The Illumine Kilhorde was the battle fleet and military of the Kilji Illumine, the Kilji species' nation. It was commanded by the ruler of the Illumine, Generalirius Nakirre, a number of generals, and several field commanders. The Kilhorde visited worlds in the Unknown Regions and enlightened them to the Kilji religion. In 18 BBY, Nakirre allied himself with the Grysk operative "Jixtus," who promised to guide a series of conquests of enlightenment that the Kilhorde would carry out. In exchange, Nakirre allowed the Grysk to travel aboard the Kilji war cruiser Whetstone, the generalirius's flagship.
While the pair provoked a civil war in the Chiss Ascendancy nation, the Grysks dispatched the Kilhorde to the small nations to the south and southeast of the Ascendancy to prevent any Chiss refugees from fleeing to those nations as their nation was broken in the civil war. However, the Chiss Senior Captain Thrawn retrieved data on the Kilhorde from the Kilji picket cruiser Hammer and shared it with the Paataatus Hiveborn nation. As the Kilji conquests were taking place to the south and southeast of the Ascendancy, they also took place to the north and northwest of the Hiveborn. The Hiveborn deemed the Kilji force's operations near their borders unacceptable, sending a Paataatus attack fleet to destroy the Kilhorde, obliterating it.
The Illumine Kilhorde was a large battle fleet that served as the military of the Kilji Illumine, the Kilji species' nation. The fleet's commanding officer and the ruler of the Illumine, Generalirius Nakirre, considered it "mighty" and "unshakable;" however, it had several weaknesses in design and combat doctrine. It consisted of several starships.
The Illumine Kilhorde attacked the nations to the south and southeast of the Chiss Ascendancy (pictured).
The Kilhorde, commanded by Nakirre's generals and several field commanders, traveled the Unknown Regions of the galaxy, visiting several worlds and enlightening their peoples to the Illumine's Kilji way of order and enlightenment religion. In 18 BBY, Nakirre allied himself with the coordinator of the warlike Grysk species, an operative known as "Jixtus," who promised to teach the Illumine the concept of conquest and guide the Kilhorde in a series of conquests of enlightenment. In exchange, Nakirre allowed him to travel aboard his flagship, the Kilji war cruiser Whetstone, while they instigated a civil war in the Unknown Regions' Chiss Ascendancy nation.
In that year, the Whetstone traveled to the Unknown Regions' Zyzek system, where Nakirre confronted the Chiss Senior Captain Mitth'raw'nuruodo, core name "Thrawn," the commander of the Chiss heavy cruiser Springhawk. As the two cruisers prepared for combat following a verbal confrontation, Zyzek System Defense, which defended the Zyzek star system, sent several patrol ships to engage the two vessels. Nakirre considered destroying the newcomers, but decided against it, as doing so would kill those aboard and prevent their enlightenment to the Kilji way and show those present the "might" of the Kiljis before the Kilhorde visited their worlds. The generalirius subsequently left Zyzek for the Ascendancy.
As the pair sowed discord among the Ascendancy's families, Jixtus and Nakirre's relationship worsened; in an Unknown Regions star system, Jixtus showed Nakirre the Shatter-class WarMaster FateSpinner, the Grysk's flagship, which the operative claimed could destroy the Kilhorde in two hours. Jixtus's threat persuaded Nakirre to obey his ally's every command. Shortly after, Thrawn boarded the Illumine's Kilji picket cruiser Hammer and retrieved data on the Kilhorde's design and battle doctrine, sharing it with the Paataatus Hiveborn nation. After obtaining the Grysks' permission, the Kilhorde moved against the small nations to the south and southeast of the Ascendancy to prevent any Chiss refugees from fleeing to those nations.
As Nakirre had not received any messages or reports after the Kilhorde's destruction, he feared that his generals had extended their conquests to Colonial Station Chaf (pictured).
The nations consisted of poor and desperate worlds that were unable to resist the Kilhorde's attack and willing to accept the Kilji religion in exchange for peace and comfort, and, as a result, the Kilhorde's conquests were successful. The Kilhorde's conquests took place to the south and southeast of the Ascendancy, which placed them to the north and northwest of the Hiveborn. Deeming the military force's operations near their borders unacceptable, the Paataatus sent a Paataatus attack fleet to destroy the Kilhorde, obliterating it and liberating the worlds and peoples it had conquered as a favor to Thrawn, who had freed the Hiveborn from the control of the Nikardun Destiny hegemony earlier in the same year. After Jixtus told him that the Kilhorde faced the small nations because they were unable to resist their attack, Nakirre sought to murder Jixtus; however, the generalirius speculated that Jixtus's fleet knew the whereabouts of the Kilji fleet, and decided against it.
As the fleet's field commanders had sent him glowing reports of victory, mapping their progress of their conquests, Nakirre was concerned when the communications stopped. He feared that his generals had "foolishly" extended their conquests to the planet Colonial Station Chaf, one of the Ascendancy's worlds, which would disrupt the operation of the world's long-range triad transmitter, the only link between the Kilhorde and its generalirius. Soon afterward, Nakirre offered to summon a number of the Kilhorde's vessels to assist Jixtus's fleet in its efforts to defeat Thrawn; however, Jixtus deemed it unnecessary, rejecting the generalirius's offer. Shortly after, the Whetstone traveled to an Unknown Regions system known as the "Sunrise" system, where Nakirre encountered Thrawn's fleet. The senior captain told the war cruiser's commander that the Paataatus had destroyed his battle fleet, prompting Nakirre to snap at Jixtus, who, in turn, murdered the generalirius, eliminating what remained of the Kilhorde.
Generalirius Nakirre was the leader and commanding officer of the Kilhorde. Several generals enlightened to the Kilji way of order and enlightenment and a number of field commanders also commanded the battle fleet.
The Illumine Kilhorde appeared in the 2021 novel Thrawn Ascendancy: Lesser Evil, the final volume of Timothy Zahn's [[Star Wars: The Ascendancy Trilogy|Ascendancy Trilogy.