Chapter 19 Chapter Nineteen

When Jessica woke up, there was darkness around her, and the silence around her gave her a premonition. She didn't understand why her consciousness and body felt heavy and dull, and every nerve under her skin was filled with worry and fear.She wanted to sit up and turn on the light, but something stopped her.There was a...strange taste in her mouth. Crack...crack...crack...crack! There was a dull sound, which seemed directionless in the darkness.right there. The waiting seemed to freeze time. She started touching her body and realized that her wrists and ankles were bound and her mouth was gagged.She was lying on her side with her hands tied behind her back.She moved the rope that bound her, and found that it was a special fiber, the more she struggled, the tighter it was tied.

Now, she remembered. There had been action in her darkened bedroom, a dank, pungent thing on her face, stuffed in her mouth, hands scratching her.She took a breath...and smelled the narcotic.Consciousness vanished, and she plunged into horrific darkness. She thought: finally here.It's too easy to subdue a Bee Gist, all it takes is conspiracy.Hawat is right. She forced herself not to struggle. This isn't my bedroom, she thought, they've moved me. Slowly, she calmed herself down. She smelled the chemical factor of fear mixed in her own sweat. She asked herself: where is Paul?My son... what have they done to him?

calm. She applied the age-old method of forcing herself to be calm. But the fear is still around. Leido?where are you ledo She felt the darkness receding slowly, and found some shadows, gradually becoming more distinct, stimulating her senses.White.There is a line under the door. I am on the ground. She felt movement on the floor. Jessica compressed the memory of fear.I have to be calm, alert, and ready. I may only have one chance.She calmed down again. four people. She noticed the difference in the sound of their footsteps. I had to pretend I wasn't awake.She fell on the cold floor again, getting her body ready.He heard the door open, and there was a stronger light.

Footsteps approached: someone was standing in front of her. "You're awake," came a low bass voice, "stop pretending." She opened her eyes. Standing before him was Baron Vladimir Harkonnen.She recognized the room as the one where Paul had slept, with Paul's cot at the side, empty.The guard came in with a few hanging lamps and put them near the door.The light from several lamps in the hall hurt her eyes. She looked up at the Baron, who was wearing a yellow hat and two fat piles of flesh beneath his black spider eyes. "The medication is timed," he whispered. "We know the minute you're going to wake up."

How is this possible?She thought, They must know my exact weight, my metabolism, my... viet! "It's a pity to have to gag you," said the Baron. "We could have had a good chat." She thought: Only the more you can do it, how can it be? The Baron glanced at the door behind him and said, "Come in, Peter." The man who entered was standing beside the Baron, a face Jessica had never seen before but which was familiar... This man was Peter Volley, a Mentat killer.She observed him carefully: his eagle-like face and dark blue eyes showed that he was a native of Arrakis, but his movements and posture told her that he was not a local.His skin is so fine.Tall, but thin, and feminine.

"Dear Lady Jessica, I'm sorry we can't talk," said the Baron, "however, I know what you're capable of." He glanced at Peter and asked: "Is this true, Peter?" "Yes, Baron," he answered. The voice was tenor and sent a chill down Jessica's spine.She had never heard such a chilling voice.To a Bee Geist, the sound was that of a murderer! "I'm going to give Peter a surprise," said the Baron. "He thought he was here to claim the prize...it was you, Lady Jessica. But I want to prove one thing, that he doesn't really want you."

"Are you joking, Baron?" Peter asked, smiling. Seeing this smile, Jessica wondered why the Baron didn't jump up and fight back at Peter.She then realized that the baron hadn't been trained in this area and didn't know the meaning of the smile. "Peter is quite naive in many ways," said the Baron. "He is unwilling to admit to himself that you are a deadly thing, Lady Jessica. I will prove it to him, but it is a foolish venture." The Baron said to Peter Smiling, Peter showed an impatient expression on his face. I know what Peter wants: Peter wants power.

"You promised me I'd have her," said Peter, some of the cold self-control lost in the tenor. Jessica heard the hint in his words, trembled in her heart, and thought: How did the Baron raise a Mentat into such a beast? "I'll give you a choice, Peter," said the Baron. "What choice?" The baron's chubby hand snapped his fingers: "Take this woman and go into exile away from this kingdom, or own the duchy of Atrez on the planet Arrakis, and rule in my name." Jessica saw the Baron watching Peter with his spider eyes. "You can be a duke by any name except your title," said the baron.

