Myriad Reckonings

"That's for the best," Tarkin said with a nod. "I expect your fleet is missing you, and the Emperor will want you to give your full attention to it."

"Agreed." Vader clasped his hands behind his back and straightened his posture slightly. "Having said that, I must extend my thanks to you for this diversion. I am pleased the assassin was easily dealt with, and you have honored me by showing me the Carrion Plateau."

"If it hadn't been now, it would have been another time."

"It is my sincere hope that we may hunt there again, my friend." The Sith's tone was fairly neutral and his words were genuine, but he seemed reluctant to fully relax with Sirejj there. He reached out with the Force with care, testing the Zabrak's boundaries even as he spoke to Tarkin.

The prodding mind of the Sith was all too recognizable. For the entire visit, Vader hadn't stopped trying to pry into Sirejj's head, but it was far more uncomfortable when Sirejj was standing right beside him. He maintained his composure and hid his thoughts well. Any moment now Vader would finally turn and stomp back up into the ship and go back to wherever he came from.

Sirejj hoped he'd never have to lay eyes on him again. He had a creeping feeling the Sith wasn't through with him and he did not appreciate it.

Vader found the thoughts of the Zabrak to be actively guarded, and he withdrew with some disappointment. He was careful, this bodyguard was. Whatever he was hiding, he didn't want anyone getting even an inkling of his feelings.

"When we both have more time, perhaps," Tarkin said. "I assume you need to make preparation for departure--I'll leave you be if that's the case."

"That's so. I'll need to speak with my fleet and with my pilot, but you may expect me to attend dinner tonight."

"Very good. We'll leave you to it, then. Sirejj?" He turned on his heel, limping away from Vader. Vader's gaze lingered on them both.

Sirejj gave Tarkin a nod and followed him like a shadow.

"I thought he was leaving soon." He muttered to Tarkin once they had put a comfortable distance between them and Vader. Vader was certainly taking his sweet time and that only heightened Sirejj's suspicion. Every day the Sith spent on Eriadu was a week taken off his lifespan.

"I feel he is highly suspicious of our activities. It's a wonder it didn't come up on your field trip."

"Tomorrow is as soon as we could have hoped for," Tarkin said under his breath. "You felt suspicion there just now?" That was news to him. Vader had seemed at ease during the hunt. "It must be directed at you, not me. He asked nothing of my activities while we hunted, nor anything about you." He'd felt he dodged a bullet in that respect, honestly, but it did strike him as odd now that he thought about it. Had Vader been more dialed in to his mind than he'd thought? Was that why he'd asked nothing--did he already know something was up and was gleaning information from his thoughts and actions?

"He was trying to get into my thoughts. He might trust you - he definitely doesn't trust me. But I wouldn't be surprised if he's paranoid about the both of us." He sensed Tarkin's mind flare with questions. There was a little hint of fear he sensed whenever Tarkin doubted the security of their actions. Vader was a walking liability. The sooner he left, the better. "Do not think for a moment that he won't turn on you if he sees fit."

While Sirejj extended some trust towards Tarkin that he would protect him so long as they mutually benefited each other, he knew that eventually he would become disposable. He also suspected Tarkin would much like to present him with the fact when he least expected it. Like Vader, Tarkin was always the slightest bit suspicious of everything.

Tarkin would not be an ally forever. And depending on what they discovered on Atoa, he may become a threat sooner rather than later. As if Tarkin was ever not a threat.

Spoiler

That crew quest on the Olympics forum should be a snap for us, eh?

"I don't intend for him ever to reach such a point," Tarkin retorted. "We have a rapport that at this point would be difficult to shake. It'd have to take blatant betrayal from one of us to damage our relationship." He had no intention of instigating such a turn of events; it would be catastrophic for him to say the very least. Tarkin was no fool--he knew that was a fight he couldn't win.

Spoiler

bro i was thinking the same thing. they've done most of these already.

"Let's hope to whatever you believe in that he doesn't. I for one have only my own two hands to keep me safe- you've at least got a few loyal to you that may have your back if Vader goes postal." Sirejj wanted nothing to do with that scenario. Even now, in the shadows of his mind he saw the Sith lurking at every turn.

He'd feel much better when Vader left and they finished this business on Atoa. He'd been pondering his next steps afterwards. With the knowledge he hoped to gain, he may need to pay another trip to his homeworld and put it into practice.

Spoiler

I think Medicine, History, and Sleight of Hand are things we haven't tried yet.

