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DISCLAIMER
The following is a fan-based FICTION
All Installations of Star Wars are owned by Lucasfilm and Disney. All Installations of Dune belong to Herbert Properties, Legendary Entertainment, and Warner Bros. And any other references to other works all belong to their respective authors/companies and whatnot.
Chapter 14:
The Lekgolo
"Talking"
'Thoughts'
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Location: Southreach
Year: 31 BBY
Time: 6:30 A.M
Several hours later, Cade sat inside an MAVw combat rover as it raced across the rocky wilderness beyond Juvhan's walls. The sun had fully risen by then, though Sharls remained bitterly cold. Endless stretches of dark stone extended toward the horizon, interrupted by jagged mountains whose upper reaches disappeared into thick clouds. Patches of ice filled deep crevices and shaded valleys, while the occasional stubborn patch of grass clung to areas where centuries of terraforming had finally managed to produce something resembling soil.
Cade had spent nearly the entire trip reviewing Captain Tarik's reports, and the more he read, the more convinced he became.
The creatures demonstrated clear collective behavior. Individuals rarely traveled alone, and when threatened, several worms would intertwine into larger masses before attacking. They consumed minerals directly from the surrounding rock, while preliminary scans showed unusually high concentrations of metallic compounds within their bodies. Most interesting of all, the worms appeared capable of communicating across considerable distances despite researchers being unable to detect any conventional vocalizations or other obvious means of communication.
'They're fucking Lekgolo. They have to be!'
Cade leaned back against his seat and lowered the datapad onto his lap. He'd boarded the rover ninety percent certain of what they were. Now he was sitting comfortably at ninety-nine.
All he needed was to see them for himself.
Across from him, Horne sat studying a datapad containing the latest reports from the containment zone. The veteran had changed little since leaving Juvhan. Calm, focused, and attentive to everything happening around him, Horne carried himself like a man who had spent enough years in uniform that military habits had become second nature.
"Captain Tarik has moved the eastern perimeter back another kilometer," Horne reported in an even tone as his eyes moved across the latest update. "Two additional breaches appeared this morning."
"Any attacks?" Kellan asked from beside Cade.
"None," Horne replied. "One patrol encountered a group of worms outside the established perimeter. Tarik ordered his men to withdraw rather than engage. The creatures watched them leave, then returned underground." Horne's expression tightened slightly as he continued reading. "The problem is that Tarik can't keep giving up ground indefinitely. If he continues moving the perimeter back, Southreach eventually becomes exposed. Worse, the worms could reach the electroshock prongs your father had installed around the original containment area."
Cade's eyes narrowed.
"If that happens, they're going to get pissed," Cade noted grimly.
Horne nodded, "I know."
The convoy continued through the mountains for nearly another hour, following a winding road carved through the harsh terrain before the first signs of the military presence finally appeared. Sensor towers stood atop distant ridgelines, their arrays slowly sweeping the surrounding mountains, while automated turrets covered approaches the limited number of soldiers couldn't. Talon patrols moved between prepared defensive positions cut directly into the rock.
Then they crested a ridge.
An entire military encampment sprawled across the valley below.
Prefabricated barracks, command buildings, landing pads, field hospitals, ammunition depots, and vehicle bays had been erected behind several layers of defensive barriers. Talons occupied fortified checkpoints along the perimeter while automated weapons tracked anything moving beyond the defensive line. Farther beyond the base sat the run-down mining settlement of Southreach, its weather-beaten buildings clustered together beneath the shadow of the surrounding mountains.
Cade studied the settlement from his datapad as their rover descended into the valley. The place wasn't large, especially compared to Juvhan, but it was uncomfortably close to the mountains where the worms had been emerging. If the Lekgolo decided to move toward Southreach in force, there wasn't much distance between the settlement and the containment perimeter.
The rover passed through three separate security checkpoints before finally entering the command section of the encampment. Once the vehicle rolled to a stop, Cade climbed out alongside Kellan, Horne, Mikel, and Valen. The four Talons from the Research Center followed close behind, spreading naturally around the group as the cold mountain wind swept through the base and tugged at Cade's cloak.
