"Brian Herbert & Kevin J. Anderson - Dune 09 - House Corrino" - читать интересную книгу автора (Herbert Brian & Frank)

other Fremen, each man holding his confiscated weapons, took positions in different alcoves
overlooking the grotto. Three raiders raced up the ramp that encircled the largest octagonal
structure. At the top, the Fremen vanished from view, then reappeared and made rapid hand signals
to Stilgar. Six guards had already been killed without making a sound, dispatched in deadly
crysknife silence.

Now the time for stealth had ended. On the rock floor, a pair of commandos pointed their maula
pistols at the surprised construction workers and ordered them up the stairs. The sunken-eyed
laborers complied grudgingly, as if they didn't care which masters held them captive.

The Fremen searched connecting passageways and found an underground barracks with two dozen
guards asleep among bottles of spice beer scattered on the floor. A strong odor of melange
permeated the large common room.

Scoffing, the Fremen charged in, slashing with knives, kicking and punching, dealing out pain but
no fatal wounds. The groggy Harkonnens were disarmed and herded to the central grotto.

His blood running hot, Stilgar scowled at the slouching, half-drunken men. One always hopes for
an honorable enemy. But we have found none tonight. Even here, in the highly secure grotto, these
men had been sampling the spice they were supposed to guardтАФprobably without the Baron's
knowledge.

"I want to torture them to death right now." Turok's eyes were dark

ider the ruddy glowglobe light. "Slowly. You saw what they did to their ptives."

Stilgar stopped him. "Save that for later. Instead, we shall put them to )rk."

Stilgar paced back and forth in front of the Harkonnen captives, "atching his dark beard. The stink
of their fear-sweat began to overpower s melange odor. In a low, measured tone, he used a threat
their leader :t'Kynes had suggested. "This spice stockpile is illegal, in explicit viola->n of Imperial
orders. All melange on the premises will be confiscated d reported to Kaitain."

Liet, as the recently appointed Imperial Planetologist, had gone to itain to request a meeting with
the Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV. It s a long journey across the galaxy to the Imperial Palace, and
a simple ;ert dweller like Stilgar could scarcely comprehend such distances. "Says a Fremen?"
sneered the half-drunk guard captain, a small man :h quivering jowls and a high forehead.
"Says the Emperor. We take possession of it in his name." Stilgar's in-o eyes bored into him. The
red-faced captain didn't even have enough se to be frightened. Apparently, he had not heard what
Fremen did to ir captives. He would find out soon enough.

"Get to work unloading the silos!" Turok barked, standing with the res-d workers. Those prisoners
who weren't too exhausted to notice seemed jsed to see the Harkonnens jump. "We'll have our own
'thopters here n to pick up the spice."

the rising sun blistered the desert, Stilgar hovered on the tense edge of iety. The Harkonnen
captives worked, hour after hour. This raid was ng a long time, yet they had so much to gain.

While Turok and his companions kept their weapons ready, surly konnen guards loaded packages
of melange onto rattling conveyor s that led to openings on the cliff faces near 'thopter landing