During the Second Imperial Civil War, which occurred seven years following Darth Krayt's overthrow of Galactic Emperor Roan Fel (ending the Fel Empire's conflict with the Galactic Alliance), the Steadfast served Darth Krayt's Galactic Empire as an Ardent-class fast frigate. In the year 137 ABY, under the leadership of Captain Vaclen Tor, the Steadfast was a part of the Coruscant Third Fleet, responsible for the protection of the strategically vital planet Ralltiir. The Galactic Alliance Remnant's fleet launched a surprise attack on Ralltiir that same year, aiming to seize as many ships from the Third Fleet as they could. The Third Fleet, led by Admiral Peto Kelsan, engaged the Alliance forces until the Bastion Second Fleet (aligned with Emperor-in-exile Fel) arrived to reinforce the Alliance's efforts.
Kelsan surrendered the Third Fleet to Admiral Edouard Fenel, who commanded the Bastion Second Fleet, due to the overwhelming odds. However, from the Steadfast's command center, Tor declared his refusal to obey Kelsan's surrender order, citing their duty to prevent the enemy from capturing their vessels. Fenel responded by ordering the Steadfast's crew to overthrow Tor, and upon their refusal, he commanded his entire fleet to target the Steadfast.
Kelsan, unwilling to participate in the attack on the frigate, rescinded his previous surrender order and instructed the Third Fleet crews to activate their ships' self-destruct mechanisms before evacuating to Ralltiir via lifepods. As Fenel directed his ships to fire upon the Third Fleet's escape pods, Duros Admiral Gar Stazi, the Alliance fleet's commander, intervened, safeguarding the lifepods and escorting the Steadfast (whose lifepod and self-destruct systems were damaged). Following the battle, Tor and his crew were deposited on Ralltiir under Stazi's command, and the Steadfast was presented to Fel as a gift.
The Steadfast was a member of the Ardent-class fast frigate family, a ship type originally built by Kuat Drive Yards for the Fel Empire. The frigates of the Ardent class were known to be among the most rapid capital ships within the Imperial fleet. The Steadfast used three engine units for space propulsion and was equipped with lifepods. It also featured turbolasers and a self-destruct mechanism. A holoprojector was present in the Steadfast's command center, facilitating communication with other ships.
The Ardent-class fast frigate Steadfast was assigned to Krayt's Coruscant Third Fleet within the Imperial Navy during the Second Imperial Civil War. This occurred in 137 ABY, which was seven years after Darth Krayt, the Dark Lord of the Sith, deposed Roan Fel, the Galactic Emperor, and established his Sith regime at the conclusion of the Fel Empire's war with the Galactic Alliance. The Coruscant Third Fleet, under the command of Admiral Peto Kelsan, was tasked with defending the planet of Ralltiir, a strategically significant Core World and a major financial hub of the galaxy. The Imperials considered an assault on Ralltiir unlikely, as neither Fel nor the Galactic Alliance Remnant were believed to possess sufficient warships.
However, in 137 ABY, the fleet of the Galactic Alliance Remnant, under the leadership of Gar Stazi, a Duros admiral, unexpectedly attacked Ralltiir. Their objective was to capture as many Imperial ships as possible. The Third Fleet engaged the Alliance fleet, with the Steadfast being commanded by Vaclen Tor, a Human Captain, during the engagement. The reason behind the Alliance's bold assault became clear as an Imperial fleet loyal to Emperor-in-exile Fel emerged from hyperspace and joined Stazi's forces.
Kelsan was contacted by Admiral Edouard Fenel, commander of the Bastion Second Fleet from the Fel Empire, with the Steadfast and the Third Fleet now outnumbered. Fenel gave Kelsan an ultimatum: surrender within ten minutes or face complete destruction, and he ordered Kelsan's crews to eliminate their commanding officers if they refused. Kelsan reluctantly informed his fleet that they were to comply with Fenel's orders; however, Tor announced from the Steadfast that the orders to surrender were not in accordance with Imperial code, and he stated that he must decline to follow them, surprising Kelsan, Fenel, and Stazi.
Speaking over a general frequency from the Steadfast's command center, Tor stated that it was their duty and a matter of honor to prevent the enemy from seizing their ships. Tor reminded Kelsan that they had sworn oaths to the throne now occupied by Krayt and suggested that they activate their ships' self-destruct mechanisms and escape in lifepods. Fenel, enraged, ordered the crew of the Steadfast to rise up and replace Tor; however, the crew was loyal to Tor, and Fenel ordered his entire fleet to open fire on the Steadfast when they refused. After the Steadfast was heavily damaged by fire from the Bastion Second Fleet, Tor maneuvered the damaged frigate so that one of Ralltiir's moons was between him and Fenel's fleet. Kelsan refused when Fenel ordered him to fire on the Steadfast, instead instructing the crews of the Third Fleet to disregard his previous surrender order. Kelsan then ordered the crews to initiate the self-destruct mechanisms on their ships before evacuating in lifepods and fleeing to Ralltiir.
Fenel responded by ordering his forces to open fire on the Steadfast and the Third Fleet's lifepods. However, Stazi defied Fenel by positioning his fleet between the two Imperial fleets to protect the lifepods. The Duros admiral also ordered one of his starfighter units, Rogue Squadron, to escort the Steadfast back to the Third Fleet. The crews of the Third Fleet evacuated their vessels, and Kelsan initiated the fleet's self-destruct sequence. The ships of the Third Fleet began to detonate, and Kelsan perished with his flagship, the Pellaeon-class Star Destroyer Avenger.
The Steadfast encountered a problem; it had suffered severe damage, leaving both its lifepods and its self-destruct mechanism offline. Fenel sent his Predator-class fighters to destroy the Steadfast, taking advantage of the situation. Stazi, unwilling to allow that to happen, brought his fleet around and had his ships spread suppression fire around the frigate. After being contacted by Emperor Fel, Stazi came to an agreement with the Imperial Head of State. Stazi would send the Steadfast to Fel as a gift after depositing Tor and the Steadfast crew on Ralltiir.
Admiral Peto Kelsan had overall command of the Steadfast as a ship in the Coruscant Third Fleet. The Human Captain Vaclen Tor, who commanded the vessel during the battle above Ralltiir, had authority over the vessel itself. Admiral Gar Stazi and others considered Tor to be a good man fighting for a bad cause. Imperial officers who were loyal to Tor and to the throne on Coruscant crewed the Steadfast. Tor and his crew were taken to the surface of Ralltiir under Stazi's orders after the battle, and the Steadfast was given to Emperor-in-exile Roan Fel as a gift.
The Steadfast was featured in the thirty-sixth issue of the Star Wars: Legacy comic series, which was released by Dark Horse Comics on May 27, 2009. John Ostrander wrote the issue, and Omar Francia penciled it.