✦･ﾟ:* — @moffftarkin​​ said   ›   Chloe .... did u know that there is like a 100% chance that i love you and u are amazing ????? ♡

𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄 𝐊𝐀𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐎 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐖𝐇𝐈𝐓𝐄, 𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐋𝐄, the Republic opted for a brutalist reflection in pristine blacks. Shaak Ti felt a sense of familiarity in the empty corridors, the officers all dressed alike; most of all, in the smug superiority of Wilhuff Tarkin. 

“This is an internal Jedi matter,” she said, not for the first time. Boundless in patience, she'd say it as many times as it took, her eyes narrowed upon the one-time Governor. “What makes you believe the Republic has jurisdiction...?”

❝  Sir.  ❞           First  tour  after  her  graduation  from  the  academy  completed,  she  should  have  expected  to  be  summoned  to  the  capital,  but  it  still  curdled  her  stomach  when  the  call  came.    Thus,  the  very  last  person  she  wished  to  meet  on  her  first  day  in  the  palace,  except  the  emperor  himself,  was  the  moff.     Yet,  she  finds  him  standing  opposite  her  in  the  corridors,  honorific  spilling  out  before  she  can  halt  it.     She  curses  into  the  void  of  her  mind  for  even  saying  anything,  especially  as  she  now  couldn’t  leave  it  only  at  that.          ❝  I  didn’t  know  you  were  on  the  planet.  ❞

     ‘   𝐢 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮   that i am completely fine,   padawan tano  –  in fact,  i am offended by your lack of faith in my ability to –   ’      his rant is momentarily interrupted by a barrage of blaster fire from separatist droids and he is forced to dive for cover behind a large mound of boulders, releasing a grunt of exertion as he tumbles to the dirt. pressing back to the cold stone, tarkin wipes a bead of sweat from his temple with gloved digits and rolls his injured shoulder. perhaps the collarbone is broken, he muses.

          ‘   i can worry about finding a medical droid later,   ’    he calls to her over his shoulder with blaster rifle in hand, peeking out from behind his cover to take down a couple of battle droids with precision,      ‘   for now we have to focus on the task at hand !   ’

       ᴡʜʏ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅɴ·ᴛ ʜᴇ ᴊᴜsᴛ ʟɪsᴛᴇɴ ᴛᴏ ʜᴇʀ﹖  just because she was a padawan. and she knew it was that. he’d made a point of referring to her as such. not commander, just padawan.    “ IT’S COMMANDER TANO --- “   she shouted out over the blaster fire before she rolled her eyes, popping out from behind the boulder to deflect some of the fire, taking care of a small group of droids, bouncing the blaster shots back at them. diving back behind the boulder again, she glanced toward him, frowning at his words. 

‹ 𝐖𝐇𝐈𝐋𝐄 i can believe your powers are great,  tarkin,  you’ll have to do better to convince me you’ve  — ›

a pause,  where he tries to catch his breath.  he had forgotten how terrible force inhibitors feel,  like bands of steel wrapping ‘round his insides,  carving through him and leaving scorched emptiness in its wake. 

‹ . . . surpassed the power of the force.  i didn’t take you for a fool. ›

a polite almost - smile.