Myriad Reckonings

Tarkin slowed his pace slightly, dropping back to talk with Vader after a little while. His mind tended to wander when he was quiet, and that wouldn't do.
"You've camped like this during the Clone Wars, I presume," he said. He was more at ease discussing Vader's past than he had been a few years ago. Vader had never confirmed that he was Anakin and Tarkin had never asked, but after they had chased down his ship The Carrion Spike, they had grown more trusting of one another. They simply spoke of the past without acknowledging it.

"Frequently." He said. "Often without much more than a tarp over my head." He had almost said, over our heads, but remembering the names of individuals that did not bode well for his stability. Even the pointless names of soldiers still brought back unpleasant memories if they crossed his mind.

"Then this will be no different, except there are no droids to worry about." Tarkin smiled to himself; if there was one planet where the Separatists would have struggled to find a foothold, it was this one. Dooku had been smart to leave it unmolested--it was a Tactical decision as well as a favor to Tarkin. "I half miss the target practice, to be frank. Not much else."

"I remember being impressed that the separatists never managed to plant their roots here." Vader said. It would have been difficult. Eriadu had never been a hospitable place, even for droids. "Most of them were not intelligent enough to discern the worlds they burned."

"That was pre-arranged," Tarkin informed him. "Dooku...implied that he was about to make a move a short time before the war started. I declined his offer to join him, and as a favor to a friend he promised that Eriadu would remain untouched." He wondered how Vader might feel about that exemption, having witnessed so much pain and suffering on other worlds. There was an unfairness to Tarkin's advantage, to be sure, but he felt he had paid in full for the deal while imprisoned in the Citadel. Dooku had not held back in that regard.

"Interesting." Vader mused, mulling over that information for a moment. This was news to him. "Dooku broke many promises to friends during the war. I wonder what made him spare this place." He considered Dooku to have been a liar and a coward. He'd not been strong enough to live up to his master's demands and so had suffered a fitting end. He wondered if Dooku had doubted his ability to take Eriadu with the Tarkins in control. It probably was not worth the risk of his probable failure to attempt to control that world.

"He and my father shared many drinks," Tarkin replied. "We came to be close friends, as well--the Dookus and the Tarkins have been allies for generations." Also, suspecting what had for some time suspected about Palpatine's role in the Clone Wars, he had a feeling that turning the Tarkins against the Separatists entirely with something so personal as a conquest would not have served the Emperor's goals. He wasn't sure how much of that side of things Vader knew, though, and so he kept silent.

"Strange. The way fate plays out." He looked back out over the grasslands and watched, feeling the movements of far distant creatures. He seemed to think about that for a while.

Vader felt a strange familiarity here. It reminded him of his missions during the war nearly a decade ago. He could not help but remember the rush of fresh air. The feeling of the living ground beneath him. Back when things felt alive.

No, that wouldn't do. They were here to hunt. This was a place of death, and it was fitting for the two of them to be here. They were here to conquer like they had done together many times before.

Tarkin glanced up at him as he waded through the grass. It was always a bit difficult holding conversations with the Sith; the mask made it hard to tell what he was feeling or if he was even paying attention. That had improved as they had gotten reacquainted with one another over the past three years, but he still had trouble reading him.
"Indeed," he said finally, then hesitated. "Was it all worth it?" he asked. "Losing everything in the name of Palpatine or the Empire?"

Vader was silent for some time. A cold breeze circled around them, whipping the grasses about them as they walked. For a while, all that could be heard were his heavy footfalls and steady breaths through his respirator.

"It was." He said at length, but there was a simmering darkness in his voice. Had Tarkin been sensitive to the force, he might have sensed other things, but Vader could hide his pain and anger from those who could only see with their eyes. The past was not a thing to consider again. There was no changing it. He'd had no choice. He'd been betrayed, and in his newfound strength, those who opposed him would burn.

There was no use wondering what if things had turned out differently. Though sometimes he wished, with whatever heart was left in him, that they had.

Spoiler

totally not foreshadowing now

Spoiler

Hehe

"You've gained much, certainly," Tarkin mused, pushing a grass stalk out of his way. "More than you ever could have dreamed of back before the rise of the Empire. Fear is a powerful thing." He smiled to himself. "And you are far and away the most feared man in the galaxy. I envy you that, sometimes, but it's an honor to stand at your side. From where I stand, anything is worth sacrificing for such notoriety."

"Wise words as always, Governor." Vader said, his voice settling some. He took pride in the terror he brought to the galaxy. "Though do not discredit yourself. You wield the weapon of fear with more skill than the vast majority."

"It's an efficient tool," he admitted. "A favorite of mine, as you know."

Some time passed, and they were still deep in the grasslands. A treeline could be seen now, though, tall and thick. The sun was well past its peak. Tarkin pointed into the forest. "We'll head about a mile or two into the underbrush, then make camp," he said to him. "I'll worry about marking the boundaries while you gather firewood. Then we'll find ourselves some dinner." He'd already spotted some herbs growing among the grass and picked them as he walked; one of his many pockets was full of the fragrant plants. Seasoning was hard to come by here and he was perfectly capable of eating meat unadorned or even raw, but he preferred to fancy it up a little bit for his palates sake. It was bad enough that years of eating uncooked and sometimes infested meat had permanently damaged his stomach; he might as well make what he could eat a bit more pleasant.

Spoiler

im here. brain fried from staying up so late at the movies. but am i gonna watch acolyte instead of going to bed early? yes.

it's had a lot of bad reviews but whatever I think I can appreciate it for what it is

He gave the slightest hint of a nod but mostly kept on in silence.

As they entered the forest Vader sensed a change. He felt as if many eyes were turned upon him and Tarkin. He glanced at his companion, who appeared to be unbothered by this.

While the grasslands appeared peaceful, at least under the light of day, the forest was a different animal entirely. The tall trees cast crawling shadows onto the tangled underbrush below. The twisted roots of the trees did their best to swallow the narrow footpaths which Tarkin easily maneuvered, but Vader had some trouble. The woods closed around them as they walked, completely blocking the sight of the open grasslands.

There were things in these woods that had lived on the surface of Eriadu before humans had even set foot there. Species of things not many lived to see and tell about. Vader sensed the Force around him darken. He felt the hearts of many wild things beating in the far distance. He felt their attention turn as they realized their woodlands had been invaded.

He looked up at the canopy above. A few rays of light made their way through the branches and flickered on the jungle floor like so many stars. His heavy footfalls trampled over them. The air became cold and heavy. This was an unfriendly place.

Spoiler

Me too. I'm over the moon about the characters and I will steadfastly ignore the reviews.

Tarkin's eyes adjusted slowly to the dimmer light. The heat was less oppressive in the jungle, but the canopy trapped the water and the humidity made breathing a trial. Insects buzzed around them and a few of the more persistent ones tried to squirm under Vader's helmet. Finding Tarkin an easier target, eventually they swarmed around him. He moved through the cloud calmly, swatting away any that got too close to his face.

He scanned the forest, glancing up at the canopy a couple times. There were birds and small primates up in the trees--bullies and thieves that would steal anything they didn't tie down. He'd kill a few of them for dinner, maybe. They were easy to trap and as the sun dipped below the horizon he knew they needed to focus their efforts on establishing a shelter.

"How was it?" he asked as they clambered over a rocky hill together. "Seeing forests and lakes for the first time, when you came from Tatooine."