Admiral Lia Harper stared out into the blackness of space, idly tapping her nails against the viewport's guard rail. It was a largely unnecessary feature; the transparisteel bulkhead could withstand anything up to and including a starship crash, and it was unlikely that the slender woman could fall through on her own. The rail was simply there to provide viewers on the observation deck something to hold onto as the stars wheeled by. For groundlings - those dirtside who were unused to the effects of artificial gravity on the stomach - this was a welcome comfort, even if there were few such individuals aboard the geosynchronous station at any given moment. Everyone aboard the space station was a trained professional, except for...

Except for the young Twi'lek man behind her, whose queasiness was palpable even to a non-Force user like Harper. She let a smile cross her face, but didn't turn to look at him. "You have something to report, Ensign Tarrare?"

"Yes, ma'am. The... uh, station security is wondering why you've commandeered production cradles Aurek through Senth." Tarrare swallowed and looked away from the drifting stars, composing himself. When he looked back, Harper's green eyes were staring back.

"Was there a problem with my authorization codes? It seems unlikely that the head of Intelligence would have faulty information." Harper said mildly.

"Ma'am, the problem wasn't with the codes. They were simply unaware that the Republic Navy had commissioned another fleet."

"That's because they did not, Ensign."

"Ma'am?" Tarrare's tone was questioning.

Harper turned back to look out the viewport at the production cradles, which were filled with droid and organic workmen scurrying across the scaffolding. "There's little purpose to having a stealth fleet that everyone knows about. My orders come from a higher authority than the Admiralty. Some would say the highest authority."

Tarrare considered this for a moment. "Then I expect this is to be a matter of some secrecy?"

"You would be right." Harper glanced at the bulk of a freighter unloading its cargo of iridium and impervium. "You have concerns, Ensign?"

The Twi'lek hesitated. "We're building a fleet, and there are over fifty thousand crewmen involved. Even Republic Intelligence can't keep a project this big a secret." He paused, letting his gaze drift down to look at the datapad in his hand. "And that's not to mention the workmen involved in building these ships."

"A fair point. The memories of droids are easily wiped, and a cybernetic interface will cut down on the need for crew, but the minds of organics cannot be broken, yes?" Harper leaned back from the railing and turned to look into the ensign's face. "You'll find during your work here that the minds of organics are more easily shaped than you might think."

The ensign didn't blink. "Yes, ma'am. Your orders?"

"Begin construction on the V-wings, T-wings and A-wings in production cradles Aurek through Jenth. Start production on the Main Battle Cruisers and the Light Cruisers in Krill through Senth. Keep me notified of any changes, and bring me a list of all workmen scheduled to return to the surface. Inform the Director that production is continuing as scheduled."

Tarrare saluted. "Yes, Ma'am." He turned and exited the observation deck, leaving Harper alone to watch the construction of a war machine.