Myriad Reckonings

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fantastic. super excited for the scenery and the history behind it all.

when we getting a show with some tarkin content is my question? like younger him or something. though I've got a feeling they might mess it up real bad. it's also such a brutal history it's kinda hard to make it palatable for the general public

Before dawn had broken, Vader had felt Tarkin milling about the compound. He had always been an early riser. Even deep within his meditation, he sensed his movements as he'd prepared for their journey.

Vader was honored that Tarkin had offered to show him the Carrion. He'd heard him speak of it before and had sensed the great pride within him as he remembered overcoming the trials. The pain and terror he'd had to dominate from such a young age...it had bred a warrior that many Sith could only dream of becoming.

They had moved out early when the sun had barely risen over the horizon. Few words had been spoken at their departure. It was as if they were on a hunt- it was not the time for idle conversation. The creatures of the night were travelling back to their resting places, as if aware of the presence that approached them. They were silent. The only sound was the hum of their speeders as they travelled the narrow path. Wilhuff Tarkin lead the way. Vader, close behind, watched him every so slightly closer than usual.

Vader had spent much of the night in thought. He had tried to drown the turbulent feelings of the past two days, but in the back of his mind still lurked the questions. That unknown thing that seemed to be under Tarkin's skin. He was no closer to discovering it than he'd been the day before, and it forever agitated him.

The interaction with the Nightbrother had done little to soothe his questions. That one was certainly keeping something from him. The Lady Tarkin had appeared all too soon and taken the prey from his hands. His lies had been less than convincing, his terror doing little to support his plea of honesty. Tarkin should tread lightly around that one and perhaps dispose of him as soon as his usefulness had ended. He'd gladly see to it it the Zabrak was never heard from again if Tarkin requested it. And while he was at it, he'd find his answers.

The assassin was another matter entirely. She had been of little use to them. Perhaps the ISB would discover something, but he doubted they would find more than he'd already discovered. The series of recent events had been perplexing.

Hopefully this journey would help dispel some of those feelings.

He noticed Tarkin slow his speeder and followed suit. His mind was brought back to the present and he saw them coming into clearing. This must be where they would leave the speeders.

Tarkin had not bothered to hide his anticipation of the upcoming hunt. His blood was up before they even left the compound, and as he dismounted his speeder now it was clear a change had taken place. On an average day, he carried himself with relaxed air of authority and propriety. His posture was rigid, granted, but the way he conducted himself was full of self-assured power. He was a man who knew he was dangerous from a political and military standpoint, and he wasn't afraid to show it.

Now, though, that relaxed demeanor took on a different form. The slope of his shoulders, the light in his eyes, his soft steps were all that of a predator, a creature who thought only of the hunt. He was a physical threat, now more than ever before. This was his home turf.

Tarkin had pushed all thoughts of Garoche as far away as he possibly could, and the smell of leaf litter and the humid forest took his attention almost completely. As much as he adored the sterile atmospheres of Coruscant and the Star Destroyers, there was nothing he liked better than how his senses came alive in the Carrion. He was eager to see how it would be different, now that he was on the hunt with a Sith by his side. The killing would certainly be no challenge for Vader, but the weather and the ceaseless sounds of the night may grate on his delicate nerves. They would have to see.

He had briefly debated introducing Vader to Jova, while they were there, but Jova had a tendency to disappear when he wished not to be disturbed. It was likely they wouldn't find him unless he allowed it. Tarkin didn't mind that overmuch; it was a trick he himself had employed many times.

The clearing that Tarkin had stopped them at was oddly well-maintained, with clipped grass and a few metal speeder-locks that would secure their vehicles for the duration of the outing. A clear-cut path led away toward a rocky slope, which Tarkin had traversed more times than he could possibly count. This, too, would probably be difficult for Vader's bulky frame to handle. But it was the only way to get onto the actual Plateau from here.

