A flower raised in a greenhouse is still beautiful,
even though it knows no adversity.
But a flower growing in the field
that has braved wind, rain, cold, and heat
possesses something more than just beauty.
—From “Atonement of the blade” by Rena Ryuuguu
They had instinctively formed a group of three, each one having their back pressed against the other, it was expected of Ooishi, that was the way the Sardaukar fought, but Rena and Keiichi were different. Keiichi was no strange to fighting, but he was more of a diplomat, his best weapon was his tongue. He still wished to fight; he would not be a liability to the group. Ooishi’s own fighting style had changed over the years, learning from the same soldiers who decimated the other Sardaukar, Ooishi was good enough to survive, but he would be long dead if he had remained that way.
The shipment of spice was ready, so were the protein pellets. Keiichi was supposed to exchange Rena’s krysknife collection for the protein pellets, then they could steal the spice when it reached Mion. But the Fremen took issue with outsiders holding krysknives.
“Rika did not predict this?!” Keiichi was sweating, he looked at the numbers, they were not good, fully knowing how sandworms reacted they had not taken shields, and now they were paying the price for that foolishness.
A few shots from a pistol were heard, a quick move by Rena, a few Fremen behind Keiichi making sounds of pain from the bullets ricocheting towards themselves. Ooishi turned his eyes towards the swordsman. She is that fast?! Good thing she never called me out or I’d be dead.
Rena’s broadsword had a few carbon marks from where the bullets had hit. Keiichi pressed his body closer to hers. Ooishi did not have to worry about the bullets at least, he had never stopped wearing a shield, in the open desert it turned into a weapon even the Fremen feared, yes, a mad sandworm was a sight to behold.
“She probably did” Rena said “Plans have to often change”
“Who are you boy?” Asked Ooishi “A house with prescient truthsayers and swordsmen capable of deflecting bullets must be very important”
Keiichi spoke up “You heard him?! I am Keiichi Sonozaki, husband to the great Sonozaki Mion!”
Ooishi gripped his knife tighter Sonozaki? I think I’ve heard of them, but they are a House Minor. Probably the Bene Gesserit gave them access to a truthsayer and this girl, she has the odd calmness of a witch.
Rena smiled brightly when hearing Keiichi speak with such pride “The sisterhood ignores our existence. Mii-chan is just worth working for”
She can even read my mind! Yes, this girl is a Bene Gesserit too! I didn’t know there were witch swordsmen. What secrets is that planet hiding? I heard it was a soft world for a soft population, but it attracted people like this girl. They have an oracle truthsayer, probably even a mentat! “If we make it out of here alive, I will sell my services to your wife kid” He laughed.
“I thought you were great warriors with sense of honor. Right now, I just see scared desert rats” Keiichi sheathed his knife and took a krysknife, the milky white blade shone against his face. “Sore losers, that is what you are. You can’t resist the fact that we killed these many! Want to know the truth? Rena did it on her own! You praise Duncan Idaho for killing 19 Sardaukar, Rena here has killed 50 without a scratch in her body” Keiichi was not lying, Fremen had learned the weirding way, and in that a little of the art of telling truth from lie, at least blatant lies. Keiichi was speaking the truth, the Fremen saw this, but he also taunted them, and the taunt would make them attack in rage, he had just insulted one of the Lieutenants of their Emperor, he did it with facts, they were angry now. Sorry Rena, I had to outsell you.
Rena licked her lips, she waited for an opening from their part, the moment Keiichi said Idaho’s name many flinched, guns were shot, but they were out of pure fright, usually shots like that never landed, and out of those only one had been aimed correctly, she measured the trajectory, deflected the bullet towards Ooishi while leaping into action.
A small burst of speed, Rena stood and a smuggler was falling down, then another, they attempted to shoot her but all they managed was shooting each other, after a few moments of this then there was just silence. Rena was still standing, covered in sweat and smears of blood, same as when she fought the Sardaukar.
Keiichi looked at her. She can control it! I must tell Mion about this, Rena can control her kyute mode. Rena bowed down to pick up a small statue of a sandworm. Nevermind… We just got very lucky.
Ooishi began laughing “Why do you need me again?” He did not believe a word Keiichi said, until he saw it for himself, they were not incapacitated, each one of them was dead, in true fashion of the school of Ginaz they were all slashes, all severed in vital parts of their body, but no stabbing. Even in these conditions she found a chance to show off! Ooishi thought, he would be happy to serve alongside Rena.
Keiichi screamed; he fell to the ground shaking “I think I soiled myself! Good thing that is how a stillsuit should work”
Rena cleaned the little sandworm statue. Zensunni do not accept representative art, there are only miniatures in Fremen filmbooks, nothing on sandworms though. Probably because these are smugglers, they are not as orthodox as wild Fremen. She turned to Ooishi, snapping out of her own trance “In case we find wild Fremen, these were smugglers”
“I think some of these were Fremen” Ooishi looked at the bodies. “You said we have to get the pellets?”
Keiichi nodded “Yes, the spice remains in here, if we take both the Fremen will know it was us. They must think we were scoundrels who just wanted the offworld food”
Ooishi began taking the crates of pellets and loading them onto the smuggler’s ‘topher. Stealing from the Fremen, if I knew they were carrying Fremen knives! A realization hit Ooishi “Wait so you bought that spice with these? You plan to get into another situation like this?”
“I thought you Sardaukar were fearless” Keiichi winked at the old man
“I am not afraid of poison, but you don’t see me drinking it” Ooishi retorted.
Keiichi chuckled. He doesn’t plan to leave; he would be asking for his payment if he was actually afraid.
Editorial 