The Baron's nightmare
By
Julie Black
He awoke with no recollection of where or who he was, he seemed to be floating; looking down he saw he was a few feet off the ground. A puzzled look crept across his face as he reached down and felt the suspensors beneath his flabby flesh.
"Why am I afloat, who has placed this on me?" he thought, a flashing image of a face appeared in his mind of a Suk school doctor, then it was gone. "Where am I.." he thought.
Looking around he saw walls that appeared to be curved up to the ceiling, every so often they appeared to pulse almost as though alive. At first he seemed to be in darkness, then as his eyes adjusted he saw small glowing lights, first below him then, as he turned, they were on the walls and even further back. Also above his head, almost like glow globes. He decide to follow them and see where they led and if he could find a way out of what felt like a prison, a prison with no bars.
As he floated images flashed across his mind. He felt as though he knew them but names seemed to slip his mind, one in particular kept appearing. That of a child, a little girl of no more than 3 or 4 years old. She was dressed in the robes of a Bene Gesserit, she had a needle of some sort on the end of one of her fingers. The term Gom Jabbar flooded through his head.
"What nonsense is this?" the thought. Still the images kept returning, eventually one stayed in his mind for a long time and again he felt he should know the face, but no name came to mind. The face was that of a noble man someone who he felt sure had died recently, the image faded. He moved further down the corridor, in the distance he saw a shape half buried in sand. It appeared to be lay on its side, as he moved closer it took on a form. It was big, a caterpillar type track lay broken to one side, a hole could be seen above it signifying it was a doorway.
"Why was a sand harvester here?" he thought . A shiver went through him, further on he saw bodies those of men lay about and even some skeletal ones still with clothing. one in particular drew his attention. It was dressed differently to the others, although no name came he recognised the creature as a freman. He shuddered and felt himself drawn to the skeletal remains, just beyond lay another male instantly the name Piter came to him. It was then that realisation came he knew who he was …
"I am the Baron Vladimir Harkonnen". Just as he uttered his name the ground tilled and the contents slid Baron heard a roaring noise behind him, turning he saw the bodies and the harvester slide towards what appeared to be giant teeth and beyond, a fire so intense and hot it blinded him. As he looked he felt hot air swirl around him then draw towards the teeth, he heard laughter a voice shout out "I win Baron, you couldn't defeat me, even when I betrayed the Duke."
He knew the voice...
"Dr Yueh".
Further and further downwards the hot air dragged him always towards the teeth, as he fell nearer he screamed.
He awoke sat up in bed sweat dripping from his body. As he was panting for breath, the door to his room opened.
"Are you alright, my Baron?" he hissed through blue stained teeth.
The Baron took a moment to answer. "Yes Piter just a bad dream."
Piter de Vries entered the room but stayed in the shadows.
"Odd.." thought the Baron, instantly on his guard "..why doesn't Piter come closer?" As he took deep breaths to calm himself, the Baron asked "What is our situation on Arrakis?, has Rabban secured the spice for us?"
Piter de Vries remained in the shadows and said "Yes my Baron, everything that you ordered has been done."
The Baron smiled as he lay back.
"Just one more thing you should know Baron" Piter's voice was no more than a hiss.
The Baron turned to one side of the bed and closed his eyes wishing Piter would go away and let him sleep. "What do you want man, you have your orders.."
"I'm dead..." at that Piter De Vries walked slowly out of the room and closed the door.
It was second later that the words hit the Baron. He opened his eyes and was back where he was before, only now he knew where he was and more importantly what had happened to him. He had been poisoned by the kiss of a Gom Jabbar, he had been taken into the inside of a worm, he was meeting the end all Fremen dreaded and yet secretly longed for...
He heard Yeuh's maniacal laugh. The Baron screamed at him. "You see? I dared it all...even the ending you couldn't!.."
No one heard...or cared...