VII - INFILTRATION
“Thufir, you have to under stand that the Imperial witch is our last rampart to success. They will ask about my current plan, so have to lie and place my own truth. I have no concern for the Emperor himself, but his Truthsayer scares me. First, I need you to deal with her. Poison in the food, perhaps? I’m sure you will find a good way. Secondly, my dear Mentat, you will tomorrow morning depart for Opheliaz; an old friend of yours is waiting for you. I want results, and I want absolute control—then we could launch our secret project.”
—Baron Vladimir Harkonnen to Thufir Hawat, Giedi Prime, M8 10191 AG
A man in a deepsuit with an icy glare held a sharp knife made of a tooth from an ancient sea monster before him.
“I just received word that I can kill you now, without waiting for them, Virgo,” said Vefharti.
What? Have they found me—and why does he call me Virgo? That’s strange.
Nestor threw his right punch on the left arm of the jockey that held the knife, but the jockey reacted and attacked with a quick hit. Nestor rose on the right to avoid the blade stab. He launched his hand to the neck of Vefharti and took the knife with his free hand to push it deep into his heart. “I’m sorry,” Nestor said to the newly-dead body of the jockey, abandoned in his translucent sarcophagus.
They will come to me now. I have to run now, thought Nestor. He put the electronic books on the abyssike rear container. He revved the motor and exited the area.
Before the now-closed water wall, only the lifeless jockey remained floating and shining in the underwater twilight.
Now, let’s find this lab! thought Nestor.
----------------------------------------
On his high speed journey through the tube, he saw a quick long spark passing near him, but neither Nestor nor they stopped. It was an abyss troop carrier filled with the Harkonnen crew of Marika Raad. By the time they discovered the dead body of Vefharti, identified by the two jockeys with them, Nestor was already inside the tubes entrance area.
Nestor analysed the blue cylinders in front of him. A land of possibilities, but no time to think more. He moved toward the three purple tubes. The X tube was two times bigger than the previous letters. Nestor pushed the speed to the top, and his abyssike disappeared in an explosion of bubbles.
After 20 metres, he paused, pulling the handle down. He was in front of three oval entrances. Level 3, so the last one, guessed Nestor before driving himself in the last opening. A few minutes later, he came out the end of the tunnel.
The daunting size of the submerged gate that was standing before him instantly shocked him. That’s a gigantic gate! I wonder what is going on here. Because for a simple lab, it’s way too big.
As he approached, the large gate unlocked itself with a rumbling sound. Nestor pushed his bike inside the large submerged opening. He felt like a lost fish inside a vast swarming ocean. Giant ships lined the area, sleeping silently in the water. Inside this maze of gigantic troop carriers, he made his way to the water elevator. There was an arch in the middle of the area. Light danced around it like an inner hurricane. As he moved inside, the arch sucked up his abyssike and elevated him with a great speed.
It’s an abyss port, made for the Harkonnens, Nestor thought without a doubt, A troop carrier that big can move an entire legion by itself, he deduced with fear. Is it really a place for science and spice?
Out of the elevating ramp, he was inside the upper area of the big port. Only the left side was submerged in this room. A guard tower and a long corridor were present on the other side. It was a concrete complex.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
Nestor moved his bike near the concrete structure, already filled with other abyssikes. Finally, out of water, he walked with confidence and then remarked on the watchtower. The tower guard was speaking with another guard, their back turned to the corridor. It’s my time, Nestor said to himself, stealthily walking down the corridor, out of sight of the tower’s eye.
Inside the grey complex, he was all dry with his deepsuit, naked, only a knife in hand, the one he had stolen from the jockey. He thought while looking at himself, I need to find the appropriate uniform for entering the lab— He heard distant walking, so he quickly hid on a ventilation corner inside the long alley. Time to shine like Hector used to tell me. One guard dressed in a dark red uniform walked inside the alley. Nestor waited for him to pass. He jumped on the back of the trooper with the knife after turning the corner. Taken by surprise, the Harkonnen man failed to defend himself. He was now standing with a sharp blade against his throat. A low whisper entered the Harkonnen’s left ear, “Do not even think about moving or yelling. I can take your life in a glimpse.” The guard was trembling and filled with fear. Nestor understood this and noted that he was fairly young. I will not kill him, they probably enrolled him recently against his will... Besides, I don’t want blood on my brand-new uniform. Nestor threw his elbow under the neck of the guard. The young guard fainted after the blow. Nestor took his body and concealed it in the ventilation shaft. He removed his deepsuit and put on the guard’s clothes. Nestor left him with his deepsuit and continued his exploration of the underwater complex.
After two corridors, he walked past a storage room, the armoury, filled with guard uniforms. Sweet, exclaimed the spy humorously within his mind.
He strode with assurance in the architectural labyrinth of long, cold alleys before finally finding the main room. Hundreds of people were talking. Scientists, engineers, specialists, soldiers, doctors, they all stood here, inside this secret complex in the underworld of this minor planet.
More than a secret lab, this is a hidden base, Nestor guessed in amazement.
Without losing much time, he founded the labs. No time to lose. They are surely on my tail. They will trust me on this one because I will find this new spice and return it to Kaitan. We need to counter-attack fast before the Baron sets his dark plan in motion.
At the lab entrance, he noticed first one door, “Spice Stock”, but he was very curious about the second one, “Spice Experimentation”. Okay, I will get into this room and take some spice later, but first, I want to see what is happening inside the experimental lab... This is maybe the key to understanding the entire picture of this scheme. Why the troop carrier, why the new spice? Nestor wondered.
Burned cinnamon. His smell was the first of his senses to react abruptly after passing through the door of the experimentation lab. Then came the sight. Dizziness seized him at the vision of a deformed alien floating in an immense glass tank, in total osmosis with the dark red and dense fluid that danced around his skin made of translucent cartilage.
Walking into this room, he found the place of all his curiosity. “Creation Room” read the door with the warning sign, “Danger—High Spice Exposure—Closed—Security Staff Only”.
He felt his heart pounding. I need to enter; need to—know, know-it-all. I need it, the spy repeated to himself.
He walked in without looking behind him for suspicious eyes.
The room was dark. Nestor tasted a spike of anxiety. Behind him, the door sealed itself and the mural light illumined all around the room.
He took a sharp breath. His senses were all in motion in this particular room. It was not cinnamon this time. It was something else, something intense and dominant, that made him agitated.
On the desk were resting various drops of red dust, with a lot of paper documents around it.
While inspecting the different stacks of crimson-coloured spice, he gathered a document,
“We finished the experiment with success two months early. We have been able to manipulate the raw Pourpre Spice with less radioactivity by creating two usable versions. One with a focus on vision for Navigators—they will compute instantly and with more anticipation. We have also finished the creation of a less powerful Pourpre melange for soliders. This will help them become fiercer and stronger inside. With the right dosage, we can create a berserk army for you.”
While reading, he picked a red apple from the table. I’m so hungry I need it.
As he took a great mouthful, he sensed a paper stick behind it. He seized it. “Raw Pourpre Spice Apple—Testing on slaves only.” His hand dropped the apple as his arm want slack.
----------------------------------------
Nestor Karfo in the spice lab [https://res.cloudinary.com/dxtl7maxi/image/upload/v1661078204/Art/Pourpre%20Conspirary/nestor-karfo-ryan-rhodes.png]
Nestor Karfo in the Spice Lab - Ryan Rhodes