Pulse of the Imperium

Atreides chef swallowed his indignation when Paul asked him to let the Mutelli envoy borrow his kitchen. He nevertheless felt betrayed and had some choice thoughts about Leto's heir. The Red Duke would never have done that! Nor would Hawat ever approve! The possible threats of poisoning were mind-boggling. The chef had set all the poison snoopers active before bowing out and going for a walk in the orchards to calm down.


Paul assumed the chef would get over that soon and he wouldn't miss on a chance to meet with Cuyler in the circumstances she considered preferable. She would be there, though without interceding in cooking unless invited to. Despite his troubled feelings whenever he was able to get a good look of her face, he coached his demeanour to be more controlled.

"There must be way more to you, Ms Gray, than your cooking. You being here on a diplomatic mission is a strong indicator."

"My path has shifted unexpectedly over the years." She acknowledged. "Starting from a simple assistant cook. Now, I'm not sure what direction it will go next. But, this is where I've always been most comfortable. The most like myself."



"I deeply appreciate this." She looked around at the kitchen. "Please convey my apologies and gratitude to your chef and their staff. I have no doubt that I would not be standing here, if it were not for the rest of the team. Efren in particular, saved me on the cliff. A meal is the least I can do."

"Don't worry about the chef, I know what will cure his wounded pride."

My father wouldn't say that.

"Right, Sergeant Lanville. We wouldn't have succeeded without him. If one is born out of wedlock there are more things to prove." Paul said, looking at her. "It must have been quite a journey, from your first kitchen on Kirana."

"I was pretty unremarkable, really." She shrugged. "It's not like I was the only cook of House Mutelli."

She picked up a ginger root and inhaled its scent deeply, savoring it for a moment.

"My senses are sharp, though. That's invaluable in cooking, especially in regard to unique ingredients. Assessing quality and freshness is important. Potency is valuable, too, with additives like melange."

"And yet, there must have been the occurrence that made you stand out." Paul approached to take another piece of ginger from the table to inhale it as well, as if he hoped to have a way to partake in her experience.

"It was the melange." She admitted. "Without ever having had previous contact, I had an instinctual understanding of it."

She reached for cinnamon next. "I could tell its age, quality and potency with just by it's cinnamon like aroma. It's a good party trick, when serving infused alcohol and foods. Status as a sommelier gave me more opportunities to grow as a chef. That expertise and some charm also led to some diplomatic assignments and, eventually, the CHOAM audit."

"I don't know much about melange. Only what's in the books. My father discourages it. Sometimes I wish I could try it and see if it really expands consciousness. I feel so... blocked from something bigger in my head sometimes. Do you have that too?"

He reached for cinnamon like her and put some on the tongue. Not that he expected any affect, just an approximation of the experience.

"Yes, you are charming. Call me Paul if it doesn't bother you."

"I didn't really experience it until I was on Arrakis." She admitted. "It was... revalatory. I saw things, visions of the past. I don't fully understand what I saw, but I learned about my ancestors. The lineage of my family isn't as well documented as others."

She finished her exploration of the kitchen with a look in the cooler.

"What would you like for dinner, Paul?"

He smirked somewhat, as if not entirely sure if it was the right reaction.

"Whatever you'd like to cook now and you see the ingredients for. And feel free to boss me around as your assistant. In return, you could tell me more about Arrakis. It's such a mysterious place."

He didn't pry about the lineage, even though it did interest him.

"Informality is one thing, but I don't think I'll be ordering the Atreides heir around." She laughed.

She found a good sized tenderloin and pulled it out, setting it on a table to prepare. "But, if you could please bring me a few things, I'd appreciate it."

She asked for a few spices.

He did what she asked, smelling them as if he could tell anything of their quality.

"I have been taught many things, but none of my teachers have prepared me for cooking."

"It's servant's work." She said as she prepared the beef. "Some nobility might acknowledge it as a worthy hobby or even an artform. But, it's beneath most and not a normal pursuit."

"Food connects everyone." She continued. "Familes. Comunities.
Cultures. Worlds. It crosses boarders. It ignores classes. It can bring people together."

"Then I see a potential paradox. Does being a noble mean espousing the opposites of those?"

He paused, standing next to the beef. And her.

"My mother isn't nobleborn. She does consider herself a servant to a greater cause."

"It wasn't a criticism, Paul, just an observation." She assured him. "I've seen how some other Houses treat their people. The people of Caladan are far better off."

"if it was a criticism, I'd welcome it. I don't think being self-important is a good idea." He smiled at her. "But since we're at it, I think I owe you an apology. You came as a diplomat and we ended up putting you in harm's way. Duke Flambert may reconsider our ties after you get back home."

"That depends on you." She said as she trimmed and tied the tenderloin and began searing it on the stove. "I agreed to assist, with the hope that we might bring our Houses closer together. Proof that we can work together, trust one another and share information."

"Tell me then how you think we can build on what happened." She took a step back to give her some space as she was moving around.

"I'm not sure." She adrmitted. "But, there are threats out there that endanger our houses. The technology I saw out there shouldn't exist. Where else are such operations hidden?"

Paul exhaled, recalling something. It was a leap of trust, but it was easier to make with her...

"We know such technology could exist. It was used against my father many years ago by the Harkonnens, to provoke an incident within a heighliner against the Tleilaxu that was blamed on House Atreides. It almost led to the forfeiture of our fief. We were never able to lay our hands on the technology, and we were later credibly assured by those who had taken it away from the Baron that it was the only prototype and that people who could build it were dead. The Tleilaxu must have had their own conjectures about the incident. Perhaps they have found the way to the specific know-how we were denied at that time."

He sighed. "Those who could help us the most with this are no longer among our allies though."

She set the beef aside and began making dough. The initial mixing of it was fairly simple. But, then she began layering butter into it, rolling it out over and over.

"I underestimated the lengths they would go to protect that technology." She said. "But, I think we, can assume that ship wasn't all they had. I was asked to join the mission to find you in hopes that I could bear witness of the cartel's threat. But, I'm not sure we've seen the true extent of it."