Myriad Reckonings

Spoiler

Congratulations, we're at the point in this story when I think I should share my Garoche playlist.
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4LDO7 ... dd795a4cd2
The first song is a joke but the rest was curated very carefully (though the genres vary). It goes in order from the beginning of his life to the end.

It was evening when Sirejj reached what remained of the cathedral.

The walk there was not short, and the scars left on the landscape were even more apparent than when he first arrived. The soil, made up of crystal and minerals, had mile-long stretches where it had melted and solidified into opalescent glass. Grooves and craters pocked the planet's surface for leagues and leagues; what remained of the once gleaming cities of this proud planet were jagged spires that might have been skyscrapers. Animal life was sparse, too--there were no mammals, no birds on this side of the planet. A few insects skittered between the stones and the many plants and lichens that thrived on mineral run-off from the rains had taken root once again, but it would be a long time before this ecosystem recovered.

The cathedral itself showed signs of having become a haven for some of the flowering plants of this world. A few tentative blooms peeked through the crystalline stonework in gentle whites and purples that lent a bit of peace to the spiritually turbulent area. When it was still whole, the cathedral would have been a spectacular building of a humbling size. Remnants of buttresses and stained glass could be seen scattered on the ground around it, and doors at least ten feet tall leaned against one of the larger building fragments.

One of these giant fragments had been tossed aside--a massive hazard-removal vehicle must have shifted it from its original place. This cleared a spot of the floor, which was a mosaic.

Spoiler

dang u tryin to make me cry over here (but that's kinda exactly how i imagined him)

Garoche did not deserve everything that went down.

we're gonna break tarkin's shins for this

It was so quiet Sirejj could hear the scrambling of a few insects that rushed to escape the bottoms of his boots as he entered the grounds surrounding the cathedral. Under other circumstances, he might have thought this place had a sort of eerie beauty to it, but the overwhelming sense of pain and darkness drowned out any semblance of peace or beauty in this place.

The cathedral had once been massive. He didn't need illusions to picture what it might have looked like before its destruction. What was once a symbol of strength and knowledge lay in ruin. But by whose hands?

As he neared, the little hairs that ran down his spine and the backs of his arms stood on end. He'd felt a presence here when he'd come before with Tarkin, but now, with all the knowledge he now possessed, the feeling had strengthened a hundred times over.

The center of the cathedral had been disturbed at one point- the toppled rubble had been moved from where it had originally fallen. Sirejj approached, climbing atop one of the fallen pillars and observing the destruction. The signature of this place reeked of death and a pain which he could not explain. He dropped lightly to the ground, hardly disturbing a crystal as he crept closer to the center of the cathedral.

Sirejj stopped at the edge of the mosaic that decorated what once had been a carefully carved floor. Now it was cracked and covered in sand. Kneeling, he reached down to brush away the crystalline dirt, but as his hand touched the carved stone, the whispers of those long since past arose with such volume and strength that he recoiled his hand and stood up quickly, as if his hand had been burned.

He looked around. Sirejj was on edge here. His senses were both clouded and overwhelmed in the same instant. He saw nothing but his own reflection in a toppled crystal pillar. He watched it for a moment, frowning. His cloak rustled in the small breeze that made its way past the fallen stones to where he stood. His skin with its dark stripes and the horns on his head stood out blatantly from the white and blue of the world around him. He was not one who belonged here, and yet, this is where he'd been led.

Looking back down he whisked the sand away from what was left of the mosaic on the ground with a swirl of green smoke. He took one step forward, placing his worn boot on one of the carved bricks. His other foot followed. He stopped just shy of the center, allowing himself to go no further.

This had been their final resting place. To his surprise, whatever darkness loomed over this place was lighter here. He knelt again, studying the carved artwork beneath his feet. In the center of the mosaic, which was cracked and broken from the weight of the fallen pillars, sprang a few lavender flowers fighting their way through the shattered rubble.

"Garoche Tarkin's final folly." He muttered to himself, his own voice sounding foreign even to these broken walls.

Spoiler

I'm so glad you agree!

This space, the disturbed stones and the mosaic, stirred as he entered it. Something lingered in its energy: the memory of tightly clasped hands acted as an undercurrent to the animalistic rage that poured itself into the dark side of this spot.

There were four perceiavable Force signatures in all. Garoche's was recognizable at this point, the faintness of his connection made stronger by the cat's tooth and the events that had occured here. There was an outpouring of fear, love, and uncertainty that sank deep into the stonework, spreading out into the entire cathedral. Then there were two others--one hardly formed at all and largely hidden by the other. The owner of the latter was confident, intelligent and self-assured. Only at the end did the signature falter. Then there was Vader's Force signature.

It overwhelmed the entire space, choked the light from the cathedral and cast shadow over any beauty that had once been here. Unceasing torment permeated every nook and cranny. Strangely though, there was also guilt and love laced through it.

The two intertwined Force signatures were the first to subside, one after the other in almost immediate succession. Beyond that, the remaining two--Garoche and Vader--showed shreds of numb agony that stretched over the course of days. The taste of dust and blood was almost tangible, making it a suffocating experience to perceive the two signatures. Garoche's blood dried and became tacky on the stone, his pelvis and ribs shattered beyond hope. Conscious until the end, he faded after two days under the rubble.