"Lord Cade!" a soldier called out in a firm tone as he approached at a brisk pace before snapping off a salute. "Representative Horne. Lord Kellan. Captain Tarik is expecting you."
Horne returned the salute without breaking stride. "Lead the way," Horne ordered calmly.
The soldier turned and escorted them toward the command building. Once inside, Cade found the place alive with activity. Communications officers spoke rapidly into headsets while others moved between terminals and tactical stations, relaying reports from patrols scattered throughout the containment zone. Holographic displays showed everything from troop deployments and sensor coverage to evacuation routes leading away from Southreach.
Cade's attention kept drifting toward the screens as they passed.
Red markers covered the mountain east of Southreach, each apparently representing a confirmed breach, tunnel, or recent sighting.
There were far more than he'd expected.
'Jesus Christ. If every one of those breaches connected to the same underground colony, then "thousands" might have been a vast understatement.' Cade thought to himself.
Their escort finally stopped before a reinforced door at the end of the command center and stepped aside.
"Captain's inside," the soldier informed them.
Horne nodded before stepping forward.
The door slid open.
Cade entered behind him and immediately found himself inside a cramped operations room dominated by a large holographic map of the surrounding mountains. Several officers stood around the projection discussing troop deployments, engineering teams, and the steadily shifting containment perimeter, but Cade barely paid attention to them.
His attention settled on the man standing at the head of the table.
Captain Tarik looked exhausted.
Dark circles had formed beneath his eyes, several days' worth of stubble covered his jaw, and the uniform beneath his armored vest looked as though he'd slept in it more than once. A half-empty cup of caf sat forgotten beside his hand while several datapads were scattered across his end of the table. Despite that, there was nothing sluggish about the way his eyes moved across the tactical display. The man looked tired, not inattentive.
"Move Aurek and Besh Squads of Second Platoon another five hundred meters west," the man ordered in a firm voice, pointing toward two positions on the holographic map. "But make damn sure Second Lieutenant Carver understands they're not to fire unless fired upon. I don't care if one of those worms crawls up and starts polishing his fucking boots. Nobody shoots without a hostile act."
"Yes, Captain," one of the officers replied before quickly relaying the order.
The Captain dismissed them with a nod before finally noticing the newcomers standing near the entrance. His eyes moved first to Horne, then to Kellan, and finally settled on Cade. His eyebrows rose slightly as he straightened.
Horne stepped slightly to the side, allowing Cade to move farther into the room. "Lord Cade Atreides," Horne introduced in his steady, authoritative tone. "Meet Captain Tarik Torgaddon."
"Welcome to Southreach, Lord Cade," Captain Torgaddon greeted in a tired, almost harsh tone, gesturing toward the mountain projected above the holotable. "I'd give you the grand tour, but I'm currently trying to keep several thousand rock-eating worms from turning this entire operation into one gigantic clusterfuck."
Kellan's helmet immediately turned toward him.
"That is the future Duke of House Atreides you're speaking to, Captain," Kellan said in his usual soft voice, though the firmness behind it left no room for misunderstanding. "You will speak to him with a little more respect."
Torgaddon locked eyes with the former Warmaster through his T-visor. Neither man moved for several long seconds, and the atmosphere around the holotable became noticeably tenser. Eventually, Torgaddon lowered his gaze and released a tired breath through his nose.
"My apologies, Lord Cade," Torgaddon said through gritted teeth, forcing some of the irritation from his voice. "These creatures have had me stretched thin. Mentally, I'm running on fumes, and physically, my men aren't doing much better. We've been shifting the perimeter constantly for the last several days, and every time we think we've got the situation stabilized, another fucking breach opens."
Cade studied him for a moment before nodding, though he wasn't entirely convinced by the apology. "Of course, Captain Torgaddon. I understand," Cade replied evenly, deciding there was little point in creating an argument when they had more important matters to discuss. "I don't know how much you were told before our arrival, but I'm here because I want to see one of these creatures up close."
Torgaddon's expression changed instantly.
