Three weeks quickly passed by.

  "Welcome Stilgar," Duke Leto greeted him as he entered the room, Thufir standing beside him.

  Stilgar walked up to Leto and spat on the ground.

  Duke Leto was taken aback slightly, but he expected this.

  "Thank you for the gift of your body's moisture, we accept it in the spirit in which it was given," Leto said before he spat on the ground himself.

  "Are these the stillsuits?" Stilgar asked, glancing at the ten body stands bearing the stillsuits.

  "These are the stillsuits produced by House Atreides," Thufir said.

  Stilgar approached the nearest stand without a word. His fingers moved along the seam lines, checking for gaps. He squeezed the recycling tube, tested the moisture filter, and checked the seal around the face mask. He worked through several suits the same way, being methodical and unhurried.

  He stepped back.

  “The work is good.”

  "Show me where these are made," Stilgar said.

  "Follow me," Leto said as he exited the room.

  Thufir and Stilgar followed Leto.

  They walked for a few moments before arriving at a staircase that went down to the basement.

  "We have placed the production lines underground. The temperature below is more suitable for the materials, and it keeps our operations out of sight as well." Thufir said to Stilgar as Duke Leto started walking down the well-lit staircase and Thufir followed behind Leto.

  Stilgar hesitated for a moment, his eyes glancing towards the bottom of the stairwell and behind him before he decided to step forward.

  Arriving at the bottom of the staircase.

  Duke Leto opened the door.

  Looking inside, Stilgar was taken aback.

  Long workbenches running the length of the room. Workers sitting at each station handling one specific component. No automated machinery, everything handcrafted by workers.

  The materials laid out in organized sections, the outer desert fabric, the inner recycling membranes, the tube networks, and the filter components.

  "Our production output is currently three stillsuits per week," Thufir looked at Stilgar and said.

  Stillgar's eyes widened when he heard Thufir.

  Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  "Three stillsuits... per week?" Stilgar muttered and Duke Leto nodded.

  Stilgar was quiet for many moments.

  Duke Leto glanced at Thufir and nodded.

  Thufir's eyes flashed white for a moment.

  "With workers becoming more skilled over time, production will increase steadily. Within three months, we expect to reach ten suits per week. With scaled operations and additional workers, twenty per week is achievable within six months," he said.

  'Three per week now. Ten within three months. Twenty within six.'

  'Sietch Faie alone has four hundred and twelve people. At twenty per week...' Stilgar thought to himself, his eyes glancing around the room at the craftsmen working.

  The lighting was artificial with glowglobes floating near the ceiling casting warm white light. The room was cool and dry, temperature carefully controlled.

  Stilgar walked past the various stations.

  The first station is in charge of cutting and shaping the outer suit material. Next station assembles the inner moisture recycling layers. Next handles the tube network that carries recycled water. Next attaches the filter units. The final station does quality checks and sealing.

  At each station, Stilgar spent nearly 20 minutes observing the craftsmen working on their respective tasks, he judged the quality of materials being used and the skills of the craftsmen working on the suits.

  Nobody spoke in the room, the only sound that could be heard belonged to the tools clicking.

  Eventually, Stilgar looked up at Leto.

  "How many workers can you train?" Stilgar asked.

  A glint flashed in Duke Leto's eyes before he glanced at Thufir whose eyes flashed white as he ran calculations.

  "Training workers is not our constraint. Raw materials are. Our current supply chain supports twenty suits per week at maximum. Beyond that we would need to expand imports significantly."

  "Though that is a conversation for another time. For now, shall we discuss terms?" Duke Leto spoke up as well.

  Stilgar was silent for a moment, his eyes glancing at Leto and Thufir first before shifting towards the craftsmen, delicately crafting a stillsuit.

  ...

  "Stillgar... are these the stillsuits, House Atreides built?" Naib Rauth of Sietch Garan spoke as he held a stillsuit, gliding his fingers through the seams with a bit of shock in his tone.

  Glancing up at Stillgar, he spoke, "And they can make three of these... per week?"

  "In six months, Leto, the leader spoke of the ability to achieve twenty stillsuits per week," Stilgar flatly stated.

  "I don't trust them," An aged man sitting around the table spoke up.

  "Why do you say that, Naib Majes?" Arak'Numi asked.

  "You all are still young" he spoke, "I have seen men like this come and go," he said.

  "They have made promises that were never truly kept. Off-worlders always scheme," another older man, called Inal spoke.

  "Except they have kept their word so far," Stilgar spoke up glancing at the two old men.

  There was a moment of silence.

  "What are their conditions?" Naib Inal asked breaking the silence.

  "They asked us for only one thing... Blocking escape routes surrounding Arrakeen" Stilgar said.

  "Blocking escape routes?" Naib Majes asked with confusion.

  "Leto informed me that very soon, they are going to be attacked. They request that we assist them with capturing all stragglers alive in exchange, they are willing to provide us with five thousand Still suits over the span of the next six years," Stilgar said.

  Inal stood up with anger, "They want to use us in their imperial games?!" he exclaimed, "Unacceptable!" he shouted with an aggressive wave of his hand.

  "They aren't asking us to fight," Arak'Numi said softly.

  "Indeed, they aren't asking us to contribute our strengths in direct combat," Stilgar muttered.

  "You want this, don't you?" Majes scoffed with disdain, clear in his tone,

  Stilgar frowned, his eyes glancing around at the 5 other Naibs of the largest colonies within the northern sietches present in this council meeting.

  "We all know our current condition regarding stillsuits, we have nearly fifty thousand men, women, and children within the Northern sietches... If we can provide all of our people with well-made stillsuits, capturing stragglers... is a minor task to ask," Stilgar said.

  Silence spread throughout the table.