Menschlicher-Fehler

[Tanomas Graf]

He ran.

For an hour, he had run through the varying terrain that surrounded the facility, his heart working hard to pump blood throughout his body, his muscles and tendons aching and begging for a break. But he did not falter, his pace never slowed, and Maker knew he would never stop until it was time.

The physicians had decided that the time was finally right for him to receive the entirety of what REVENANT had to offer, the conditions that prevented him from doing so earlier no longer present. There was no more age-driven deterioration in his mind or his matter, only strength and power, the first round of augmentations that he had received taking care of that rather quickly.

Graf exhaled loudly from his nose over the monotonous sound of gravel being crushed beneath his shoes. He had lost count of how many kilometres he had blitzed through so far, preferring to turn his mind to other thoughts. The last few months had gone by so fast without him having been able to take a moment to consider the collapse of his Empire, it had all happened while he was in hibernation, trapped in a block of carbonite for too long.

He knew that all of the usual suspects had done their best to maintain the new order, but part of him was still disappointed with their efforts. Despite the majority of the Imperial Starfleet and the cloning vats of Kamino at their disposal, they had failed him. He knew very well that none of the usual suspects had betrayed him - Kardal, Caalgen, Kalast, Cardan, Fel, Morcus, all loyal as they could possibly be.

Tanomas' eyes affixed themselves to the figure waiting for him up ahead, slowing down until he came to a stop in front of her. A young woman, likely in her mid-20s, held a datapad and smiled slightly; "Imperator, they're ready for you in Operating Room 2C." The older man blinked a few times, raising an arm to wipe the sweat from his brow.

He nodded, "Very well, thank you."

It was time.

 

[Tanomas Graf]

"Next!"

A grizzly Imperial officer called out to the line of people in front of him, a young man with dark brown hair stepping forward and giving him a nod. The officer glanced at him for a second before looking down at his datapad. "And I take it you will be enlisting in the Stormtrooper Corps as well?" He asked, looking quite bored. "No, sir. The Navy." The man said, shaking his head.

"Ah, a crewman it is, then." The officer gave a brief smile, "We'll have you shipshape in no time." He fumbled with the screen of the pad for a moment, glancing up a few times at the young man. "Very well, state your name for the record and you can be on your way." He declared.

"Tanomas Graf." The young man informed.

The officer nodded and inputted it into the datapad:

'Tanomas Graf; enlisted 820 ABY'

 

[Tanomas Graf]

It rarely, if ever, rained on Hapes.

Whatever technology they used to control the weather usually ensured that it stayed tropical and clear, but somethings fate just needed things to happen.

He stood over the slab of marble that jutted out from the ground, well-crafted and beautiful, like the inhabitant of the grave it marked once was. Numerous droplets pelted against the man's cap and shoulders, running down the fabric of his trenchcoat until it could reach the ground.

He hadn't realized why she didn't want him to leave for his fourth tour in the Imperial Navy, why she had begged him to remain on Hapes with her, to start a family together.

Maybe it had happened for a reason, for a cause greater than himself. He did not know, and frankly, he did not care.

"I'm sorry." He croaked, turning to leave as the rain dipped into the engraving on the marble.

VELLA GRAF
802 - 833

 

[Tanomas Graf]

He stepped out of the shower and dried himself off, hanging the towel back on its rack and walking up to the mirror. Graf examined his features in the mirror, cupping his chin as he looked at his greying beard, dark grey hair now matted with pearly white.

He was old now, no longer in his prime, but he was also wise beyond his years. Perhaps it was his duty as an admiral and a moff that stressed him out enough to turn his hair white. Or perhaps he was just trying to find an excuse to stay young.

It wouldn't hurt him to pretend, he still had a few years left in him after all. A beep from his communicator broke his train of thought, prompting him to pick it up and accept the call. The voice of his assistant came through "Moff Graf, the Empress has informed the regional governors that the Remnant is now under the protection of the Republic."

