The Chiss Ascendancy had signed a treaty establishing diplomatic relations with the Urchiv-ki species. Pursuant to the treaty's terms, Admiral Ar'alani's Nightdragon man-of-war Vigilant had gone to Urch to deliver the Chiss Ambassador Boadil'par'gasoi "Ilparg." However, Urch Planetary and Space Control refused to allow the diplomat's shuttle to land, and Lioaoin forces demanded the Vigilant leave the Urch system at the threat of combat.
Due to the Lioaoin presence at Urch, Ambassador Ilparg demanded that the Vigilant visit the Lioaoin heartworld for an explanation.
Upon the Chiss arrival at the heartworld, the Lioaoi denied involvement, while a Nikardun Battle Dreadnought approached the Vigilant. Senior Captain Thrawn identified himself to the Lioaoi, sparking a brief reaction from several Lioaoin gunboats. The gunboats used a pincer maneuver, a decidedly non-Lioaoin tactic associated with with the Nikardun military. These factors allowed Thrawn to deduce that the Lioaoi were allied with the Nikardun Destiny and had standing orders regarding him.
The Vigilant evaded a trap meant to ensnare it and fled to hyperspace.
Senior Captain Thrawn was now convinced that the Nikardun Destiny had been conquering, coercing, and courting alien species near the Ascendancy. Thrawn believed a skilled conquerer must understand the culture and philosophy of the peoples they sought to conquer, and thus devised a plan to trick the Nikardun leader Yiv into believing he had inadequate information about the Chiss. Thrawn resolved to attend a diplomatic reception where he could learn more about the Nikardun and plant seeds of doubt in Yiv's mind regarding his ability to conquer the Ascendancy.
The mission to the Lioaoin heartworld appeared in the 2020 novel Thrawn Ascendancy: Chaos Rising by Timothy Zahn, the first installment in Star Wars: The Ascendancy Trilogy.