Chapter 331
When he received the message from the First Sector Army's personnel office about his new assignment, accompanied by a short note from Chancellor Palpatine, Wilhuff immediately realized: this was the moment he had been waiting for for nearly twenty years. And for the first time in so long, he had a chance to advance in his career and begin making his dreams come true.
Wilhuff Tarkin was born into the Tarkin family, an ancient, wealthy, and powerful clan that settled on the Outer Rim planet of Eriadu over seven hundred years ago, during yet another conquest. Over the course of more than twenty-five thousand years, at least three dozen similar undertakings had been attempted, but most had failed, and after each one, the Outer Rim reverted to Wild Space, uncontrolled by the Republic or anyone else. However, various bandits and pirates thrived there.
Unlike other attempts to colonize the Outer Rim, the last one was more or less successful. While the colonists failed to establish themselves on many planets, the situation did improve. Eriadu, a planet in the Seswenna sector, became the new home of the Tarkins, who subsequently became one of the planet's elite families, influencing its politics.
He and his younger brother, Gideon Tarkin, grew up in a family steeped in tradition, and were thus well-versed in politics, science, art, and military affairs. While Tarkin was proud of his family's history of service to the Galactic Republic and achievements on Eriadu, he resented the lack of respect his Outer Rim-based clan received compared to the aristocratic families of the Core Worlds, fueling his burning desire to be better.
In his youth, Tarkin entered the military academy. Accustomed to living up to every aspect of his family legacy, young Wilhuff Tarkin honed his expertise in many fields, establishing a reputation as an intellectual and gifted individual with a well-rounded mind. He demonstrated great tactical ability during his training, took his first steps in xenobiology theory, and demonstrated considerable talent as a poet and philosopher.
However, he was unable to fully realize his talent — the system itself, rife with obstacles, bureaucracy, and bribery, hindered him. In light of all this, Tarkin began to perceive the Galactic Republic as a decaying institution and understood that such a future would lead to nothing good for the galaxy. He dreamed of a new state — strong, militaristic, authoritarian, and anthropocentric — and therefore, he had a strong desire to rise to the echelons of power, where he could influence the situation.
But for a native of the Outer Rim, it wasn't easy. His military career wasn't particularly successful — there were simply no large-scale conflicts, and advancement in peacetime wasn't exactly swift. Yes, he rose to the top military official in his sector, but… It took more than ten years. There were no further prospects. And so Wilhuff decided to enter politics. However, he didn't have much success in this field either — no one took the ambitions of the young upstart seriously.
And then he met Palpatine, then still a young man from Naboo. His talent and political success earned Tarkin respect. After several conversations, he was convinced that Palpatine shared his beliefs. All that remained was to wait. And the wait was rewarded: just two years later the Naboo incident occurred, and Palpatine became Chancellor.
Tarkin had previously attempted to navigate between various political factions, but after witnessing the dramatic changes in the political situation, he made a final decision and began working more closely with Palpatine's administration. And he was right. The Chancellor's support was not something to be squandered. Tarkin gained some notoriety in galactic political circles for his militaristic views, but most importantly, he became part of Palpatine's growing cabal, which also included numerous sentient beings: Sate Pestage, Kinman Doriana, Janus Greejatus, Sim Aloo… Their goal was the downfall of the Old Republic and the establishment of the so-called "New Order."
Wilhuff watched the unfolding events closely. The Separatist crisis and the subsequent war had helped the Chancellor advance significantly, accumulating more and more power in his hands. Tarkin, meanwhile, had been drafted into the army — with the rank of captain. He had first defended Eriadu, then been sent to Coruscant, to the operational reserve. Now, three months after his arrival, he had received a new assignment. It wasn't exactly prestigious, and the fact that he was being assigned to a Jedi didn't exactly delight him. His duties often brought him into contact with them — and he didn't understand them.
The Order wielded enormous power, but it didn't exercise it. This didn't stop its members from being overly arrogant and meddling in areas of activity in which they were, at the very least, incompetent. However, the Chancellor's message, advising him to take a closer look at this Jedi, intrigued him.
