The Officer who Stood Up to Darth Vader and Palpatine [Canon]

During the first few years of the Galactic Empire, Palpatine and his apprentice Darth Vader were aboard a cruiser named the Defiance. The ship had been used as a Flight Training Institute for nearly its entire existence, and was known for graduating some of the most talented bridge navigation officers among similar schools. Emperor Palpatine was using the cruiser as a meeting ground that he had planned among his top Naval Chiefs to discuss how to best re-organize the former Republic Academies to better align with their plans for the galactic wide Imperial Navy they were building, as well as to have the Academies be more responsive toward Palpatine whenever he wished to order a change in the training programs.

While preparations for this meeting were being made within the main offices of the Defiance Cruiser, Darth Vader was ordered by his master to oversee the training exercise that was underway on the bridge among the newest cadets. This training exercise was being advised by a Commandant named Pell Baylo. He was an old man in his 70s who had been training cadets on the Defiance for nearly 5 decades, and had taken great satisfaction in his ship’s reputation and his school.

Hours went by as Vader just stood there looking at the cadets and their instructor going over standard procedure that was expected on the bridge of a ship. Vader began to wonder why his master had asked him to oversee such a tedious exercise, surely he was far more useful doing something else. The only subtle thing he noticed that was of some interest to him was that the instructor was clearly in physical pain due to a back injury he likely sustained in some prior battle, yet he still pushed on with his duties as he attended any cadet that needed his help or to look at their work, not allowing his pain get in his way.

Vader once heard a few cadets whisper to one another how Baylo was brave for still teaching despite the pain he had in his back, a statement that ticked the Sith Lord off, as the old instructor knew nothing of real pain compared to him. Finally near the end of the teaching lesson, a young cadet called over to have the Commandant check on her calculations for the coordinates for the planned hyperspace jump to Christophis. Baylo came over and was initially impressed with the calculations she had until he discovered one small error, that he went on to change himself.

After making the supposed correction in the navigation computer, Baylo looked at Vader and made the comment “They don’t learn right away, but they do learn. I get results. You can tell your Emperor that”.

For the first time since stepping on the bridge, Vader spoke, stating that Palpatine was his Emperor as well. Several cadets turned over to look at the two men who were face to face of each other, curious to see what was about to occur. But instead of feeling intimidated, Baylo stood his ground and went on to ask what Vader even was to the Emperor.

To which the Sith Lord replied that he would do well if he never found out. Still unphased by Vader’s presence and comments, Baylo went on to tell his cadets that he was leaving to attend the meeting with the rest of the Naval chiefs and that they ought to finish up by going into hyperspace using the calculations he put in earlier. He then casually walked by Vader and left the bridge.

As Commandant Baylo left, Vader looked over toward the cadet sitting at the navigation computer and told her to wait. He then walked over and looked right at her, sensing something was off about her emotions following her confrontation with the Commandant. He sensed that for some odd reason she knew that her initial calculations were correct, and that despite Baylo telling her otherwise, she refused to argue with him out of fear of being possibly removed from the class.

Vader asked her to check her calculations again. She did just that and found that what Baylo put in was completely off and made no sense. He then told her to put in her initial calculations in before they embarked into hyperspace.

As the ship was traversing through hyperspace, Vader met with Baylo right outside the office that was being used for the meeting. Baylo made a joke how he’s not used to waiting outside his own office for this long, to which Vader responded that it wasn’t his office anymore. Still not intimidated, Baylo replied with “whatever you say”.

Shortly afterwards they were asked to enter inside the office to meet with Emperor Palpatine. As Baylo was seated, Palpatine explained to him how his current training school on the Defiance was going to be folded into the existing training center on Corellia for more efficiency, and that he’ll be put on the navigation institute plantside. As the explanation finished, Baylo responded with a simple “No”.

