DUNE Page #14

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INTERIOR:
GOVERNMENT PALACE HALL.

The dance continues. On a long table, women are playing cards. Behind them, their husbands and some soldiers are watching.

The table is composed of three superimposed transparent surfaces. The round cards are printed out both sides, so that the top and the bottom are visible. The players use the three levels, vertically and horizontally. They are betting for small bottles filled with water. They discuss while playing.

BUSINESSMAN’S WIFE:

(sarcastic)

A “generous” gesture from the Duke... giving our water to these...these...

Unable to find a scornful enough word, she replaces it with a motion of her hand.

THE BUSINESSMAN:

They’ve been thirsty since birth. It’s no favor to take that away from them: they’ll be alarmed!

A WOMAN:

These animals can’t be treated like human beings. Each should know his place!

A FAT MAN:

What does Lord Lingar Webt think about it?

LINGAR WEBT:

As long as the Duke only wants to change the forms of our customs, there’s nothing to worry about. But if he attacks our interests, we’ll trim his sails. I can blow up my water reservoirs. Without water, Dune will perish.

GRAIN TRADER:

My silos are also mined. I control the food supply!

TRANSFORMATION DEALER:

If my lorries are paralyzed, the towns will die of hunger.

GENERAL:

If we bring the bodyguards together in an army, we can attack the Duke.

LINGAR WEBT:

For the moment, we shall put up with him confusing us with the rabble, but tomorrow we’ll see...

Lingar Webt goes through the motion of tightening a screw.

EXTERIOR:
GOVERNMENT PALACE

Leto, Hawatt and Paul, preceded by Gurney Halleck, covered with dust and a group of soldiers perspiring heavily, draw near a military lorry. Halleck boards it, opens a case, and scatters a pile of cut-off heads at the Duke’s feet.

HALLECK:

Harkonnens! There are a lot of ambushed men.

LETO:

They must be killed.

Halleck nervously makes no reply. He tries to speak, but can’t. It’s an effort for him to open his mouth. He takes a letter, and hands it to the Duke.

HALLECK:

We found it on a body. It bears the authentic seal of Baron Harkonnen.

Leto reads the card, murmuring to himself.

LETO:

Jessica!

Hawatt takes the letter, and reads it anxiously.

HAWATT:

I knew it! Trust a Bene Guesserit witch!

HALLECK:

When I read that Lady Jessica has accepted to assassinate the Duke, I…

Anger and suffering stop him continuing.

PAUL:

It’s not true.

LETO:

It’s formal proof! We shall keep watch on Jessica until we find her accomplices!

PAUL:

My mother couldn’t have tried to kill me!

HAWATT:

The Bene Guesserit aren’t human!

Paul growls, draws his sword and tries to wound Hawatt. Leto holds him back by the arm. Hawatt and Halleck look at Paul with pity and go off. When they are alone, Leto smiles sadly at Paul.

LETO:

If she had wanted to kill me, she would have done it a long time ago. It’s a lie to throw me into confusion.

PAUL:

Why did you make me keep quiet?

LETO:

They’ll think I’ve fallen into the trap and the real traitor will act rashly. Paul, when I die ...

PAUL:

You won’t die!

LETO:

If I die, tell Jessica I must have hurt her but that never ... Tell her that I ... (emotion stops him speaking).

PAUL:

I understand, My Lord ....

INTERIOR:
GOVERNMENT PALACE.

Jessica is coming down the main stairway. Stopping half-way, she waits for someone who is also coming down. The natural beauty of Jessica is remarkable.

She is wearing the jewels offered her by the Fremen; on her shoulders, the modest Fremen cape takes on the class of a high fashion garment.

A WOMAN:

This is too much! She dares to wear Fremen clothes.

Gradually, silence settles in the room. Attention is drawn to Jessica, who is like a magnet. Anger, vanity and disapproval can be read on the faces. Nobody bows before her. Kynes crosses the room, walks up the stairs and bows in front of her, with a fervent expression on his face. Jessica offers him her hand to kiss and murmurs when she realizes that to do this, he has kept his lips tightly closed.

JESSICA:

A day will come on Dune when there will be so much water that men will no longer fear to lose a drop of water when kissing women.

Kynes raises towards her his eyes filled with religious fervor.

KYNES:

“She will share our dreams ...Did you bring the Kwisatz Haderach?

Kynes’ garment, wrinkled, shiny and too short fits him so badly that the whole dancefloor bursts out laughing and makes fun of him. Kynes gives out a ferocious animal roar, so powerful that the wall trembles. The frightened industrialists become quiet and begin to dance once again, without daring to look at him anymore. Leto comes down the stairway, followed by Paul, Hawatt, Duncan, Yueh, and Halleck.

JESSICA:

According to the custom, the masters of the house propose the last toast and close the Dance.

Jessica takes the Duke by the arm, but he moves aside.

LETO:

Remember, you’re not my wife, but my mistress. It would go against the custom to propose the toast together. Your place is in the shadow.

The Duke comes to the bottom of the stairway, still followed by Paul, Hawatt, Duncan, Yueh, and Halleck. Tears of pain glisten in Jessica’s eyes. She leans on Kynes’ arm.

JESSICA:

(murmuring)

We exist only to serve.

Leto, Paul, Halleck, Hawatt, and Yueh get up onto the musicians’ rostrum. Paul stops the band. Silence. The Duke comes forward, a glass full of water in his hand. Everyone draws nearer to hear him.

Leto gently sings a ballad, appearing to be in a trance. Halleck accompanies him on his balisette.

LETO:

(singing)

Ah, how long seems the days

But the years keep running by

When we shall be buried in sand

As black will be this water

Today pure as crystal glass!

Nervous laughs and murmurs.

LINGAR WEBT:

He’s drunk!

Leto slowly turns the glass over. The guests follow his example with irony, fear, greed, or scorn. Kynes also turns over his glass but he collects the water in a container which he stops up and puts away in one of his pockets. Leto violently smashes his glass. It’s a signal.

The hall fills up with armed Atreides. Protests, complaints and cries can be heard. In a second, the dance changes in aspect: rebellious industrialists are hit, all the guests are forced to kneel down, and hysterical women are dragged along by the hair.

The face of an adolescent shouting insults is slashed, slaves are put aside, and the generals, who taken by surprise, haven’t had time to defend themselves, are brought together in front of the Duke. An Atreides steps into place behind each general, with his sword raised. Leto draws his sword, turns it in the air, as if beheading someone, and immediately the Atreides cut off the heads of the fifty generals.

On another signal from the Duke, his soldiers move a stone in one of the walls separating the hall from the Fremen room; the wall goes down into the floor, followed by the wall separating the Fremen from the spice searchers, and the walls separating the spice searchers from the smugglers, and the smugglers from the industrialists.

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