Sandworms of Dune - Brian Herbert [56]
Finally, Sheeana dragged Stilgar out of the tank and pumped his lungs. A disapproving Suk doctor scolded her and Garimi as she revived the young ghola. They rolled him over, and he vomited up sour mouthfuls of water. He was barely able to rise to his knees.
When he turned his glare on Sheeana, he was more than an eleven-year-old boy. He was Naib Stilgar.
Later, when he saw Liet restored as well, Stilgar was afraid to ask what terrible ordeal his friend had been forced to endure. . . .
Now the two headed for the great hold to see the sandworms, as they had done many times before. The high observation chamber was one of their favorite places, especially now. The tremendous worms called up strong and atavistic feelings in them.
As they approached, Stilgar breathed in the comforting scent of warm, dry air with the distinct odors of worms and cinnamon. He smiled briefly in a passing nostalgia, before his face creased in a frown. “I should not be smelling that.”
Liet picked up his pace. “That environment has to be carefully controlled. If the seals are leaking, then moisture could penetrate the hold.” Yet another breakdown, after so many others!
Rushing into the equipment chamber, they found young Thufir Hawat supervising repair operations. Two Bene Gesserit Sisters and Levi, one of the refugee Jews, worked to install sheets of replacement plaz. They applied thick sealants around the windows high above the sand-filled cargo hold. Thufir was scowling.
Stilgar strode forward, his demeanor intimidating. The task of monitoring the sandworms and the recycling systems was generally reserved for himself and Liet. “Why are you here, Hawat?”
Thufir showed surprise at the coldly accusatory tone of the Fremen’s voice. “Someone poured acid on the seals. The corrosive destroyed not only the sealant, but part of the plaz and the wallplates as well.”
“We patched it in time,” said Levi. “We also found a timed device that would have emptied one of our water reservoirs into the hold, flooding it.”
Stilgar trembled with rage. “That would have killed the worms!”
“I checked those systems myself, only two days ago,” Liet said. “This is no simple breakdown.”
“No,” Thufir agreed. “Our saboteur is at work again.”
While Stilgar ran his gaze suspiciously over the gathered people, Liet hurried to the instrument consoles to check the desert environment. “There appears to be no permanent damage. The readings are still within the creatures’ tolerance range. Scrubbers should bring the air back to desired levels in short order.”
Stilgar took special care to inspect the new seals, found them adequate. He and Liet exchanged looks that said they had to be suspicious of everyone onboard. Except for each other, Stilgar decided.
Long ago, when he and Liet had first known each other, the two had shared many adventures fighting the nefarious Harkonnens. Like his father, Liet had led a double life, delivering grand dreams to the desert people while acting as Imperial Planetologist and Judge of the Change. Liet was also the father of Chani. While the Fremen girl’s ghola did not remember him yet, he remembered her, and he looked at Chani with a strange, age-worn love.
Bothered by the acrid odors of acid and sealant, Stilgar turned grimly away from the observation window. “From now on, I sleep here. I will not let Shai-Hulud die, not while I still breathe.”
“I’m working with the Bashar. There must be some kind of a trail, so we only need to find it. The corrosive was acquired from secure stores, so there may be fingerprints or genetic traces.” Thufir’s