Vader's set of feelings went on for almost a week, drifting between a sense of loss and an unspeakable craving for rest. Vader's consciousness was clearly limited. It was a battle of wills taking place in a single body even as it bled and shuddered, but it all became muddled as other memories and signatures crowded in all at once--many feet had tread here after the fall of the cathedral.

Those who had once stood here now remained only as shadows, and for all of his strength, Sirejj could only catch glimpses of what had occurred. Vader's presence was still smothering the life force of this place.

Sirejj had not expected to feel these things so deeply. He held the cat's tooth delicately in the palm of his dirt covered hand. It shone white in the rising moonlight. He saw in his mind the broken bodies on the ground at his feet. The Atoan priestess, regal and proud even in death, her body all but shattered, the second soul within her snuffed of life before even having the opportunity to draw its first breath. The young imperial officer, broken beyond recognition in both mind and body, had died covering them both from the monstrous pillars that had been brought down upon their heads.

In his hearts arose the sting of anger and heartbreak, the likes of which he had never felt before. The pain and fear he had sensed in Garoche on Eriadu was nothing compared to what he felt here. Here is where it all came to an end. Garoche had fought his entire life to find his path, but he had born, lived, and died lost.

But he had also loved. Hiding beneath all of the trauma and brokenness there was a little spark of something Sirejj had only seen a few times in Garoche's memories. When he was a young child, before he'd been taught that joy was a weakness. When he was older, but still found safety and comfort in the arms of his mother. To his death he had loved, but even that had been fruitless in the end. All that remained were bloodstains and splintered bones.

The last image before all turned to dust was that of Saro's raised hands and the deafening cracks of the stone as it collapsed. He looked out towards where another disturbance had been made in the fallen debris, but as the world fell in around them, all he saw was the unmistakable outstretched leather clad hand of Vader, reaching to crush what remaining light was left in the falling shadows.

Sirejj closed his eyes, his jaw clenched tightly. He took a deep breath, the coldness of the air driving out some of the anger beginning to simmer within him. A low growl arose in his chest as he reached down and pulled the commlink from one of his pouches.

The wrong Tarkin had died here.

Spoiler

You got me close to tears there dude

Tarkin was drifting into another restless doze when his comm buzzed. He shot upright, rubbing at his eyes as he pressed down the button.
"Sirejj?" He shouldn't have been surprised; he'd been waiting for this. But it felt like it had been weeks. Tarkin checked the time--it had been a few days. "What do you have for me?"

Spoiler

I can write sad things pretty well. basic character descriptions? no. heartbreaking scenes with just enough detail to be mildly disturbing and emotionally painful? yes.

also parallelism. English is so fun. I'm going to town on all the consistent references we've somehow managed to keep up with in a type of writing that's literally improvisation

"Come to the cathedral, I have your answers." Was all he said. His tone held a hint of unusual sharpness, devoid of his usual mischief and indifference.

Spoiler

I CANNOT wait for Tarkin to witness this. I can't wait to write the Garoche scene and I can't wait to see how Sirejj reacts.

Tarkin raised an eyebrow. "You won't elaborate?" He got up and slid into the cockpit, scratching his chin. A bit of stubble pricked his fingers, and he frowned. Nevermind--time to shave later. Something sounded off; Sirejj wasn't himself.

It could be a trap. Tarkin considered it; he would put the ship down a bit further off so he could observe from afar first. Just in case.
Alternatively, Sirejj could have learned something unfavorable. That was probably the more likely thing, but he wasn't sure. He couldn't be sure til he got down there.

"I'll be with you in approximately one hour," Tarkin said, not waiting for Sirejj's answer.

Spoiler

listen im here for it Sirejj has become emotionally involved at this point for one reason or another and i can't wait for him to get angry here now that Tarkin is on level ground with him. there's no servants or troopers to protect him here.

the plot. the imagery. asdfghjkl

Sirejj clicked the button on the commlink and silence again settled over the scene of destruction. He turned and climbed out of the dent in the ground. There was one pillar, wedged sideways in the ground, that was mostly intact. It leaned treacherously over what was left of the fallen roof of the cathedral. Sirejj approached it and then leapt into the air, landing lightly on the top of the leaning pillar. He balanced there, standing and looking out over the landscape from his perch. He waited.

Spoiler

When we get to the point where the illusion comes about, expect me to either take a very long time or for it to flow out of me in ten minutes flat.

Tarkin didn't take long to enter the atmosphere and set his ship down about two miles from the cathedral. He tried to walk at a steady pace, but anticipation and the sudden wide open space lengthened his gait until he was weaving through the crystal growths at a fair clip. The cathedral loomed up sooner than expected, and Tarkin tucked himself out of sight to observe the situation before he approached.

Spoiler

listen take as long as u need thats why i didn't post all day, i needed to get home to my laptop to make this make sense. i hATE posting from my phone. hate it.

i think Sirejj might try to use his words first and then if Tarkin throws a fit he'll be like "you know what fine see for yourself, i cast existential crisis"

Sirejj sensed his presence well before he arrived. He was approaching carefully, the usual snaking distrust even more evident under these circumstances. Sirejj was crouched atop the pillar still, visible against the moonlight if one was looking. But he was still, waiting for Tarkin to appear. His sharp eyes watched for any movement in the dim light. His jaw was still set. The longer this rested on his shoulders, the more irritable he became. Let the man show his face and be done.