Seeing Wilhuff Tarkin speaking with Gillard Perine—and immediately throwing the weighty label of discussing classified military intelligence over it—the doctor was scared witless.
"Do I need to repeat myself?" Tarkin said coldly.
"N-No..." The doctor hurriedly turned and left. In that instant, he had made his own calculation. Compared with Mas Amedda Wessel, Governor of the Seventh Army, Wilhuff Tarkin was unquestionably far more powerful.
Though both were Sector Governors, Mas Amedda Wessel had only barely managed, in his fifties, to secure a remote sector through connections and seniority. Wilhuff Tarkin, on the other hand, was clearly much closer to the core of the Galactic Republic's political power.
After all, before the Eighth Army was destroyed, the Seventh Army under Mas Amedda Wessel had not even been stationed on the front lines. Its primary duty had been exploring the Unknown Regions. How much influence could a legion whose main responsibility was exploration possibly wield?
By comparison, when Wilhuff Tarkin had served as Governor of the 18th Army, he had been responsible for guarding the vital transportation hub of the Eriadu system, while also bearing the heavy task of suppressing Salust. From that time onward, the 18th Army had been a frontline combat legion. Even after the 18th Army suffered a crushing defeat, Tarkin had somehow risen again to become Governor of the Fourth Army!
That record alone was enough to grind Mas Amedda Wessel into the dirt.
Only after the doctor fled in panic did Wilhuff Tarkin turn to Gillard Perine. "Although President Conrad recommended you, the reason I was willing to hear your opinion was more because I value you personally, Colonel Perine. Although the two battles you commanded both ended in defeat, your command showed many remarkable strengths based on the circumstances. To put it bluntly, I admire