#logjam

[bevanne46]

FREE Logjam Quilt Pattern designed by Ariga Wilson for RK. https://www.robertkaufman.com/quilting/quilts_patterns/logjam_4950/

[bakedoffpodcast]

things ya do when you run into stumbling blocks and log jams in your podcasting workflow...

[jarethmgrim]

The dirt's been disturbed. Nothing's buried too deep. You'll find: Discussions of violence, M/F, light hints of M/M Dig carefully.

~*~|~*~|~*~|~*~|~*~|~*~|~*~

Logan Rockwell didn’t always live the life of a passive recluse. His younger years built a reputation that followed him into adulthood, a shadow he could never outrun.

[ ROCKS: Problem Child ]

Logan Rockwell always was a big boy. That’s the first thing anyone ever noticed about him, the first thing doctors remarked on when Carolyn Rockwell bore him screaming into the world. Eleven pounds, seven ounces. By the time he was two, he had proportions of an older child; by seven, he was eye-to-eye with ten and eleven year olds, his height distorting the expectations of his age. Teachers talked down to him until they got a look at his birth date in his school records. “Oh,” they would say, “He’s only in first grade?” Always with an edge of doubt, as if the paperwork had to be wrong.

By eleven, well. He was taller than many grown men. The only hint at his true age was how he wasn’t quite proportioned right: his bones jutted out in places, his limbs splayed awkwardly around him, his hands looked like too-large things he didn’t know what to do with. There was something unnatural about his appearance, like a boy stretched out too far too fast. He even had the bad temperament of something that had been forced into existence too quickly.

One had to wonder why Carolyn Rockwell chose to have a child during her headline trial. It was the talk of the new cycle back then: the stunning downfall of a war profiteer turned convicted criminal, her name spat in condemnation by the people, while quietly lauded as a ruthless business genius by her former employers. Logan spent the earliest years of his life in the care of people he wouldn’t even remember—extended family members that Carolyn barely acknowledged outside of calling on them when necessity came knocking, badge in hand.

When Carolyn, freshly released from prison, returned for her son, her baby boy was five years old, and already a menace.

He was not sweet or docile. He didn’t cry and whimper for his mother’s affection, didn’t cling to her skirts like a lost thing. He was precocious, aloof, disobedient, hostile. He would refuse, threaten, thrash, smash things with strength that shouldn’t have belonged to such a small child. He bit, he kicked, he sent other children home with black eyes and broken noses. So Carolyn found herself saddled with a wild thing, a boy with teeth and fury, untamed by those interim years away from her.

The stories started piling up early. At six, Logan was banned from the kindergarten play area for throwing another boy face-first into the gravel.

Carolyn's reaction was flippant. She swept into the principal’s office in a crisp blazer and expensive sunglasses, looking more like she was ready to close a business deal than address her child’s violent outburst. Arms crossed, lips pursed, she listened to the teacher drone about their zero tolerance policy before cutting in.

“Well, what did that kid do to MY son?” she asked, tone dripping with accusation. If someone messed with her kid, she wasn’t going to blame him for standing up for himself.

The teacher’s assistant claimed it wasn’t even a fight, really. That the other boy hadn’t even provoked him, that Logan just looked at him and decided upon something unspoken, and acted. No hesitation or warning. The other kid staggered to his feet with a mouthful of blood and a wail that echoed off the jungle gym.

At seven, Logan sent a girl to the nurse with a split lip when she tried to take a crayon from his desk. At eight, he climbed onto the roof of the school, pulled up the ladder, and spent the afternoon chucking pencils at the teachers who tried to coax him down. At nine, he sharpened one of those trusty pencils into a fine point and stabbed a boy. That one was a big deal—it branded him as dangerous. The wound he left was shallow, more shock than damage, but the sheer calculated violence behind it was enough to earn him a long suspension. When he returned to classes, his teachers lowered their voices around him, the principal watched him like a ticking bomb. From then on, every outburst, every glare, every clenched fist was a warning sign, and Logan could feel the way they braced for him, expecting the worst. So he gave it to them.

