"That's Lord Vader's tendency, not Wilhuff's." Thalassa gave him a little wave. "I'll be out here. Best of luck to you, Sirejj. And thank you."
"The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear. Remember that." -Karis Nemik
"No. Thank you My Lady. You perhaps saved my head today. I will remember that." He gave a nod of his head before opening the door and stepping back into the house. He must be careful. He quickly made his way towards Tarkin's office, feeling with the force to sense where Vader was. He could absolutely not bump into him again.
Fey he seemed, or the battle-fury of his fathers ran like new fire in his veins, and he was borne up on Snowmane like a god of old, even as Oromë the Great in the battle of the Valar when the world was young. - The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
Vader had retreated to his meditation chamber to calm his thoughts, furious that he had been so easily worked up. He was determined to learn what Sirejj was keeping from him, but he needed to do so when he was in a better headspace. The discussion of Atoa had completely unbalanced him.
Tarkin was seated in his office, poring over a data table with financial records for Project Stardust lit up in front of him. They were nearing completion, but the laser itself was proving difficult. There were simply too many resources to acquire, and with the TIE Defenders that Thrawn had designed jockeying for the Emperor's attention, he felt they might not meet their deadline. He had to undermine that project somehow, to show the Emperor that concentrating their energy on many small projects would be less than ideal in the long term.
They needed a show of force, a massive weapon that would strike true terror into the hearts of any insurgents who dared take up arms against them. Fear would rule, and peace would follow. TIE Defenders were basically inviting insurgents to fight. With the Death Star, there was no option but surrender.
"The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear. Remember that." -Karis Nemik
Sirejj, sensing that Vader was nowhere nearby and keeping his signature as hidden in the veil as possible, quickly reached Tarkin's office. He knocked on the door. "Governor Tarkin."
Fey he seemed, or the battle-fury of his fathers ran like new fire in his veins, and he was borne up on Snowmane like a god of old, even as Oromë the Great in the battle of the Valar when the world was young. - The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
"Enter." Tarkin swept the records away with a wave of his hand and pulled up a much less classified document, studying it with pretended interest.
"The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear. Remember that." -Karis Nemik
Sirejj came in and shut the door behind him. He knew he still probably looked a little ruffled. That didn't matter much. He crossed the room and stood in front of Tarkin's desk.
"I think we should rethink pressing Vader any further." He said, getting right to the point.
Fey he seemed, or the battle-fury of his fathers ran like new fire in his veins, and he was borne up on Snowmane like a god of old, even as Oromë the Great in the battle of the Valar when the world was young. - The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
Tarkin leaned back in his chair, looking Sirejj up and down. He looked harried, as if he'd run twelve miles to get here with a pack of veermoks breathing down his back.
"I presume this has something to do with your appearance," he said after a pause, gesturing. "You let him corner you?"
"The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear. Remember that." -Karis Nemik
"I didn't let him do anything." He hissed. "But he did approach me." Thinking back on Vader's massive gloved hand reaching for his face curdled his insides. "And he's perhaps more suspicious than we suspected." Sirejj shifted his weight from one leg to the next.
Fey he seemed, or the battle-fury of his fathers ran like new fire in his veins, and he was borne up on Snowmane like a god of old, even as Oromë the Great in the battle of the Valar when the world was young. - The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
Tarkin's heart skipped a beat. "Suspicious of you or me? Or both of us?" It was possible Vader was only suspicious of Sirejj because of the circumstances under which the Nightbrother had met Tarkin. And the fact that he was a Force-sensitive who hadn't been forced into the Inquisitorius. That had to be the reason. They were being careful, weren't they? Vader was suspicious of everyone and everything.
"The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear. Remember that." -Karis Nemik
"Me alone I believe, but I do not think it would take much for that suspicion to spread elsewhere." He fixed his eyes on Tarkin. "But..." He took a deep breath, furrowing his brow. "He feels I'm hiding something from him. And I've no idea how he came to that conclusion. I believe it would be safer for our cause to leave him be." They would have to find some other method of gathering answers.
Fey he seemed, or the battle-fury of his fathers ran like new fire in his veins, and he was borne up on Snowmane like a god of old, even as Oromë the Great in the battle of the Valar when the world was young. - The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
"He's paranoid," Tarkin said, letting out a small breath. "That's all. If you give him the slightest inkling that you're not telling him everything, he starts to worry." Thank the stars. "Stay away from him until he leaves. That's my advice." He was quiet for a moment, thinking about how best to navigate the situation. He wanted to push Vader further, but if he was already this unstable then maybe Sirejj was right. They needed to take a step back and dig elsewhere.
"Alright," he said finally. "We'll keep off the subject of Atoa and let him go in peace. We've had our brush with fire for the day, I think."
"The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear. Remember that." -Karis Nemik
currently being stalked and attacked by this 1 pound kitten. He is a beast
"That's one way of putting it." Sirejj growled. "He currently believes you're paying me to be your bodyguard... hunter... whatever. But he seems to think I'm perhaps up to something against you. I have given up no information regarding our mission I can assure you."
Fey he seemed, or the battle-fury of his fathers ran like new fire in his veins, and he was borne up on Snowmane like a god of old, even as Oromë the Great in the battle of the Valar when the world was young. - The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
Sounds like he's feeling better though! What a little champ.
"Let him believe that. It's safer than the truth." He exited the document on his desk so he could look Sirejj fully in the eye. "You will be absent at dinner tonight. I'll handle things; he still trusts me. I'd like to keep it that way."
"The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear. Remember that." -Karis Nemik
"That may raise more suspicion." As much as he did not want to be at dinner, they could not play into Vader's hand. If they indeed had nothing to hide, Tarkin would just order Sirejj to show up and get over his feelings. "And...there's one other matter."
Fey he seemed, or the battle-fury of his fathers ran like new fire in his veins, and he was borne up on Snowmane like a god of old, even as Oromë the Great in the battle of the Valar when the world was young. - The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
"And that is?" Tarkin raised an eyebrow. Good news, he hoped. Vader's outburst had killed any optimism he'd had about tonight. He supposed Sirejj should come along, so long as he was careful and didn't say a word. He wished people could simply cease thinking without dying.
"The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear. Remember that." -Karis Nemik
