In the year 3 ABY, Admiral Tarl Sokoli of the Imperial forces met his end, [assassinated] by Beilert Valance, the leader of the Imperial Dark Squadron, just outside of the Eriadu system. Darth Vader, the Sith Lord, had previously dispatched Sokoli to the system to ensnare the admiral, as Vader was displeased with Sokoli's public expressions of discontent with the Empire. This mission also served as a test for Valance, a former bounty hunter whom Vader had captured and enlisted into the Empire, and who shared a history with Sokoli, as the admiral had inspired him as a child to join the Empire.
Before the mission commenced, Ochi of Bestoon, a Sith assassin, acting under Vader's instructions, falsely informed Valance that Sokoli had secretly joined Crimson Dawn, the criminal syndicate that was experiencing a resurgence, as an Imperial mole. Valance, fearing for the lives of those he loved, and thus having no choice but to obey the Sith Lord's commands, journeyed with Dark Squadron to Sokoli's light cruiser, the Forerunner II, where they were confronted by TIE/ln space superiority starfighters.
After losing two members of his squadron to enemy fighters, Valance opted to deliberately crash his TIE/d "Defender" Multi-Role Starfighter into the Forerunner II's bridge, seeking a faster route to Sokoli. Upon exiting the wreckage of his ship, Valance engaged in a brief conversation with the admiral before executing him with his palm blaster.