By twelve, his school tried every tactic in the book: detentions, more suspensions, threats of expulsion, mandatory counseling sessions that he sat through with dead eyes and indifferent posture. Nothing stuck. He wasn’t just hostile—he was unpredictable, prone to paranoia that made him lash out. He would forget things, too, or so he claimed. He’d swear he never did what they accused him of, or swear the other kids were lying, or someone was setting him up.

Although he was a gangly thing without much bulk, and his joints ached from his relentless growth spurts, he was still big. Which made everything he did worse. A seven-year-old throwing a childish tantrum is typically manageable. A seven-year-old the size of a preteen, not so much. When he reached his teens, Carolyn found herself stepping up onto chairs just to be able to glare down at him while she scolded him, as they both felt the ridiculousness of those moments when she had to play authority while looking up.

Carolyn was never outright afraid of her own son. But she saw what the teachers saw, what neighbors gossiped about. She was the only one who could put him in his place—the sole authority he begrudgingly answered to. Maybe it was because of the strange bond they shared: distant yet unwavering, neither willing to fully believe the worst about the other. When the school called about his violence, she waved it off. When people murmured about her crimes, he ignored them outright. Carolyn could control him, barely, but she simply wasn’t there enough to do it. As the years went on, she was there to do it less and less.

By seventeen, Logan had grown into himself. He would always be lanky, but he was wiry, all lean muscle packed into his stretched out frame. He had knucklehead strength, the kind gained from a life spent fighting, climbing, running through the streets like a loose animal.

And no one crossed him.

Certainly not at school, where teachers had long since stopped trying to discipline him beyond the minimum. Not in the neighborhood, either, where he ruled with a violent hand, his reputation alone enough to keep most people in line.

At that time in his life, Logan had everything he wanted. He had his crew: Jamie and Aaron, similarly knuckleheaded boys keen to follow in the trail he blazed, like embers caught in the drift of his wildfire. He even had a girlfriend, Jaclyn “Jack” Kama, a gorgeous older woman that Logan couldn’t believe gave him the time of day. They all treated Logan’s home like their personal crash pad, since Carolyn was hardly ever home to stop them. They came and went as they pleased, a rotating door of cigarette smoke and cheap liquor.

The Rockwell house was already thick with smoke when Jaclyn came through the door, slamming it hard enough behind her to make the walls shake. Logan, stretched out on the couch like some overgrown jungle cat, cracked an eye at the sound. Jamie sat nearby, flipping through the television channels. Aaron was, somewhere; perhaps in the backyard, lingering by the burnt-out fire pit. He had a habit of slipping away, especially after toking up, preferring to let the high settle while he listened to wind in the trees.

“Fucking bullshit!” Jaclyn spat, yanking her jacket off and tossing it to the floor like it personally offended her.

Logan sat up with a little frown, looking at her attentively. Had it been Jamie or Aaron throwing a tantrum as they came through his door like that, he might’ve mocked them, told them to quit their wining or make some joke at their expense. But this was Jack, and that was different. Jack was his girl. He worshiped her like something sacred, like a street mutt latched onto the first hand to feed it something good. In his eyes, Jack could do no wrong. She was older, smarter, meaner in ways he admired. He spent years tripping over himself trying to impress her. She was his queen, and he her loyal warhound, eager to act on her command.

“What happened?” he asked. Jaclyn flopped on one of the couches, her jaw tight with barely-contained fury.

“Some assholes ripped off my brothers,” she explained. “They paid upfront for some product and when they went to pick it up? This guy was fucking gone.” Jamie let out a low, nervous chuckle. “That’s… a death wish.”

“You’re damn right it is!” Jaclyn leaned forward, fixing on Logan with a hell-bent look. “You wanna break a guy’s legs for me?” she asked, the corners of her mouth twitching into a playful, near seductive smirk, knowing Logan couldn’t refuse what was, to her, a romantic request.

