It was just after dawn when an unmarked thopter had quietly landed about a mile away from the canyon; and four people approached it quietly, unbeknownst to its current occupants. Once the state of affairs from the distrans was confirmed, two of them descended into it.

"Subakh ul kuhar." A tubal voice called onto Mapes.

Bomilcar was up and prepared to go. He had a naturally defensive posture after decades of his duty, but he knew that they were here because of Mapes. For now he listened.

Cuyler was just looking around, taking everything in.

A few instants after the older fremen another appeared behind him, quiet as the morning.

Bomilcar saw her and his eyes went wide. He didn't often show surprise, but now he had no clue what to think. How had she survived?

Guilt began eating at him even worse than before, as he thought she must have survived the worm and been rescued by Fremen.

At that thought, he felt a deep and sorrowful shame for not returning for her. It was written all over his face.

"It's good to see you, Ahmina." Cuyler smiled. "I am relieved that you are safe."

"Subakh ul nar, Stilgar. Good you've come. I tell you, these offworlders are very troublesome!" Mapes said in Chakobsa, gesturing around. "They ask many questions! I am not sure if they don't want to spy on us!"

She spared a look to Ahmina, of relief and reproof in one, as if she'd been responsible for cultivating their curiosity in Fremen ways. "And one of the looks like Liet's own daughter, just water-fat! There is a foul smell of Shaitan to all this!"

Stilgar raised his hand, a signal for the two in the rocks above to stay put, but those present would see it as a way to stop this line of conversation in the private language of the Fremen.

"I am Stilgar, naib of Sietch Tabr. Ahmina has told me a few things about you. You have called on us because you believe we can have some common objectives. Is this correct?" The man projected authority and certainty in his every move. He didn't flaunt it, but he had to be a very strong fighter as well. And yet he was expecting something. Truth?

Bomilcar nods, then looks at Mapes. "Called Buzmali and Bomilcar." Because Buzmali was knew and Ahmina likely gave them his name as Bomilcar.

He clears his throat, knowing this would hurt a bit.

"Seek Harkonnen base. Evidence. Ties to traitors maybe. Verdun. Want them destroyed. Not much time."

He thinks about the shared water in the sietch and something occurs to him. "Stilgar is Ahmina's naib? She helped me survive, find refuge. I owe her for this. So it is owed to the Sietch Tabr."

He spoke more confidently than he likely had any right to. But he was figuring out that almost everything belonged to the sietch. There was no doubt in his eyes in offering what he felt he owed.

"Buzmali, hah? That's an interesting name." Stilgar measured Bomilcar with his gaze. "You are water-fat, but are you cold enough?" He allowed himself a chuckle, but a good-natured one, without mocking. It could indicate that he liked it.

"Easy, Buzmali. You hop from subject to subject like a muad'dib from rock to rock. We shall discuss all." Stilgar replied in his deep, commanding baritone that carried more than a bit of sand grit after all the years, and looked at the others. "Who are the others here?"

His gaze transfixed on Cuyler, with some perplexity hidden under a harrumph.

"Cuyler Gray." she spoke. "I've seen things since I arrived on Arrakis. Things that connect me to it."

Standing in the back, which may seem ineffective among so few people, but was something Edwell was practiced at, he listened attentively. When Ahmina approached, he offered a small smile and a nod in her direction. Her survival was not completely outside his projections, but the odds were extremely low. The Fremen seemed to make it a habit of defying the odds, or even scorning them.

He listened while Bomilcar spoke for the group. The man had shown some affinity for the Fremen sensibilities, perhaps he could offer some baseline for Edwell's study of the Fremen people.

After Cuyler, he made a brief introduction, "Edwell Santini."
-----
3 Threat for Edwell

Ahmina contented herself to nod at both auditors before the bigs talks started.

She leaned in towards Stillgar and whispered in their tongue ''I know...but she is an outsider. She does have great knowledge in spice and dangerous intuition''

"Hm. We shall see." Stilgar forced himself to look away from Cuyler. He noticed their pilot sleeping in the thopter. "I see four, and Mapes. Where is the rest of you?"

"Created distractions. Left without notice," Bom replied. Looking towards the man who was clearly in charge. "We here are all."

"If we had all come, we would certainly have been followed." Cuyler said. "We were wary of bringing this many."

This answer satisfied Stilgar, though not the rationale for the whole endeavour. He understood Harkonnen outmatched them in resources and experience, so folly was an expected move. "Do you know what you are looking for?"

"There are a lot of answers to that." she responded. "At the moment, we are hoping to prove that the Harkonnen are secretly mining spice and using the profits to support the Verdun. If we can do so, it will greatly disrupt the Harkonnen's operations."

"Beyond that, I seek many things."

Bom nods his agreement. "Many things."

"And you assume this operation is somewhere here."

He glanced at Ahmina. Stilgar didn't understand the politics of the Imperium so he picked out the parts he understood.

"Why would they mine spice secretly if the Emperor wants them to do it openly?"

"Greed, power," Bom replied. "Spice is water of the Imperium. Gives it life."

"What they mine for the Emperor, they must share." she explained. "What the emperor doesn't know about, they can do with as they please. We encountered a secret harvest. They flew this way once they were done."

Stilgar frowned. "Harkonnen are not stupid. Those who taught so are dead." He had had the same admonition for Ahmina: assuming wasn't the same as knowing. Minds could deceive themselves to think whatever they want. "If they take great risks as you say, there must be a great reward they can't get another way." Stilgar was experienced in dealing with the Harkonnen, but he wasn't a mentat, so he couldn't push this line of thought to its conclusion.

"What do you want from us." He finally asked.

"You are absolutely correct." she nodded. "And, if they gain such a reward, it is unlikely to be good for anyone else."

"Any information you may have on their activities around False Wall West or the Cielago Depression, may be useful to us, even if it doesn't seem important." she answered. "Personally, I'd like to know who I owe a favor to."

"Ahmina explained attack? Was Mudir Nahya," he said. "Where base is, he knows. If tracking, might reveal."