Peto Kelsan Peto Kelsan was a Human male officer in the Imperial Navy who pledged his loyalty to Darth Krayt when Emperor Roan Fel was ousted from the throne by the Sith Lord in 130 ABY . Holding the rank of admiral , Kelsan was placed in command of the Coruscant Third Fleet . By the year 137 ABY , Kelsan and his command were stationed at Ralltiir , a Core World significant for its status as one of the great financial centers of the galaxy . That year , Ralltiir came under attack ; elements of the Galactic Alliance Remnant — the previous galactic government , toppled by the Sith and Roan Fel while they had been allies — engaged Kelsan ' s command . The Galactic Alliance forces , led by Admiral Gar Stazi , were shortly thereafter reinforced by the Bastion Second Fleet , commanded by Edouard Fenel of Fel ' s Empire . Against the enemies ' overwhelming numbers , Kelsan reluctantly surrendered the Coruscant Third Fleet to Fenel . When Captain Vaclen Tor of the frigate " Steadfast " refused to comply and reminded Kelsan of his duty to prevent the fleet from falling into the hands of the enemy , the Admiral was placed in a moral quandary . Kelsan ultimately decided to honor his duty ; ignoring Fenel ' s subsequent order to open fire upon the " Steadfast " , he directed his crews to initiate the fleet ' s self - destruct and flee in escape pods to Ralltiir . To Kelsan ' s surprise , Gar Stazi then ordered his forces to protect the Third Fleet as it was evacuated , in order to prevent Fenel from opening fire on the defenseless escape pods . Once the crews were clear , Kelsan thanked Stazi before initiating the self - destruct mechanisms on the warships . The Admiral , remaining aboard his flagship " Avenger " , died as the warship exploded over Ralltiir . Biography . Rise to admiral . A Human male , Peto Kelsan was a member of Emperor Roan Fel ' s Empire and held a rank in the Imperial Navy . He was acquainted with Admiral Edouard Fenel . In 127 ABY , Roan Fel and his Sith allies , led by Darth Krayt , initiated a war against the reigning government , the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances . Upon the conclusion of the war in 130 ABY , which saw the Galactic Alliance toppled , Darth Krayt and his Sith Order turned on Emperor Fel and attacked him . Fel fled the galactic capital of Coruscant , leaving Darth Krayt to take over the planet . In the resulting fallout , the Imperial Navy split among the two camps . Peto Kelsan pledged his loyalty to Darth Krayt , and Kelsan was placed in command of the Coruscant Third Fleet , holding the rank of admiral . Kelsan commanded the fleet from the bridge of the " Avenger " , a " Pellaeon " - class Star Destroyer , itself captained by the Nikto Furske . By 137 ABY , Kelsan and his command had been assigned to protect Ralltiir , a strategically important Core World and one of the great financial centers of the galaxy . As the fleet provided Ralltiir with a strong defense , it seemed unlikely to the Imperials that the planet would be attacked , as neither Roan Fel nor the Galactic Alliance Remnant were deemed to have sufficient warships . During the same year , however , the fleet of Galactic Alliance Remnant Chief of State Gar Stazi emerged out of hyperspace directly in front of Kelsan ' s fleet and engaged it at close quarters . The Coruscant Third Fleet was swamped by Stazi ' s forces , which targeted the engines and defensive systems of Kelsan ' s warships in order to disable and capture them . As Kelsan ' s fleet powered up their shields and returned fire , the Admiral called for a report from Captain Furske , who reported that the " Avenger " engines had sustained damage prior to the raising of the Star Destroyer ' s shields . Aware that his forces had an advantage in firepower , Kelsan remained confused by Stazi ' s abrupt attack . The two fleets continued to trade salvoes until the reason behind Stazi ' s bold attack became clear — an Imperial fleet aligned with Emperor Roan Fel emerged from hyperspace and pressed the attack alongside Stazi ' s forces . Death over Ralltiir . The combined enemy fleets outnumbered Kelsan ' s command , and the " Avenger " suffered damage