Mordon Mordon was an admiral in the Imperial Navy and the commander of the " Imperial " - class Star Destroyer " Vengeance " during the Galactic Civil War . A native of a lush world in the Corellian sector , Mordon became a transport pilot before entering the Imperial Academy . Mordon ' s successful career saw him rise to the rank of admiral and assume command of the " Vengeance " sometime before 3 ABY . While in command of the " Vengeance " , Mordon oversaw the Imperial conquest of the Taroon system and Farboon , where his shuttle came under attack from Rebel starfighters . After being rescued by a TIE / In interceptor piloted by Imperial mechanic Maarek Stele , Mordon recommended Stele for training as a TIE pilot . Over time , the two became close , with the admiral taking the cadet as his protégé . Mordon was killed by Admiral Harkov when he conducted an investigation into Imperial treachery that implicated the latter . He was eventually avenged when Stele proved instrumental in bringing Harkov to justice . Biography . Early career . Mordon was born in the Corellian sector , on a planet with remarkable flora and fauna . As a youngster he desired to explore other worlds and began piloting freighters and transports . By the time he joined the Imperial Navy , he had already captained a small Corellian transport . After some time as a cadet at the Imperial Academy , Mordon entered active duty . He would later indicate that he spent at least some of his early career as a starfighter pilot , seeing much combat , and it is known that he earned several medals during this time . Sometime before 3 ABY , Mordon rose to the rank of admiral and assumed command of the " Imperial " - class Star Destroyer " Vengeance " . His newfound position allowed him the luxury of pursuing his own interests and , in a large room , discreetly located in one of the Star Destroyer ' s upper levels , he cultivated a garden , complete with a small waterfall and featuring plants from across the galaxy . Of particular note was a set of semi - intelligent plants , grown from seeds flown in from his home system , which spat a poisonous mist capable of killing a Human in seconds . The plants knew Mordon and did not spit at him or anyone in his presence , nor did they attack anyone wearing a special ring given to them by Mordon , which marked them as friends of the admiral . During his time on the " Vengeance " , the room became the admiral ' s personal retreat and allowed him to enjoy the solitude he found missing aboard a starship . Invading the Taroon system . Around 3 ABY , he was charged with overseeing the Galactic Empire ' s invasion of the Taroon system and ending the conflict that had existed between the system ' s inhabited planets , Kuan and Bordal , since the end of the Clone Wars . Shortly after arriving in the system , the Imperials declared martial law and set about taking prisoners from both worlds , mostly public figures and hardened soldiers . Among those captured was a small Bordali transport , commanded by the Bordali agent Gwadj and containing the captive Maarek Stele , along with his mother , Marina Stele , and his friend Pargo . The day after the " Vengeance " arrived in the Taroon system , Mordon addressed approximately 150 inhabitants of the system in a small amphitheater aboard his Star Destroyer . In addition to numerous invited guests were prisoners from both sides whose interrogation had revealed skills deemed desirable by the Imperials and a willingness to accept Imperial rule . When the amphitheater was full , Mordon took his place at a small raised platform in the center of the room . Mordon blamed decades of neglect under the rule of the Galactic Republic ' s corrupt Senate , which had left their worlds with tattered economies and weak leadership , for the war which had ravaged their system . He explained how Supreme Chancellor Palpatine had swept aside the corruption and begun the process of rebuilding the galaxy as the Galactic Empire , beginning a new era of peace and prosperity that was only now spreading to Outer Rim worlds such as theirs . He further painted the Rebel Alliance as rogue aliens who refused to live peacefully with Humans and criminals who longed to restore the corruption of old , before introducing a holographic film designed to show the power at the Imperial Navy ' s disposal and a recorded message from Emperor Palpatine himself . Those called to the presentation were to be given the chance to serve the Empire , some by returning to their world to aid in the transition of power , while others would be allowed to join the Imperial Military . For those not swayed by Mordon ' s recruitment speech , the admiral made it clear that the " Vengeance " had the power to decimate their worlds should they not cooperate . Mordon ' s speech produced the desired effect , and the transition of power in the Taroon system went smoothly , with many of the attendees swayed into service to the Empire . Within three months , the system was firmly under Imperial control and Mordon took the " Vengeance " on its next assignment . The ship was frequently on the move , jumping between hot spots of Rebel activity and sometimes involved in multiple actions simultaneously . Although most of the fighting was left to the " Vengeance " TIEs , later accounts of torpedo strikes would indicate that the ship itself came under attack on at least one occasion during this time . One such mission took the " Vengeance " to Farboon where it soon secured the area . However , as Mordon traveled in his shuttle to inspect the planet , he came under attack from Rebel forces . Two Rebel T - 65 X - wing starfighter s eliminated his minimal TIE escort and a pair of BTL Y - wing starfighter s set about disabling Mordon ' s shuttle with an ion cannon attack . Before the " Vengeance " could send reinforcements , it was called away urgently and the only ship available to respond was a TIE interceptor that had been recently repaired and which Maarek Stele , now a starfighter mechanic on the " Vengeance " , was taking on a test flight . Though he had no formal combat training , Stele still came to the admiral ' s aid and was able to draw the Rebel fighters away from the shuttle . Though Stele was outnumbered , he was able to hold off the Rebels long enough for the Star Destroyer to return and for reinforcements to arrive . Some time after his safe return to the " Vengeance " , Mordon , flanked by two stormtroopers , went to see Stele in the small debriefing room where the pilot had been told to wait . Mordon personally commended Stele for his skill and bravery and consequently recommended him for starfighter pilot training in the Imperial Navy . Protégé . Around this time , Mordon became suspicious of treacherous elements within the Imperial Navy and began conducting his own investigations . While this was ongoing , Stele returned from his