"Let's save that line of thinking for when the likelihood of such an occurrence increases, shall we? Let me worry about Vader. You've got more important things to focus on."

Spoiler

sleight of hand sounds like a Sirejj talent since he's the mischief maker ill have to think of something.

Medicine is gonna be hard. Tarkin gets sick and Sirejj is just like "you probably deserve it"

Sirejj grunted and said nothing else for the time. He'd had plenty of time to explore the house and surrounding grounds while Tarkin and Vader had been gone and only discovered more of the same conflict he'd found before. Generations of conflict made it difficult to identify a specific cause for Garoche's folly. The legacy of the Tarkin family was a tangled web that was extremely difficult to navigate.

Spoiler

@Ljungtroll fINALLY got to it

It seemed like years had passed since Sirejj's encounter with the inquisitors on Atoa, not less than a fortnight. The excitement he felt boarding Tarkin's ship with all of his gear, hopefully never to lay eyes on Vader or Eriadu again, was unparalleled. The freedom of open space greeted them as they left the atmosphere and settled down for the trip. He finally felt most of the creeping darkness that had followed him like a shadow melted away, but despite this, there was still conflict within him. Now that Vader was no longer a current factor, the mystery of Atoa was able to rear its head. The whole ordeal still made little sense, but Sirejj's senses told him they hadn't even scratched the surface.

Hours into the flight, Sirejj exited the gun turret where he'd been hiding out to stretch his legs and see if he could sift through Tarkin's thoughts. He walked softly towards the cockpit, his footfalls making not a single sound. He knew Tarkin would still sense his presence before he drew close enough to startle him- the man had grown up fighting wild animals, after all.

He crept into the cockpit and stepped quietly through the doorway.

"How goes the flying, Governor?"

There was always an adjustment period for Tarkin when he left the endless wilds and tangled memories of Eriadu behind. The Carrion Spike was a sleek ship and incredibly dear to him, but the narrow vessel always made him feel mildly claustrophobic. Spending most of the trip cramped into this cockpit doubled the discomfort, but he couldn't stay frustrated when there was so much more to think about.

Since the moment Vader's ship disappeared out of the atmosphere, his mind had returned to thoughts of Atoa and his dead son. The Sith's help with the assassin had been well and good, but his obvious suspicion of Sirejj and the blatant prying was enough to turn the rest of Tarkin's hair gray. They were friends, granted, but how long would that last if Vader thought Tarkin doubted his story? How much trust could he strain before something broke and he ended up on the wrong side of the Emperor?

For that matter, whose side would Palpatine take? Tarkin had known him far longer, true, but Vader and the Emperor were practically inseparable. They were both Force sensitive.
Tarkin didn't consider himself easily replaceable--not by a long shot--but he wasn't a fool. It seemed clear to him who would come out the victor if it got to the point where they were consulting Palpatine.

What would happen to Sirejj if he was gone, he wondered? The Zabrak knew too much--he knew about Thalassa's ties to the Treacle and about much of their family history. He couldn't be allowed to live...Tarkin would have to talk to Thalassa about installing some failsafes. Barring that, and provided things on Atoa turned out alright, he could just kill him himself. He hoped so, anyway. Sirejj was Force-sensitive and a capable fighter.

Tarkin stirred himself from his thoughts as the hairs on the back of his neck stood up--Sirejj was coming up behind him. He sat up a bit straighter and turned to face him. "There's not much flying one can do in hyperspace, is there? It goes well, I suppose." His eyes were a bit more sunken than usual; he hadn't slept well last night and he was still aching a bit from his adventure on the Carrion.

The governor's thoughts were muddled as usual, but Sirejj found fragments. Nothing new, just the old worry of what they may discover on Atoa and what was to happen afterwards. He too had been thinking about this, and it weighed on him. He'd have to watch his back.

Sirejj would say he didn't trust Tarkin any farther than he could throw him if he thought it were true - he imagined he could pitch the scrawny older man quite far given the chance. Either way, his trust in the governor was directly correlated to his own usefulness. The moment that expired, so would his safety.

"I've been doing a little planning." he said after a long pause of watching the lights outside streak by at unimaginable speeds. "When we reach the surface, I will find and make contact with any survivors as discussed. I doubt your presence will help, so I would suggest you stay on the ship." Few would get away with giving such sharp suggestions to a man of Tarkin's rank, but Sirejj figured that while his usefulness lasted, he had little reason to grovel. Tarkin wouldn't kill him just yet