Such a response surprised both Sith Lords present in the room, to which Palpatine asked the man to repeat himself. Baylo did just that, stating that he will not transfer his vessel over to the Emperor’s new command. He continued by saying that his ship was commissioned by the Republic to be used to train cadets in service of the Republic Navy only, and that he did not find the new Empire as legitimate.

After his rant ended, Palpatine told him to stop playing games, and was about to explain how the senate voted for the Republic to be made into the Empire before being cut off by Baylo, who stated that the senate dissolved its pact with the people the very moment it allowed for a tyrant to take over. He continued by saying that he considered the Empire to be a hostile power and couldn’t fulfill its orders. Baylo then reached into his coat pocket and placed down a datapad, stating that it was his resignation.

Palpatine simply looked at the datapad and then at the Commandant, and he began to chuckle at the little speech he had just heard. Before Baylo could dismiss himself from the meeting, Vader stepped toward him. Baylo looked up and told him how he didn’t care if he was about to kill him.

Vader replied with that was only because he believed himself to be already dead. Palpatine asked what he meant by that, to which Vader explained how Baylo intentionally plotted the cruiser they were in to launch itself into a star by changing the calculations of the navigation computer. Vader then said how he had them changed back to their correct state, preventing the collision.

Having heard his assassination plot be foiled, Baylo sat back down and cursed under his breath. Palpatine congratulated Vader on his efforts, and then turned back on the Commandant, who had clear hatred and anger in his eyes now. Baylo then exploded into a rant, saying how he watched Palpatine and his cronies corrupt the Navy bit by bit during the Clone Wars.

Turning it from the shield that protected the people, into an oppressive weapon that now was used to destroy. And how doing so was the biggest insult to all the men and women who have died in the Republic navy before Palpatine’s Empire took and corrupted it. Vader looked at his master, awaiting an angry response back, but was instead surprised to see Palpatine very amused.

Perhaps wanting to hear more of the man’s anger, Palpatine asked how Baylo was willing to sacrifice his own colleagues and students that were aboard the cruiser had his assassination plan been a success. Baylo responded that he now viewed his colleagues only as mere traitors trying to save their posts, and that death was a far better fate for his students than having them become apart of an evil force in the galaxy. Having heard enough of this, Vader force choked the man, snapping his throat in a blink of an eye and killing him instantly.

Palpatine’s smile quickly vanished as he witnessed what his apprentice had done and shouted out his name, telling him how he did not give him the order to kill Baylo. Vader stood still, not understanding why his master would have wanted to keep such a man alive. Sensing his apprentice’s confusion, Palpatine explained how he was going to keep the old fool alive for his own pleasure, forcing Baylo to watch as the Navy he once loved be transformed into something he hated.

Melt down the ship he beloved into metal to be used for caterfia trays. And that at the end of it all, he perhaps could have used such a man in his Navy. Baylo was willing to kill his own students for a cause afterwall, and Palpatine believed he could have convinced the man to use that fire for his own ambitions.

But now all that was gone because Vader killed him. Vader tried to defend himself by saying that Baylo was a clear threat, and that his method of just killing him was a far more efficient means of doing things. But Palpatine didn’t want to hear any of it, instead saying that because he did not command Vader to kill Baylo, that he should not have done it.

And his apprentice’s reasons for doing so did not matter. Before this Master and Apprentice discussion could continue, the office door opened by a cadet with the message that they’ve arrived at their destination and the Naval chiefs of Christophis were awaiting their Emperor. She looked over at her former Commandant, confused as to how he died.

Palpatine quickly commented how Baylo had a sudden death from his old age as he was making his way out of the office. But before he left, Palpatine gave the cadet one more order: to rename the cruiser they were on from the Defiance, to the Obedience. It was a one last kick into the passed Commandant and a not so subtle hint toward Vader to know his place.

Also fun fact, the female cadet in the story was actually Rae Sealone. She would later became a self appointed Grand Admiral about 2 decades later, following the Battle of Endor.