Chapter 34: The Final Warning
I requested the meeting through our usual dead drop. Urgent. Tonight.
Duncan arrived at the safe house looking tired. Dark circles under his eyes. The sleeper agent investigation had cost him sleep. He'd arrested all three. Interrogated them. Uncovered more Harkonnen assets.
But not enough. Never enough.
"What's so urgent?" He closed the door behind him. "Your message said critical."
I'd practiced this. How much to say. How to warn without revealing I knew everything.
"The Harkonnen operations. They're moving in days, not weeks." I kept my voice level. "Heavy coordination. Multiple assets. You need to triple your night watch. Fortify the Duke's chambers. Check every entrance twice."
Duncan's eyes sharpened. "Days. How many days?"
"Two. Maybe three. The timing is flexible but the window is closing."
"You're certain?"
"As certain as I can be without getting killed for knowing it."
He studied me. Long enough that I felt exposed. Then: "You know more than you're telling me."
Not a question. Observation.
I didn't deny it. "I know what I can share. Some things would get me killed just for knowing them. You understand that."
"I do." He moved to the window. Looked out at darkened Arrakeen. "The Duke increased security after your sleeper intel. Hawat's running constant analysis. We're as prepared as we can be."
Not prepared enough. Never enough for Sardaukar.
But I couldn't say that.
"Good," I said instead. "Be ready for anything. The Harkonnens don't do small operations."
Duncan turned back. "Neither do we. If they come, we'll be ready."
The confidence in his voice hurt. He genuinely believed they could win. That good preparation and noble intentions mattered against overwhelming force.
I wanted to tell him. Right then. You're going to die holding a door. The Duke will die in his bed. Sardaukar will butcher everyone. This is genocide, not combat, and all your preparation means nothing.
But I didn't.
"I hope so," I said.
We stood in silence for a moment. The weight of unspoken things filling the room.
"When this is over," Duncan said finally, "I want to buy you a real drink. Caladan whiskey. The good stuff from the Duke's private stock."
"Looking forward to it."
"You've earned it. The sleeper intel. These warnings. You've saved lives, Morvani. More than you know."
I managed a smile. "I'm surviving, Duncan. That's all any of us can do."
"You're a good man, Morvani. Whatever you think of yourself." His hand landed on my shoulder. Firm. Warm. Genuine. "I'm proud to call you friend."
The words hit unexpectedly hard. Punched through the emotional numbness I'd been building.
Duncan Idaho. The legendary swordmaster. The loyal warrior who'd serve House Atreides across lifetimes. He was proud to call me friend.
Me. The liar. The manipulator. The coward who was letting him walk into death.
"Honor to serve alongside you," I managed. Meant it more than he'd ever know.
We shook hands. Warrior's clasp. He didn't know it was goodbye.
I did.
He left through the back exit. Moved through shadows with professional efficiency. I watched from the window until he disappeared into Arrakeen's darkness.
A good man walking toward death.
I could give him the full intelligence. The assault patterns. The Sardaukar deployment. Everything.
My hand went to my pocket. The data chip was there. Always there. Evidence of my choice.
I pulled it out. Stared at it in the dim light.
One message. One transfer. Duncan would have everything he needed. Maybe enough to mount real defense. Save the Duke. Survive the night.
Change everything.
The System chimed softly.
[SURVIVE QUEST: DAY 28 ACHIEVED]
[FIRST MONTH SURVIVAL: COMPLETE]
[REWARDS: +5 HR, PHASE 2 FUNCTIONS UNLOCKED]
[CURRENT HR: 86% → 91%]
[ASSESSMENT: CRITICAL RESTORATION ACHIEVED]
[NEXT THRESHOLD: UNKNOWN]
The HR jumped. Five percent restored. Back to ninety-one from eighty-six.
The same level I'd been at after killing Venn. Before all the choices that had ground me down.
I felt it. Subtle shift. Like color returning to gray world. The emotional numbness receded slightly. Guilt became sharper. Duncan's friendship felt heavier.
Not enough to change my decision. But enough to feel the weight of it.
I put the data chip away. Left it hidden.
Made my choice.
Again.
The +5 HR was a gift. Restoration before the massacre. So I could feel the full weight of what I was about to do.
Maybe that was punishment. Maybe reward. Hard to tell anymore.
I left the safe house. Walked back toward syndicate headquarters. Forty-eight hours until the attack. Maybe less.
Time to prepare.
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