DUNE Page #12

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The workers, without getting excited, carry out with their work.

LETO:

And now?

KYNES:

The wing carrier will be alerted. It’ll come to pick them up a few minutes before the worm reaches them.

Leto plugs in the radio.

VOICE OF THE HARVESTER:

Harvester to watchmen. The wing is not replying. Whoever sees it, make contact. Over.

VOICE OF WATCHMAN ONE:

This is watchman one. Negative. Over.

VOICE OF WATCHMAN TWO:

This is watchman two. Negative. Over.

VOICE OF WATCHMAN THREE:

This is watchman three. Negative. Over.

VOICE OF WATCHMAN FOUR:

This is watchman four. Negative. Over.

LETO:

Where’s the wing?

KYNES:

A single wing carrier is used for several harvesters. It must be in another field. It’ll come all right!

The Duke flies over the worm which is now very close to the harvester. The men are feverishly extracting the spice. Whistling blue piles are being built up. The men’s eyes are gleaming with greed.

LETO:

Kynes, order them to abandon the harvester! There are five ships for sixteen men. Each watchman can take three men. We have room for two more.

PAUL:

We can save fourteen men. Two will die!

LETO:

Lots can be drawn to find which ones!

KYNES:

Calling the harvester. Order to abandon. Over.

The men from the harvester protest, shout insults, make obscene faces, show their middle fingers, and continue to work.

KYNES:

They refuse! The worm will reach them in five minutes! They prefer to wait. There’s a lot of spice!

LETO:

To hell with the spice! (on the radio) Evacuate! Without discussion. This is an order! Over.

The spice searchers laugh, pointing to the sky. In the distance, the wing carrier is coming. A minute later, it explodes and falls into desert surrounded by a cloud of flames.

HAWATT:

Sabotage!

LETO:

(by radio)

Call to all life-saving units, come down! The searchers run towards the watchmen who are landing.

PAUL:

But there aren’t sixteen of them, there are eighteen!

The Duke lands while the watchmen, having each taken three men aboard, are taking off.

THE DUKE:

We shall save all the others!

HAWATT:

We’ll never get off the ground! The weight will be considerable and the sand is soft!

Four searchers arrive in front of the ornithopter. Two men have remained quietly in the harvester. The Duke tears the radio away and throws it out the window, together with his arms.

Paul and Hawatt do the same. They take off their sword-belt shields, tear away the back seat and throw it all (together with everything that can be thrown) out the window. They pick up the four men.

After a hair-raising effort, the orni manages to take off, with all its passengers crowded together.

The worm had almost reach them.

The harvester leans to the right. A whirl of sand can be seen, and a terrifying mouth, bristling with thousands of white phosphorescent teeth appears. The machine drops into it and disappears. Sand covers over everything again.

KYNES:

(praying)

Blessed be the creator and his water! Blessed his mouth which purifies! Blessed his power which keeps the World for our people!

A SEARCHER:

What’s this old man going on about?

ANOTHER:

Our spice, lost!

LETO:

(furious)

The Harkonnens will pay for it!

Where the harvester was, a crater can now be seen. Two silhouettes are walking away from it, finding their way in the sand, as nimble as animals.

LETO:

Who are they?

A SEARCHER:

Two strangers. It was their first contract.

LETO:

I’ll send for a plane to pick them up.

KYNES:

It’s not necessary. They are going to die.

PAUL:

No. They were able to escape when the worm attacked. They know how to live in the desert. They’re Fremen.

KYNES:

Who said so? You can’t tell from here.

PAUL:

I know they’re Fremen. They came to study our crop techniques.

Kynes is quiet. The searchers are passing round bottles of brandy and, happy to be alive, they sing:

SONG OF THE SPICE SEARCHERS:

The desert watches over us like a wild beast.

Watching for the water of our blood.

But I defy the sand and the Gods, at the least

Because in times of danger my courage comes to

me like a flood!

KYNES:

The Duke is more worried about these men than about the spice. He has risked his life for them. Such a leader could have devoted supporters. If the Fremen were not what they are, they would love to serve so remarkable a Duke!

INTERIOR:
HALL OF THE GOVERNMENT PALACE.

The hall is lit and decorated for a ball. A rostrum for the band has been built. The musicians are playing crystal glass instruments.

The hall is filled with guests belonging to the rich industrial classes of Dune. They are vain, pedantic and ridiculous “nouveaux riches”. They are dressed in evening clothes, jewels and wigs, extravagantly luxurious.

They each have a dog which is fat, shining and wears clothes, a wig and jewels.

50 generals are also present, wearing uniforms with their distinguishing coats of arms. Their faces are bestial, cruel and stupid. They all have artificial limbs pointed at the end: artificial arms and legs, parts of the skull, jaws and ears. The young people are performing a court dance.

In spite of the ventilators, the guests dispose of old slaves who are fanning them. They have dressed them in a ridiculous manner, and treat them cruelly.

Some of them are refreshing themselves in the latest fashion: four slaves of various ages and sizes, a child, an adolescent, a woman, and an old woman, lined up according to their size, are forced to blow on to their master from his feet to his head.

The body of a woman is entirely inlaid with jewels. Her laugh reveals an emerald set of false teeth. She proudly shows off the enormous diamond which hides her anus. Many of the businessmen have their artificial limbs made of gold inlaid with jewels.

A pompous young industrialist enters the room pushing in front of him three small beggars. The guests block their noses and make gestures of disgust. Three other young men bring in large clay caldrons.

The guests surround the group. The young industrialist gives a stick to the children. The caldrons are fastened to a gallery by ropes.

THE YOUNG INDUSTRIALIST:

One of them is full of water!

The child thinks about this and chooses a caldron which he breaks. In despair, he receives a rain of flour which makes him cough. The guests laugh.

The second child, with anguish and envy, chooses one of the remaining caldrons, breaks it and receives a flow of mud. Sitting in the middle of the mud, the child is weeping. The guests, happy with the game, are laughing.

A third child, sure of winning, breaks the last caldron. Large stones drop out of it, injuring him. The audience applauds.

The children hand over a dirty ladle. The young industrialist parsimoniously distributes them a bowl of water and chases them out with his whip. The dance begins again.

Servants are passing round sumptuous foods and, instead of brandy, glasses of water, which the industrialists drink avidly and which they give to their dogs.

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