Ocury was a newly discovered planet. With the galaxy being so large it was easy for one to find a planet uninhabited. You would just have to take the risk of building a successful life from the ground up. This was why many of the planets lacked money and resources. Ocury was to be a safe haven, a refuge for those escaping slavery. Particularly from the Harkonnen. It had only been established a few years ago and Mildred had hardly heard anything about the planet.
It was quite beautiful as they descended through the atmosphere. It reminded her slightly of Caladan, just not as much rainfall. It was entirely green and she could see many lakes and streams from the air. She lowered their transport slowly onto the makeshift platform. It was slightly challenge given the uneven terrain, but she managed. The other transporter had arrived only seconds before they did.
Mildred undid the straps of her seat and stood up. Her eyes fell to the sword strapped around Gurney's waist. "Gurney, why don't we leave our weapons on the transporter? I doubt there is any danger here."
"You have more faith in humanity than I do, my lady." He told her, but complied with her wishes.
She gave him a reassuring smile before exiting the transport. She knew he would have rather exited first to make sure it was safe, but she was trying to appear as non threatening as possible. Standing about twenty feet from the platform was a group of five people. A man, no older than thirty stood in front with two men and two women behind him. His clothing was well worn as were the others behind them. They all had terribly small frames as well.
These people's suffering did not stop when they escaped slavery. At least here they were free. It didn't mean their lives were any easier. In the distance she could see hundred of makeshift homes. Some made of cloth, some made of wood. Only one 'home' looked well built. She supposed the leader of the planet stayed there. The man approached her with caution.
"Are you from Caladan?" He asked.
"I am. Mildred Atreides and this is our Warmaster, Gurney. Our doctor and pilot are unloading supplies as we speak. And you are?" She spoke as dignified, but friendly as possible.
She swore she saw tears well in the man's eyes. He dropped to his knees in front of Mildred and held onto her hands. The sudden movement shook her for a moment. Gurney had taken a step forward. She supposed if he had had his sword he may have pointed it at the man.
"Bless you, Lady Mildred!" The man cried. "Bless you!"
Mildred cleared her throat awkwardly. "Thank you for the...formalities and kind words, but they're not needed."
The man finally stood back up. "Apologizes, my lady. I am, Erik. I'm the leader of Ocury. I am the one who sent the transmission to Caladan."
"It's nice to meet you, Erik. Please, call me Mildred. I was wondering if you could show us where we can set the food and medical area up. Our doctor is able to provide some exams if needed while Gurney and I hand out provisions."
"Right this way. We try to live all relatively close. We feel it's safer that way." He explained as they began to walk.
"Is this the only part of the planet you've explored?" She asked curiously.
"Yes." Her admitted. "Our numbers are small and of those numbers, most are women and children. None of them want to take the risk of exploring."
"I see." Mildred mumbled. Women were not weak and feeble. She knew that from first hand experience. However, she had to remember all that the woman had gone through. She could understand their hesitation. They would have to do something eventually if they were going to survive. "And what have you been doing to bring in income?"
The look on Erik's face grimed. "Not much. Perhaps you could offer some expertise?"
"I would love too." She genuinely meant her words. She would do everything in her power to help the survivors.
As they walked closer, the more she was able to see what they were dealing with. She didn't know how many people were there. Probably close to two hundred and fifty. Mostly women around her age and children. There were only a handful of men. Like Erik, their clothes were dirty. Their bodies, malnourished. She swallowed back any emotion that was forming. These people didn't want pity. They wanted help.
A woman, maybe a little older than herself, began to approach them. She looked every bit like a leader. Her body oozed of confidence. Her eyes landed on Gurney and she stopped. "You are one of us?"
One of us. The woman must have seen the scar on his face and knew that he was once a slave just as she was. She could see the tension in Gurney's shoulders and she wondered if he was going to speak. He hardly talked about his past.
"I was." Gurney said.
"Gurney is our Warmaster now." Mildred added. "And a good friend to my family."
She had hoped by telling the woman and allowing others to here that they would have hope that their lives would improve. And they needed a lot of hope. They began to set up tables with food and supplies while their doctor, Micah, set up his medical supplies. Lines had already begun to form. All of them looked on the verge of starvation.
They were all incredibly kind and gracious as Gurney and she handed out the food. No one was rude. They just looked at her with kind, warm, grateful eyes. It hurt her that the people had been treated so horribly. She didn't understand how some people could be so cruel, but as she stood there, ideas and reformations appeared in her mind. She would make a difference, one day.
A little girl no older than seven looked up at Mildred with curious eyes. "You dress funny."
"I do?" Mildred questioned while stifling a laugh.
"Yes. I thought you were a princess? Princesses are suppose to wear pretty dresses." The little girl spoke.
"I'm not exactly a Princess. I'm...a Lady right now. One day, when I'm older, I'll be a Duchess. I don't always wear pretty dresses. I find pants a little more comfortable." Mildred explained.
"I hope to have a pretty dress one day." The girl said sadly.
Mildred felt her heart sink at the little girl's words. "I'm sure you will have one one day."
Gurney watched her interaction with the girl. He knew she was trying her best to remain composed, but he also knew that Mildred had a large heart filled with compassion. It had been harder than he expected to face people from his home planet. To see that even after all the years, the hell still existed.
Once they finished distributing the supplies, they followed the leader, Erik into the only structure that existed. Structure was a generous word. It had been thrown together with different materials and looked as it may fall apart at any second. It was dark since there were no windows. A kitchen, a small gathering area and a sleep area had all been built. They needed more than just help, they needed advisement. Mildred only knew so much.
