Nels Deyland was a Senior Lieutenant within the ranks of the Imperial Navy, a male who held the position of first officer under the command of Captain Filia Rossi aboard the _Gozanti_-class cruiser named the Blood Crow.
Following Rossi's appointment as captain of the Blood Crow, replacing Captain Rik Virgilio, she conducted an inspection of the vessel accompanied by several officers, Deyland among them, trailing closely. Upon reaching the Number Two storage bay and opening its hatch, Deyland and the other officers moved aside in the passageway, hinting at Rossi's displeasure with First weapons officer Thrawn's storage of relics from the Clone Wars. When Rossi demanded an explanation from Thrawn, Deyland intervened, only to be swiftly silenced by Rossi. After Rossi instructed Thrawn to discard his artifacts, Thrawn offered an alternative solution. Despite Rossi's initial attempt to dismiss the explanation, Deyland interjected, urging that Thrawn's suggestion be considered. Rossi then reluctantly consented to hear Thrawn's proposition, which revealed that his collection included two Mark One Pistoeka sabotage droids, rare items of significant value to collectors. Thrawn argued that these droids, being assets of the ship and with Rossi as its captain, technically belonged to her. Thrawn pointed out their potential value to officers within Imperial High Command, which Rossi could leverage for her own benefit. Ultimately, Rossi accepted Thrawn's proposition, a resolution that satisfied Deyland.