Jessica asked herself: Is my Leido dead?She felt a silent cry deep within herself. The baron still stared at Mentat: "Peter, think about it for yourself. The reason you want her is because she is the duke's woman, a symbol of power...beautiful, practical, and specially trained. But a complete dukedom, Peter! It's much better than a symbol. It's reality. With it, it means a lot of women... a lot." "You're not joking with Peter, are you?" The baron turned around as light as a dance: "Joke? Me? Remember... I gave up on the boy, and you also heard the spy's report on the boy's training. They are all the same, this mother and son... both It's dangerous." The baron laughed: "I have to go now, I will send a special guard, he is a complete deaf man. He was ordered to send you on a journey of exile. If he finds that this woman controls you, he will Will strike to subdue this woman. He will not allow you to remove her gag until you leave Arrakis entirely. If you choose to stay...he will fulfill other orders."

"You don't have to go," Peter said, "I've chosen." "Ah...ha!" The Baron laughed loudly, "There is only one possibility for such a quick choice." "I want the dukedom," said Peter. But Jessica was thinking: Didn't Peter know that the Baron was lying?But how could he know?He is a deformed Mentat. The baron glanced down at Jessica: "I know Peter so well, isn't it interesting? I bet my military chief that Peter will definitely make this choice. This is a need. It's the best, ah... ...Ha, that's great! Do you understand, Ms. Jessica? I have no prejudice against you. That's the best. I don't have orders to kill you. When people ask me what happened to you, I dismiss it, Push it clean."