Dressed in loose cargo pants and a multipocketed canvas vest over a light shirt, Tarkin rolled his shoulders and rocked back on his heels excitedly. It had been too long since he'd tested his mettle in the Carrion; he had packed very little in his bag. He planned on keeping things simple this time around--going back to basics, as it were. With less falling, of course.
"We climb up the slope there," he said to Vader, pointing ahead toward the path. His giddiness showed in how swiftly he turned to look back at his friend; had he been a man with less self-control he'd have already taken off running. "Will you be able to manage that?"

Vader had noted the change with some amusement. He looked up the slope.

"I shall manage." Vader said steadily. His armor allowed him to be more agile than he appeared, though Tarkin, unencumbered and in familiar territory, would certainly be faster. He carried little but his weapon. He felt his heartrate quicken slightly. Tarkin's energy was contagious. While he would never show the glee that Tarkin expressed, he could certainly enjoy the hunt.

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No but seriously I've been dying for a Tarkin show for ages. The next Tales of the Empire had better do him justice.
But the book also achieves the same thing much better than I think a show could.

"Excellent." Without further ado, Tarkin started off down the path. "Take care; some of the rocks are loose. And watch for the mud." Though he was fifty-three and certainly wasn't as spry as he used to be, he moved with the ease of a man half his age as he reached the slope and grasped the first stone. It was bumpy with small ridges from the hands of countless Tarkins before him, each of them climbing upwards toward the brutal world above. He remembered the first time he'd made the climb, barely eleven years old and trembling with adrenaline from the speeder ride. Jova and his cousins had taken him away in the middle of dinner, their presence unannounced but expected by everyone. They had been surprised when young Wilhuff had rushed upstairs and returned with a homemade vest of his own along with a pair of brand new macrobinoculars. Those had been broken within the first week, and the vest was torn and bloodied by the end of the very first night. The vest he had on now would likely meet the same fate.

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just reading it makes me want to take off into the woods and just go

also, i feel like Vader would definitely square up with some giant wild animal and tear it apart with his bare hands. or try.

Vader followed. Mud or quicksand could prove difficult for him to navigate. He reached out, feeling the terrain beneath him. He felt for the rocks which would give him the strongest handhold, avoiding those which barely clung to the steep ledge. He followed Tarkin, impressed at the agility of the older man.

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He should definitely try.

"When we reach the top," Tarkin said as he hoisted himself up to another handhold, "we won't have much cover. It's all grasslands for about ten miles. You'll attract attention--hopefully the kind where we won't be hunted within the first hour." Vader's size meant that he probably wouldn't look like anything the creatures here wanted to tackle. Still, there were a few large and ambitious beasts that might try it. And one never knew with the veermoks. Tarkin smiled to himself at the thought of them. The foolish creatures still went after him, after all this time.

"We will see." Vader was certainly slower than Tarkin but he held his own pace. It had been a long time since he had been out in the wilds and though it was strenuous travel, the thought of an actual challenge was refreshing. The galaxy had become tame since the reign of the empire had begun, leaving not much room for him to use his brute strength.

He was eager to test that here.

It took a painfully long time to scale the plateau's rock face, but Tarkin took only one break before he reached the top. He rolled himself onto flat ground, exhaling and letting his tense limbs relax for a moment before he peered back down to see how far behind Vader was. Seeing he still had a ways to go, he laid down and stared up at the sky.

As he'd said, there was an abundant grassland all around him with flowering plants growing everywhere and the buzz of insects filling his ears. The grass itself came up to his chest at its tallest, and the area he was in was about knee-height. It framed the bright blue sky above with faded yellow, and a slight breeze blew clouds overhead. The sun was at its peak by now, casting the clouds' shadows like black paint over the meadow.
Tarkin remembered the first time his son had seen this view. Sweaty and already fatigued from the perilous climb, he had fallen flat in the grass just as Tarkin lay now and emptied his water canteen into his mouth without a care for the hardships he would later face. He was naive; the beauty of the plateau overwhelmed him. After nearly falling on the climb up, he was eager to explore a place he believed was no threat to him. By the evening, the spring in his step had faded.

