Before - Legends Only Necessities - Tarkin Vignette, angst, 20 years prior to TPM. 8/09

Title: ?Only Necessities?
Author: Kelli_LB
Timeframe: Twenty years prior to TPM.
Characters: Wilhuff Tarkin
Genre: Vignette, Angst
Keywords: Tarkin
Summary: A look into the mind of twelve-year-old Wilhuff Tarkin as he prepares to leave home.
Disclaimer: I own nothing, Lucas owns everything; I?m just playing with his creations. I promise I?ll put them back where they belong when I?m finished. I especially don?t own Tarkin, he?s kind of scary.
Notes: This fic is different than my usual style. I?m sort of using it as a writing exercise. It?s very short and written in a stream of consciousness type format. Big thanks to anakin_luver for the encouragement to write this fic.

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I?m never going to get everything packed; they didn?t give me enough time. If they wanted me to be properly prepared, maybe they shouldn?t have told me only yesterday that I was being taken to the academy.

One bag, that?s all they?re going to let me take. Father told me that, since it was a military academy, only the necessities would be allowed. I don?t want to be in the military; I want to go into politics, like Uncle. I want to be a senator someday, but Father says that is impossible now.

I wish Elza was here, she would have helped me pack. She would probably be the only one sad to see me leave. I know Mother has cried a lot since yesterday, but I can?t be sure if she?s crying for me. She hasn?t been the same since Elza died. I can?t really criticize her though; I haven?t been the same since she died.

I wonder if Father will let me visit her grave before the shuttle arrives. He probably won?t let me; he says that I spend too much time there already. I just want to say goodbye and tell her one last time that I?m sorry for not being able to save her. I tried, but I was only five and too small to get her out of that frozen lake.

It?s been seven years, and Father still hates me for it. He told me that she wouldn?t have been there if it wasn?t for me; she was told to go find me before dinner. I shouldn?t have been at that lake in the first place. He said if I wasn?t such a tiny kid, I might have been able to help her.

I know I?m smaller than the other kids; it?s a fact I can?t get away from at school. The other boys have always picked on me; kids like Jobril. Well, he won?t be picking on anyone again. If he ever gets out of that coma, they say he?ll never be completely normal. I?m not shedding any tears. That Zabrak beast had it coming; he should have known not to start a fight on ground that is littered with rocks. Did he not think that someone might decide to use one of those as a weapon? Stupid alien.

I don?t feel the least bit guilty that I smashed his head with that rock. He was holding me down. What was I supposed to do, just lay there and not defend myself? Father always said that I was too weak. Now when I do something strong, he sends me to the military academy. Maybe I shouldn?t have kept hitting him as he lay there bleeding.

One thing for certain, no one will even think about doing anything to me ever again. I saw fear in the eyes of my classmates and in my teachers. They were afraid of me; me, the skinny kid that no one ever took seriously. I hope the kids at the academy find out about this. Then, I won?t have any problems with them.

Father said that they are trying to keep this a secret to salvage the family?s reputation. It?s been less than two days and he?s already paid off Jobril?s family. I can?t say that I?m surprised; to him, money is the solution to everything. I heard that he paid the Seswenna Military Academy a lot to bypass the waiting list.

Father is now yelling at me to hurry up, the shuttle will be here at any moment. I still don?t know how I?m going to pack everything in one bag. I know I?m only to take necessities, but it?s all necessary. I can?t leave this holo of Elza. It?s the only one left. Mother destroyed all of them after her funeral. She said that she couldn?t bear looking at them. I hid this one.

I envy the Jedi sometimes. I heard that they ar

 

oh this was just wonderful Kelli! that ending was just perfect. not a necessity...it seems like the "rock incident" and leaving behind Elza's holo were the two biggest mistakes of Tarkin's life.

Maybe I shouldn?t have kept hitting him as he lay there bleeding.

yah think? oh my. now that is the Tarkin we all know and love! except a smaller and more creepy, crazy one.

i'm so glad you did this! more viggies from you would be such a treat!

 

That was incredible! I love it when writers take a little used character and explore them this way! Bravo!

He?s yelling again; I wish he would stop doing that. He thinks I?m stalling; he?s wrong. I don?t want to stay with them any longer than I have to. I just can?t fit everything into one bag. It?s not like I?m going to be able to come back here to get more things later. I doubt that Father will let me go home for school holidays. He didn?t like me much before the Jobril incident; he?s definitely not going to like me now. I know I always disappointed him. He always said I was too weak, now he thinks I?m crazy.

Wonderful!

 

That was a really great insight on the childhood life of Tarkin,
you've certainly did a wobderful job in exploring his family life as well! I can see where he gets his sinister side from,

I don?t feel the least bit guilty that I smashed his head with that rock. He was holding me down. What was I supposed to do, just lay there and not defend myself? Father always said that I was too weak. Now when I do something strong, he sends me to the military academy. Maybe I shouldn?t have kept hitting him as he lay there bleeding.

Great character exploration into his past, it was very fitting for
a young Tark.

By the way this character Elza in your vignette, who is she? Tarkin seems to know her a lot.

 

Awww...you've actually made me feel sympathy for Tarkin.



It's too bad it took a tragedy to get him into the Imperial academy.

Great job on this

 

Thank you everyone for reading this tiny vignette. I really appreciate the comments.

anakin_luver:

oh this was just wonderful Kelli! that ending was just perfect. not a necessity...it seems like the "rock incident" and leaving behind Elza's holo were the two biggest mistakes of Tarkin's life.

Yes, I wanted to portray him leaving behind Elza's holo as the beginning of his loss of humanity. When he let that go, he let go to love and friendship.

yah think? oh my. now that is the Tarkin we all know and love! except a smaller and more creepy, crazy one.

When he beat that kid, he saw fear in the eyes of those around him. He got a rush from inspiring fear; we all know where that will eventually lead him.

VaderLVR64:

That was incredible! I love it when writers take a little used character and explore them this way! Bravo!

Thank you Kimberly, I wanted to give Tarkin some kind of background and show why he might have become the monster that he was. I wanted to show that at one time, Tarkin was human.

EmpressJade:

By the way this character Elza in your vignette, who is she? Tarkin seems to know her a lot.

I'm sorry, I should have made this more clear. Elza was Tarkin's older sister.

KELIA:

Awww...you've actually made me feel sympathy for Tarkin.

LOL, then I've done my job properly.

 

Wow! I actually felt sorry for Tarkin after reading this. The abuse he suffered from his father, his sister's death? It's easy to see the seeds of his xenophobia (That Zabrak beast had it coming), his ambition, and his alienation that grew to making him the man he became in the time of the Empire.