"So you left it to me?" asked Peter. "The sappers I sent will follow your orders," the baron said, "everything is left to you." He stared at Peter: "Yes, I can't get blood on my hands here. It's up to you. Yes, I Don't know anything. You'll have to wait until I'm gone to do whatever you want. Yes, ah... yes, yes, that's fine." Jessica thought: He was afraid of the Truthsayer's questioning.who?Oh... oh, the Virgin Keith Helen, of course!If he knew that he had to face the Holy Mother's questioning, then the emperor must have something to do with it.Ah, my poor Redo! The Baron took one last look at Jessica, turned and walked out the door.She followed him with her eyes, thinking: Just as the Holy Mother warned...the opponent is too strong. Two Harkonnen soldiers entered, followed by a masked man with a scar on his face and a laser gun in his hand, who stood in the doorway. Looking at that scarred face, Jessica thought, it's the deaf man, the Baron knows that I can influence other people with my voice. Scarface looked at Peter and asked, "The boy is on the mat outside. What are your orders?" Peter said to Jessica: "I was thinking of tying you and your son with a rope, but I don't think that's a good idea. I let my emotions cloud my mind, which is bad for a Mentat ’” He glanced at the two soldiers who had come in first, turned, and said (the deaf man could read his words from his lips): “The spies suggested that the boy be taken to the desert, and that they both be thrown there. Go. His plan is good, the sand lizards will wipe out all evidence. Their bodies must not be found." "Don't you want to do it yourself?" Scarface asked.He gets meaning from the movement of his lips, Jessica thought. "I'll be like the Baron," said Peter, "and throw them where the mole said." Jessica recognized the Mentat hoarseness in Peter's voice and realized: he too was afraid of Truthsayers. Peter shrugged, turned and walked out the door, where he hesitated and Jessica thought he would turn to give her one last look, but he didn't. "I, did this tonight, and I don't want to face the truthsayer." Scarface said. "You're unlikely to face that old hag," another soldier said, approaching Jessica, bending over, "you can't do the job standing here talking nonsense, lift her leg up, and..." "Why don't you kill them here?" Scarface asked. "Too much trouble," said the first soldier, "to make a mess, unless you want to strangle 'em. Me? No need to clean up the place." "Okay... that's it, I think, you're right," Scarface said. Jessica listened carefully, observed and recorded carefully.But she had something in her mouth, and she had to pay attention to the deaf man. Scarface hung up the lasgun and grabbed her feet.They lifted her like a rice sack, walked out the door, and dropped her on a mat with a lift.They turned her around and put her away.Jessica saw another face...Paul!He was also bound and had a gag in his mouth.His face was less than ten centimeters away from hers, his eyes were closed, and he was breathing evenly. He took medicine?thought Jessica. The soldier lifted the mat, and Paul looked at Jessica with slits in his eyes. He must not use voice control!Jessica begged.There is a deaf soldier! Paul closed his eyes again. He was breathing consciously, calming himself, listening to the enemy.The deaf man was trouble, but Paul suppressed his despair.The bee gist conscious sedation regimen that his mother taught him helped him prepare, look for openings, and strike quickly at any time. Paul sneaked another glance at his mother, who seemed unharmed, but also had something gagged in her mouth. He didn't understand who had captured her.The reason why he was arrested was very simple... he took the medicine given by Yue before going to bed, and when he woke up, he found that he was tied to this mat.Maybe it's the same for her.Logic told him that the traitor was Yue, but he still hadn't made a final conclusion. One thing he didn't know...how could Dr. Su Ke betray? The cushions were tilting slightly, and the Harkonnen soldiers were coming out of the porch to the starry outside, when the lifting frame hit the stone ladder and made a rattling sound.Then there is the sand.The wing of a scout plane appears overhead.Mats are placed on the ground. Paul adjusted his eyesight to the dim light of the night.He saw the deaf soldier open the cabin door, put his head in to have a look, and asked, "Are we going to use this spaceship?" He turned and looked at his companion's lips. "This is the scout plane prepared by the spy." Another soldier replied. Scarface nodded: "But this thing is too small, only two of us can go in." "Two is enough," said one of the soldiers who carried the mat, and put his lips to the deaf man. "We must be careful from now on, Knight." "The Baron told me I must see them disappear," Scarface said. "What are you worried about?" another soldier asked. "She's the bee gist witch," said the deaf man. "They have superpowers." "Ah...ha...ha..." The soldier shook his fist next to his ear, "One of them, huh? I know what you mean." The soldier standing behind him said, "She turned into a delicacy of the sand lizard in no time. Can't imagine a bee gist witch will end up like this. Will her superpower control a large sand lizard?" "All right," said another soldier, walking up to Jessica and grabbing her by the shoulders. "Come on, Knight. You can go with me if you want to prove everything." "It's very kind of you, Checo," Scarface said. Jessica felt herself lifted up.The wings glistened in the starlight.She was stuffed into the back seat and Paul was placed next to her.She discovered that the rope binding Paul was a single buckle. Scarface, the deaf man named Knight sat in front, and the soldier named Checo sat next to him. Knight closed the door, flipped the control switch, and the scout plane lifted off the ground, heading south over the shielding wall.Checo tapped his companion on the shoulder and said, "Why don't you spy on them?" "Do you know where you're going?" Knight asked. "I, like you, heard the location that the spy said." Knight turned his chair.Using starlight, Jessica saw the laser gun in his hand. The decoration materials inside the patrol plane seemed to be able to focus the light. Jessica adjusted her eyesight and could see the movement in the cabin clearly, but she couldn't see the scarred face clearly.Jessica tried on the seat belt, it was loose and cut her hand a bit.She knew that someone had tampered with the seat belt, as long as it was rubbed hard, it would break. Jessica thought to herself: Could someone have been in this scout plane and prepared for our escape?who?Slowly, she freed her leg from the rope it was attached to Paul. "It's a pity that such a beautiful woman was wasted," Scarface said, "Have you ever touched your lady?" He turned to look at the pilot. "Bee Geist wasn't all highborn," he said. "But they all look very noble." Jessica thought: He can see