Peto Kelsan was a Human officer in the Imperial Navy who pledged 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's command was 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 their 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 ignore Fenel's subsequent order to open fire upon the Steadfast and directed the Third Fleet to initiate 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 the Avenger and died as the warship exploded over Ralltiir.
Admiral Peto Kelsan in the Avenger's command center
Peto Kelsan was a member of Emperor Roan Fel's Empire and held a rank in the Imperial Navy. The Human 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, Darth Krayt and his Sith Order toppled the Galactic Alliance, 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 was among those who pledged loyalty to Darth Krayt and 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's 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 Avengers engines had sustained damage prior to the raising of the Star Destroyer's shields. Aware that Krayt's 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.
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 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, and he also used Fel's authority to order Kelsan's crews to eliminate their commanding officers if they refused to surrender.
Kelsan regretfully announced that the fleet 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 with a reminder 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.
Admiral Kelsan dies during the self-destruction of the Coruscant Third Fleet.
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 the vessel despite Fenel's repeated orders. Kelsan chose to instead order 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 the ship, but 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 and refused 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 to inform Kelsan that it was safe to begin the evacuation. The crews of the Third Fleet abandoned their vessels in droves; once all were clear, Kelsan initiated the fleet's self-destruct and informed the Duros admiral. When Stazi asked why Kelsan had not entered an escape pod, but Kelsan's place was aboard Avenger. The Admiral thanked Stazi as the Third Fleet warships began to detonate, perishing as Avenger was destroyed.
Peto Kelsan was a pragmatic individual. During the Battle of Ralltiir, the Admiral recognized that there were hidden reasons behind Stazi's bold attack. When outgunned and outnumbered by the enemy, Kelsan chose to surrender rather than fight a battle that could not be won. Kelsan could not imagine making the same decision as Stazi to defend an enemy as they fled a battle. When tested, however, the Admiral abandoned pragmatism and chose to stand by codes of honor and duty. Refusing to fire upon a warship under Kelsan's own command, Kelsan positioned the Avenger in harm's way to protect the evacuating crews. Rather than join in the retreat, Kelsan followed a naval tradition of remaining aboard the self-destructing vessel.
Admiral Peto Kelsan appeared in the thirty-sixth issue of Star Wars: Legacy, Renegade, 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.