The Steadfast, a Chiss heavy cruiser belonging to the Chiss Ascendancy, operated as part of the Expansionary Defense Fleet during the Imperial Era. Admiral Ar'alani held command over it.
A Chiss warship, the Steadfast, was heavily armed, boasting numerous weapons, including those positioned on its flanks, and shone brightly with various lights. While smaller in size compared to a Star Destroyer, the Steadfast was still regarded as a powerful adversary, even against such a vessel.
A hyperdrive powered the Steadfast, which also featured an analysis station, a bridge, and an intercom system. The navigation ready room was situated midway between the analysis station and the bridge, with both connected by corridors. Typically, compartment doors featured green and blue colors around their edges, but the navigation ready room's door had a unique double-red rim and slid open.
The Steadfast possessed a hard shutdown capability, which deactivated unnecessary power consumption and all emissions, including active sensors. This hard shutdown was a less extreme version of dark stealth mode.
During the Imperial Era, the Steadfast served under the command of Admiral Ar'alani within the Chiss Expansionary Defense Fleet of the Chiss Ascendancy. Following the Batonn insurgency, Imperial Grand Admiral Mitth'raw'nuruodo, a Chiss himself, sent Commander Eli Vanto of the Imperial Navy, one of his subordinates, to meet with the Steadfast to integrate him into the Chiss Ascendancy. Upon his arrival, Vanto was immediately made a part of the Chiss Defense Fleet and his rank was reduced to lieutenant. Subsequently, he underwent an intensive course in Cheunh, the primary Chiss language. Instead of a command position, Lieutenant Vanto was assigned to the analysis department, where he was tasked with identifying patterns, forecasting events, and examining data. In time, the Steadfast was caught in a fierce skirmish with military forces belonging to the Grysk Hegemony and their allies, an event that led to a number of disquieting days.
Following the culmination of the Imperial–Grysk conflict in the Unknown Regions, the Steadfast was used to return Force-sensitive female Chiss children who had been abducted by the Grysks. Approximately one year after Eli Vanto's integration into the Chiss Ascendancy, Admiral Ar'alani ordered the Steadfast into a hard shutdown state three hours after reaching a star system within Imperial territory. This was done to evade detection while tracking a starship originating from the Unknown Regions, and the ship remained hidden within an asteroid belt for a week. During this period, Lieutenant Vanto was called to the bridge.
The Steadfast also participated in the Skirmish with Grysk warships, where it sustained minor damage. However, with the assistance of 12 Imperial Tie Defenders, it successfully destroyed both Grysk warships, preventing them from reporting back to their superiors.
Many members of the Steadfast's crew were fluent in Sy Bisti, and Admiral Ar'alani oversaw the ship. Senior Captain Khresh served as the First Officer of the Steadfast, and other officers such as Lieutenant Eli Vanto and Junior Commander Velbb, along with additional crew members, helped maintain the ship. The Steadfast also had five ozyly-esehembos among its crew, including navigator Vah'nya.