Logan simply raised a brow, saying nothing right away. His face was dotted with metal pieces that caught the light, a collection of do-it-yourself piercings Jaclyn helped him punch through his skin—they were the mark of her influence stamped right into his face. Eyebrow and nose studs were little silver accents across sharp features, and one sharp stud sticking out under his lower lip had the look of a pointed devil’s beard, making him appear to be exactly the right person to receive Jaclyn’s malevolent request. In case there were reservations, Jack went on to sweeten the deal, “My brothers will pay you. Five hundred dollars.”

Aaron, who had just walked in, stopped dead in the doorway. Then, without a word, he turned on his heel and walked right back out.

Jamie laughed, but it was hollow, humorless and full of nerves. He glanced at Logan, waiting to see his reaction.

“Five hundred?” said Logan, feigning thoughtful with the click of his tongue. “Easy money.”

Jamie looked between them, eyes wide with unease. “You uh… aren’t actually gonna kill him, right…?”

Jaclyn gave Jamie an unimpressed look. “I said break his legs, fat boy. Not his fucking neck.”

Jamie swallowed hard, too distracted to even care about her insult.

Aaron wasn’t coming back, that much was obvious. And Jamie? He was shitting himself—ever the loyal conspirator, he knew he’d be expected to tag along, perhaps participate. Either way, he’d be an accomplice to a real crime. He didn’t mind leaving bruises, but actually breaking bones? With intention, with premeditation? He was not okay with any of this, but found himself stuck between his cautious morality and the gravitational pull of Logan’s approval. He didn’t want to look like a pussy.

Logan could see it, the way Jamie’s fingers twitched, knee bounced, mouth opened and closed like he was running through every argument in his head. Logan reached out, clapped a hand to his shoulder. Jamie froze.

“C’mon,” Logan’s voice was easy, smooth, like he was inviting Jamie out for a beer instead of to an assault. “This guy deserves it. And you know her brothers would do worse if they get their hands on him first.”

Jamie hesitated, feeling the warmth of Logan’s palm through his shirt, the way his fingers gripped him firm, steady. God help him, his heart hammered.

“...Right,” Jamie muttered. “Let’s do it.”

Jaclyn smirked. “Atta boy.” She pushed off the couch, already energized. “Come on. I think I know where he’ll be tonight.” Panic returned to Jamie’s eyes like he didn’t realize this would be happening so soon, like he thought he still had a chance to talk everyone out of this.

Logan’s little sister, Serenity, had been sitting nearby the whole time, sitting cross-legged on the floor between the couches, watching videos and chatting on her laptop. When Jaclyn entered, she watched the whole exchange with big eyes, thrilled to be hearing things she maybe shouldn’t, adult business. She was precocious like Logan, in that way.

“I wanna come!” she chirped as they all stood and made for the door.

“No,” Logan said firmly. She tried giving him the kicked-puppy eyes that usually changed his mind, but to no avail. His tone told her there was no room for convincing. “You stay here, and lock the door. Don’t open it for anyone but me.”

Serenity sank where she sat, pouting at her laptop screen.

[kdsburneraccount]

mystics home opener today 👍

[doesithavetobeaspider]

Mr. Mxyzptlk #1 by Alan Grant and Tom Morgan

[sandwormrp]

I Should Be Pleased By This?

Feyd Rautha Harkonnen x Irulan Corrino 496 words

Summary: Dune Messiah AU. After a twist in events, Irulan is wed to both Paul and Feyd, bringing Chani in has been another added layer of issues. After a fight between Feyd and Chani breaks out, Irulan goes in search of where Feyd is sulking.

OOC Notes: This thread takes place in the Polycule Throne AU ( Want Ad Link ). It occurs in the timeline after the conclusion of My Word Above All.

Fuel a writer's fixation by liking & reblogging their work!

