Дюна
Book One: Dune
Itshowedintherheumyshineofthebrowneyes,inthecheekscrackedandburnedbyexoticweathers,intheroundedcurveoftheshouldersandthethinsetofhislipswiththecranberry-coloredstainofsaphojuice.
Somuchdependsononeagedman,Paulthought.
“We’representlyinawarofassassins,”theDukesaid,“butithasnotachievedfullscale.Thufir,what’stheconditionoftheHarkonnenmachinehere?”
“We’veeliminatedtwohundredandfifty-nineoftheirkeypeople,myLord.
NomorethanthreeHarkonnencellsremain—perhapsahundredpeopleinall.”
“TheseHarkonnencreaturesyoueliminated,”theDukesaid,“weretheypropertied?”
“Mostwerewellsituated,myLord—intheentrepreneurclass.”
“Iwantyoutoforgecertificatesofallegianceoverthesignaturesofeachofthem,”theDukesaid.“FilecopieswiththeJudgeoftheChange.We’lltakethelegalpositionthattheystayedunderfalseallegiance.Confiscatetheirproperty,takeeverything,turnouttheirfamilies,stripthem.AndmakesuretheCrowngetsitstenpercent.Itmustbeentirelylegal.”
Thufirsmiled,revealingred-stainedteethbeneaththecarminelips.“Amoveworthyofyourgrandsire,myLord.ItshamesmeIdidn’tthinkofitfirst.”
Halleckfrownedacrossthetable,noticingadeepscowlonPaul’sface.Theothersweresmilingandnodding.
It’swrong,Paulthought.This’llonlymaketheothersfightalltheharder.
They’venothingtogainbysurrendering.
