Scars and Secrets - Gurney Halleck (Dune)

Part VI

"Here, this is for you." Duncan handed Paul a wrapped package. "It's a paracompass. The moons here have a magnetic field so a simple compass needle won't point north. Takes a clever piece of clockwork to sort it out."

"Amazing," breathed Lita.  "The Fremen make these?"

Duncan nodded.  "And stillsuits, and sand compactors, and all kinds of ingenious things."

"What the hell's a sand compactor?" asked Gurney.

Duncan produced one from his bag. "That's a sand compactor."

"My God, Man."

"You admire them." Paul smiled at his friend.

"I do," Duncan confirmed. "They're fierce, but loyal. They're attuned to the desert, part of it. It's part of them. You wait till you see it - it's beautiful out there."

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The following morning, each dressed in the stillsuits Duncan had mentioned, Leto, Paul, Lita and Gurney arrived outside the ship base to greet the Imperial Ecologist. "The Judge of the Change Sire. Dr. Liet Kynes," Gurney addressed. 

The woman removed her hood. Like Stilgar, she had the sharp blue eyes associated with the locals. "My Lord Duke." She bowed her head. "Welcome to Arrakis."

"You're the Imperial Ecologist," said Paul. "Thank you for the stillsuits."

"They are of Fremen make. The best. With your permission, Sire, I must check the integrity of your suit-" She stepped forward - only for Gurney to hold a blade to her throat in the swiftest motion. 

"Don't be offended, this is how he greets everyone," Lita told the newcomer. 

"Whoa, it's all right," Leto insisted, and Gurney stepped back, albeit hesitantly, but he trusted the Duke's judgement. "It's all right. Dr. Kynes, we are in your hands."

"A stillsuit is a high-efficiency filtration system," she explained while she checked their suits.  "Even this early in the morning, you wouldn't survive two hours without one of these. It cools the body and recycles the water lost to sweat. Your body's movements provide the power. Inside the mask you'll find a tube that will allow you to drink the recycled water. In good working order, your suit won't lose more than a thimbleful of water a day."

"Most impressive." 

"Are you Fremen?" Paul asked her. 

"I am accepted in both sietch and village.  Now, come and see the spice sands on which your livelihood depends."

"No pressure," muttered Lita as they boarded the ornithopters. 

"What would you do if your ornithopter went down out here?" Paul asked Dr. Kynes as they sped over the endless bed of sand.

"You wouldn't want to go down out there - it's worm territory."

"Dust cloud," announced Gurney.

"That's one of your harvesters." They flew in close.  "You can see the spice scattered over the surface. A rich spice bed, by the colour. If you get a little higher you'll have a better view. You see these spotter aircraft looking for wormsign," Dr. Keynes said, pointing to the smaller, round ships.

"Wormsign?" asked Lita.

"A sand wave moving towards the crawler. Worms travel deep but get closer to the surface when they attack. If you are patient, we should see one."

"As long as it's from up here, I'm okay with that," said Lita. 

"A worm always comes?" asked Gurney.

"Always. They're drawn by rhythmic noises. 

"Why don't we just shield the crawlers then?" Lita suggested.

"A shield's a death sentence in the desert. It attracts the worms and drives them into a killing frenzy."

Lita leaned forward and squinted into the distance. "Is that a worm?"

"Big one - you have good eyes." Kynes contacted the spotter, and alerted the crawler.

"They seem pretty calm about it," Gurney commented. "What happens now?"

"They'll call a carryall to lift the crawler. They'll harvest right up until the last minute."

"Isn't  that risky?"

"Very, but necessary, if they're to meet the quota."

They watched and waited, but no carryall appeared.

"They're cutting it awfully close..."

At last, and not a moment too soon, the carryall swept in. However, their victory was short-lived: one of the carryall's arms failed to extend, the machine unable to lift the crawler. 

"Shit-" the doctor  cursed.

"How many men on that crawler?" Leto asked her. 

"Crew of twenty-one."

"Our ships can take six each."

"But that's still three short," cried Lita.

"We'll find a way," her brother insisted. "This is Duke Leto Atreides, we're coming down to extract the crew of Delta Ajax niner."

They touched down amidst a sandstorm. "Delta Ajax niner, put seven men in my ships each, now!"

"My Lord, the spice," came the communication.

"Damn the spice! I want every man off that crawler now! That's an order!"

All the while the time for the worm contact was ticking steadily down. 

"Where's Paul?" Leto asked suddenly. 

Paul had slipped out of their ship, trying to help direct the crewmen to the safety of the ornithopters.

"Paul!" 

"Paul!" Lita too fled out into the storm, but there wasn't much she could do to help them hurry along, that was up to them.

Paul had collapsed in a heap on the sand, which rumbled - the worm was here.

"I recognize your steps, old man..."

"Get up!" Gurney grabbed Paul's arm and hauled him to his feet, dragging him along

"What's gotten into you, nephew?" Her question received no response, as the ground shook suddenly, throwing them to the ground. They scrambled to their feet, clinging to each other, pushing and dragging each other onward until they reached the ship. 

They reached the platform just as Leto took off, they standing on the open doorway, peering downward. That was when the sand parted and the worm breached the surface, swallowing the now thankfully empty crawler whole.

The ship shook violently amidst the still-raging sandstorm, throwing them off balance. Lita was the last one, closest to the edge, so when it shook next, she slipped and lost her footing all together and plunged down into the sands below. 

(Cliffhanger! ;)

Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed! :))