to its shields under the renewed assault . Kelsan was soon contacted directly by his Imperial opponent , Admiral Edouard Fenel . Fenel acknowledged Kelsan ' s ascendancy to the rank of admiral before requesting a cease - fire so that he could address the Coruscant Third Fleet . Beaten , Kelsan acquiesced and ordered Fenel to be patched through to his command . Fenel issued an ultimatum for Kelsan ' s command to surrender within ten minutes or face total destruction . The Imperial Admiral also used Fel ' s authority to order Kelsan ' s crews to eliminate their commanding officers if they refused to surrender . The Admiral regretfully announced to his fleet that they were to comply with Fenel ' s directives . To the surprise of both Kelsan and Fenel , however , one officer of the Coruscant Third Fleet — Captain Vaclen Tor of the " Ardent " - class fast frigate " Steadfast " — dissented . Over a general frequency , Tor announced that Kelsan ' s orders were unacceptable , stating that the Coruscant Third Fleet owed its loyalty to Emperor Krayt . The Captain personally addressed Kelsan , reminding him that it was their duty — and a matter of honor — to prevent the warships of the Third Fleet from falling into the hands of the enemy . Irate , Fenel first ordered Tor ' s crew to kill him and , when that failed , ordered his entire fleet to open fire on the " Steadfast " . Already conflicted , Kelsan refused to fire upon on a vessel of his own command when Fenel ordered him to do so . As Fel ' s admiral repeated his order , Kelsan made his choice ; addressing his command for the last time , he instructed the crews of the Third Fleet to disregard his previous order to surrender and to initiate the self - destruct mechanisms on their warships , before evacuating in escape pods and fleeing to Ralltiir . The Admiral decided to remain upon " Avenger " to cover the evacuation and go down with his ship . Disaster loomed for Kelsan ' s forces , however , as Fenel broadcast a subsequent order to open fire on the Third Fleet ' s escape pods . To Kelsan ' s surprise , Fenel was defied by Gar Stazi , who positioned his warships to protect the Third Fleet , refusing to fire on the defenseless crews . Once Stazi ' s forces had taken up position and prevented Fenel ' s fleet from attacking , Stazi made personal contact with Kelsan and informed him that it was safe to begin the evacuation . The crews of the Third Fleet abandoned their vessels in droves ; once all were clear , Kelsan informed the Duros admiral that he was initiating the fleet ' s self - destruct . At a query from Stazi as to why he had not entered an escape pod himself , Kelsan replied that his place was aboard " Avenger " . The Admiral thanked his opponent as the Third Fleet warships began to detonate , and the Imperial Admiral perished as " Avenger " was destroyed . Personality and traits . Peto Kelsan was a pragmatic man . During the Battle of Ralltiir , the Admiral recognized that there were hidden reasons behind Stazi ' s bold attack on his fleet . When faced with an enemy by whom he was outgunned and outnumbered , Kelsan chose to surrender his command rather than fight a battle that he could not win , and also revealed to Stazi that he imagined that he would not make the decision to defend an enemy as they fled a battle . When tested , however , the Admiral abandoned his pragmatism and chose to stand by codes of honor and duty ; he refused to fire upon a warship of his own fleet and placed himself and his flagship in harm ' s way to protect his crews . Rather than join in the retreat , Kelsan followed a naval tradition of remaining on his vessel as it self - destructed . Behind the scenes . Admiral Peto Kelsan was introduced in the 36th issue of " " , " " , published by Dark Horse Comics . Created by series writer John Ostrander for the issue , the character of Peto Kelsan was drawn by established " Legacy " penciler Omar Francia . Kelsan was colored by Brad Anderson , who had worked on every comic in the series . Not including the rank of Grand Admiral , Kelsan was the third admiral in Darth Krayt ' s Imperial Navy to be portrayed , the others being Sha Dun and Dru Valan .