The exhaustion remained, but now it was joined by the kind of anger Cade imagined someone might display after being informed that their hovercar had just been stolen, crashed through their house, and then exploded.
"And why the hell do you need to see one up close?" Torgaddon demanded, his frustration slipping through despite his earlier apology. He planted both hands against the holotable and stared across it at Cade. "I've got the Firebreathers on their way here right now to exterminate these damn things."
Horne's expression hardened.
"I thought you told me you intended to contain them," Horne questioned in a calm but noticeably firmer tone, turning toward the Captain. "Your reports have repeatedly stated that containment was working."
"No," Torgaddon snapped, shaking his head. "Containment is what I'm doing because it's all I can fucking do right now. Don't mistake restraint for sympathy, Representative." He jabbed a finger toward the holographic mountain. "These creatures are multiplying, tunneling through solid rock, and expanding into abandoned mines faster than I can establish a perimeter around them. I've already had to surrender kilometers of ground just to avoid provoking another attack."
He straightened and gestured toward the mass of red markers scattered across the holographic terrain.
"Look at that. Every red marker is either a confirmed breach or a recent sighting, and there are more appearing every few hours. Eventually, I'm going to run out of mountain to give them. Then I've got Southreach sitting practically on their fucking doorstep."
Cade's eyes narrowed. That was a very different interpretation of the situation than the one he'd gotten from Horne and Rourke.
Torgaddon looked back toward him.
"So yes, Lord Cade, I want them eradicated," Torgaddon continued, his voice lowering but losing none of its conviction. "I simply don't have the manpower or equipment to do it without getting a lot of my people killed. The Firebreathers do. Colonel Dranza's men have the numbers, the armor, and more importantly, the flamethrowers. If conventional blasters aren't effective enough against these worms, then we'll burn them out of the tunnels."
"Captain," Cade said in a dangerously calm tone, his expression hardening as he stared directly into Torgaddon's eyes. "Nobody is burning anything."
Torgaddon's jaw tightened.
"With respect, Lord Cade, you haven't seen what these things can do."
"No," Cade replied. "And that's precisely why I'm here."
Tarik released a long sigh, one filled with equal parts frustration and barely contained anger. He dragged a hand down his face before looking back at Cade.
"Okay, you know what? Fine. Because why the hell not?" Tarik snapped in an exasperated tone before turning toward one of the officers standing nearby. "Get me Sergeant Cole. Lord Cade wants to encounter one of these worms so damn badly, give him Cole and his squad as bait."
The officer hesitated, looking genuinely uncertain whether he'd heard his captain correctly. "You want to have Worm Bait escort them?" the officer asked.
Tarik slowly turned his head and deadpanned at the man.
His expression practically screamed, Duh.
"That name doesn't mean what I think it does, does it?" Cade asked curiously, glancing between the two officers. "Does Sergeant Cole and his squad attract them or something?"
"I don't fucking know," Tarik replied with an aggravated shake of his head. "All I know is that whenever that bastard and his squad go out on patrol, they somehow stumble across two or three new breaches every single time. Doesn't matter where I send them. North perimeter, southern approaches, old mining roads, the middle of fucking nowhere. Cole goes out, worms show up." Tarik jabbed a finger toward the door. "So, yeah. You want to see one so badly? Join him on patrol. Cole and his men should be in Barracks D right now. Have fun."
Kellan took a slow step forward, his posture stiffening as his patience with the Captain finally reached its limit. "I won't tell you again. You will give the next Lord of House Atreides more res-" Kellan began in a dangerously soft tone.
"And I don't give two shits!" Tarik exploded, slamming his palm against the edge of the holotable.
The room immediately went silent.
Several officers stopped what they were doing and turned toward their captain, while Mikel and Valen visibly tensed behind Cade. Even Horne's expression hardened as he watched the exhausted officer lose what little remained of his restraint.
"This little shit's father assigned me to this stupid fucking operation," Tarik continued angrily, pointing toward Cade. "I've spent four days sleeping in this fucking command center, drinking cold caf, shifting troops around mountains, and trying to keep my men from being torn apart by goddamn rock-eating worms because nobody can give me a straight answer about what the fuck they even are!" Tarik's furious gaze shifted from Kellan to Cade. "So forgive me, Your Lordship, if I'm not itching to drop to my knees and lick your frosty fucking boots!"