He paused for a moment, blood beginning to boil.

"Why?"

"The declaration didn't explain, sir, it just had that message."

He exhaled through his nose, irritated, "Alright, prepare my shuttle for take-off, we're leaving."

The call ended and he leaned onto the porcelain sink, collecting his thoughts.

They had lost.

 

[Tanomas Graf]

A radiant light nearly blinded the teal-uniformed captain as the last cruiser was torn apart by his ship's turbolasers, those aboard being wretched from this cruel galaxy. The corners of his lips curled into a smirk, that was definitely a promotion in the making right there.

"Captain Graf, we've received a new order subset from Supreme Commander Kalast." An ensign called from the crew pit, standing next to the communications officer. Tanomas stepped towards them, grabbing the datapad as it was handed to him.

The more he read the orders, the more the colour drained from his face, his eyes widening in the realization of what they were about to do. He had to do this, it was his duty to carry out the Will of the First Order.

He muttered a quiet 'Hail Sieger' to himself before turning to face his bridge crew, their eyes locked on him and waiting for their orders. Graf took a deep breath and clasped his hands behind his back.

"Align the ventral section with the planet, lock us in geostationary orbit," the captain uttered, "divert power to weapons, gunnery is to target major population centres, 60 per cent intensity."

Graf pivoted, gazing out of the bridge viewports at the lush planet of Eriadu.

"You may fire when ready."

 

[Tanomas Graf]

His feet dragged against the grated durasteel that made up the floor, the gloved hand of a stormtrooper firmly grasping his shoulder as he was lead into the chamber, a plethora of people that he did and did not recognize becoming apparent through the thick shroud of steam being ejected from various pipes.

Graf's eyes narrowed when he saw the one person that was responsible for all of this, for the civil war that had ruined his empire and divided his people over such a trivial issue of how fast could they kill the Galactic Alliance. Warlord Tuspin, a stout and frankly fat man in the midst of balding save for weakly grown beard that was dwarfed by Graf's own.

"Grand Moff Graf, such an unimaginable pleasure to finally make your acquaintance." He chuckled, his colleagues doing the same. Graf sneered, the magnacuffs digging into the skin of his wrists, "You're going to execute me, get on with it then."

Tuspin's lips bent into a dark smirk "You don't deserve the luxury of death, you are being put into carbonite; to suffer as I destroy everything you stood for. Your control of the Empire, as of now, is over."

Graf was pushed onto a circular platform that he presumed would lower him into the freezing chamber, a scowl forming on his features as he realized what was about to happen.

"As long as I live, I will always control the Empire."

It wasn't a warning.

It was a threat.

 

[Tanomas Graf]

It had been a long an arduous process, augmenting him further than he already had been. REVENANT had failed him already, only bringing him to peak performance, but the training he had done since then had allowed the doctors that worked on him previously to go back in and finish the job, turning him into something...else. He now lay in a hospital bed, recovering from the procedure, the doctors had told him that he would be unable to move his now-extraordinarily heavy body until he had gotten used to it, something that he was not fond of - it felt as if he was paralyzed save for his eyes.

For now, he could only pass the time with holofilms as surprisingly, the controls for the projector were integrated into his new cybernetic package. He was in the midst of falling asleep doing his third film when he heard the door of his room slide open, booted feet stealthily entering before closing the door behind them. Out of the shadows, a familiar-looking human walked up to Graf's side, looking down upon him with disdain. The Imperator watched as the man's hand retrieved a blaster from his waist and raised it to level with Graf.

"Warlord Tuspin sends his reg-AARGH!"

The would-be assassin was cut off when his mark grabbed and broke his wrist with terrifying accuracy. Graf pulled him down to face him, both of his hands now on either side of his head as he began squeezing.

"You..." Tanomas growled, eyes filled to the brim with rage.

"...You should have let me sleep!"

CRUNCH