![]() If you've never had paradan fresh from the sea, you're in for a taste treat.though the fruit's a bit salty for me."įar off to starboard a pod of murmons swam like furred logs, large but harmless creatures that drifted with ocean currents, singing to themselves with low, hooting sounds. "If you want one, just reach over the side and take it. Looking overboard, Rhombur saw rafts of leathery-leafed seaweed and round gourdlike fruits that held up the plants like air bladders. How can you say such things about her to me, and then pretend to be kind to her face?" "And I'm to believe you are familiar enough with the inner workings of Ix to make such a judgment? Or have you already come to a conclusion based on what you want to hear, without being troubled by mere lack of evidence?" He laughed, and his tone turned more gentle." Besides, you seem to be working well with young Kailea. Paulus hit a piece of furniture hard with his hand, and Leto heard wood scraping across stone, a chair shoved aside. "Just keeping you out of trouble is, uh, effort enough," Rhombur countered. "See those crannies and tiny caves? That's where you'll find the coral gems." "Look at this," he said, letting his friend view the screen. Additional modules stored on shore could be installed to change the functions of the craft: adding more cabin space or converting one or both cargo holds to additional sleeping or habitation areas.Īfter the coracle was secured on its anchor cord, Leto pointed a scanner overboard to map out the contours of the reefs below. Aft of the cabin were two decks, at midship and aftship, with cargo holds below: a nice setup for fishing or motor cruising. With a wide, beamy hull, it featured a spacious cutty cabin in the front and sleeping quarters beneath, reached via a spiral staircase. The Duke had several boats tied up at the dock, and Leto chose his favorite coracle, a white motorcraft around fifteen meters in length. "Remember your rock collection? You and I are going to dive for coral gems." But local coral gems were lovely, nonetheless.įinally, as Rhombur looked on with curiosity and trepidation, Leto clapped him on the shoulder. Because of the hazards and expense of containment, the gems did not support much of an off-world export market, given the more viable alternative of soostones from Buzzell. Coral gems were said to hold tiny living creatures that caused their inner fires to dance and simmer. These precious stones, found in knobby coral reefs, were popular pieces on Caladan, but perilous to handle. That choice will cost you and our House dearly." "You're the one who has made a choice here, Paulus. She lashed out at him with such vehemence that Leto took a silent step backward in surprise out in the shadowy hall. Should I feel sorry for them? I think not." ![]() Unswayed, she said, "In their pride, the people of Ix have broken the Law, and they have paid for it. Isolated black ridges of rock barely poked above the waves like the spine of a sleeping leviathan. He handed Rhombur a set of binoculars and indicated a frothy, tumultuous patch on the sea. Leto sailed the coracle for about an hour, consulting satellite maps and charts, making for a knot of outlying reefs. "You must live with the consequences, and be damned by them." Your decision alone, Paulus Atreides." Her voice was frighteningly cold. "Still it was your own decision, despite my warnings and despite my advice.
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