Dune Page #2

14. INT. THRONE ROOM - EMPEROR'S PALACE - REVEREND

MOTHER'S MENTAL IMAGE - NIGHT

The Guild Navigator turns toward her and comes very

close to her. We hear the Navigator speak to her.

NAVIGATOR:

(to Reverend Mother, mentally)

Reverend Mother... I will give you the

Tleilaxu Path.

REVEREND MOTHER (V.O.)

(an excited whisper)

A chance for escape? But for whom?

15. INT. THRONE ROOM - EMPEROR'S PALACE - NIGHT

EMPEROR:

Can you hear me?... If this visit has

anything to do with spice...

--

The Guild Navigator shudders and swishes quite

violently in his tank.

NAVIGATOR:

LISTEN TO ME!! The spice must flow... the

spice has given me accelerated evolution

for four thousand years... it has enabled

you to live two hundred years... the spice

helps make the sapho juice, which gives

the red-lipped mentats the ability to be

living computers... the secret side of

spice... the water of life.

16. INT. HALLWAY - EMPEROR'S PALACE - NIGHT

REVEREND MOTHER (V.O.)

He shouldn't speak of this...

15. BACK TO SCENE

NAVIGATOR:

...gives the Bene Gesserit sisterhood the

metaphysical ability to see beyond...to

have superior powers... Our power to fold

space is in the spice... Without us, your

empire would be lost on isolated scattered

planets... You would be lost.

EMPEROR:

I can assure you...

NAVIGATOR:

Do not interrupt!!! Do not speak lightly

of the spice... ONE SMALL POINT...

16. BACK TO SCENE

REVEREND MOTHER (V.O.)

Here it comes...

17. INT. THRONE ROOM - EMPEROR'S PALACE - NIGHT

NAVIGATOR:

We ourselves... foresee a slight problem

within House Atreides.... Paul.... Paul

Atreides.

EMPEROR:

You mean, of course, Duke Leto Atreides...

his father.

--

Page missing

--

24. EXT. CASTLE CALADAN - NIGHT

High on the rock cliff stands Castle Caladan, Its

appearance us dark and medieval. There is a window

on the seaward wall lit from within...

25. INT. TRAINING ROOM - CASTLE CALADAN - NIGHT

...by a drifting glowglobe. Paul sits at an L-shaped

table studying filmbooks and maps of Arrakis and the

Universe.

25A. INSERT - FILMBOOK

We SEE vast star fields and galaxies.

25. BACK TO SCENE

PAUL:

(whispering)

Here we are now... nineteen light years

beyond...

25A. INSERT - FILMBOOK

We SEE the galaxies move as we HEAR a HUM.

PAUL (V.O.)

(whispering)

... beyond Epsilon Alangue... is Arrakis.

We HOLD on this, then we see Arrakis grow larger in

the filmbook screen and we SEE it is a planet of

vast deserts.

25. BACK TO SCENE

PAUL:

(whispering again)

It does look dry....

25A. INSERT - FILMBOOK

The picture grows larger again, and we see the

Arrakeen Valley.

--

FILMBOOK (V.O.)

Each day the palms along the outer wall of

the Palace at Arrakeen consume enough

water to sustain the lives of one hundred

men. The palms were placed by the

Harkonnens to flaunt their water wealth in

front of the city Fremen.

25. BACK TO SCENE

PAUL:

Where are the Harkonnens from here?

25A. INSERT - FILMBOOK

The star fields and galaxies move slightly then.

PAUL (V.O.)

(whispering)

There!... Geidi Prime and the Baron

Harkonnen... the enemy.

25. BACK TO SCENE

In the background, FOOTSTEPS grow louder, pounding

on thick wooden floors. THUFIR HAWAT, GURNEY HALLECK

and DR. YUEH enter. Paul has his back to the door.

Thufir suddenly looks perturbed when he notices

this.

PAUL:

(without turning)

I know, Thufir, I'm sitting with my back

to the door.