Kellan went completely still.
Cade knew that was worse than if his mentor had started shouting.
"Captain," Horne spoke from beside the holotable, his voice low and controlled.
Tarik looked toward him.
"That's enough," Horne said firmly.
Tarik's chest rose and fell heavily as the anger slowly drained from his face. He looked around the command center and seemed to finally realize that nearly everyone had stopped working to watch him.
"Get back to your stations," Tarik ordered through clenched teeth.
The officers quickly returned to their duties, though the tension Tarik had created remained thick inside the command center. Cade, meanwhile, simply stared at the Captain from across the holotable.
He was angry. Very fucking angry. Being called a little shit in front of his own soldiers wasn't something he intended to forget anytime soon, but he could also see the exhaustion written plainly across Tarik's face. More importantly, Cade hadn't traveled all the way to Sharls to start a pissing contest with an officer his father had apparently already done a spectacular job of pissing off. Whatever Tarik's problem with Tyler was, Cade wasn't about to let himself get dragged into it when he had far more important matters to deal with.
So Cade swallowed his pride.
"Barracks D?" Cade asked coldly, his expression giving nothing away.
Tarik looked at him, seemingly caught off guard by the lack of retaliation. For a moment, some of the anger faded from his exhausted features before he gave a stiff nod. "Yes," Tarik replied, his voice considerably quieter than before. "Barracks D."
Cade nodded once. "Then that's where we're going," Cade said firmly before turning and starting toward the door.
Kellan remained where he was for another second. The Mandalorian stared silently at Tarik through the black T-visor of his helmet, his displeasure with the Captain's behavior obvious despite his face being completely hidden. Eventually, Kellan turned away and followed his student out of the command center.
Tarik watched them leave.
Horne didn't.
The veteran remained beside the holotable, his eyes fixed firmly on the Captain. Unlike Kellan, there was no visible anger in Horne's expression. If anything, his disappointment seemed worse. He understood exhaustion, frustration, and the pressure of command better than most, but none of them excused an officer losing control of himself in front of his subordinates, much less speaking that way to the heir of House Atreides.
"We're going to have a conversation when I get back," Horne told him in a quiet, matter-of-fact tone. There was no threat behind the words. There didn't need to be.
Tarik's jaw tightened, but he didn't argue.
Horne gave him one final look before turning away and following Cade out of the command center, leaving the Captain standing over his holotable with several dozen red markers still blinking across the mountains.
Cade and his group remained silent as they stormed across the encampment toward Barracks D. Mikel and Valen followed close behind their lord, both Winged Shields visibly confused at the disrespect Cade had been shown, while the four Talons were practically seething. Even without a word being spoken between them, the anger hanging over the group was palpable.
Cade was perhaps the angriest of them all. His boots struck the hard ground with considerably more force than necessary as he walked, his jaw clenched and his hands occasionally curling into fists at his sides. Tarik's words continued replaying in his head, but rather than placing all the blame on the Captain, Cade found himself adding yet another grievance to the steadily growing pile he held against his father.
'I'm not that stupid bastard! Tch!'
That was what pissed him off more than anything. Cade had done absolutely nothing to Tarik, yet the Captain's resentment toward Tyler had been thrown directly onto him simply because he happened to be his son. Once again, his father's actions had found some way to reach out and bite him in the ass.
Kellan walked beside Cade in equally tense silence, his teeth clenched beneath his helmet as he struggled to contain his own anger. 'The disrespect! Kellan thought furiously. I should have done more. I should've done... something.'
Yet Tarik's disrespect wasn't what concerned Kellan the most. Over the past several weeks, he had finally begun noticing small changes in the relationship between Cade and his father. Cade was still angry, still resentful, and certainly nowhere near forgiving Tyler for what had happened after Ailia's death, but the lessons Tyler had begun personally giving his son were having an effect. Cade was learning just how much responsibility rested upon the Duke's shoulders, and with that understanding had come the smallest amount of respect for his father.