Arriving at his duty station in the company of other transferred officers, he finally found himself before that very Jedi — Dagon Marek. The impression he left upon meeting him was… strange. On the one hand, he was a cheerful young man, completely unlike the usual, stiff Jedi. He spoke casually to his subordinates, called them by their first names, even joked. He perfectly fit the description used in the lower echelons of Eriadu society: "a gentleman." On the other hand… He was very stern, giving orders without hesitation, confident they would be carried out without any objections. And then there was his gaze… He looked at each of the new arrivals, as if assessing them, weighing and measuring them. A somewhat unpleasant sensation.
Immediately after being introduced to their superiors, the officers received their assignments. And there were some oddities. He was assigned to a high officer, and a woman, no less. After analyzing the situation, Wilhuff concluded that this was some kind of test: Marek clearly knew about Tarkin's connection to Palpatine; it was also possible that Vikt himself had some dealings with the Chancellor. Rumor had it that the Chancellor had invited him to a private meeting.
One way or another, it was necessary to start working.
"Major," when the "assignment" was complete and the Jedi had stepped aside, discussing something with two officers of the rank of rear admiral, Wilhuff caught the attention of the red-haired woman. "May I inquire what my duties will be?"
Looking her over closely, he noted several details. First, one of the girl's parents was definitely a Fondorian. This race, from the planet Fondor, differed from ordinary humans only in their lack of hair, but half-breeds have brown hair, to be exact, for this Fondorian, and in certain mannerisms and behavior that could only be noticed by a trained eye. They also believed their race to be smarter than anyone else in the galaxy — which was basically true, if you excluded the Bith — they had extremely sharp minds and were very skilled at manipulating business deals. It was no surprise that Fondor was considered one of the richest planets in this part of space… There were a couple more details: a somewhat detached appearance, a slight pallor suggesting a busy life, a non-regulation blaster pistol in a holster on the belt — and a pair of thermal detonators, which was completely outrageous.
"Captain," the woman said, stepping closer to him. "My name is Sumeragi Lee Noriega. I'm in charge of the headquarters of this whole mess — formerly the Thirteenth Legion, then the Darkstar Corps, and now the Mern-13 and 12th Sector Systems Army currently under formation. Until now, everything has been my responsibility. I'm glad the general has finally taken the trouble to expand his staff… So, what you need to remember is this: General Marek knows a lot, but not everything. Your job is to keep him informed on any matter he approaches you with."
"I suppose this is not idle curiosity?"
"Exactly. If General Dagon has the information he needs, that means he's in control of the situation. Which, in turn, means he'll be able to get us out of any predicament relatively unharmed. Furthermore, operational planning will be focused on us. Therefore, I recommend you familiarize yourself with these materials — they might be of assistance."
The major handed him the holodisk.
Tarkin said smugly, "I am familiar with the operational planning of naval units…"
"What about ground operations?" Lee Noriega's words left him dumbfounded.
"Are they within our competence?"
"We have jurisdiction over everything," the woman snapped. "Next… you're flying to Alland along with the general and several other officers. There are two dozen Venators and Acclamators there that will be part of our force. They're currently undergoing repairs. In addition, another of our ships will be undergoing refitting at the planet's shipyards…"
Tarkin sighed imperceptibly. "I have some experience fighting pirates. I took part in a couple of clashes, but that's where my real experience ends."
"Even that will be enough. Welcome to the team, Captain Tarkin."
"It looks like there will be a lot of work."
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The officers dispersed to their new duties. Tarkin remained for a moment, watching the young Jedi General speak with the two rear admirals. Marek's demeanor was relaxed, almost casual, yet there was an unmistakable authority in the way he gave orders — confident they would be obeyed without question.
*Strange man,* Tarkin thought. *A Jedi who jokes with subordinates and yet commands with the ease of a born leader. Palpatine was right to warn me to watch him closely.*
He tucked the holodisk into his uniform and turned to follow Major Lee Noriega.
Whatever this assignment truly was, Wilhuff Tarkin intended to excel at it.
The New Order was coming.
And he would be ready.