Verge of Greatness
"'You may fire when ready,' Tarkin said at long last. And he allowed himself the briefest of smiles."
―Excerpt from "Verge of Greatness""Verge of Greatness" is a brief story in the anthology From a Certain Point of View. Written by Pablo Hidalgo, it presents the perspectives of Wilhuff Tarkin and Orson Krennic. It includes dialogue from the 1981 Star Wars radio drama.
Plot summary
Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin reflects on the power of the Death Star and his rivalry with Director Orson Krennic as he orders the Death Star to fire on the Imperial security complex on the planet Scarif during the Battle of Scarif. Tarkin sees Krennic as a bricklayer proud of a parapet constructed at a king's command. Tarkin had ordered the Imperial security complex destroyed in a desperate effort to stop the rebels from escaping with the Death Star plans.
The story then flashes forward to Tarkin conferring with General Cassio Tagge, Admiral Conan Antonio Motti, and Darth Vader aboard the Overbridge of the Death Star. Vader reports that Princess Leia Organa is resisting the mind probe, while Motti announces that the Death Star is fully operational. Tarkin suggests that Leia will answer to an "alternative form" of persuasion and tells Motti to set a course for the planet Alderaan.
Later, Admiral Motti visits Tarkin and tells him that, with the Death Star, he holds the power of life and death over every living thing in the galaxy. Tarkin reminds Motti that they serve the Emperor and rejects Motti's suggestion that he could use the Death Star to exert leverage over the Emperor. Later, Tarkin meets with his prisoner Leia, who remains defiant. Tarkin breaks Leia by announcing that the Death Star will destroy her home planet of Alderaan. Tarkin then watches as the superweapon destroys the planet, extinguishing millions of lives.
The story then flashes back to Orson Krennic's final, dying moments on the Citadel Tower during the Battle of Scarif. As his wounds overcome him, Krennic watches the Death Star move into orbit above Scarif, preparing to unleash its superlaser. Now that the rebels have stolen the plans, Krennic considers searching the technical readouts for the flaw that Galen Erso had planted in its design. Krennic regrets that he, as an engineer, was outwitted by Tarkin, the politician posing as an architect. Despite his defeat, Krennic takes comfort in knowing that Galen's flaw will bring about the downfall of Grand Moff Tarkin.