Now Tarik might have just damaged what little progress had been made.
'Lord Cade is finally starting to understand his father. He's finally showing some begrudging respect for the man now that he's seeing what being Duke actually requires of him, Kellan thought, glancing toward Cade. And now this happens. This could set him back. No... it definitely will.'
His hands tightened at his sides. 'I have to make sure it does as little damage as possible. I won't let one angry Captain destroy what little mending has finally occurred between those two.'
Several paces behind them, Horne remained outwardly composed. His stride never changed, his expression remained professional, and nothing about his demeanor betrayed the thoughts running through his head.
Internally, however, the veteran was deeply troubled.
'I've never seen Tarik act like that before,' Horne thought. In every previous interaction he'd had with the Captain, Tarik had been courteous, respectful, and professional, even when dealing with situations that would've tested the patience of far more experienced commanders. 'I understand the man's exhausted. I understand he's angry about being stuck out here. Hell, I understand being angry with the Duke. But that...'
Horne's brow furrowed.
'I can't believe he actually did that.'
His gaze moved toward Kellan walking several feet ahead of him. Horne had known enough Mandalorians, and enough fiercely loyal men in general, to recognize the signs of someone holding themselves back.
That concerned him.
'I just hope Lord Kellan doesn't do anything rash when we get back,' Horne thought before his eyes shifted toward Cade. The sixteen-year-old hadn't spoken a word since leaving the command center, which somehow concerned Horne even more than if he'd been shouting. 'Or Lord Cade, for that matter.'
Barracks D came into view ahead of them.
Horne released a quiet breath through his nose.
For now, at least, Tarik could wait. They had a more immediate problem to worry about: catching or encountering one of what was more than likely several thousand rock-eating worms.
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2 Hours Later...
Cade couldn't fucking believe it.
After hours of following Sergeant Cole and his apparently cursed squad through the mountains, investigating one abandoned tunnel after another, they had finally found what Cade had come all this way to see. Sitting only a few feet in front of him on the cold stone floor of a dark cavern was an orange, serpentine creature nearly a meter and a half long, its body shifting slightly as it stared up at him.
A Lekgolo worm.
There was no doubt left in Cade's mind anymore. Every report, every scan, every behavioral pattern he'd spent hours studying had been right. Somehow, against all logic, Lekgolo existed in this galaxy, and one of them was sitting directly in front of him.
"Lord Cade, we have to get the hell out of here!" Sergeant Cole shouted urgently as he motioned for his squad to begin falling back. His men obeyed immediately, weapons trained on the worm as they slowly retreated toward the tunnel behind them.
Cade ignored him.
Crouching down, he reached into one of the pouches on his armor and pulled out a small chunk of durelium he'd brought specifically for this possibility. Behind him, Mikel and Valen stood with their M1 Atreides rifles raised, their fingers resting dangerously close to the triggers. The four Talons were little different, while Kellan remained close enough to reach Cade within seconds if something went wrong. Horne stood slightly farther back with Sergeant Cole, his hand resting on his blaster pistol's holster, watching the entire exchange with morbid curiosity.
Slowly, Cade extended his gloved hand.
"Easy," Cade murmured softly, keeping himself perfectly still. "Come on. I know you want it."
The Lekgolo remained motionless for several seconds before slowly scooting forward. Cade could practically feel everyone behind him tense as the creature drew closer, its mouth eventually hovering directly above his hand. Mikel raised his rifle another inch, undoubtedly imagining the worm biting off several of his lord's fingers.
Instead, the Lekgolo suddenly lurched forward.
Several weapons snapped upward.
The chunk of durelium vanished from Cade's palm.
Cade blinked.
The Lekgolo withdrew and immediately began devouring the ore.
A relieved breath escaped Cade before he could stop it. "There you go," Cade whispered, a small smile beginning to form. "See? We're already getting somewhere."
Once it finished, the Lekgolo raised itself slightly and stared at him again.
Cade took that as progress.
