Chapter 13 Chapter Thirteen

The Duke found Safi Hawat alone in a side room and was led there by a guard.From the next room came the sound of busy people installing communication equipment.But there was silence in the side room.The Duke glanced around the room when Hawat stood up from a table covered in papers.The walls of the room were green, and besides the table, there were three bandaged chairs on which the "H" for the Harkonnen had just been erased, leaving a white patch. "The chair is safe," Hawat said. "Where's Paul, sir?" "I left him in the conference room. I don't want to disturb him, I hope he can sleep for a while."

Hawat nodded, walked to the door leading to the next room, closed the door, and the sound of static electricity and sparks disappeared in an instant. "Safi," said Redo, "the decaying spice hoards of the royal family and the Harkonnen caught my attention." "Your Mightiness?" The Duke Nunuzui said: "The treasury is easy to destroy." Hawat was about to interrupt, the Duke raised his hand and continued: "Don't care too much about the emperor's treasure. If the Harkonnen is attacked, he will be secretly happy. If Can the Baron protest against the destruction of something he himself would not admit openly?"

Hawat shook his head and said, "We are understaffed, sir." "Calling some of the Idaho, and maybe some Fremen willing to do Star Trek. Assault on Ji Plemen, that's a tactical advantage, Safi." "Follow orders, Your Excellency." Hawat turned away, and the duke noticed that the old man was a little nervous and thought: Maybe he suspects that I don't trust him.He must have known someone had reported a mole to me.Well, it's best to dispel his doubts immediately. "Safie," he said, "since you are one of the few people I can fully trust, there is one more thing I would like to talk to you about. We both know that in order to prevent the infiltration of the enemy, we must maintain a high level of vigilance . . . I got two new pieces of information."

Hawat turned and looked at the Duke. Leido told him what Paul had said. The news didn't catch Hawat's attention, but increased his anxiety. Leido observed the old man carefully, and then said, "Old friend, you have something on your mind. I should have noticed it during the strategy meeting, because you seemed a little nervous. What is it that is so serious that you can't tell it at the meeting?" Hawat bit his lip, his face deeply wrinkled, and said, "Your Excellency, I don't know how to handle this." "We were friends through life and death, Safi," said the Duke. "You know, you can tell me anything."

Hawat continued to look at him, thinking: This is what I like best about him.He is aboveboard and fully worthy of my allegiance to him.Why should I hurt him? "Can you tell me?" Reido asked. Hawat shrugged and said, "There is a note. I got it from a Harkonnen courier. The note was addressed to a man named Paddy. We have reason to believe that Paddy is a Harkonnen lurking in the Top spy here. What the note says may or may not matter, and its meaning can be interpreted in many ways." "What is the sensitive content of this letter?" "Scribbled words, very incomplete. The content was printed on microfilm with self-destruct tablets attached. We did not stop the acid corrosion in time, and only a few words were left. But the few words left are very disturbing. ponder."

"yes?" Hawat wiped his lips and went on: "Those words were: '...Does never doubt that when the one he loves strikes him, the source of the blow itself is enough to destroy him.'" The letter said There is the baron's personal seal, which I have verified, and the seal is genuine." "The object of your suspicion is very clear." The Duke said, his voice suddenly became cold. "I'd rather break one of my arms than hurt you," Hawat said, "if, sir..." "Ms. Jessica," Redo said, with a surge of rage, "can you make the truth out of this Paddy?"

"Unfortunately, Paddy no longer existed when we intercepted the courier. And I believe the courier himself did not know what he was delivering." "I see." Leido shook his head, thinking: This is really tricky.There's no real point to this stuff.I know my own woman. "Your Excellency, what if..." "No!" roared the Duke, "there is a mistake, that is..." "We can't turn a blind eye." "She has been with me for sixteen years! There have been thousands of opportunities during this time... You have personally investigated the school and this woman yourself."

Hawat said unhappily: "Something was hidden from me at the time." "That's impossible! I'm telling you, it's impossible! The Harkonnen want to cut off the roots of the Atley family...the target is Paul. They've done it once. Can a woman lay hands on her own son? Maybe she Not against her son. Maybe what happened yesterday was just a cover." "That can't be a smokescreen." "Sir, she shouldn't know her parents. But what if she does? If she is an orphan, for example, adopted by Atrez, what will happen?" "She should have acted long ago, poisoned my cup... the dagger in the night. Who has a better chance?"