"Gurney?" Mildred asked after they gathered around the table.
"Yes, m' Lady?" Gurney spoke to her in a more formal way around people they didn't know.
"After I finish discussing some economics with Erik, do you think you and I could show them some basic fighting moves?" She asked and turned to Erik. "I, of course need to weed out those who could potentially become good fighters."
Erik looked at her perplexed. "You can fight?"
Mildred glanced at Gurney who was holding back a knowing smile. "I can. I've been learning since I was very young."
"Lila," Erik said to a younger woman who was with him when they first arrived. "Go retrieve a few people of fighting age. Men and women."
"You need a way to make money," Mildred began. "I could practically smell the minerals coming from the soil when I stepped onto the surface. Agriculture will be your best bet. We could provide you with some seeds to start off with. You could feed your planet as well as sell it from a profit. You have bodies of water that you could fish from. If you have the right climate, you could produce fabric to make clothing. I'm sure everyone out there has some sort of talent that you could use as an advantage. You'll need some sort of military eventually."
She could tell the information was overwhelming, that's because it was. If these people wanted to survive they had to be resourceful. She remembered reading about the settler of Caladan, the first generation of House Atreides, and the difficulties they faced. However, they were smart and eventually the house grew to what it was today. It just took years of hard work. By the time she had finished speaking, a small group of twelve people had gathered outside to learn to fight.
Gurney took the time to pair each person up with someone close in age and stature. He explained first about the weakest spots on the body and how it was beneficial if you hit those spots in a fight. The people of Ocury had no weapons. Therefore, they needed to fight with their hands and legs.
"When fighting you will either be defensive or the one attacking. Defensive," Gurney turned to Mildred and went to punch her. She brought her right arm up at an angle and stopped the punch. "You need to do anything in your power not to get hit. Using your arms or dodging will be the best bet. Protecting your face and vital organs are most important."
When he went to punch her again, he did it with more power and speed. First she blocked him her arm again and then she ducked down away from him. After the explanation, both Mildred and Gurney went down the line of people and had them try. Some were timid. Others did surprisingly well. They taught the people to fight for hours.
Men, women, children, they all were taught basic self defense that could help them in the future. Mildred had agreed to send a few soldiers every so often to teach them more. There was only so much they could do in the timeframe they had. It was late by the time they finished. The sun had set. The sky while dark was glittered with stars. Since there was hardly any light pollution, the sky was clearer here than on Caladan.
It was probably slightly childish, but Mildred withdrew her blanket from the small bunk bed and laid it out on the grass. They had decided to stay until the morning so that the doctor could monitor those he had given medicine to. None of them minded. They were all enjoying escaping from their everyday lives even if it was only for a day. She returned to the transport before Gurney did. He had insisted on teaching a few more people and going over how to make weapons.
Gurney could feel the exhaustion in his body as he walked towards the transport. It had a been long, tiresome day. It was worth it though to help people from his own planet. He had been surprised at how well Mildred did explaining everything, trying to figure out how to help the people. She had been kind, professional and informative. When he found her sitting on a blanket, eating her dinner, gazing at the stars, he almost chuckled.
"I know I probably look ridiculous, but I couldn't help myself." She admitted with a small and then patted the blanket for him to sit.
He was reluctant, but he sat down anyways. The moon hung low in the sky emitting just the right amount of light so they could see.
"I think I might sleep out here tonight. I've always wanted to sleep outside, but it's not allowed on Caladan." She told him.
"There's reasons for that, you know?" He asked. It felt the scar along his cheek throb and he reached up to touch it. Stress often made it hurt less and being on an unknown planet with the heir of House Astreides was stressful.
Mildred frowned slightly when she saw him wince in pain. An idea formed in her head, but she wasn't sure if he would agreed to it. She had been trained in many different areas, but she always enjoyed learning about medicine alternatives. "Gurney, if you would allow me, I might be able to offer you some relief."
"It's not that bad, but thank you for your offer." He told her.
"You're lying." She said bluntly.
Gurney scoffed. "You know when I'm lying?"
"I do. I've known you for quite a long time. It's okay to ask for help sometimes. You don't have to always be this...stone of a person."
"Fine."
A smile spread across her face. "Good. Umm, I'm going to have to get a little close to you though."
He nodded in compliance. She moved closer to him. She brought her hand up slowly, timidly towards his cheek. Never in her life had she ever touched him so intimately. Her fingers gently touched the long scar along his face. She felt him tense instantly. His brown eyes flickered to her's in an untrusting way. She began to apply light pressure against the scar and moved her fingers in a circular motion.
The skin was rough under her fingers. She could feel the thickness and irritation of the scar and her heart broke for him. Eventually, she felt him relax. His eyes fluttered closed and he leaned into her gentle touch. It had been so long since someone touched him in a caring manner. Probably since before his sister died. Sometimes he forgot how much a human needed gentleness.
"Better?" She finally asked softly.
She didn't move her hand though. His eyes opened again and he found her staring at him, the stars reflecting off her eyes. "Better. Thank you."
They both remained where they were sitting. Her lips parted as if she were going to say something, but no words came out. She wanted him. She wanted him to take her on the wool blanket under the stars, but he wouldn't. He was too bound to his duty. She removed her hand and tore her gaze away from him.
"I'm going to try and get some sleep." Mildred told him as she laid down against the blanket.