DUNE-A False Haderach (OC X Shishakli) (OC x Alia)

Part 9

Chapter 5b

~The Start of the Movie DUNE~

DUNCAN IDAHO

Duncan Idaho was a man rarely impressed and even more rarely bested. He was proud of his status as one of the Imperium's most feared men, his name spoken with the likes of Gurney and the wretched Sardukar.

His resilience, a trait he had always prided himself in, was now tested to its limits. Only now, as he moved through the Sietch, did he truly understand the folly of his ways, having barely survived the relentless onslaught of the Fremen.

He had been sent by his sire, the Duke Leto, to scout and make contact with the Fremen so the Dukedom could enlist their aid in the nearing conflict between House Atreides and House Harkonen.

The Duke suspected that the Emperor had allied himself with House Harkonen, fearing the rising popularity and fame of the House Atreides and that he might even assist the Harkonen with his Sardukar in the eventual assault. A dangerous prospect, for the Emperor as well, for any word of this could cause great chaos in the Landsraad, yet it was even more dangerous for them because the Sardukar were no joke.

Sardukar, House Corrino's source of strength, was the most feared army in the Imperium, and that was for very good reason. They were not men, they were fanatic beasts that fought like a beast. House Atreides legionnaires were well trained, but Idaho knew that they would not match well with the infamous Sarduakr.

Yet the Fremen would.

The desert dwellers, ignored by the Harkonen in their pride, were another matter entirely. They were the finest fighters he had seen to this day, fighting like beasts, and he believed they could face the Sardukar and emerge victorious.

He had come close to death many times as he had faced them, yet thankfully, no life had been lost. Now, he found himself welcomed into one of their so-called Sietches, a network of caverns carved into the rocks that ran miles and miles deep and housed a community of over ten thousand Fremen.

"How many more of such sietches are there?" he questioned the man who had brought him inside. Stilgar was his name, and he was a leader of sorts, referred to as Nabi.

"We do not know, thousands maybe more. Each sietch is independent of the other," the man answered, as Idaho felt elation.

Thousands, that meant millions of Fremen, they could do it. They just needed to ally themselves with the Fremen, and they could defeat the Harkonens and the Sardukar.

"Yet all we are one, for we are all Fremen," he added as he led him to the Dining Hall. Blue eyes followed him wherever he went. Eyes of Ibad, they were called-those blue eyes possessed by every Fremen, a consequence of constant spice exposure, for on Arrakis even the air was thick with Melange.

Stilgar led him to a massive Hall where people sat on the ground. The stillsuits were another piece of marvel removed as the water discipline was loosened.

Few used spoons and forks, though most ate with their hands. Idaho observed them and decided to try eating with his hand as well, trying to respect their ways as he conversed with Stilgar over various matters.

The man was cautious in his answers, speaking in half-truths. Yet still, just by listening and seeing Idaho had learned much of the Fremen and how they lived. And the more he learned, the more his respect for them grew.

Arrakis was a hard planet, and these people had carved out a living for themselves through all that harshness. It was impressive and noteworthy.

"You fight well for an outsider. You should be proud," Stilgar complimented him.