me clearly.She moved her bound legs to the seat and curled up in a ball, staring at Scarface. "She's really pretty," Knight said, licking his lips with his tongue. "What a pity." He looked at Checo. "Do you think I'm thinking what you're thinking too?" Checo asked. "Who knows?" Scarface said. "When it's done..." He shrugged. "I've never fucked an upper-class woman. Maybe I won't have that chance again." "How dare you touch my mother's finger..." Paul gritted his teeth and stared at Scarface angrily. "Hey!" said the pilot, "the puppy is barking, but it can't bite anyone." Jessica thought: Paul's voice is too high, but maybe this will help. They flew forward silently. Jessica thought: Poor idiots.She watched the soldiers, recalling the baron's words.As soon as they report that the mission is complete, they are killed.The Baron did not want to leave witnesses. The patrol plane flew obliquely towards the southern end of the shield wall, and Jessica saw the moonlight shining on the shadow of the patrol plane on the sand. "It's far enough from here," said the pilot, "the agent said to drop them on any sand near the shield wall." He squeezed the joystick, and the ship slid toward the dune, finally hovering over the sand. Jessica watched Paul begin to breathe rhythmically to calm herself.He closed his eyes and opened them again.Jessica watched, powerless to help him.She thought: He hasn't quite mastered the technique of voice control, if he fails... The scout plane landed softly on the sand.Jessica looked at the shielding wall behind and saw the shadow of a wing. She realized: Someone is following us!who is it?Was it the baron who sent them to watch over the two? Then there are monitors behind monitors. Checo turned off the wing motors and there was silence. Jessica turned her head and saw the moon rising outside the window, a row of steep cliffs protruding from the far distance of the desert, and gullies on the ridges blown by the sand wind. Paul cleared his throat. The pilot said, "Knight, what now?" "I don't know, Checo." Checo turned and said, "Ah, look at me." He reached out to lift Jessica's skirt. "Remove her gag," Paul ordered. Jessica felt the words rolling in the air, and the tone, the rhythm was well mastered... majestic, stern, and a slightly lower pitch would be better, but it might still be within the spectrum of this person. Checo reached over the tape covering Jessica's mouth and pulled the knot off the gag. "Don't do that!" Knight ordered. "Oh, shut up," Checo said, "her hands are tied." He removed the covering from Jessica's mouth and saw the light in Jessica's eyes. Knight put his hand on the pilot's arm and said, "Hey, Checo, there's no need..." Jessica flicked her neck and spat out the gag."Gentlemen! There's no need to fight for me," she said in a low, affectionate voice, wriggling toward Knight. She saw them tense and knew that at this moment they thought they should fight for her, that this disagreement needed no other reason, that in their minds they had fought for her. She held her face up to the light from the instrument so Knight could read her lips and said, "You can't disagree." The two distanced themselves and watched each other warily. "Is there any woman worthy of your duel?" she asked. She herself was before them, and saying this made them feel absolutely compelled to fight for her. Paul pressed his lips together, forcing himself to remain silent.He had an opportunity to use voice control, and he used it successfully.Now... everything depends on his mother, her experience far exceeds her own. "Yes," said Scarface, "for a woman..." He suddenly hit the pilot in the neck, but was blocked by a metal object held by the pilot, and was stabbed in the chest. Scarface groaned and fell softly by the door. "Think I don't know about your little trick?" Checo said.He retracted his hand, revealing a knife, gleaming in the moonlight. "Now kill this little guy too," he said, lunging at Paul. "It's not necessary," Jessica said softly. Checo hesitated. "Would you like me to work with you?" Jessica asked. "Give this kid a chance, a small chance, and he'll go out in the desert. Give him that and you..." She laughed , "You'll be well rewarded." Checo looked around and said to Jessica: "I've heard about the consequences of people coming to this desert. Maybe this knife will do him some good." "Is my request a bit too much?" Jessica said. "You're trying to trick me," Checo muttered. "I don't want my son to die," Jessica said. "Is this cheating?" Checo stepped back, unbolted the deadbolt, grabbed Paul, dragged him from the chair, pushed him to the door, held the knife in his hand and said, "What will you do, kid? If I cut the rope on you. " "He's going to get out of here right away and run to those rocks," Jessica said. "Is that all you have to do, boy?" Checo asked. Paul said in affirmative tone, "Yes." The knife swung down and cut the rope around his foot, and Paul felt the hand behind him pushing him into the sand, and suddenly he leaned sideways on the doorknob, as if trying to stabilize himself, and kicked out his right leg. The training he has received for many years seems to be aimed at this moment, almost all the muscles in his body are coordinated and coordinated, the toe hits the soft belly under the ribs of Cheko accurately, the force is huge and fierce, it hits the liver directly, passes through the chest diaphragm, and shatters heart. The soldier let out a shriek and fell back on the seat.With his hands still tied, Paul rolled onto the sand, stood up, drilled back into the cabin, found the knife, and bit the rope off his mother's body with his teeth.She took the knife and untied the rope from his hands. "I can handle it," Jessica said. "I'll let him cut the rope for me. You were too stupid to take the risk." "I found a loophole and exploited it," he said. She heard that he was trying to control his voice, so she said, "There is Yue's family logo on the roof of the cabin." He looked up and saw the crooked sign. "Get out, let's check the ship," she said. "There's a package under the pilot's seat, and I touched it when we came in." "bomb?" "Not like it. The stuff inside is very special." Paul jumped onto the sand and Jessica followed, and she turned to reach for her bag under the seat and saw Checo's feet in front of her eyes.The package was wet, it was the pilot's blood. She thought: Waste of water.This is the thinking of the Fremen. Paul observed the surroundings. The rocks standing in the desert were like sandy beaches by the sea, and there were undulating cliffs in the distance.When he turned around, his mother was taking the bag from the cabin.He noticed her looking towards the dunes in the direction of the shield wall.He also turned to see what had caught his mother's attention, saw a scout plane flying towards them, and knew there was no time to clear the body out of the cabin. "Run, Paul!" Jessica yelled. "It's Harkonnen!"