Chapter 23: the Plan
Jamis kneeled to the ground on one leg. In front of him was the six-foot-long box. He grabbed the glove that had been given to him and put it in his hand. He placed his hand on a small compartment of the box, and on the small window in blue, it read, " Duke Leto Atreides DNA Acquired. Press the button to begin the cloning process."
At once, He pressed the button, and the box began to hum as if it were coming to life, " I don't like this, Jamis. He has done things we thought impossible, but this.." the Fremen was interrupted by Jamis, " We must have faith, brothers, He knows what he is doing." Jamis said to assure his men, but he said those words to encourage himself, to make himself believe that he was doing the right thing,
" What we need to do as of now is deliver the box to lower levels and let the thing inside grow. It must be done today, not tomorrow. He told me the brain must be Alive for it to work."
Using the Ornithopter, they crossed the great sand valleys and mountains until they reached the red mountain. Quickly, they landed, and the bird was taken by another Fremen to be refueled.
Jamis rolled the box on its wheels by the elevator. Pushing it inside, he clicked a button, which required a thumbprint. Once that was done, he waited until he descended to the lower levels that not even the palace guards knew existed.
When Jamis reached the Lowes level, a blue light could be seen from the side; walking out, Jamis looked to where it came from, and it was then he saw it: Multiple bodies.
He cursed himself. He thought, is this who you really are? Old friend. " You question your king? " came a woman's voice; it was low and soothing; this woman had red clothing on, her head was covered, and so was her face, but her blue eyes told she was Fremen.
" He is evil to do this to children," Jamis said. his hands twitching to go for his blade, " Do you know why he allowed you down here?" Asked the woman. Her steps were quiet on the cold, hard surface.
" He trusts you, Jamis; he saw that you were ready for the truth. My name is Karni, and I was sadinyhha to him; I'm also known as a reverend mother. I was old when I came here, but I was born yesterday. With the memories of what has occurred since my death."
" Stop speaking rubbish, woman; no one can come back from death," Jamis wanted to walk out of the room and tell the people the truth, "What would you tell them, That the man who has provided them with good food, a home where they do not have to be hunted is taking their children and killing them. " Karni said.
" Yes, that is exactly what I would say," snapped Jamis. You could see a rage burning inside him; he felt betrayed. "Hmm, only a fool would do that because to tell you the truth, you must walk with me."
Her words became soothing to him; he wanted to listen to her; somehow, she had swayed him to not be afraid of him. Jamis placed the box down on the ground, and he saw something growing inside it,
" come with me," Karni said, and Jamis followed behind her.
" You have misunderstood him; you think him friendly and afraid of being cruel, and that is true, and he carries much love, but all of it is not for Fremen; he carries the love for all of Humanity. In his mind, the great houses have long served their purpose.
What you see before you are clones, some still growing." As they walked further into the large room, Jamis saw clones of Damon, naked as the day he was born. They all floated in this water, and a tube connected to his belly button; it was like a fully grown child; there was no hair on the clone. Everything was bald.
" Why is the water the color of warm piss," Jamis said. This brought a chuckle to Karni,
" When Krelln was young, he rode the biggest of the SHAI_HULUD, no?" Karni asked. Jamis nodded. He was there; he saw him ride it. " All he ever wanted was to be free of the destiny of this hell the great houses brought to us; all he ever wanted was to create a home for himself and his people. One that was not touched by other hands.
But to do that, he had to play a role, a role destined for another but now for him. They say that the Lisan Al Gaib would bring paradise, and he would be the one who points the way.
But what about the one who watched the way? What of the moons of Arrakis that guide us with their light? What of the one who shines on us when we are scared in the dark? What of the one who assures us we are safe in his hands? "
Karni pointed to the enormous chamber filled with water. Inside was Krelln, who had a godly physique. He looked taller and more robust. " When all the great houses are destroyed, and new ones are created, who will watch the way and ensure that we, humanity, do not go extinct? No one is more suited for this job than him."
Jamis Knew what this meant, but he did not want to believe it; such things were not natural; his stomach churned, and he wanted to vomit, but it would be a waste of water; his head began to spin around. Everything felt everywhere.
" Please sit," came Karni's voice. Jamis began to take in deep breaths, and slowly, he found himself again. " The Great House will not leave Arrakis alone. We have an army able to deter them now. This was always his plan, and you know this."
Jamis nodded at her words.
" On that day on the SHAI-HULUD, they acknowledged him; they chose him. It was no coincidence that the Great Father chose him as his rider. Ever since then, no one has been able to call him. But when we left the sietch, he followed.
He gave his blood to create what you see before you. This blue water is lethal to many men, women, and children, but he created something never seen before through his will. A new age of Power is coming, and with it, a holy war.
He Brought you here to show you that he trusts you; now you must trust him; no matter how much he suffers, do not free him, Jamis. You must lead them for now, Jamis, and Arrakis will be a Paradise.
You will suffer Jamis to see him in such a way, but you will be strong enough to walk away, as he would be strong enough to take the pain of the past, present, and future. This is his will.
Yes clones are a real thing in Dune, but his clones are different and we will see why in the future.
A/N: if you have questions as to where this is going, ask away