V - THE CHOICE OF VIRGO GIZZARD
The Emperor asked the Baron, “Were any Atreides still breathing at the end of the assault?”
The Baron replied, “No, my Lord, only the Mentat Thufir Hawat has survived the attack. He then willingly followed my troops out of Arrakis to replace my last mentat, as you have permitted with kindness, my Emperor.”
The Reverend Mother nodded.
—Imperial report of the Harkonnen trial, M5 10192 AG
From the back of his chair, in the middle of a small dark room, Virgo saw a muscular woman walk in, closing the door behind her.
“I have to say that you are tougher than you look,” she started. “You, out of cowardice, killed five members of my crews with your little explosive trap—but, luckily for you, I have caught you personally. If one of them had found you first, hidden like a squirrel behind a communication module, you would be already cold!
So, who are you?” asked Marika Raad with her grim voice.
“I am Virgo Gizzard,” he answered quickly, trying to hold his hands from shaking.
“You need to know that I am not defined by my patience. I will ask it once—Are you the Imperial spy?” she insisted, with a dominant attitude.
The word resonated stoically with strength inside the cold room, an unused store chamber of the Thulu.
“I am not the spy; I will say it again, I’m Virgo Gizzard. He has held me as hostage. I’m a simple Guild controller, please let me—” justified Virgo.
“I know that Virgo Gizzard is not an infiltrated agent,” she interrupted.
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He watched her angry face. She was wearing red armour with two sharp knives. She approached him and put her firm hand on his shoulder.
“I was told to kill everyone, but my House requires me to abduct the spy. On Giedi Prime, we have a special treatment for them,” she explained, massaging his shoulder.
Panic seized Virgo again, I need to say or do something, but how? I have not your abilities, Nestor... Okay, let’s try this, he thought.
She stared into his eyes, “The counterintelligence has told me to seek a certain Nestor Karfo. Are you sure it’s not you?” she asked with a treacherous expression.
“You already know who I am. Will a Truthsayer come through this door and interrogate me?” inquired Virgo with a surprising shade of self-importance.
“No—no Truthsayer will come, but when the occasion presents itself, I can become a Truthhowler,” she applied firm pressure on his collar bone, “Truthscreamer”. Virgo grit his teeth in pain. “I can tear you apart in a hundred ways.” His right shoulder started to crack. “They don’t call me Truthhands for nothing.”
He snapped in agony, “I’m the spy! I am Nestor.” As he shouted, the face of Marika changed, and so he reshaped his face as well. “I’m the spy, bitch, and I will reveal everything to the Emperor. You and your insane house will fall into ashes!”
She studied his rage. Now I see his true visage, she told herself. Marika suddenly burst into laughter, “You will first be tortured to death like a worthless slave on Giedi Prime, you Emperor vermin. You are only a marionette for the decrepit Padishah!” she proclaimed. “But first, I will take care of the poor Guild controller you have used to retrieve the data for you,” she smiled when she observed his disoriented expression. “Oh—you think I didn’t know? Stanislas Volken... That was stupid. My unit are already on their way to capture him,” she explained with glory, “but now that I know he’s worthless...” she suddenly elucidated out loud as she studied a new thought.
Marika directly left the interrogation room, leaving the door open. Virgo could discern her noisy footstep. “Tell the jockey that he can kill the vermin without waiting for my crew!” Marika commanded the concierge.
I don’t know why I tried to take the fall for him—maybe because he protected me. Still, I have saved myself from an immediate death, thought Virgo. I guess I have bought you time for your mission, Nestor.
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Virgo Gizzard [https://res.cloudinary.com/dxtl7maxi/image/upload/v1661078417/Art/Pourpre%20Conspirary/virgo-gizzard-avrip-and-the-machine.jpg]
The brave Virgo Gizzard - Avrip & The Machine