Keeping one hand visible, Cade reached into another pouch and pulled out his datapad. He had spent part of the journey from Juvhan drawing several crude images specifically for this moment, hoping against hope that the creatures were intelligent enough to understand what he was trying to communicate.
He activated the datapad's holographic display.
A small blue image appeared several inches above the screen. It showed Cade standing beside a fully formed Mgalekgolo. Nobody was fighting. Neither held a weapon against the other. They simply stood beside one another.
"This is what I want," Cade explained calmly, pointing between himself, the holographic Cade, and then the Mgalekgolo. "Your people and mine. Together. No fighting."
He changed the image. This one showed Atreides soldiers standing aside as several Lekgolo moved freely past them. Another swipe. Humans delivered piles of metal and ore while Lekgolo gathered around them. Another. Several Mgalekgolo stood alongside Atreides soldiers against a common enemy.
Another showed Lekgolo inhabiting the mountains while Atreides settlements remained outside their territory, neither interfering with the other.
Cade continued talking throughout it all. He explained every image slowly, using gestures whenever possible and repeatedly emphasizing the same concepts.
Peace. Safety. Cooperation. No killing.
He had absolutely no fucking idea whether any of it was working.
Everyone standing behind him seemed increasingly convinced that their young lord had finally lost his mind. Sergeant Cole stared at Cade as though debating whether he should physically drag the sixteen-year-old out of the cavern himself. Mikel and Valen remained ready to shoot the instant the creature moved too quickly, while even the four Talons occasionally exchanged confused glances.
It was a worm.
An unusually large, rock-eating worm, certainly, but still a worm.
There was no way it understood a damn thing Cade was saying.
Several minutes passed.
Then the Lekgolo moved. Its elongated body slowly swayed from one side to the other.
Cade's eyes widened. 'It's considering it.'
Nobody else appeared willing to entertain that possibility. To them, the creature was simply moving strangely. Cade knew better. He'd spent enough time obsessing over Halo to know that individual Lekgolo weren't mindless animals. Their intelligence became far more pronounced when gathered into colonies, but even individually, they were pieces of something vastly greater.
"Come on," Cade whispered, excitement beginning to overwhelm his earlier caution. "Give me something."
The Lekgolo suddenly raised the front of its body. Then it began to vibrate. Deep baritone bursts reverberated through the cavern.
Everyone flinched.
Several rifles immediately snapped toward the creature, Sergeant Cole stumbled backward, and even Cade recoiled slightly as the unexpected sound rolled through his chest. The cavern amplified every burst until it seemed as though the mountain itself were speaking.
Then Cade realized what he was hearing.
His mouth slowly fell open.
Kellan's helmet tilted slightly as he came to the same realization.
Horne stared at the creature in stunned silence.
The veteran's composure finally cracked. "That..." Horne began numbly, his eyes fixed on the Lekgolo. "That thing just... spoke."
Nobody answered him.
Cade couldn't.
A massive grin had spread across his face as he stared down at the creature, barely able to contain himself.
It had understood him.
More importantly, it had answered.
The precise meaning wasn't conveyed through words as Cade understood them. It was deeper than that, carried through the patterns and vibrations of the Lekgolo's strange language, yet somehow Cade understood the intent behind what had been communicated.
The creature wanted assurances.
What protection would its kind receive? How could they know the humans wouldn't attack them again? And most importantly, how could they know Cade's offer wasn't simply a trick meant to lure them out of the mountains where they could be slaughtered?
Cade's grin slowly faded.
Those weren't the questions of an animal. They were the questions of a people who knew exactly how vulnerable negotiations could make them.
Cade carefully lowered his datapad. "Those are fair questions," Cade said softly.
Behind him, Sergeant Cole stared between Cade and the Lekgolo as though reality itself had stopped making sense.
"Lord Cade..." Cole muttered. "You're not seriously about to negotiate with a fucking worm."
Cade glanced over his shoulder.
"No, Sergeant," Cade replied, his excitement giving way to a far more serious expression. He turned back toward the Lekgolo. "I'm negotiating with a representative for an entire sentient species."
