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

With a calculated precision involving twitches of electrofluid muscle, ; flexing of shigawire thread
and microfiber nerves, Prince Rhombur rnius lurched into the banquet hall. His scarred face, a
blend of artificial i natural skin, reflected his intense concentration. Glistening pearls of тАвspiration
stood out on his waxy forehead. He wore a short, loose robe; the lapel glimmered a purple-and-
copper helix, proud symbol of the en House Vernius.

Tessia hurried toward him, but Rhombur raised a finger of polished tal and polymers, signaling her
to let him continue on his own. The skyclipper explosion had blasted his body to a broken lump
lesh, burning away his limbs and half of his face, destroying most of his

organs. Yet he had been kept alive, a fading ember of a once-bright flame. What remained now was
little more than a passenger on a mechanical vehicle shaped like a man.

"I'm going as fast as I can, Leto."

"There is no hurry." The Duke's heart went out to his brave friend. The two of them had fished
together, played games, caroused, and planned strategies for decades. "I'd be loath to have you fall
and break anythingтАФ such as the table, I mean."

"Most funny, indeed."

Leto remembered how badly the vile Tleilaxu had wanted genetic samples from the Atreides and
Vernius bloodlines, trying to blackmail the Duke in his hour of greatest grief. They had made an
anguished Leto a diabolical offer, that in exchange for the mangled but still-living body of his best
friend Rhombur, they would grow a gholaтАФa clone from dead cellsтАФ of the boy Victor.

Their hatred of House Atreides ran deepтАФand deeper still for House Vernius, whom they had
overthrown on Ix. The Tleilaxu had wanted access to complete Atreides and Vernius DNA. With
the bodies of Victor and Rhombur, they would be able to create any number of gholas, clones,
assassins, duplicates.
But Leto had turned down their offer. Instead, he had engaged the services of the Suk doctor
Wellington Yueh, an expert in the replacement of organic limbs.

"Thank you for holding this dinner in my honor, all of you." Rhombur looked at the serving platters
and dishes arrayed on the table. "I'm sorry if the food has gotten cold."

Leto brought his hands together in a firm round of applause. Smiling warmly, Duncan and Jessica
joined in. With her sharp observational skills, Jessica noticed a sheen of captive tears deep within
the Duke's gaze.

The sallow-faced Dr. Yueh moved beside his patient, tracking readings, studying a dataplate in his
hand that received impulses from Rhombur's cybernetic systems. The slender doctor pursed his
purplish lips into an intent flower-bud shape. "Excellent. You are functioning as designed, although
a few components still need fine-tuning." He circled Rhombur, moving like a ferret as the cyborg
Prince took slow, self-conscious steps.

Tessia pulled out a chair for Rhombur. His synthetic legs were powerful and sturdy, but without
grace. His hands looked like armored gloves; his arms hung like circuit-patterned oars at his sides.

Rhombur smiled at the big fish the cook had just served. "That smells wonderful." He turned his