Tarkin remembered sitting around the campfire with Jova while Garoche washed his first wounds in a stream. Jova had told him then that the boy didn't stand a chance out here, and Tarkin had agreed. But letting him die was not an option. Thalassa, pushy as always, had shouldered her way into the most sacred of traditions and threatened Tarkin into keeping Garoche alive no matter the cost. The consequences would be dire, she warned him, and he knew she meant it.
At the time, he had argued that it went directly against the lessons they were supposed to learn out there. Now, though, he wondered if he went along with it not because of the Treacle's looming shadow, but because of the four crescent scars on the back of his hand where Thalassa had clenched her fingers so tightly as she pushed their son into the world. He carried them with him always, that reminder of her will and strength, and after Garoche was born he held him in his arms, still bleeding from the hand, and looked into his wide brown eyes. Perhaps the scars and that startled gaze had both contributed to his own weakness.

Tarkin raised his left hand and squinted up at the little marks. They were faded now, pale and taut over his bones, but he still felt a little pang when he saw them. His face stiffened, and he sat up to clear his head. What was he doing? Reminiscence was dangerous in this environment, not just because of stalking predators but because of the man directly below.

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gosh these are such cool characters I can't even. Tarkin is such an interesting character here and you write him so brilliantly. Like he's evil but you can't help but like him here. It's hard to see someone as 10000% evil when you show their humanity.

I think that's why Sirejj and Tarkin have an interesting dynamic, because the Nightsister philosophy is different from most people's idea of good and evil. Probably the only reason he can stand being around him while not being totally on the "evil" side.

When Vader reached the top, he was slightly winded. His heavy hand dug into the ground as he pulled himself up with surprising ease, despite the sound of his quickened respirations. He adjusted his respirator to deliver a higher concentration of oxygen and his breathing slowed slightly.

He looked over the grasslands, noticing he was the tallest and most noticeable thing for miles. He would certainly stand out, perhaps as a threat first, but then as a target. Good, let them come. It was a beautiful place to be sure, but it was a hunting ground, and beneath that beauty lie a hundred years of trials and bloodshed. Those who came there either fought and won, or perished. Far in the distance he could feel the subtle movements of creatures far larger than he was who may try their luck when darkness fell.

He turned his head to Tarkin, who had beaten him to the top of the ledge and stood there waiting. His expression was as eager as ever. He wasn't sure if he'd ever seen the man express this level of enthusiasm.

"So this is the plateau." He watched the movements of the grasses, his senses tuning in to the world around him. "It is an honor to see the place of your trials."

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Holy cannoli that is a HIGH compliment. You don't know how much that means to me, Chie; I've tried so hard to write him as honestly as possible. Warts and all.

That's a really good point too about Sirejj. I'm so curious to see how their dynamic pans out, whether Sirejj deems him someone he can respect or grow to like or not.

"This is it." Tarkin rested his hands on his hips and exhaled. "It changes so much and so little all at once; I'm surprised every time." He surveyed the land around them, then pointed west. "We're going to travel that way, towards the jungle. We'll have cover there, and a place to set up the tent." He'd brought one large tent, folded up in a compartment the size of his head. It would provide him and Vader with cover from the rains and perhaps a little warmth during the night, but there was little it could do against the claws of an urtog or the weight of a charging dalour ox. For that, they'd need to mark their territory and set clear boundaries. Tarkin would show Vader how to do that and how to mask his scent, though he suspected his companion wouldn't have as much to worry about in that regard.

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you've made me really like a character who before these rps I only knew was some crusty old dude who got blown up on the death Star. Like he's genuinely become one of the coolest characters. And I've not tried to read the books or anything so it's all new info.