Feyd-Rautha, now Baron of House Harkonnen, stood in a place unfamiliar to him. Not because he had never been in the room itself before, but because he had so rarely been in its kind before.

It was a study. A library, in truth, arrayed with cases of books, a writing desk, several comfortable seats, and stone table. His uncle… May his wretchedness rest in piece... Feyd thought… had held many a meeting in one study or another, but Feyd had never used them himself. As a youth, there had been those who had tried to teach him. To conform him to one noble softness or another. To curb his violent proclivities which, even now, he felt clawing at the edge of his desires, demanding release.

And so, rather than flip tables and crush chairs, Feyd breathed, considering the room with which he was so unfamiliar. The Arrakeen Palace had not been the headquarters of House Harkonnen during its initial decades of rule over the fief of Arrakis in the first place. In fact, it had been the home of the Count and Lady Fenring as Imperial representatives. Planetologist Liet Kynes who had met their unfortunate end in the deserts that she had studied with such fervor, also worked out of this vast building. The Harkonnens had made Carthag their capital… But Baron Vladimir and Rabban had used Arrakeen after their re-invasion of the planet. Always with their eyes on the Atreides… Drawn like fish to a lure of envy and hate. The hook bites, uncle. Brother.

So this study had been that of Count Fenring. Anything of the Count’s, or his Ladyship’s, had surely been removed from the room upon their departure during the Atreides’ ill-fated assumption of rule. Still… This was the space of that most deadly man, notorious assassin and reportedly the only friend of the now-dead Emperor. The man for whom Feyd himself had fought under Kanly…

He did not turn as the door opened, leaving his back to it. He trained his ears to hear who the entrant might be…

Continued on our jcink rp!

[yesterdayiwrote]

So, in summary of where we stand on Silly Season...

Toto is obsessed with getting Max in the second Mercedes seat, if he can't tempt Max it's going to be Antonelli regardless of his F2 result.

Sainz won't commit to anyone, because obviously if Max DOES go to Merc, he wants to be available for the Red Bull seat. His alternative options at the moment appear to be Alpine or Williams (or Audi but that seems an outside bet right now)

RB are stuck in the eternal dilemma of Ricciardo or Lawson and still can't make a choice

Williams are getting bored of waiting for Sainz (or seem to be thinking that he'll opt for Alpine). They're supposedly talking to Bottas and Ricciardo as well...

Haas seem likely to sign Bearman, and it's sounding likely they'll go for Ocon, although Magnussen doesn't seem completely out of the picture

Alpine seem to be settling for either Sainz or Doohan

The second Audi seat is very quiet but seems like they might stick with Bottas if he doesn't go elsewhere?

Every available driver is still in some contention for the Alpine/Audi/Haas/Williams seats

[ookaookaooka]

i love love LOVE all of milo rossi/miniminuteman's videos but i watched the one about the Great Raft and man... that one just hit different. im still thinking about it

[africaprimenews]

Kaduna Politics: You Lack Moral Right To Accuse Uba Sani - Group Replies El- Rufai

In defence of Gov Uba Sani, a group, Kaduna Peace and Unity Forum (KPUF) has accused ex-governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State, North West Nigeria, of allegedly leaving “fraudulent and destructive legacies that left Kaduna in an indebted state.  In a statement issued Tuesday by its Chairman, Dr David Bege Abraham, the group argued that El-Rufai lacked the moral right to accuse Governor Sani of…

[q-kanbas]

you know if i didn't get fucking let go without warning i really would be looking forward to the convicted felon conversations at work right about now

[moonbeammist]

Dune Writing Works

MASTERLIST

Solo Works (tumblr and Archive of our own)

The Peasant's Secret - Feyd-Rautha x Fem!Fighter!Reader POV Part 1 Part 2 I'm Here, Atreides - Feyd-Rautha x Fem!Paul Atreides Part 1