"The purpose of the Harkonnen is to completely destroy you, Your Excellency, not just assassination. This is obviously different from ordinary vendetta revenge. If successful, it may become a masterpiece of family feud warfare." The Duke's shoulders sank, and he closed his eyes, looking old and tired.He thought: This is impossible, that woman has given her heart to me. "Isn't a woman who makes me doubt my true love the best way to destroy me?" the Duke asked. "I've thought about that explanation too," Hawat replied, "but..." The Duke opened his eyes, stared at Hawat, and thought: Let him be suspicious.Doubt is his business, not mine.Maybe if I pretended to believe it, I'd put the other person down.

"What are your plans?" the Duke asked softly. "Now, keep an eye on her. Keep this secret. Idaho is the best choice. I trained a young man from Idaho's unit and sent to the Fremen to replace Ida An ideal candidate for Holland. He has diplomatic genius." "Don't compromise our relationship with the Fremen." "Of course not, sir." "What about Paul?" "Maybe we should remind Dr. Yue." Leido turned around, turned his back to Hawat and said, "I'll leave this to you." "I will proceed with caution, Your Excellency."

At least I can rest assured about that.Leido thought.He said: "I want to walk. I won't go out of the defensive zone. If you need me, you can call the guards..." "Your Excellency, before you leave, I want you to look at the film first. This is a preliminary analysis of the Fremen's religious beliefs. You remember asking me to report this to you." The Duke stopped without turning around, and said, "Can't you wait?" "Of course. You asked me what they were cheering for. It was 'Moadhi'! They were calling to the little master..." "Referring to Paul?" "Yes, sir. Here is a legend, a prophecy: a leader will come, the son of a bee gist, who will lead them to true freedom. The legend fits with the familiar religious pattern. " "They think Paul is this... this what..." "They just wish, sir." "Now, I need time to... think." "Yes, sir!" The Duke sighed deeply and strode out the door.He turned to the right and walked down the hall, hands behind his back, not paying attention to where he was going, there were corridors, stairs, balconies and halls along the way... Everyone saluted him and stepped back to make way for him . Soon, he was back in the conference room, which had no lights.Paul slept on the table, covered with a guard's coat, with a locket on his head.The Duke walked softly across the house and out onto the balcony to watch what was going on.A guard stood at the corner of the balcony, recognized the Duke in the reflected light from outside, and his feet clicked together. "Relax," said the Duke softly.He leaned against the cold metal railing of the balcony. The morning breath has begun to permeate the desert basin.He looked up and looked at the sky, where the stars had been covered with a bluish-white veil.On the southern horizon, the moonlight pierced through the haze of the desert, looking at him, seemingly showing a surprised expression. When the Duke looked at the moonlight, the moon suddenly sank and fell behind the shielding wall, freezing the cliff.It was suddenly dark all around, and the Duke felt a chill and shivered. Anger filled his whole body. He thought: The Harkonnen have been chasing and intercepting me, and this is probably the last hunt.They are simply stupid pigs in the mountains.I've got my footing here!A pang of sorrow welled up in his heart. I must rule with eyes and claws... like an eagle among birds.His hand subconsciously touched the eagle emblem on his chest. In the east the night turned a shimmering gray and the stars were stained milky. The morning light slowly tears apart the distant horizon, gradually spreading the light around. The scenery was so beautiful that the Duke was intoxicated. There is no more beautiful moment than this.he thinks. He had never expected such a wonderful scene: the red shattered the darkness in the sky, and dyed the rocks purple.In the distance of the landing field, the faint dewdrops in the night dotted Arrakis' hasty life.The sun is rising in the sky, changing the color of the earth, like giant steps, dispelling the darkness and bringing light. "What a beautiful morning, sir," said the guard. "Yes, how beautiful!" The Duke nodded, thinking: Maybe this planet can be made beautiful and pleasant, and it can be a good home for my son. At this time, he saw people walking into the flower field and sweeping around with something like a sickle... a dew collector.The water here is too precious, and the dew must be collected. This, too, thought the duke, might be an abomination.