On the Erebus, a young, random character walked over to Tucker.
"I'll trade my PlayStation for another watch tonight if we don't see it." Said young, random character, talking about the bear that had killed Graham Cracker.
"Some dude said they saw it." Tucker said to him.
"What told him it was Lieutenant Graham Cracker's bear and not another?"
"It wore the Lieutenant's medals...or something." Tucker shrugged."I plan to ask Church for duty in the hunting blind once it's built." He told the young man."I'd like another shot at the thing."
"But a random guy named Robert says you didn't see it all." The young man said."Only Marlton Johnson saw it."
Tucker looked at him."Fuck that pussy. He doesn't know what he saw." He then looked out at the snow."We thought it was the bear in front of us."
There was a boom in the distance. The random young man quickly turned around."It's the ice, random character." Tucker told him."It's only the ice."
"What's it like, to shoot a man?" The random character asked.
"Well, shooting a man can be fun sometimes when he's an asshole," Tucker said.
Two crew members were having a conversation as they tailored the dead Eskimo body.
"And I was like, "No way, girl." And she was like, "Yes, girl."." Said one of the crewmembers as they finished putting on the clothing for the Eskimo.
They dragged the Eskimo on a sled to a hole in the ice far from the ships."Weigh him and get on with it." Said Church.
"I don't understand this." Said Marlton, following them."This is something Grand Moff Tarkin approved of?"
One of the crewmembers nodded."Yep."
"Well...shouldn't we make this man his own hole?"
The crewmember looked at him."Make him his own hole?"
"With respect to Esquimaux custom." They pushed the Eskimo's corpse off the sled."It's a native belief the body retains sensation even after the soul departs." Marlton explained.
But they already threw his body down into the hole and he went into the water.
Out in the snow, the random Eskimo girl whose father had died stopped pulling her sled and went to use a stick to make a circle in the snow.
This will protect me from Tuunbaq. She thought.
"In your prior engagements with the Esquimaux," Said some guy who was a lieutenant at the table in Takeo's room. Takeo was sitting on a chair, drinking some tea while Sarge was drinking some Pepsi."Did you find them at all...unforgiving when those they loved are wronged? Vengeful, even?"
"Having never wronged them, I couldn't testify." Takeo said."I met the Esquimaux when I was exploring the world before the second world war. They were peaceful people. Very peaceful."
"So...that woman we let go won't call her people back for revenge?" The guy asked.
"I do not think so." Takeo shook his head.
"But the Esquimaux man's tongue was hacked off. We don't know why. Let's say it was because of punishment. If that's how they punish one of their own, what must they do-"
A knock at the door interrupted him. A servant opened the door."Breakfast is ready." He said.
"Jopson, my coat." Takeo said to the servant."I'm leaving for Erebus." The captain stood up."No escort is necessary."
"You have nothing to fear, Lieutenant." Sarge said to him."The girl's people are too busy staying alive to wage a war. Plus, we got all the men we need and all the firepower. I think we'll be okay."
Flashback.
Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin looked at all the officers that were in a fancy room on Coruscant. Some of them were Imperial while others were from other worlds. Tarkin watched them talk to each other.
"Tarkin," Said a familiar voice near him. Tarkin turned to see that it was Palpatine who said his name.
"Your grace," Tarkin bowed.
"What do you think of these officers from other worlds?" Palpatine asked his Grand Moff.
Tarkin studied the officers."They seem to be competent, even if they are not Imperial."
"What do you think of Captain Takeo Masaki?"
Tarkin saw Takeo, who was by himself."He doesn't seem to talk a lot. He reminds me of Jedi for some reason?"
"And Sombra?"
He looked at King Sombra, who was talking to an Imperial Officer."Sombra reminds me of Darth Vader. I saw him choke someone using his magic. I think he will be useful."
Present.
"I'll be giving a divine service tomorrow." Tarkin said to everybody at the table that was eating."Mandatory, for both ships. Tell the men." He ordered. Tarkin got up from his seat."But don't tell the people in the blind. They are to keep their focus on hunting the bear."
Tarkin was in his room, reading James Luceno's Tarkin when he heard a knock at the door."Come in." He said.
Takeo Masaki opened the door and walked into the room."My condolences, Tarkin." Takeo said to him, talking about how Graham Cracker had died."Amongst everything else, I know you mourn a friend."
...
He nodded."Thank you." He went back to reading.
"I apologize for the timing of this request. But its virtue's in its speed." Takeo said to him. Tarkin looked at the captain and put down his book, wondering what the request was."I'd like permission to send a sledge party out. South. Not for leads this time. For rescue."
"Where?" Tarkin questioned.
"The Hudson Bay Company outpost on Great Slave Lake." Takeo told the Grand Moff."If the party leaves now, they'll have three full months to get there before winter comes in force."
"That is 800 miles, Takeo." Tarkin said."No. I do not give you permission."
"Why?" Takeo asked."We must give it a chance."
"I will not risk these men's lives. Now, leave." He ordered.
When Takeo left the room, he saw King Sombra.
When Takeo returned to the Horror, he saw Sarge and a few other men using some pickaxes on the ice on the ship. He walked over to Sarge."Put together a list. Our eight most able men."
"That old Grand Moff heard reason, then?" Sarge asked.
Takeo looked at him."I'll make certain the blame falls on no one's shoulders but my own."
"Well, I hope the blame isn't too heavy for your shoulders," Sarge said.
Grand Moff Tarkin and Marlton, who was carrying a camera, walked through the ice maze, finally making it to the white tent where the hunters were. Near the tent, there were some dead rats that hung from a rope. They went into the tent where all the men saluted.
"At ease. I just thought we should take a picture together." Tarkin said to them.
They went outside and Marlton set the camera up."Hold still!" He said."Not a twitch."
"Oh...okay." Said one of the men whose name was Twitch. He then went back into the tent.
After a long moment, Marlton finally took the picture.
They all went back into the tent and waited for the bear to eat the rats.
...
"Man...this boring." Said one crewmember before he was taken away and the tent was also gone. The man's body fell down.
"It's the bear!" Said a marine."Fire!" They fired their weapons, hoping to kill the bear.
Tarkin grabbed the shotgun that had belonged to the dead man. He ran away, hoping to at least find the creature.
On his home planet, Eriadu, Tarkin had been a hunter, like his Uncle Jova. He would hunt this creature. With more help, of course.
"Erebus!" He yelled, running over to the ship."Erebus!" Tarkin climbed up some snow to see King Sombra and some marines walking over to him.
Suddenly, he felt pain in his leg. As if something was biting him. Something than dragged Tarkin through the snow. He slowly realized it was the bear dragging him.
Tarkin saw himself in the fancy room on Coruscant.
Finally, he stopped being dragged and was looking down the ice hole. He looked to see that his leg was gone.
The bear then pushed him into the hole. Tarkin fell down and hit the bowl that blocked the hole.
The rope holding the bowl then snapped and he fell into the water.
The only thing they found of Tarkin was his leg. They put it into the coffin.
"Are we seriously having a funeral for some guy's leg?" Grif said to Simmons.
After Takeo's speech, he sent some men to go to the outpost.
The Eskimo girl was in her igloo when she heard a sound.
It's Tuunbaq! She thought.
When the sound was gone, she looked outside to see a dead seal.