Collab Works on Sandworm: Dune Roleplay @sandwormrp (stories continued on link at bottom of each tumblr post)

Doomsday Harvest - Feyd-Rautha x OC (moonbeammist + Logjam writing collab) Part 1 I Will See You Again - Ghola!Chani x Paul Atreides (moonbeammist + Rora writing collab) Part 1 Deep Sleep - OC & OC (moonbeammist + Peregrine writing collab) Part 1 A Little of Nothing - Feyd-Rautha x Fem!Harkonnen Slave (moonbeammist + Rora writing collab) Part 1 The Scent of an Offworlder - Feyd-Rautha x OC x Rabban (moonbeammist + Rora + Peregrine writing collab) Part 1

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from the Substack Distilled:

In the last few months, the Biden administration has quietly passed multiple federal policies that will transform the United States economy and wipe out billions of tons of future greenhouse gas emissions. 

The new policies have received little attention outside of wonky climate circles. And that is a problem.

Earlier this year, I wrote that Biden has done more to mitigate climate change than any President before him. For decades, environmentalists tried and failed to convince lawmakers to pass even the most marginal climate policies. It wasn’t until Biden took office that the logjam broke and the climate policies flowed. And yet few American voters are hearing this story in an election year of huge consequence.

It’s been two and a half months since I wrote that article. In that short time, the Biden administration has passed a handful of climate policies that will collectively cut more than 10 billion tons of planet-warming pollution over the next three decades, more than the annual emissions of India, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Canada, Saudi Arabia, and the entire continent of Europe—combined.

One climate policy that flew under the radar recently was the administration's latest energy efficiency rule, unveiled at the beginning of May. The new rules will reduce the amount of energy that water heaters use by encouraging manufacturers to sell models with more efficient heat pump technology. The new regulation is expected to save more energy than any federal regulation in history. 

Most people give little thought to how the water in their homes is heated, but water heaters are the second-largest consumer of energy in the average American home and one of the largest sources of climate pollution in the country. 

A few days before the administration announced its water heater efficiency rules, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced another sweeping policy.

According to the new rules, existing coal power plants will need to either shut down or install carbon capture technology capable of removing 90% of their carbon pollution. The policy will also require any new natural gas power plants that provide baseload power—the ones that run throughout the day and night, as opposed to the peaker plants that only run for a small fraction of hours in the year—to install carbon capture technology. 

The new power sector rules are effectively a death blow to coal power in America, which has slowly faded over the last two decades but still emits more carbon emissions than almost every country in the world. 

The water heater rules and power plant regulations will help the country meet its goal of cutting emissions by 50% by 2030. But impactful as they will be, they weren’t the most important climate policy that the Biden administration passed in the last two months. 

That honor goes to the EPA’s tailpipe rules, which are set to transform the auto industry over the next decade.

Today the transportation sector is the largest source of climate pollution in the United States. Within the sector, passenger cars and trucks are the biggest contributors to emissions. While electric vehicle adoption has grown in recent years, America lags behind many other countries in decarbonizing its vehicle stock. 

The EPA’s new rules will force automakers to reduce the amount of pollution and carbon emissions that come from their vehicles. The federal policy doesn’t specifically mandate that automakers produce EVs or stop selling gas-powered cars but instead regulates the average carbon emissions per mile of a manufacturer's entire fleet over the next decade. That means automakers can still sell gas-guzzling, carbon-spewing trucks in 2035. They’ll just need to sell a lot more EVs or plug-in hybrids to bring their average fleet emissions down if they do.

Like the power plant rules, the EPA’s new auto regulations are designed to avoid being thrown out by a conservative and hostile Supreme Court. 

[jarethmgrim]

The earth is loose here, disturbed by recent digging. You'll find: M/M with a touch of suggestion. No need to be gentle. Dig in.

~*~|~*~|~*~|~*~|~*~|~*~|~*~

In this fleeting exchange, a seed is planted. Logan is irritable, bothered by something he leaves unexamined. Jamie, ever unguarded, presses and teases, oblivious to how his words settle under Logan's skin.

