Addressing the you-know-what of the You-Know-What.
by lord Martiya

Year 8 of the Empire: Tarkin finds a genius saboteur

If he had to tell the truth, Galen Erso had expected Wilhuff Tarkin's office to be smaller, and more spartan. Then again, he had met a commodore whose office was far more lavishly decorated, well beyond masterpiece pictures of Pers Pradeux, Blotus, and a few other legendary figures in Republic's history, models of every single ship commanded by Tarkin in the past, guns, hunting trophies, and a small primitive stone knife. It was likely as little luxury as Tarkin could afford given his rank.

"Please, take a seat." Tarkin said after coming to the door to greet him. "I must say I'm surprised director Krennic managed to convince you to rejoin the Project last year."

"He was quite... Persuasive." Erso admitted, biting down the anger at the Grand Moff rubbing it in.

"I can imagine."

Tarkin activated a small holoprojector, showing him his daughter, Saw Gerrera, and a Togruta he suspected was his friend Ahsoka Tano. And it was a recent hologram, given how Jyn looked. Then Saw spoke.

"Hey, Galen. I don't know who's gonna show you this, but Ahsoka here says it's an Outlander agent that somehow infiltrated whatever the Imps are forcing you to work at. Try and work together, OK?"

Slowly, Erso turned to look at the Grand Moff, who was looking at him with clasped hands and a smug smile.

"But-HOW?!"

"His Imperial Travesty is far too smug than it's safe." Tarkin replied. "Now, the reason I've called you here. As a fellow father, I know you'll try and do anything to make your daughter's life better, to sabotage the Empire. I have plans for the Death Star, but in case they go astray... What kind of weakness did you put in?"

"Er... Thermal exhaust port 5, one of the secondary exhaust ports near the north one. I, well, nagged Krennic into using the initial design from one of the collaborators rather than the one derived from the main ports for the sake of efficiency, so it doesn't twist around but leads directly to the main reactor."

"And it can't be particle shielded, so someone could get a torpedo inside. But what makes you think he'd ignore it? Krennic isn't a fool, and probably knows the entire design by memory."

"It's just 2-meters wide, and at the end of a well-defenced trench."

Left unsaid was that the exhaust port, being an exhaust port, would be actively venting hot materials, making it even harder to actually get a projectile inside. Few people in the entire galaxy could pull it off, and most of them were Jedi... At least one of which was in the Rebellion, and a skilled pilot. And by the look on his face, Tarkin likely knew all of that.

"I see." Tarkin said. "Some people don't get a father's feelings. They find it funny. They look at the affection of a father for their child and laugh. Big, ugly, beasts. Fathers, I mean. Though you're quite generous, in my opinion-it's just less than two million people, quite the small revenge when you can't get directly your enemy."

"Krennic was the main target. Krennic and, well, you." Erso admitted.

"Ah, I see. Hopefully, we'll be able to turn the Death Star against the Emperor-he's the one who twisted and enabled Krennic, Vader and many others."

Erso didn't answer immediately. Then, he laughed. He now knew that Jyn would be protected, and Lyra avenged by the hand of another slighted father.

notes

Inspired by one of EC Henry's videos. The man counted at least 19 exhaust port, one gigantic and 18 of the secondary smaller 2-meters wide variety... And only one of the latter leading directly to the reactor. I already knew the exhaust port was an understandable weakness, but now... Now I know Galen Erso is a genius.