DUNE Page #8

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Rabban the Beast and his soldiers burst in on this scene like a hurricane. They throw grenades on to the fountain which explodes, killing the beggars who were surrounding it. The soldiers chase after the beggars who are running away like animals, and execute them.

A beggar, dying, drags his body as far as a little pool which is all that remains of the fountain and drinks up the last few drops of dirty water.

An old man and a group of beggars are the only people still on the scene. Rabban catches hold of the old man by his neck and, half strangling him, lift him in front of the palm trees.

RABBAN:

How many times have you come to see my palm trees?

THE BEGGAR:

Every day, for thirty years.

RABBAN:

How much water does each tree need?

THE BEGGAR:

Forty liters a day.

RABBAN:

How much water does a man need?

THE BEGGAR:

Eight liters.

RABBAN:

Twenty palm-trees, a hundred men.

THE BEGGAR:

Every day enough water for a hundred men!

RABBAN:

What were you doing sitting here?

THE BEGGAR:

I was watching for the wind to blow away a date and drop it into my hand.

RABBAN:

Your patience will be rewarded.

The beggars are fastened against the trees. The old man is bound to the top of the tree, near the dates. The trucks are soaked with petrol. Rabban sets the palm-grove alight with a torch.

While the trees are burning, Rabban looks up at the sky. The ship has come nearer. He enters the government palace, followed by his soldiers.

INTERIOR:
HALL OF THE GOVERNMENT PALACE.

Rabban’s soldiers bring Fremen servants, old men, slaves and women out from the Palace.

RABBAN:

Bring them all out to me! I won’t leave them a single cook, manservant, or sweeper.

On a sign from Rabban, the servants are killed. Rabban enjoys himself chasing after the children to massacre them.

RABBAN:

I want soldiers!

He calls them, shouting loudly. The soldiers begin to arrive. More and more of them are coming, but Rabban still isn’t satisfied.

RABBAN:

More, more!

The hall is full of soldiers who can hardly move.

RABBAN:

Take your trousers down!

The soldiers obey, afraid of their leader. Rabban also takes down his trousers.

RABBAN:

The first soldier who doesn’t sh*t will have his head cut off!

The he crouches down and tries to defecate. The soldiers follow his example.

EXTERIOR:
LANDING STRIP AND ROAD.

The large Guild ship lands on the strip. There is only one space-ship bearing the Imperium’s emblem on the strip. A truck, in which count Fenring and his wife are sitting, comes out of this ship. Under Fenring’s orders, an army of Sardaukar draw up on the direct road from the ship to the government palace.

With mathematical precision, the Sardaukar separate into two files, in the middle of the road and along the whole of its length. One file watches over one side of the road and the other the opposite Side. The file goes from the airport to the Palace.

Count Fenring and his associates stand in front of the door of the ship which has just landed. The walls slide apart and Duke Leto appears, surrounded by his soldiers. Fenring bows slightly in front of Leto and brandishes a rocket-launching pistol.

FENRING:

The armies will begin to move only at my signal!

At full speed, Fenring’s truck and his associates hurtle towards the palace, raising a cloud of dust. At the roadside some beggars are watching the truck. Free, haughty Fremen, with covered faces exposing only their completely blue eyes, are spying on the scene, half-hidden in the dunes.

Fenring arrives at the Palace. Rabban is ready to face his troops.

When the armies meet, the ten soldiers forming the last line in each army begin to mark time, on the spot. The armies move apart, one towards the ship, the other towards the palace.

The two groups of ten soldiers are standing in the middle of the road. Suddenly, they attack each other and begin a ferocious but silent battle, so as not to give the alarm. Two Sardaukar run up.

Nobody pays attention to them. Both Sardaukar then enter the fray and, in a fraction of a second, kill the twenty combatants.

Fenring, who is arriving from the Palace, picks up the two Sardaukar in his truck. All the Sardaukar are boarding the imperial ship.

The twenty bodies are lying on the road. A group of beggars in rags come up to them like a swarm. They begin to undress them and fight for their clothes. The group of free Fremen scares them away. The new arrivals cover the bodies with special cloths.

They adapt little machines to these covers, each machine terminating in a tube. Under each tube, they put a container. They turn on the machines, and extract water from the bodies. As the containers fill up, the bodies shrink under the shrouds.

EXTERIOR:
GOVERNMENT PALACE

The Atreides soldiers are making a big bonfire of the Harkonnen banners and emblems, while others are hoisting the Atreides coat of arms: the red falcon on a green and black background. Soon, a hundred large flags are flying in the wind, giving the palace a new face.

As the war trucks, ambulances, and transport lorries arrive, the army becomes organized. Leto, his family and chief of staff are following and directing operations.

LETO:

(to Duncan Idaho)

Help the wounded! (to Gurney Halleck) Search all the villages!

Halleck and Duncan run and carry out the orders. Two groups of cars, soldiers and ambulances go off raising a thick cloud of dust.

Gradually, the cloud disperses. Thousands of beggars come out of it and silently sit on their heels. Soon they fill the square, like a calm ocean of tattered rags.

All at the same time, their mouths produce a noise like hooting while their hands pound together two little stones. The noise is deafening.

Leto raises his arms and imposes silence. He shows the transport lorries to his soldiers and gives an order. The soldiers line up the lorries in front of the palace doors. The people can see enormous demijohns on them, filled with water. A great deal of confusion seizes the crowd, which is astonished and envious and wants to see the water from near at hand. The Atreides re-establish order, without brutality. The Duke addresses the people very calmly but with sincere emotion:

LETO:

We are not the Harkonnen; we are Atreides! We have not come to steal, to exploit the weak, not take anybody’s water away! We do not want to impose our power by force: We want no slaves! We want colleagues! The spice-fields will bring in enough money to fill this world with water!

Like one man, the people bow down. They all stand up straight again and begin to walk away. Some place gifts at Paul’s and Jessica’s feet: Cactus fruits, stone necklaces, snakes eggs. They are murmuring “Mahdi”.

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