The Kilji way of order and enlightenment, commonly known as Kilji enlightenment, was a series of ancient religious beliefs of the Kilji species and their government, the Kilji Illumine. The way's enlightenment, was, according to the Kiljis, wisdom implanted in one's mind that prevented them from thinking or making any move on their own while giving them purpose: to serve their enlightened leaders, which made them their vassals. With the goal of of univeral enlightenment, the Illumine expanded from the Kilji homeland through the conquests undertaken by the government's military, the Illumine Kilhorde. Based on at least three dicta that spoke that the choice to be enlightened was made by an individual, whose choice could be changed by the Kiljis, and that those who stood against the goal of universal enlightenment defiantly faced death.
Around 18 BBY, for the Illumine's future and expansion, the government's leader, Generalirius Nakirre, allied himself with the Grysk operative "Jixtus," who shared the concept of conquest with the Kiljis. While assisting the Grysk species in subjugating the Unknown Regions by provoking a civil war in the Chiss Ascendancy, the Kilhorde attacked. Conquering worlds and forcing the Kilji way upon them, the military force expanded enlightenment to the southeast of the Ascendancy until the Paataatus Hiveborn intervened, sending a Paataatus attack fleet to destroy the Kilhorde, as the Hiveborn considered the Illumine's forces' operation near their borders unacceptable. Once Nakirre and Jixtus learnt of this, the latter killed the former, and Nakirre's vassals aboard the Kilji war cruiser Whetstone rebelled under the command of Pathfinder navigator Qilori, who led them to the death of Jixtus.
An ancient group of religious beliefs and dicta, the Kilji species' Kilji way of order and enlightenment, also known as the Kilji enlightenment, was the base of the Kilji Illumine theocratic nation. Establishing that the universe shall be enlightened—if each being chose to do so, according to an ancient Kilji dictum, which also commanded those of the enlightened to facilitate such choices—the Kilji enlightenment gave purpose and prosperity according to the Kiljis while preventing an individual from thinking or doing anything without their masters. Led by the generalirius of the Kilji Illumine and the government's generals, the Kilji vassals served their masters eagerly, undertaking every command even if it concerned the vassal.
The Kilji way of order and enlightenment told that the enlightened did not flee combat, they fought and prevailed. While the Illumine's officers conveyed that, they accepted to let those under their command to flee, dying to prevent the others' perishing. The Kilji Illumine's Illumine Kilhorde military force expanded the Illumine and enlightened planets and peoples through war zealously under the command of their generalirius, who led them along the "right" and enlightened path.
Senior Captain Mitth'raw'nurodo "Thrawn" became one of Generalirius Nakirre's chosen targets.
Around 18 BBY, to enlighten the universe and the galaxy, from the Unknown Regions to the regions beyond their borders, the leader of the Illumine, Generalirius Nakirre, allied himself with the Grysk operative "Jixtus." While the Grysk species guided the Kilhorde's conquests of enlightenment and advised the Kiljis, Nakirre provided transport to his ally aboard the Kilji war cruiser Whetstone. The Grysk agent suggested four nations of the Unknown Regions that the Kilji nation should first enlighten, bringing Nakirre's war cruiser to the Unknown Regions' Zyzek system to meet representatives of his chosen targets. While orbiting the planet Zyzek, Jixtus and the Kilji generalirius discussed the concept of conquest, which, according to Nakirre, would allow them to bring order through the Kilji way of order and enlightenment. Before the Grysk told the other how they would begin the four nations' enlightenment, the Chiss heavy cruiser Springhawk, commanded by the Chiss Senior Captain Mitth'raw'nuruodo "Thrawn" arrived.
Thrawn claimed he had in his possession several prisoners of the Watith, which Nakirre wished to capture to bring them to enlightenment. The generalirius then spoke with the senior captain, who refused to give his prisoners away as the Kilji did not know where the home, where Nakirre promised he would leave them, of the Watith was. That prompted the Kilji commander to explain that his enlightenment required him to help Thrawn deliver the Watith to their point of origin, which, in turn, prompted the other to imply that the Kilji enlightenment took away his freedom of choice. Angered, the generalirius ordered his vassals to prepare the Whetstone for combat; however, the confrontation was shut down by the Zyzek System Defense organization just before Nakirre promised to bring the Kilji philosophy to the Chiss.
Shortly after, Nakirre and Jixtus visited the Chiss Ascendancy's planet Avidich under the generalirius's directive to enlighten the Chiss. There, the Mitth family Patriel Thistrian ordered Nakirre away, and Jixtus complied. That angered the Kilji, who wished to speak of the path to the patriel. While en route to their next destination, the generalirius snapped, and expressed his displeasure. His Grysk ally then brought the Whetstone to a star system where his flagship, the Shatter-class WarMaster FateSpinner, assisted Jixtus in intimidating Nakirre into a service with no complaints while promising that their agreement to enlighten the peoples of the Unknown Regions still stood.
