Bottleneck

"Bottleneck" is a short story by John Jackson Miller that was published as part of a compilation in The Rise of the Empire. The story features Wilhuff Tarkin investigating a dispute for Palpatine.

Publisher's summary
''When Grand Moff Tarkin is tasked by Emperor Palpatine to investigate a dispute slowing Imperial production on a backwater planet, he expects an easy mission. Instead, Tarkin must forge a tense alliance with Count Vidian, the Empire’s newest rising star and a most capable rival. Matching wits and risking betrayal at every turn, the two powerful Imperials duel to gain the upper hand…and elude, at all costs, the price of failure.''