[ ROCKS: Jealousy Looks Good On You ]

“Why are you being so mean?” Jamie asked directly, not defensively, but with patience, a tone laced with concern. “Are you ok?”

Logan scowled, feeling cornered. Why was he being so mean? Did he want Jamie to notice? Could he just not control himself? He did feel relieved that his snide remarks were being addressed, but also angry that Jamie would put him on the spot like that. He didn’t want to talk about why he was angry. Jamie should’ve just figured it out and fixed the problem.

They were alone in the Rockwell house now that the others had gone. Jamie waited for this quiet moment to avoid embarrassing him in front of the people he was trying to endear to him.

“I’m fine,” Logan said, clearly agitated. He knew that made him sound ridiculous, like an evasive woman, so he quickly elaborated, “Just seems like you’re more serious with that guy than you keep saying.”

‘That guy’ was Zel—short, lean, dark skin, handsome features, thick-rimmed glasses that made him look like he should be tutoring physics instead of getting railed by Jamie in his downtime. Jamie called him ‘babe’. It was in an off-handed, casual way, not much weight behind it, and Logan never heard Zel call Jamie any pet names back. Still, they seemed to be spending a lot of time together lately, Logan noticed.

Jamie let the accusation hang in the air, looked at Logan with a little tilt of his head and watched his expression carefully. A slow, teasing smile spread on his face.

“Are you jealous?!” he blurted out, amused, even hopeful. His voice dipped with an unmistakable suggestiveness, “Logan, say the word, and I will drop this guy like yesterday’s garbage.” He lowered his head to gaze at Logan with bedroom eyes, sultry and unashamed.

Logan’s stomach twisted. With disgust, with irritation, with a myriad of other feelings he couldn’t name.

He snapped back with no playfulness, “I just don’t see why you’d hide it from me if you were.” Yes, that’s what mattered. That’s what pissed him off about it. Jamie keeping secrets from him. Being kept in the dark by the people who mattered most, that’s what really got to him.

Jamie huffed, rose his gloved palms up, growing a bit defensive now. “I’m not hiding anything. It’s just a prolonged fuck-buddy situation,” he insisted, then added with a shrug, “We get along. Sorry if you feel like I’ve been ignoring you for him or something. I don’t mean to do that.”

He let his hands drop and got serious again. “You’re the most important person to me,” he said with that bare sincerity that always left Logan feeling exposed. His stomach twisted again.

Then, because Jamie could never stay serious, he grinned, adding, “I’m just a fucking lech, is all… I mean, if we were fucking, I’d have NO reason to ever leave this house!” That comment stuck to Logan’s thoughts thereafter like one of those cursed little prickle-balls that hitch a ride on your socks and refuse to let go. Small, irritating, and impossible to ignore. What an unreasonable request, what a ridiculous thought. Jamie wasn’t what he wanted. Jamie wasn’t a woman, or even the kind of guy Logan might look twice at, if he were into guys. He was a fucking bear, broad and heavy-muscled, all thick arms and barrel chest and confident swagger. There was nothing delicate about him. Logan liked delicate… frail. He liked curves and slenderness. He could never. He spent way too long thinking about why he couldn’t, and not nearly enough wondering why he might have, if it meant keeping Jamie around.

[elizabethrobertajones]

You get BOOKED into the emergency room in tory britian

that's so cool, I have an assigned slot to hobble in :3

ooowwww did my knee in (again) and have given up and called the NHS helpline...

Wondering when I would have gone to the doctor if everything functioned in the system and there were like. Accessible GPs and stuff.

