After a productive chat on the Frigate, Dorian headed out to the miners' barracks, picking up their Sardaukar escort along the way.

Cuyler followed, still hoping to learn more about the process.

There was sounds of rowdy merriment coming from there as miners of the first shift must have already returned.

"They seem to be in a good mood. That should make this a bit more enjoyable." Dorian raised his head towards the Sardaukar, "Maybe even you could lighten up and celebrate a little."

"I will celebrate once this CHOAM shitshow is over, among my own." The Sardaukar spoke coldly. "But be my guests, go debase yourselves among those sweaty pigs, at least you won't scatter too far with your feet tangling."

"Yes, at least we have that." Cuyler said as they entered the barracks.

It seemed that either the news of the storm hadn't reached the miners yet, or they had reached them and they were celebrating a break from work.

It didn't matter to Dorian why they were celebrating, just that they were. For all he knew or cared, every shift change came with such frivolity and all the better if so. He could reason that coming back alive from a job with such a high mortality rate warranted celebration. The one thing that did register to Dorian was the apparent difference in how the miners were treated, the leeway they received, versus what he had seen at the Shield Wall facilities.

The contrast was indeed stark. And if things were too good to be true, they usually weren't. But how to tell what was this all about? Certainly not from the distance.

Offering his arm to Cuyler, escorting her as though they were entering a party hosted by Duke Flambert himself, Dorian led the way through the entrance to the miners' barracks.

She took the arm with a smile and they entered.

"Hey, Mr and Ms CHOAM! Have you come to drink?" Someone of the small crowd called out.

"Absolutely." Cuyler grinned.

They were quickly given tin-capped mugs with orange-ish liquid, poured from the same tankard as the rest. Poison snoopers were unavailable though, unless they had personal ones.

"Spice beer's good, eh? Heard old Emperor Elrood got to his 157 drinking just that, and died from too much sex! Wish that for all of us!"

Not putting it past the Harkonnens to poison an entire camp of miners to eliminate a few threats, Dorian took the mug, but held onto it for the moment. He knew Cuyler typically carried a snooper with her.

"It is a worthy goal." he chuckled in response to the man's comment.

She handed her snooper over to Dorian, taking a moment to inspect the liquid in her usual fashion. Examining its color and taking in its aroma. She wondered how heavily it was spiced.

Just lightly, judging by the smell. Though letting the miners have any was already a concession on the Harkonnen part. Why?

The poison snooper just showed some potentially stomach-upsetting microbes, likely a remnant of lousy fermentation, nothing serious.

"Cheers." She lifted her mug and drank.

Satisfied with the results from the snooper, Dorian gave the spice beer a connoisseurs sniff. Not quite the Kirana Brandy he had enjoyed the previous day in Soo-Soo's office, but when on Arrakis. He took a long pull from the mug.

The salute in reply, as both noticed, were coming from people of many different accents. They didn't seem half as desert-ready as the Miners of the Splintered Rock, their faces not even beginning to lose water-fatness.

"You all seem to be in very good spirits, was it a good haul today?" Dorian asked of the man who had poured a spice-beer for him.

"Enough to get us this tankard!" The man patted the container, wide-smiled.

Blowing their wages on overpriced spice-beer, Dorian doubted if these men would last as long as the weathered veterans he'd encountered at Splintered Rock.

"So, how long have you been mining spice on Arrakis? I'm sure you've got some stories to tell, what with all the Fremen and sandworm attacks."

"So far so good! Not much in the way of stories yet, the carryalls pick us up before those worms can reach us. It's hot and dusty, but other than that, it's mining all right!"

"Wow, so you haven't lost any harvesters to worms or Fremen yet? You must have some great spotters and carryall pilots."