Dune

Thufir Hawat and his men escape from the Harkonnen massacre. Knowing how badly they have been beaten, Hawat swears revenge on the Harkonnens and the traitor. However, he still believes that Jessica betrayed House Atreides. Hawat and his men find a group of Fremen, who tell him that Gurney Halleck sought safety with the smugglers. The Fremen suggest that Hawat and his men travel across the desert at night, dropping their shields so as not to attract the sandworms’ attention. The Fremen want to perform their death rituals for the deceased members of Hawat’s unit, extracting all the valuable water from the bodies. Hawat struggles to understand what the Fremen mean when they talk about “the water need” (286).

The Fremen tell Hawat that Leto is dead, but they are unsure what happened to Paul. They quiz Hawat about the Harkonnen and the Sardaukar; they have killed many of the elite Sardaukar soldiers and captured their weapons. Hawat is astonished that the seemingly primitive desert people could overcome the Emperor’s best soldiers; he is intrigued by the constant references to a mysterious figure named Liet. When Hawat sees the Fremen performing their death rituals, he finally understands their intention to render a dead man “down for his water” (292)—meaning to extract the potable liquid from their bodies. Although his men are horrified, Hawat tells them to respect the Fremen culture.

When an ornithopter passes overhead, the Fremen hide. They spring an ambush on the Sardaukar soldiers and then use the captured ornithopter in a suicide attack against a Sardaukar troop carrier landing nearby. The Fremen leader explains to Hawat that the life of one Fremen is a “reasonable exchange” (296) for the deaths of dozens of Sardaukar. Just before they are about to escape, however, the Sardaukar spring an attack of their own, killing the Fremen leader.

Duncan Idaho lands his ornithopter near Paul and Jessica. He brings Dr. Kynes with him, who leads them to a safe hiding place in an abandoned botanical research center. Idaho reveals that he planted a surprise for the Harkonnens, as a massive explosion is heard in the distance: He adjusted the shield settings to cause a subatomic detonation when the Harkonnens use their laser guns.

The group hides inside the research facility, a relic of an abandoned attempt to make Arrakis more hospitable. However, the facility has fallen into disrepair, and a Fremen man tells Kynes that the facility’s proximity detectors are broken. The Fremen also addresses Kynes by his “Fremen alter ego” (301), Liet. Now that he is the Duke and leader of House Atreides, Paul outlines his plan for revenge. He wants to reveal the Emperor’s treachery by gathering proof that the Sardaukar joined forces with the Harkonnens to attack the Atreides. This evidence will unite the other great houses against the Emperor, who is not permitted to act in such a manner. However, Paul plans to offer the Emperor a deal to stop the universe from descending into chaos. He will offer to marry the Emperor’s daughter, securing the Emperor’s legacy and ensuring that Paul is first in line to the throne.

As the Emperor’s delegate, Kynes is an essential part of the plan. However, Paul offends Kynes by offering him the funds needed to make Arrakis a habitable planet. Kynes insists that his loyalty is not for sale. When Paul apologizes, Kynes is taken aback. No Harkonnen would ever offer an apology. Paul changes his offer to one of unbreakable loyalty to Kynes in exchange for assistance. Just before Kynes can accept, they hear a commotion through the door. They look outside and see Duncan Idaho futilely holding off a band of Sardaukar troops. Idaho’s last stand gives them enough time to escape through a secret passageway. Kynes plans to make his own escape and points the others toward a landing pad. Paul and Jessica take an ornithopter straight into an oncoming sandstorm. Paul flies into the heart of the storm, giving up control of the aircraft and refusing to be afraid. He allows the storm to buffet them up to a high altitude and to safety.

Iakin Nefud, the man appointed to the head of the Harkonnen house guard after the poison attack, tells Baron Harkonnen that Paul and Jessica are “certainly dead” (313). When the Baron asks to see the bodies, Nefud admits that he cannot be certain. Kynes, however, has been captured. Because Kynes works for the Emperor, the Baron tells Nefud to make his death look like an accident. Hawat has also been captured; the Baron is astonished that a Mentat could be apprehended, and he is delighted that Hawat still thinks Jessica is the traitor. He orders his men to continuously give Hawat both a poison and an antidote; that way, Hawat will die as soon as they stop administering the antidote. All the while, they will continue to indulge Hawat’s belief that Jessica is the traitor. Dismissing Nefud, the Baron delightedly pictures the future with a Harkonnen as Emperor. He is unaware that Paul is also a Harkonnen.

