Chapter 38


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Freakzilla
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Chapter 38

Post by Freakzilla »

Book Three
THE PROPHET


No woman, no man, no child ever was deeply intimate with my father. The closest
anyone ever came to casual camaraderie with the Padishah Emperor was the
relationship offered by Count Hasimir Fenring, a companion from childhood. The
measure of Count Fenring's friendship may be seen first in a positive thing: he
allayed the Landsraad's suspicions after the Arrakis Affair. It cost more than a
billion solaris in spice bribes, so my mother said, and there were other gifts
as well: slave women, royal honors, and tokens of rank. The second major
evidence of the Count's friendship was negative. He refused to kill a man even
though it was within his capabilities and my father commanded it. I will relate
this presently.

-"Count Fenring: A Profile" by the Princess Irulan

An enraged Baron Harkonnen finds Nefud in his quarters high on semuta and demands to know where Feyd is, but Nefud doesn't know. The slave boy sent to the Baron was boobytraped. As the Baron is screaming at Nefud, Feyd appears in the doorway and says he's just come from beating the slavemaster at pyramid chess. The Baron orders Nefud to kill the Slavemaster for being a poor Chess player, immediately. Feyd starts to protest but the Baron silences him. Feyd realizes he's busted and only hopes to save his skin. As they walk back to the Baron's quarters, the Baron informs Feyd about reports of a new Fremen religious leader on Arrakis and that he's instructed Rabban to tolerating, thinking this will keep the Fremen busy. In the Baron's apartments there are signs of a struggle. He compliments Feyd on his cleverness and asks why he hasn't killed him himself. Feyd tells him that he taught him to always keep his own hands clean. One must be able to face the emperor's truthsayer. The Baron asks about the slave-gladiator in the arena years ago and Feyd admits it was a sham to discredit the Baron's slavemaster. The Baron offers Feyd a deal. If he promises to stop the attempts on his life, he will promise to retire as an advisor and leave Feyd in power. The Baron thinks to himself that Feyd's assaniation attempt would have succeeded if Hawat had not warned him of the shielded poinsoned needle concealed in the slave boy's thigh. In exchange, the Baron will let him live and he'll set Hawat to watch over him. He doesn't have a choice but to accept. Feyd says Hawat is dangerous but the Baron says he has redirected Hawat's anger towards the emperor. As punishment, the Baron orders Feyd to strangle all the slave women in the pleasure wing.
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JimmytheT
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Re: Chapter 38

Post by JimmytheT »

I think I caught a flub by Herbert that was missed in editing:

"Nefud!" the Baron roared.
Men scrambled.
Nefud stood, his face composed bythe narcotic but with an overlay of paleness that told of his fear. The semuta music had stopped.
"My Lord Baron," Nefud said. Only the drug kept the trembling out of his voice.
...
"How long have you been my guard captain, Nefud?"
Nefud swallowed. "Since Arrakis, my Lord. Almost two years."


A couple pages later when the Baron is speaking with Feyd:

"I remember a time in the arena several years ago the Baron said.
"It seemed there that day a slave had been sent to kill you. Is that truly how it was?"


I believe this is a temporal error in the writing, as the gladiator match clearly occured after the Arrakis incident; or is the Baron saying several to sound more naive to Feyd?
Your life story would not make a good book. Don't even try.
-Fran Lebowitz
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A Thing of Eternity
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Re: Chapter 38

Post by A Thing of Eternity »

Could be a temporal flub as you say, could also be that FH forgot that several means more than two.
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Freakzilla
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Re: Chapter 38

Post by Freakzilla »

It was at least two years, not that big a flub, if you ask me.
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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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Freakzilla
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Re: Chapter 38

Post by Freakzilla »

Revised, clean.
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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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