My first home on Arrakis was an illegal structure that could barely stand up to a storm. It however needed shelter and a place to keep things mostly dry. While I would only be living there for a short time, I made the most of it.

At this point, I had very little to my name. I did not even have pants or shoes yet. I was getting a little tired of the hot sand burning my feet. The sunburns I was getting from Arrakis words cannot describe how bad they were getting.

So, I went around gathering up some fiber plants that I could weave into some makeshift clothing. It would do very little to provide any relief from the heat on Arrakis. I however felt something was better than nothing in my current situation.

Along the way, I gathered some other supplies as well. A rath hodgepodge of things from copper, granite, scrap, and many other items. I did not know what I'd need to build a base for a home out of.

The little cutter I had to mine resources with could barely collect anything at all. I was not that worried about quickly filling my backpack. I just knew at some point I'd be at my carrying limit. By then I just hopped to find somewhere to set up.

There was also a lot of pointless climbing during my early days. I had no clue where I was or even going. Most times I spent more time sliding off rocks and hitting the ground hard than getting anywhere.

I was mostly just looking for some advantage points. I wanted to get a better lay of the land. It also became quite clear that I was going to have very little chance of climbing to the top of my current gear.

One cliff I had climbed up onto led me to a ledge on the side of a mountain. There was this strange material that was blocking an entrance into a cave. It seems the scavengers that were held up in the cave were trying to keep in any moisture they could. I slit my dagger through it and destroyed any plans they had for survival.

A couple more thrusts of my dagger later. I was the only thing left standing alive in the cave. There were a couple of things to loot. Nothing major but I'm just taking anything I can get my hands on at this point.

There came a point that the little outcrop of rocks I had been exploring and getting lost between would yield nothing new. It was time to take a massive risk and cross a bigger patch of sand than I'd have liked.

My intuition was not wrong in not wanting to do so. About halfway through the ground vibrated to the point I could barely keep my footing. While it was hundreds of feet away a sandworm popped its ugly head above the sand.

I don’t know if the worm was taunting me or what the deal was. I just ran as quickly as I could to a group of rocks. The sandworm gave chase after me but against all odds, I managed to survive the encounter.

Little did I know it sandworms, scavengers, and thirst would be the least of my troubles by nightfall. I know discovered a new danger. It seems like some government was on the lookout for someone.

The nights that I had been enjoying a mostly piece endeavor. Where now filled with the sounds of bladed wings and bright searchlights. I even had the misfortune once of getting spotted.

Three individuals flew down as if they were riding the air on jetpacks and chased after me. Despite my attempts to flee the situation, they would not end their pursuit of me. Over time I reduced their numbers down to two, then one, and finally none.

I was hurting badly and used a decent amount of the medical supplies I had gathered up. I had survived what should have been another deadly encounter on Arrakis. If only just barely.

With my bags mostly full, my water in short supply it was time to put down a base somewhere to recover further in. This place would not be winning any awards for design. It was however mine for the time being. I rather have function over esthetics any day of the week anyway.

Inside I'd build a couple of chests to start storing some of my loot. I would also build a couple of machines. From energy production to power the base shields to different kinds of refiners.

My time at this first location would not last but a few days. It helped me make a lot of progress in upgrading my gear and weapons. It mostly gave me a sense of hope in an otherwise dark time.

While out exploring one day I noticed this huge building on a mountain. To my shock, it was a settlement, and they just let me walk right on in. Inside I found a vendor, a task board for bounties, and even a trainer.

They ended up having a few contracts for me to take on as jobs. I needed the experience; any gear they would give me. Along with some Solaris to fill my empty pockets with. While I had not much of a need for money up to this point it seemed, I should have some for when that day arrives of needing it.

Some of the contracts were contract-for-hire kind of deals. I’d just need to go out and kill someone or a group. I was kind of shocked at how easy that was to do. I could see now why such tasks were left to the lower class of the planet. The higher-ups could not be bothered to take on such behavior.

Other contracts were simply looking for me to deliver materials. One of them wanted some salvage which I already had on me. I can only hope to find many more simple contracts like this in the future.

Then there was the task of killing Zantara. One million Solari for doing it as well. I could kind of see that a chaos-inducing individual would want to want the amount of destruction I witnessed just from taking out the transport ship I was on was more than enough evidence. This would be one contact I was not looking to fulfill.

Final Thoughts

Now having a place to store my looted items I feel a little more stable. Like I know I'm still going to get destroyed every time I leave my place. I just know after whatever adventure I end up going on I have somewhere to return home from.

It was also nice to have a place to hide in while massive sandstorms would rock the region. Sometimes I'd have to go take holdup in some random cave or even the settlement I found. If there was any chance of making it home in time to take shelter I'd run for it.

Despite being able to collect one million Solari. Zantara would end up contracting me a few more times before going dark for quite some time. It was like having a not-so-invisible hand guiding me toward improving my base and my ability to not only survive but thrive on Arrakis.

Information

Screenshots were taken and content was written by @Enjar about Dune: Awakening.