basic training and , while Mordon was disembarking his personal shuttle , he recognized the young pilot in the hangar . Impressed by Stele ' s progress and recognizing certain traits in him that he wished to encourage , Mordon decided to trust him with a special password , " There ’ s a fog over Celadon City , " which he could use if he ever needed to see the admiral . During Stele ' s continued training on the " Vengeance " , Mordon dispatched stormtroopers to fetch the young pilot and bring him to the admiral ' s garden . Mordon had been monitoring Stele ' s progress and had decided to take the cadet into his confidence and the meeting would be the first of many between the two . Over time , Stele came to regard Mordon as a surrogate father figure as the two frequently met for tea and to discuss history , combat techniques and the current galactic political situation . Mordon passed on some of his experiences with dogfighting , piloting and command , which Stele summarized into 23 rules labeled " " Some General Combat Tactics " " . Mordon also provided Stele with one of the rings to allow him safe access to the garden in the admiral ' s absence . Imperial treachery . Mordon had been studying Imperial transmissions , together with information from some of his sources , and was becoming increasingly convinced that his earlier suspicions were correct — there was a threat to the Empire from within the Imperial Navy itself . His sources led him to conclude that the treachery involved some high ranking Imperial officers , though with only partial information he was not yet able to identify any suspects . During the course of his meetings with Stele , Mordon confided his fears to the pilot . He also encouraged Stele to make contact with the Secret Order of the Emperor , whose envoys were already watching the cadet . Mordon continued his investigation and believed that he was close to the names of those involved . However , Mordon ' s investigation did not go unnoticed and news of the admiral ' s activities eventually reached Harkov , an Imperial admiral who had been selling Imperial arms and was negotiating to defect to the Rebel Alliance . Realizing that Mordon was getting close to exposing his treachery , Harkov ordered the admiral ' s assassination . Mordon , however , had come to suspect that his life was in danger aboard the " Vengeance " and , though he was unable to escape Harkov , one of his last acts while he was still alive was to make arrangements to have Stele transferred to the remote Outpost D - 34 for his own safety . Legacy . Rumors of the admiral ' s death began to circulate on the " Vengeance " several days before the news was officially announced to the crew . The announcement said merely that he had died of " natural causes " and was to be replaced by ( Acting ) Admiral Coross . However , the admiral ' s suspicious death led to military investigators conducting an investigation aboard the ship , during which they interviewed many crew members including Stele , who had recently completed his training . The crew was told simply that the investigation was " standard procedure . " After several days , the investigators left and the turmoil caused by the admiral ' s death began to die down . Before his death , Mordon had written a message to Stele informing him of the reasons for his transfer , which was to be transmitted in the event of his death . Stele received the message , which claimed to be from his mother , but the style of the message and a reference to Celadon City prompted him to use Mordon ' s password to decrypt it and receive the admiral ' s final message to him . During his time on D - 34 , Stele finally made contact with the Secret Order before he was ironically transferred to the " Victory " - class Star Destroyer " Protector " , under the command of Harkov . While serving under Harkov , Stele uncovered some evidence of the admiral ' s dealings , prompting a full investigation by the Secret Order . As the net closed around him once more , Harkov was forced to step up his defection . Ultimately , Stele proved instrumental in uncovering Harkov ' s treachery and , after hearing that Harkov was responsible for Mordon ' s death , the pilot helped Imperial forces capture the rogue admiral . Mordon ' s death was finally avenged when Darth Vader executed Harkov for his crimes . Personality and traits . Admiral Mordon was a soft spoken individual whose narration skills provided him with the means to bring a prompt and peaceful conclusion to the conflict in the Taroon system . Maarek Stele considered the admiral to be something of an enigma but , in many ways , felt that he was one of the most personable officers he encountered during his service to the Empire . Unlike others in the Imperial Navy , Mordon realized the need to preserve resources and believed that there was no shame in passing up a kill if it meant you survived to fight another day , a philosophy that he developed during his early days as a pilot . He also valued those who showed an ability to think for themselves rather than blindly following orders . As a young man , Mordon felt that he was meant to travel to other worlds , yet he never stopped missing his own . He became an avid horticulturalist , an interest stemming from his early life on the lush world , and collected plants from across the galaxy for his garden aboard the " Vengeance " . Amid the stress of commanding a Star Destroyer , his garden provided him with a means of finding relaxation and solitude . He was also known to enjoy tea and exotic foods , which he would often share with Stele during their meetings in the garden . Mordon was an extremely loyal Imperial and was very concerned with treachery within the Empire ' s upper ranks . His investigation into the corruption left him tired and somewhat distracted by the weight of his undertaking . The admiral could trust few others with what he knew , yet chose to trust Stele , then a mere cadet . He attributed this to an almost sixth sense for dedication and promise in others . It was this sense , and conversely his sense for treachery and deceit , that he believed had allowed him to survive in the Imperial Navy for so many years . Behind the scenes . Mordon was created by Rusel DeMaria and first appeared in " The Stele Chronicles " , the novella that accompanied the game " " and told the story of the game ' s player character , Maarek Stele . He later appeared in DeMaria ' s " " , where his story was continued and further linked into that of the game when Harkov , one of the game ' s antagonists , was established to be responsible for Mordon ' s death . " The Stele Chronicles " uses a screenshot from one of " TIE Fighter " cutscenes to represent Mordon ' s speech to the representatives of the Taroon system . In fact , the cutscene depicts Harkov giving a similar speech after pacifying the Sepan system .