Hawat suppresses a smile.

PAUL (CONT'D)

I heard you, Dr. Yueh and Gurney coming

down the hall.

THUFIR:

Those sounds could be imitated.

PAUL:

I'd know the difference.

Paul rises and turns to face them.

--

THUFIR:

(inner voice)

Yes. Perhaps he would at that.

PAUL:

My father sent you to test me. Music then?

Thufir scowls.

GURNEY:

No music. I'm packing this for the

crossing. Shield practice.

PAUL:

Shield practice? Gurney... we had practice

-- this morning..... I'm not in the mood.

GURNEY:

(angered)

Not in the mood?! Mood's a thing for

cattle and love play... not fighting.

PAUL:

I'm sorry Gurney.

GURNEY:

Not sorry enough.

Gurney draws his knife.

25B. SHIELD EFFECT - THE FIGHT

Gurney activates his body shield, sending a

shimmering FORCE FIELD around his body. He advances

swiftly toward Paul. Paul snaps on his FORCE FIELD,

draws his knife and jumps back, collecting himself

hurriedly for the fight.

GURNEY:

(his voice sounding strange through

the forcefield)

Guard yourself for true!

Gurney leaps high, then forward, pressing a furious

attack. Paul falls back. The shield edges CRACK

loudly as they touch each other.

PAUL:

(inner voice)

What's gotten into Gurney? He's not

faking.

Paul presses forward and the fight moves quickly

around the room. The smell of ozone grows stronger

as the shields hit and SPARK off one another. Paul

directs a parry downwards, turns, and leads Gurney

against the table, plunging at just the right moment

to pin Gurney against the table top with his blade

right at Gurney's neck.

PAUL:

(strange shielded voice)

Is this what you seek?

GURNEY:

(strange shielded voice)

Good... the slow blade penetrates the

shield... but look down.

Paul looks and sees Gurney's blade at his groin.

GURNEY (CONT'D)

We'd have joined each other in death.

However, you did seem to finally get the

"mood".

PAUL:

Would you really have drawn my blood?

GURNEY:

If you'd fought one whit below your

abilities I'd have scratched you a good

one.

Paul stands and snaps off his shield as does Gurney.

25. BACK TO SCENE

PAUL:

Things have been so serious here lately.

GURNEY:

Yes. I sensed the play in you lad, but

this can no longer be play. Tomorrow we

leave for Arrakis! Arrakis is real. The

Harkonnens are real.

Thufir, Yueh, Gurney and Paul stare at each other

for a moment in silence. Dr. Yueh moves forward and

begins to take Paul's pulse rate and to collect

other data with a small black machine.

PAUL:

Dr. Yueh, do you have any information on

the worms of Arrakis?

--

DR. YUEH

I have obtained a filmbook on a small

specimen... only 125 meters long.

PAUL:

Only?!

They smile at each other.

DR. YUEH

There are have been documented sightings

of worms as large as 450 meters in the

deep desert -- far from where we'll be in

Arakeen.... The desert belt and the south

polar regions are marked forbidden....

Why?

PAUL:

The storms and the worms. Is it true, that

the sand can blow at seven hundred

kilometers per hour?

YUEH:

It can render flesh to dust in minutes.

And these dry winds can generate

tremendous static electricity in the

atmosphere. Our body shields won't have

enough power to operate in the open air on

Arrakis.

PAUL:

Well, how do the Fremen survive there?

YUEH:

We don't know much about the Fremen...

They live in the deep desert... some of

them in the cities and they have blue-

within-blue eyes...

PAUL:

(smiling)

The eyes -- yes, yes... saturation of the

blood by the spice -- melange. Could the

spice affect us in other ways?

THUFIR:

Many dangers exist on Arrakis. For one, we

know the Harkonnens would not have given

up their CHOAM company contract so easily.

PAUL:

(rising)

The Harkonnens are our enemies, yes... but

behind them, I suspect, is the Emperor.

--

THUFIR:

You will make a formidable Duke!

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