Ankhural, a planet situated within the Mid Rim Territories, existed within the overlapping regions of Hutt Space and the Slice. To defend against the substantial dust clouds originating from the silicon fields, its sole city was safeguarded by a ray shield. During the year 3 ABY, the 61st Mobile Infantry of the Rebel Alliance sought refuge at an abandoned podracing track, using it as a repair site for their headquarters vessel, the CR90 corvette named Thunderstrike.
This terrestrial planet, Ankhural, was located in an area where the Mid Rim Territories and the Slice converged. Its position was R-9 on the Standard Galactic Grid, placing it within the domain of Hutt Space. The landscape was dominated by silicon fields, which imparted a subtle metallic sheen noticeable from space. The planet's surface was subject to strong winds that stirred up silicon particles, creating vast, sweeping dust clouds.
During the Imperial Era under the Galactic Empire, Ankhural's civilization consisted of only one city, which acted as its capital, along with a scattering of settlements lacking official designation. Given its location outside Imperial space, it became a haven for pirates and other forms of illicit activity. The bounty hunter known as Brand once visited the city, developing a fondness for its gritty atmosphere. She eventually included Ankhural's coordinates on an emergency datachip when she became a soldier within the 61st Mobile Infantry, a company fighting for the Rebel Alliance against the Empire. A podracing track had previously operated near the city's edge, but it had fallen into disuse.
In 3 ABY, amidst the Galactic Civil War between the Alliance and the Empire, Ankhural's criminal element remained vibrant. Traders operating freely from Wild Space engaged in meetings with representatives from the Crymorah Syndicate, a network of criminal families, and Umbaran spies offered their services to surviving members of Death Watch, a militia composed of Mandalorian traditionalists.
During 3 ABY, the 61st endured an attack by Imperial spies, leading to the loss of many key leaders. Subsequently, the company relocated to Ankhural, where their headquarters ship, the CR90 corvette Thunderstrike, touched down at the abandoned podracing track. Simultaneously, their escort vessel, the Braha'tok-class gunship Apailana's Promise, underwent its own repairs in the planet's orbit with a minimal crew. The company's personnel established a temporary camp near the corvette, with many contributing to the starship's repair efforts.
In the meantime, Brand undertook assignments within the city, selling her highly valuable DX-2 disruptor blaster pistol for a substantial sum. She also sought assistance from an individual known as the Grandfather of Vice to ensure that the 61st's presence in the city did not provoke conflict with local gangs. On one day, she went to confer with an associate of the Grandfather, openly displaying her weapons as she navigated alleyways marked by predatory Vivisector gangs. Upon entering a concealed black market area, she approached a Weequay contact who confirmed that the gangs had not yet caused any trouble. The soldier conveyed her gratitude to the Grandfather of Vice and departed the market, suspecting that she had been followed while inside.
Around that time, the 61st's First Sergeant Hazram Namir and the Imperial defector Governor Everi Chalis arrived on Ankhural, having tracked Brand's datachip. The two had separated from the 61st's Captain Micha Evon and two other soldiers following the Empire's invasion of the Alliance's base on Hoth, which resulted in the death of the other soldiers. Soon after Brand returned to the 61st at the podracing track and informed Quartermaster Hober that there were no new developments or emergencies, Namir and Chalis reached the company, delivering the news of their captain's demise.
Ankhural was first introduced in Battlefront: Twilight Company, a novel authored by Alexander Freed and released in 2015.