Dylan joined the Argosy wanting to be a pilot, and served in a slipfighter wing fresh out of the Academy. He'd intended to make a career as a pilot, but his nerve and daring impressed Admiral Stark of Argosy Special Operations and she recruited him, taking him under her wing. He became very well known to people in the know, and had what most would consider a stellar career in Argosy Special Operations.
The Andromeda Ascendant had been a troubled ship in her early career, and had lost a couple of captains and a whole crew. Nobody quite knew what to do with her, or who the right captain would be to provide the stability her AI needed. Dylan was way too young for most to consider him as a serious candidate for a posting as prestigious as a heavy cruiser, but Admiral Stark suggested a young command team out of Special Operations could be what she needed, and tapped Dylan. He met a lot of resistance at first from other officers but won over a lot of respect fairly quickly.
(I HAVE SO MUCH HEADCANON FOR DYLAN. SO MUCH. This is just the headcanon on how his career progressed.)
Oops I TL;DRed
The Andromeda Ascendant had been a troubled ship in her early career, and had lost a couple of captains and a whole crew. Nobody quite knew what to do with her, or who the right captain would be to provide the stability her AI needed. Dylan was way too young for most to consider him as a serious candidate for a posting as prestigious as a heavy cruiser, but Admiral Stark suggested a young command team out of Special Operations could be what she needed, and tapped Dylan. He met a lot of resistance at first from other officers but won over a lot of respect fairly quickly.
(I HAVE SO MUCH HEADCANON FOR DYLAN. SO MUCH. This is just the headcanon on how his career progressed.)