Respect probably but that will take time. They're gonna have some big conflicts probably before they get things sorted out. This entire ordeal is making Sirejj rethink a lot of things. They'll probably have a time of not getting along after the Garoche thing is revealed. To be fair, Tarkin probably won't be getting along with anyone after that for a while.

"Let'e get moving then." Vader was trusting Tarkin to be his guide. He knew the older man was in his home territory. Vader was used to being in a position of control, but he trusted Tarkin enough to lead the way here. And that was a high complement.

Still, he was aware of his surroundings and the feelings of those around him. Every so often he'd focus on Tarkin, both curious to see what crossed his mind and still somewhat suspicious of whatever Tarkin had been thinking about these past couple days. The latter seemed less of a concern now that they were far from the stifling walls of that house.

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Definitely do read the Tarkin novel. It's well written and entertaining! It doesn't make him sympathetic, necessarily, or certainly not as much as I have--but that's because Garoche and Thalassa aren't canon characters so they don't exist in it.
But it shows how intense and repeated trauma shaped someone who, for a brief moment in his life, was a sweet, thoughtful little boy into the type of person who can destroy billions of lives without a thought. It's a brilliant book, and he and Vader do get to take an extended road trip.

Tarkin's mind showed mostly eagerness and intense focus on the surrounding world. He was fully in tune with the landscape while also looking ahead to what they would do later to prepare for night. At the very back of it, though, thoughts of his son still lingered.

He started off in that direction, sliding his hunting rifle out of its straps on his backpack. One never knew what might leap out at you from the grass; he'd been ambushed by all manner of creature on this walk before.

"Watch for pin-kin holes," he warned Vader, glancing over his shoulder. "They're all over. The warrens collapse sometimes and create unstable ground." Jova had fallen into one once and rolled his ankle badly enough that he'd had to be carried to the campsite. One of Tarkin's distant cousins was undergoing his initiation at that point, so Tarkin had taken the lead on the whole thing with Jova's blessing. The boy, who had come all the way from the planet Eadu, bled and starved his way through that first summer without complaint, but it was clear to Tarkin he wouldn't be the same afterward. He'd been too busy to attend the other summer trips for the rest of that cousin's initiation, but Jova reported that he did manage to pass the final trial.

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Not me making up alien names on the fly

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might have to read it except then I'll be mad because I like ur version better lol

Also relatively chill Vader is so hard to write. Unhinged angry vader is way easier.

Sirejj and Tarkin hunting either with or against each other would be wild. Honestly not sure who would win.

Tarkin seemed to become part of the landscape as they traveled. He blended in due to his dull clothing, but his movements were like the wild creatures of the forest. Vader noted his careful but deliberate pace and was very conscious of his own bulky movements. Even though he was startlingly mobile for the amount of biomechanics attached to him, he was still a hulk compared to Tarkin.

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No I think Luceno portrays Tarkin perfectly for what he is. I'm trying to write Tarkin as if he had a son, and that means I have to anticipate how he might react when in a vulnerable position like this. Luceno's Tarkin has never lost a son, he's only ever had occasion to grieve for his father (if he did at all) and for a group of settlers ravaged by pirates. This is a new facet to him.

I think Tarkin and Sirejj would end up competing even if they started out fairly chill on a hunt.

A deerlike creature startled out of the tall grass as Tarkin passed. He gave no reaction other than to briefly scan the area for anything besides themselves that might have frightened it. Far off in the distance there was something moving through the grass, but it didn't appear to be moving toward him. Satisfied that they weren't being tracked, he kept moving.

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they would. They can't help but constantly be in competition. Sirejj lives to defy authority and testing Tarkin is a fantastic passtime. He's like yeah the hunting is great but have you seen how scary he gets when you rile him lol

Vader noticed those things as well, though he seemed more inquisitive than his friend. He made little effort to hide his presence. Instead, he observed the little things as they moved forward. Any creature that came after him would instantly regret it.

He'd like to get his hands on something strong enough to put up a fight for once.