Chapter 03


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Freakzilla
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Chapter 03

Post by Freakzilla »

The following brief dialogue is credited to a manuscript source called "The Welbeck Fragment." The reputed author is Siona Atreides. The participants are Siona herself and her father, Moneo, who was (as all the histories tell us) a majordomo and chief aide to Leto II. It is dated at a time when Siona was still in her teens and was being visited by her father at her quarters in the Fish Speakers' School at the Festival City of Onn, a major population center on the planet now known as Rakis. According to the manuscript identification papers, Moneo had visited his daughter secretly to warn her that she risked destruction.

SIONA: How have you survived with him for so long a time, father? He kills those who are close to him. Everyone knows that.

MONEO: No! You are wrong. He kills no one.

SIONA: You needn't lie about him.

MONEO: I mean it. He kills no one.

SIONA: Then how do you account for the known deaths?

MONEO: It is the Worm that kills. The Worm is God. Leto lives in the bosom of God, but he kills no one.

SIONA: Then how do you survive?

MONEO: I can recognize the Worm. I can see it in his face and in his movements. I know when Shai-Hulud approaches.

SIONA: He is not Shai-Hulud!

MONEO: Well, that's what they called the Worm in the Fremen days.

SIONA: I've read about that. But he is not the God of the desert.

MONEO: Be quiet, you foolish girl! You know nothing of such things.

SIONA: I know that you are a coward.

MONEO: How little you know, You have-never stood where I have stood and seen it in his eyes, in the movements of his hands.

SIONA: What do you do when the Worm approaches?

MONEO: I leave.

SIONA: That's prudent. He has killed nine Duncan Idahos that we know about for sure.

MONEO: I tell you he kills no one!

SIONA: What's the difference? Leto or Worm, they are one body now.

MONEO: But they are two separate beings-Leto the Emperor and The Worm Who Is God.

SIONA: You're mad!

MONEO: Perhaps. But I do serve God.
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Paul of Dune was so bad it gave me a seizure that dislocated both of my shoulders and prolapsed my anus.
~Pink Snowman
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Freakzilla
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Re: Chapter 03

Post by Freakzilla »

I got lazy and just copied this chapter, there's really not enough here to summarize.
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Paul of Dune was so bad it gave me a seizure that dislocated both of my shoulders and prolapsed my anus.
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georgiedenbro
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Re: Chapter 03

Post by georgiedenbro »

Another amusing juxtapose, where the intro tells us Moneo came to Siona to warn her of her possible destruction, and the actual content of the conversation is him telling Siona that Leto kills no one! Granted Moneo is trying to tell her the difference between Leto killing her as opposed to the worm, which may mean that Leto personally has no problem with her but that if she crosses certain lines she will have tread into the path of the worm and that Leto will have no choice but to destroy her. This could be a clever way of communicating to her both that Leto can be maneuvered (refrain from certain things and you win yourself some leeway), and also that Leto is quite aware of her activities (whatever they are) and there are no secrets from him.

It's also interesting that Siona chose to transcribe the conversation, which intimates that she may have had a sense of her importance beyond merely being in the Atreides line. Perhaps she saw a destiny for herself and wanted to keep records?
"um-m-m-ah-h-h-hm-m-m-m!"
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