[d20 Dune] Voice from the Outer World

[Gryndel]

Yueh's Office

Doctor Yueh smiles at the group as they leave, “While I’m confident that you know this already, I was instructed to make it explicitly clear that given the nature of your mission you should not tell any of your companions, friends or family why you are going to Arrakis early. Good luck to you!”


The Star Searcher

Each of you go to your respective quarters to gather the rest of your belongings, with an agreement to meet at the restaurant in a hotel called The Star Searcher near the spaceport in an hour. By the time you all gather there the cold rain has started to fall. The Star Searcher is a large building that contains a bar, a restaurant, and floors above filled with rooms to rent to visitors to Caladan. It is somewhat upper class, but not exotic or overly expensive.

Inside the restaurant you find Juladia sitting at a table in the back corner with a man. Her back is against the wall and he is sitting so that he can see the main door and the kitchen door. She has the hood of her robe pulled back, half a drink on the table before her. Those piercing eyes of hers dart from alertly scanning the room and those within to lock onto you as you enter. She subtly raises a hand to make sure you see her, then returns to observing her surroundings.

When you join them, Juladia continues her visual observations of the room, her hands held in front of her in what you have observed is her habit of lightly touching the fingertips of each hand together, with the fingers slightly spread. She speaks in a volume intended for only those at the table to hear, “The lighter is scheduled to leave in less than an hour. A groundcar is waiting outside for us, and it will take only a few minutes to get to the ship, so we have a little time to talk. This is Rafa, for those of you might not know him. Rafa, this is Freya and Daniel. Rafa will be joining us, and I have been informed that Thufir Hawat approved his inclusion in our mission. I leave it to him to explain why he was not at the meetings.”

She raises her voice a little and adds, “I advise you both to eat something. While the food on the Lighter is likely to be good, this might be the last exquisite meal we get in some time. Rafa and I have already eaten; the grouper is outstanding tonight, and comes with fresh bread, spiced baked potato wedges and green beans. Just show your identity card and there will be no charge; the Duke takes such good care of the people in his service.”

After a sip of her drink, which seems to be iced tea, she looks casually at each of you and speaks in a jovial tone, “I intend to form a bond of trust and friendship between us, so I will be as forthcoming as possible.”

She pauses to sip her tea, then continues in an emotionless tone, “I will start by telling you that I have served Lady Jessica for a few years now. At first I was primarily a House servant, a maid, until she learned to trust my loyalty to her and motivations beyond what they drill into us in the sisterhood. In recent years I have served her exclusively, and she has often utilized the talents I honed while training with the sisterhood on Wallach IX for security and other purposes for House Atreides. She now trusts me implicitly, and has divulged more than a few closely held bits of information about the family and the House to me in confidence. Out of loyalty to her, I cannot share those with anyone.”

She smiles broadly, a genuinely friendly gesture, as she concludes in that jovial tone, “But I will answer any other questions you might have about me, my particular talents and skills, my past, or my time here on Caladan.”