyalty." "Being loyal to the people." Idaho sneered, "Ha, I've heard your Duke say that many times. Seeing the current situation, he must be restless in his grave, madam." "Do you really think we've fallen this far?" "Ma'am, did you know there were Freemen rebels? They called themselves 'Lords of the Deep Desert,' and they cursed the Atreides, and even Muad'di himself. Did you know that?"

"I've heard Farrakon's report," she said, not knowing where he was going to lead the conversation or what he was trying to say. "More than that, ma'am. Much more than Farrakon's report. I've heard their curse myself. It goes like this: 'Burn you, Atreides! You're no longer There is a soul, no more spirit, no more body, no more skin, magic, and bones, no more hair, thoughts, and words. You will have no graves, no homes, graves, and tombstones. You will have no more Gardens, no more trees and shrubs. You have no more water, no more bread, no light, no fire. You have no more children, no more families, no heirs, no tribes. You have no more heads, no arms, Legs and feet. You have no place on any planet. Your souls will be forever locked deep in the ground, and you will never escape. You will never see Xia Hulu, and you will always live in the bottom of the earth. Evil spirits below, your souls shall never see the light of day.' That's what it says, ma'am. Can you feel the hatred in the hearts of the Fremen? They cursed all Atreides, and made them suffer in hell tormented by fire."

Jessica shuddered.Idaho no doubt repeated the curse he had heard verbatim.Why did he let the Corino family know this?She could picture an angry Fremen, grimacing face, standing before his tribe, gnashing his teeth through the curse.Why did Idaho let Falakon hear all this? "You have provided a very good reason for the marriage between Ghanima and Falakon," she said. "You always look at things in your favour," he said. "Ghanima is a Freeman. As for Farakon, his family gave up all their shares in the Union Corporation to you. The son and heir of the Atreides. It is only because of Atreides' generosity that Falakon lives. Remember what your Duke said when he planted the Atreides eagle in Arrakis? He said: 'Here I come, I shall remain here.' Until now his bones remain there. If Farakon and Ghanima marry, he will settle in Arakis with his sadhuka."

Thinking of this prospect, Idaho couldn't help shaking his head. "There's an old saying that solving a problem is like peeling an onion, layer by layer," she said coldly.How dare he treat me with this attitude!Unless he's playing for Falcon's eyes... "Anyway, I can't imagine Freeman and Saduka sharing a planet," Idaho said. "The skin won't come off the onion." Idaho's words might alarm Falcon and his advisors.Thinking of this, she said coldly: "The Atreides family is still the law of this empire!" After she finished speaking, she thought to herself: Is it possible that Idaho wanted Farrakon to believe that without the help of Atreides, he would be the same? Can ascend to the throne?

"Oh, yes," said Idaho, "I almost forgot. Atreides' law! Of course, but this law must be communicated in a translator, and the translator is a priest of the Church. I just need to close my eyes and To hear your duke tell me that land is always taken and held by violence. Gurney used to sing that wealth is everywhere. But as long as it achieves the purpose of obtaining wealth, it doesn't matter what method it takes? Oh , maybe I'm misusing the proverb. Maybe it doesn't matter whether the iron fists that are wielded openly are the Fremen's Legion or the Sadukkah, and it's okay to hide the iron fists in the laws of Atreides - but the iron fists are the iron fists. But even so , that layer of onion skin still won't come off, ma'am. You know what, I'm wondering what kind of iron fist Farrakon needs." what is he doingJessica thought that the Corino family would greedily absorb his words and use them. "So you think the church won't allow Ghanima to marry Falcon?" Jessica summoned up her courage and asked, wanting to see where Idaho's remarks would point. "Allow her? God! The church will let Alia do whatever she decides. Marrying Farrakon is entirely her own decision!" Is this the purpose of his words?Jessica wondered. "No, ma'am," said Idaho, "that's not the problem. The people of this empire can't tell the difference between the government of Atreides and Rabin the beast. People die every day in the dungeons of Araken. I Leaving because I can no longer fight for the Atreides with my sword, even for an hour! Don't you understand what I'm talking about? Why do I come to you, a representative of the Atreides? The Atreides Empire has been betrayed Your duke and your son. I love your daughter, but we have taken opposite paths. If there is an alliance, I would advise Farakon to accept Ghanima's hand - or Alia's - — but must meet his conditions!" Ha, he's officially retiring from the Atreides on the show, she thought.But he talked about other things, didn't he know how many spy devices they had planted around her?She glared at him. "You know spies are listening to our every conversation, don't you?" "Spy?" he laughed. "Of course I know they exist. Do you know how my allegiances have changed? Many nights I've been alone in the desert. The Fremen are right, in the desert , especially at night, when you experience the dangers of deep thinking." "That's where you heard the curse on House Atreides?" "Yes. In the tribe of A Oroba. I joined them at the invitation of the missionaries, ma'am. We call ourselves Zar Sadhus, who refuse to obey the Church. I am here to ask Atre The representatives of the Di family officially announced that I quit your family and joined your enemies." Jessica eyed him, looking for details that would reveal something about him, but there was absolutely nothing about Idaho that suggested he was lying or that he was hiding deeper plans.Did he really go to Falakon?She remembered the Sisterhood's motto: In human affairs, nothing lasts, and all human affairs evolve in a spiral, near and far.If Idaho truly felt that the Atreides had failed, that would explain his recent behavior.He is also far and near from us.She had to start thinking about the possibility. But why did he emphasize that he was invited by the missionaries? Jessica's mind raced.After considering her options, she realized that perhaps she should kill Idaho.The plans she had hoped for were too delicate to allow any disturbance.There can be no distractions.Idaho's words revealed that he was aware of her plans.She adjusted their positions relative to each other in the room, placing herself in a position where she could deliver the killing blow. "Don't act rashly," he said. Idaho wondered why he could see her motives right away.Was it because she had become slack during her seclusion?Or had he finally broken through the armor of her Bee Geist training?The latter, he felt, was the main reason, but she had her own problems—something had changed with her age.The new Freemen are also changing, with slight differences gradually emerging from the older generation.The change pained him.With the disappearance of the desert, something dear to human beings disappears with it.He couldn't describe the feeling in his heart any more than he could describe the change that had happened to Mrs. Jessica now. Jessica stared at Idaho with a look of surprise on her face, and she didn't try to hide her reaction.Did he see through her so easily? "You won't kill me," he said in a Freeman-esque warning tone, "don't let your blood get on my knife." After he finished speaking, he thought to himself: To a large extent, I have become Became a Freeman.It gave him a strange sense of realizing that deep inside he had accepted the planet that had nurtured his second life. "I think you'd better get out of here," she said. "After you accepted my resignation from House Atreides." "I accept!" She said viciously, word by word.It wasn't until she finished that she realized that during this conversation, she had experienced a moment of pure introspection.She needs time to think and rejudge.How would Idaho know of her plans?She doesn't believe that he can travel through time and space with the power of spices. Idaho backed away from her until he felt the door behind him.He bowed. "Let me call you madam again, and I will never call you that again. My suggestion to Farakander is to send you back to the Wallach galaxy quietly as soon as possible. You are a very dangerous toy , though I don't think he'd see you as a toy. You worked for the Sisterhood, not the Atreides. I now doubt you ever did for the Atreides. You witches hide too deep, mortals You cannot be trusted." "A man who came back from the dead thinks he's mortal," she interrupted. "Compared to you," he said. "Leave now!" she ordered. "That's my wish too." He stepped out of the door, past a stunned servant who had apparently been eavesdropping just now. It's over, he thought, and they can only interpret my actions for that reason.