"I can draft a treaty that provides those assurances, maybe even more," Cade said in a measured tone, his mind already racing through the possibilities. "However, all of you remaining here could eventually prove to be... an issue. Sharls is heavily dependent on mining, and if your people continue expanding through the mountains, eventually our territories are going to overlap again." Cade paused before changing the holographic image above his datapad to that of a planet. "We could relocate your people to another world. Somewhere mineral-rich, preferably uninhabited. A planet where you could eat to your heart's content without having to worry about miners stumbling into your territory or soldiers interfering with you."
"Lord Cade!" Horne whispered urgently from behind him, finally breaking out of his stunned silence. The veteran stepped closer, lowering his voice even further. "You will need to run that by the Council. You can't negotiate a treaty on your own authority, especially one involving territory or relocation. You'll need your father's approval as well."
Cade glanced back at him, the reminder immediately taking some of the wind out of his sails. Horne was right. As much as Cade would've loved to settle the matter here and now, he was still the heir, not the Duke. Offering an entire species a planet was slightly beyond what he could authorize.
Before Cade could respond, the Lekgolo's upper body began vibrating again. Deep baritone pulses rolled through the cavern for several seconds, and this time everyone remained deathly quiet as they listened. Cade's expression gradually shifted as he worked through what the creature was communicating.
"I see," Cade murmured thoughtfully. He nodded before looking back at the Lekgolo. "It seems we'll both need to speak with our... superiors before either of us can agree to anything."
That statement alone drew another look from Horne.
Apparently, the worm had superiors.
Cade continued before anyone could interrupt. "When I return, where can I find you?"
Another series of deep vibrations echoed through the cavern.
Cade listened carefully before his eyebrows rose slightly. "Your people will make it known when you've come to a consensus?" Cade asked for confirmation.
The Lekgolo responded with another short vibration.
"Okay." Cade nodded. "Then I'll have the men and women here stop exploring these caves for now. Nobody enters your territory, nobody shoots at you, and nobody tries to force you out." His expression became more serious as he pointed back toward the tunnel behind him. "But I need something from you in return. Whatever expansion your people are doing, stop it for the time being. There's a settlement only a kilometer or two back that way. Thousands of people live there, and they have no idea what you are or what your intentions are."
Cade lowered his hand. "I would hate for things to... escalate between us before either of us has a chance to settle this peacefully."
The Lekgolo remained still.
Seconds passed.
Cade waited.
Behind him, Sergeant Cole and his squad remained frozen with their weapons half-raised, while Mikel and Valen stood equally motionless. Horne watched with an expression somewhere between disbelief and fascination. Even Kellan remained silent, allowing his student to handle the situation without interference.
Finally, the Lekgolo swayed slightly before its upper body vibrated again.
Cade listened.
Then he smiled. "Great!" Cade exclaimed, some of his sixteen-year-old excitement finally breaking through the serious demeanor he'd maintained throughout the conversation. "Then... uh..."
He suddenly realized he had absolutely no idea how one politely ended diplomatic negotiations with a Lekgolo.
"Have a good day!"
Silence.
The Lekgolo dipped its upper body in what looked remarkably similar to a nod before producing one final, short vibration. Then it turned around and slithered across the cavern floor, disappearing into a narrow crevice in the rock. Within seconds, the scraping sound of its body against stone faded into the distance, leaving nothing but silence behind.
Cade remained crouched for another moment, staring at the empty crevice.
Slowly, he stood.
Nobody said anything.
Cade turned around.
Sergeant Cole and his squad were staring at him. Mikel and Valen were staring at him. The four Talons were staring at him. Horne was staring at the hole where the Lekgolo had disappeared, while Kellan stood beside him in complete silence.
Every single person in the cavern looked as though they'd just watched the laws of nature get rewritten in front of them.
"Lord Cade..." Horne began slowly, his usual steady composure noticeably shaken as he looked toward the sixteen-year-old. "Did you just negotiate a ceasefire with a worm?"
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A/N: Welcome to the Fourteenth chapter of my fic: Star Wars: House Atreides! Not to mention the longest one yet!