Tarses: The Dreams of a New Age
Posted on Sun May 26th, 2019 @ 8:56pm by Valavai Tarses
966 words; about a 5 minute read
Author's OOC Note: The following is a private military log Valavai Tarses, the Grand Moff of Bastion, recorded at an unknown point sometime during the events of Episode I. The location is set at the Tarses estate on Dubrillion.
{{{ BEGIN HOLORECORDING }}}
Twenty years…has it been so long already? You would’ve been proud of him, Tessaya. Our boy became a man today, and when he saluted the commandant dressed in his new line officer’s uniform, using all his strength and pride to stand on his own two feet long enough to receive his graduate honours, I knew the Tarses name had at least one more good generation left to give the galaxy hell. Symon is at the best his…’condition’ allows him to be and is now a commissioned naval lieutenant. A little behind his peers to be sure, but what he lacks in physicality is compensated with his sharp mind and his daily communion with the Force. Tess…he is so much like you. His powers are considerable. Indeed, his telepathy is nothing short of extraordinary. He has already warned me once about a developing plot from within Bastion to end my life, a warning that proved to be true and has been dealt with. As for his other insights, they are almost...beyond belief, but…I have real genuine hope for the first time in decades. Our son’s newfound wisdom has changed me. It’s been almost a year since I last held my sidearm to my head contemplating the start of my journey to be by your side again. Symon tells me the Force will not allow me to pull the trigger…not yet. He’s starting to sound like a bloody Jedi, but he knows better, just like you did when you wisely left those robed fools behind all those years ago.
Tomorrow, I am to preside over the trial of my old friend, Cas Garlo. I will take my place upon the Lord Arbiter’s chair as always, flanked on both sides by a pair of miscreant swine that dare think themselves worthy of the title Moff, and act as an impartial lawgiver to a man accused of treason. The same man that diligently watched my back multiple times in battle. A man that willingly took a Mandalorian blaster bolt to the chest that was meant for me. A hero that should be on the Tribunal at my right hand, not facing its wrath as a defendant. What a damned injustice. The worst part is that I strongly believe Cas is innocent, yet I can present no concrete evidence or reasonable doubt to dismiss the case. My enemies sought to take another stab at me by destroying this man I have respected for so long, and their case against him was ingeniously devised. Symon has offered to help, but he does not understand the particulars of the law, and I will not drag him across the hot coals of courtroom politics when there is more important work for him to do. I have considered recusing myself as Lord Arbiter in order to testify on Cas’s behalf, but his advocate has convinced me that doing so would only backfire and assure his conviction, not to mention ruining what little standing I have left as the administrator of Bastion. I did not become the Grand Moff by ignoring sage advice. The advocate is wise; I cannot afford to commit political suicide and have the lords and ladies of Dubrillion turn their backs on me. Not when we are so close to completing the first grand product of the ‘Thousand-Year Vision’. If the sentence for Cas is death…I will execute him myself. I will not shoot an old friend, but I will push the chemicals, and grant him a calm, painless end. He deserves no less.
Tessaya…before I go, I just want to say that I hope the flowers I have placed by your tomb this morning pleased you. Your garden continues to flourish, every beautiful species of flora you imported from Ryloth thrives under the Dubrillion sunlight. They remind me of the line you and I crossed when we fell in love and seeing them grow to their zenith gives me such strength to fight on in your memory. I will not rest until I see Symon’s visions come to fruition. If these vivid dreams he is having are indeed true, we will soon see the Empty Throne filled at long last. Imagine it, my love…true galactic unity and peace for all time under one unbreakable banner. I think Symon described it like this:
‘A steady hand wrought in flesh and metal, reaching across the stars, a power unmatched with a presence that inspires loyalty by soldiers and citizens alike. His eyes are twin suns alight, his words become destiny, and his crown iron clad as he is seated upon the crimson velvet. At his side are two weapons, one of steel and gold, the other a ‘sea-wolf’ from a forgotten world; a reborn witch whose name means both ‘love’ and ‘bitterness’. She is a conductor of the dead, her body grafted with ancient alchemy, and whose ensorcelled hand carries the torchlight of justice.’
They are coming, Tess. I don’t know when or under what circumstances, but I live for that day just as I lived for you. History will remember the Tarses name; they will know us as the heralds of order and peace that held the line and coronated a new Imperial Age that will stand the test of time and transform the galaxy the way it was meant to be. For you, for us, for our son…the Empire shall rise again.
{{{ END AND ENCRYPT RECORDING }}}
Tags: Valavai Tarses, Symon, Tessaya, Cas Garlo, Bastion, Dubrillion, Ryloth
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