The violet glint of the industrious world below gleamed off of the hull of the Imperial stardestroyer Supremacy. Fondor was the home to one of the largest Imperial shipyards and hundreds of orbital factories shimmered across her skies. The Supremacy was fixed in place beside factory Aurek 22. Lira Wessex stood in her private quarters gazing over her creations. She watched as battleship after battleship was pumped out of each foundry, one by one off to decimate some far off region of the galaxy.
Factory Aurek 22 was just one of many space station factories working on Lira latest masterpiece: the super stardestroyer Executor. The Supremacy paled in comparison to the mighty arrow shaped web of steel and exposed vital systems that was soon to be the gargantuan dreadnaught. The massive ship was not yet finished, but it soon would be, and with it the Emperor would destroy the Rebellion and any others who dare oppose him.
With the recent destruction of the Death Star the Empire was in need of a new source of strong intimidation and the Executor, and other ships like it, would provide that source.
The purplish glow of Fondor cast a violet mask of light over Lira's face as she awaited the transmission of the Emperor's dark warrior Darth Vader. The cyborg menace would inherit the Executor upon its completion, a gift from Palpatine to ensure that Vader remained the dominant figure of the Imperial military, and use it to annihilate the new Rebel base, wherever it was.
So Lira was not surprised when the ping of the holotransceiver resonated suddenly throughout her quarters. She slowly turned to face where Vader's hologram would soon appear.
Blue light washed over the room as a life-sized Darth Vader faded into existence near her desk. He allowed the slow, methodic breathing of his respirator unit to echo before he spoke. The dark lord used it as a tool of intimidation for younger officers, however Lira found herself to be increasingly immune to its effects.
After several seconds of silence Lira walked over to a table and picked up her datapad. She started with the first point on the list, "Lord Vader, I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that construction of the Executor is well ahead of schedule and should be complete within the next several months."
"Is this a secure channel," Vader asked as he folded his arms over his chest plate.
Lira was taken aback by the abrupt question, "Yes, all of my frequencies are kept on an alternating secure network."
"The Executor is never to be discussed by its real name over any frequency again. Is that understood?
"Why the sudden leap in security, has something happened?"
"Several dissident spies were able to acquire a datapacket containing information on the ship's design and history."
"What? That's impossible. No ship comes in or out of the system without proper security clearance. No one even enters visual range of the-," Lira cut short before she called the ship by its real name, ". . . vessel . . . unless they have level six Imperial identification-"
"The plans were not stolen from your facility Captain, the agents discovered them among the Death Star wreckage in the Yavin system."
Lira paused as she marveled at the rarity of the find. The Death Star blast would have incinerated everything in its path. The fact that a vital piece of information such as the plans for the Empire's next super weapon was found among the debris, especially being an object as small as a datapacket, was astounding.
"Consequently," Vader continued, "the completion date for your starship has been pushed forward."
"How far forward?"
"Before the invasion of Selkonwa."
"Shelkonwa? Four months!"
"Do not question me Wessex, it is as the Emperor has foreseen."
Lira placed her hand over her forehead. She really didn't give a kark what the Emperor had foreseen. The Executor was barely seven months from being complete, but Lira knew what happened to those who went against the Emperor's orders.
She sharply placed her hands by her side and nodded, "It will be done my lord."
Vader waited a beat to allow Lira's submission to hang in the air, "The spy who stole the datapacket was pursued by the stardestroyer Crimson Tide and traced to the Kowak system. The Tide discovered a lunar outpost there. That is where the datapacket is now. You are to organize a fleet, find the plans, and return them to me."
"Yes, my lord."
Vader placed his hands on his hips as his holographic image faded out of the Captain's quarters. Lira waited a while to let the validity of the fact that she would now have to complete a nineteen thousand meter starship in four months. Once she was able to wrap her mind around the task and digest it she moved on to her next task. She walked over to her desk and placed a finger on the intercom button.
"Captain Ramaad," she called, "gather your fleet."