[oensible]

actually really excited about collin graf going back to the cuda....i see a lot of people bummed out about it though so (valid of course. however:) i wanted to make this post to share my thoughts on it because to me this says

this is a show of trust that he's expected to be able to make a difference for the cuda in these last few make or break games of their playoffs push (ive been sweating over these. the cuda are cutting it very close). besides if warso and gmmg thought he was playing like dogshit, warso would probably just scratch him until he trusts him again lol

his game has made leaps and bounds ever since we first signed him and he's been playing very well in the nhl, and is night after night trusted in both the top 6 AND all situations, so assuming he maintains this over the offseason/preseason, he's very likely to even have an opening night roster spot!

at this point in the season i guess that the ahl players i want to see called up are not going to get a chance for the rest of the season (for which i grieve and also make a big thumbs down and a big frowny face at warso and gmmg). but anyways one forward spot opened up means that the forward logjam is easing up a little bit and a player like kolya can stay in the lineup and make a final impression during this season even after toff comes back! (fingers crossed klim gets rotated in somewhere at some point too.)

in summary: dont worry, everyone!!!

the trajectory of his career so far looks very promising and i'm sure he'll be back with the sharks soon, rather than lament his departure from the lineup, let's all look forward to seeing how he does with the cuda! :)

here is the cuda schedule of games. you can catch their audio broadcast on sjsharks.com/listen, you can find their games on onhockey (<- most times) or sportplus.live (<- in admittedly dogshit quality) if you are loathe to relinquish any money to the evil that is flohockey, and if flohockey happens to stream any of their games as a free weekend game then the cuda social medias (and also me doing free advertising for them on tumblr tbh) will let you know in advance!!

[sandwormrp]

The Swordmaster's Weakness

Duncan Idaho & Leiana Atreides (oc) 405 words

Summary: This story takes place in an Alternate Universe which branches off after the events of Short Sighted and From Ashes to Nightmares. It involves Leiana Atreides and a version of Duncan Idaho who successfully got Leiana out of Arrakeen during the Harkonnen invasion, and who survives in his battle with the Sardaukar to save Paul, Jessica and Liet. Header created by the talented Echo!

Fuel a writer's fixation by liking & reblogging their work!

Returning Atreides Loyalists

The Governor’s Palace of Arrakeen was a vast, vaguely pyramidical structure of broad, low angles and striking vertical alcoves. It was brutalist, hard stone against harder weather, and its interiors were all earthen spaces that were wide and open. It was in one of these wide spaces that a gathering was growing; anxious doctors and skeptical Fremen guards were joined by courtly record-keepers armed with recovered Atreides documents and books. Not many of the old House archives had survived the assault and subsequent reoccupation of Arrakis by the Harkonnen. They had delighted in erasing as many signs of their ancient enemy as possible, eliminating texts and tomes which had survived hundreds of years of history. All this made it difficult to verify certain important facts… Such as who was a true former servant fo the Atreides, and who was a spy or saboteur adopting a lost name and a dead identity. A supposed lost friend could be a servant of the fallen Harkonnens or a loyalist to Shaddam IV with a bomb in his belly…

So it was that when the doors of this wide, white-lit room opened, the tiny number of men and women who were brought within were guarded and checked before the doctors were allowed near them. Some still wore patchy Atreides uniforms, somehow still intact after weeks of being lost in the desert. Most of them were a Caryall crew that had become lost in the wake of a Coriolis storm days before the Harkonnen invasion had ever occurred. The ship had crashed in the desert north of Chin Rock, and before it had been swallowed by the sands and then a worm, the crew had carried all their survival equipment and made it to a rocky outcropping, living for some time before a Smuggler who used their space as a hidden cache discovered them, starving and near-death from exposure. Beyond them, there were two soldiers who had been captured by slavers of the Minor House of Zanbar which had given mercenaries to the Harkonnen during Rabban’s tyranny. Zanbar had been conquered as part of Paul’s holy war, and the soldiers had been freed from a secret safehouse at Atsum and brought here to be fully verified.

Thus far, it was all going as expected. The schedule suggested at least one more soldier was due to arrive, but they had yet to pass through the crowds and guards...

Continued on our jcink rp!