Meanwhile, Jixtus dispatched Illumine General Crofyp and his task force consisting of his Kilji war cruiser Anvil and the Kilji picket cruiser Hammer led by Colonel Tildnis, to capture a group of refugees hiding at the planet of Rapacc in the Unknown Regions' Rapacc system. While en route to Rapacc, the Pathfinder navigator of the Anvil, Qilori, stopped the warship as the Hammer had lagged. That annoyed Crofyp, who insulted the navigator, calling him an unenlightened fool with xenophobia. Shortly after, both Kilji warships arrived in the Rapacc system and were confronted by the Paccosh–commandeered Nikardun blockade frigate Aelos. The Kiljis commanded the Paccian captain, Commander Uingali foar Marocsaa, to move aside or die. However, the other refused while Crofyp explained Jixtus's role in the Kilji conquests of enlightenment to the commander.
Just after the general positioned his task force for a cross-fire attack, the Springhawk arrived and deactivated the Anvil with plasma spheres before confronting Crofyp through comm. Thrawn issued a directive to let him destroy the Aelos or be destroyed, which angered Crofyp, who called the Chiss an unenlightened fool. The general then sieged the Chiss heavy cruiser; however, the warship was able to deal significant damage to the Anvil. In the bridge of the war cruiser, Qilori told Crofyp to flee, however, the general did not comply, as the enlightened did not flee, they fought and prevailed. The Pathfinder then fled in a escape pod while mocking the general, who died moments after Chiss breacher missiles exploded the Anvil. The Springhawks commander then rescued Qilori, and tasked him with tracking the Hammer, which had fled, contrary to the Kilji way, to its destination. Days afterward, the Aelos—crewed by Thrawn, Qilori, and the Paccosh—traveled to the star system known as the Sunrise system by the Chiss, where they captured the Hammer as part of the Sunrise incident. After retrieving vital data on the Kilhorde battle fleet, Thrawn's team fled the picket cruiser while a vessel of the Grysks destroyed the cruiser.
The Ascendancy military, fragments of which engaged Jixtus's fleet.
At some point after the Kilji picket cruiser's destruction, the communications Nakirre had been receiving form his field commanders, who mapped their campaigns to the northeast of the Paataatus Hiveborn government, stopped. The generalirius feared that his enlightened generals had extended their conquests to the southeast-nadir Chiss planet of Colonial Station Chaf, which would have disrupted the operation of the long-range triad transmitter—which allowed Nakirre to communicate with the Kilhorde's officers—there. In truth, Thrawn had shared the data he retrieved from the Hammer with the Paataatus species, who considered the Illumine Kilhorde's operations near their borders unacceptable. With the data, the Paataatus sent one of their attack fleets to destroy the Kilhorde.
Afterward, Nakirre mocked his Grysk ally, remarking that Jixtus had once said that when the Chiss had been forced into combat, the Ascendancy would fall, which the Kilji considered incorrect, as he believed the correct term was "if." Jixtus then told Nakirre that the Grysks could twist the Illumine's culture to do the Grysks' bidding, which the generalirius considered untrue, as the enlightened's fate could not be changed by the unenlightened. Days afterward, the Whetstone arrived in the Sunrise system, where it encountered Thrawn's fleet of deactivated warships of the Chiss. Engaging in a comm conversation with the fleet's commander, Thrawn, Nakirre and Jixtus learnt of the Kilhorde's destruction, which prompted the generalirius to express his opinion of the Grysk, who, in turn, killed the other.
The Chiss fleet was reactivated soon after while Nakirre's Kiljis mourned the Kilji's death. After Jixtus escaped the Whetstone and boarded the FateSpinner to engage the Chiss forces with his fleet, Qilori, who was serving aboard the Whetstone, motivated the vassals present into attacking Jixtus. A vassal explained the enlightened vassals' inability to think or move without a master, and the navigator declared himself their master. Using the Kilji war cruiser's weaponry, Qilori fired at the FateSpinner, inducing Jixtus to kill himself.
The Kilji way was led by Generalirius Nakirre, whose decisions were affirmed by the Kilji Overlords. General Crofyp and Colonel Tildnis of the Hammer were also enlightened, as were all of their vassals: Vassal One, Vassal One of the Whetstone, Vassal Two of the Anvil, the Whetstones Vassal Two, Crofyp's Vassal Three, the generalirius's Vassal Four, Crofyp's, and the Whetstones pilot, comm vassal, and weapons operator.
The Kilji way of order and enlightenment appeared in the 2021 novel Thrawn Ascendancy: Lesser Evil, written by Timothy Zahn as the third volume of his Ascendancy Trilogy.