The Baron summons his brutal and slow-witted nephew Glossu Rabban. He places Rabban in charge of Arrakis, even though the people of Arrakis already hate Rabban’s cruel methods of rule. His only instruction is to make as much money as possible, so he has free rein to exploit the planet’s five million non-Fremen inhabitants. The Baron dismisses the Fremen as irrelevant. He tells Rabban to take a hostage from each of the planet’s influential families. If any of them mention the Sardaukar’s presence on Arrakis, the respective hostage will be killed. Rabban is only concerned about Kynes. The Baron assures him that Kynes is not a problem: The ecologist is addicted to spice, so he cannot leave Arrakis. When Rabban is dismissed, the Baron thinks about how he will allow Rabban’s cruel methods to continue for a while. Then he will replace Rabban with Feyd-Rautha, whom the people of Arrakis will greet as a savior in comparison to the “muscle-minded tank-brain” (328) Rabban.

Paul lands the damaged ornithopter, but the landing attracts the attention of a sandworm. As Paul and Jessica run for the nearby rocks, the sandworm destroys the ornithopter, and Paul is amazed by the sandworm’s giant size. They pass through the rocks, and Paul recalls the location from a dream. In the dream, however, Duncan Idaho was with him.

Paul and Jessica cross the difficult terrain, stopping whenever possible to drink and eat. With dawn approaching, Paul recommends that they find a shadowy crevasse in which they can escape the heat of the day and rest. As they cross a stretch of sand, Jessica slips beneath a sandslide. Paul uses his increasingly prophetic powers to discern her location and he rescues her. In doing so, however, he loses the pack with their supplies. All he has left is a knife, binoculars, and an electronic compass. Jessica warns Paul not to despair. She encourages him to use his training to find a solution. Paul realizes that he can combine the compass’s acidic power pack with the alkaline spice, which is everywhere in the desert. He adds a drop of water, creating a foam that prevents the sand from pouring back in on itself. With this creation, he can recover the supplies pack.

After they make camp, Paul notices signs that other people have used the spot to camp before. He believes Fremen may be nearby. Jessica thinks about Caladan as the sun rises. In the distance, they see another huge sandworm. Jessica insists that Paul continue his Bene Gesserit training, reminding him that he nearly panicked earlier during the day. He needs to learn to control his emotions. Paul accepts. When looking at the “uncaring majesty” (347) of the sandworms, he begins to feel inadequate.

Gurney Halleck and his men escape the Harkonnen attack thanks to Staban Tuek, the son of Esmar Tuek. Like his father, Staban is a spice smuggler. He brings updates about Arrakis to Gurney, though he is convinced that Paul and Jessica are dead. Gurney wants revenge against the Harkonnens, but Staban warns him that he will need allies. The Harkonnens killed Staban’s father, so he also wants revenge. Gurney joins the smugglers, as do many of his men. As one of Gurney’s men lays dying, Gurney sings him a song to ease his pain.

At night, Paul and Jessica survey the terrain. As they resume their journey, Paul places a “thumper” on the ground. The machine creates a pattern of vibrations to attract the sandworms, allowing Paul and Jessica to slip by unnoticed. Using his spice-affected cognitive abilities, Paul recalls a special method of walking used by the Fremen. The walk has no set rhythm, so it does not attract the sandworms. He teaches the walk to Jessica and they begin to cross the desert. However, Paul steps on drum sand, a geological oddity that makes a loud noise. He and Jessica desperately run for cover as a sandworm rushes toward them. They reach the rocks just as the sandworm rears up in front of them. Paul watches the creature and is filled with admiration and wonder. A distant thumper draws the sandworm away.

Paul and Jessica continue across the rocks, planning to make a camp among the bushes and plant life they find. Mice and hawks also inhabit the hidden enclave of rocks where Paul and Jessica intend to search for the Fremen. However, a voice in the darkness announces that the Fremen have already found them.