Sometime before the calamitous Great Hyperspace Disaster, a celebratory feast took place at the Hynestian royal palace. This event commemorated a treaty agreement between the Hynestians and the Hutt Clan, facilitated by the Jedi order stationed on Hynestia. During the festivities, young Padawan Vernestra Rwoh realized that the Povo Punch being served was actually a poison to Hutts. Stellan Gios intervened, stopping the Hutts from consuming the beverage, which prompted the Hutts to launch an assault, with the Hynestian royal family as their primary target. After the royal family was brought to safety, the Jedi and Hynestians managed to trap the Hutts.
Around 233 BBY, Vernestra Rwoh, a Padawan, arrived at the Temple on Hynestia to meet Stellan Gios, her new master. Upon her arrival, she observed Gios and Lynela Kabe-Oyu engaging in a sparring match. Following introductions, Stellan Gios invited Vernestra to spar, resulting in Rwoh unbalancing Gios. Impressed, the two Jedi decided that Vernestra should accompany them to the Banquet.
While in attendance at the banquet, Vernestra became aware that the drink being offered to the guests was Povo punch, a beverage poisonous to Hutts due to their inability to digest Povo berries. Acting swiftly to avert a potential diplomatic incident, Stellan Gios jumped over the attendees and knocked the drink tray out of the hands of a server droid.
Realizing that their excuse for avoiding the treaty with the Hynestians was now gone, the Hutts initiated a firefight within the banquet hall, attempting to assassinate the Hynestian royal family. Stellan Gios instructed Lynela to safeguard the royal family, while he and his new Padawan defended the other civilians present. After confirming that Lynela was protecting the royal family, Gios informed his padawan that it was time to put an end to the assault.
Vernestra, devising a clever plan to ensnare the attackers, used her master's shoulder as a springboard to leap into the air and sever a curtain with her lightsaber, causing it to fall and trap the attackers. Subsequently, Vernestra and her master cornered the fleeing Hutts, who were then confronted by Queen Nyla, who declared that she would either ransom them back to the Grand Hutt Council or subject them to the same treatment they typically reserved for assassins.
Following the attempted assassination, Vernestra questioned her master about why he couldn't sense the Hutts' treachery through the Force. He explained that one cannot always rely solely on the Force to anticipate events and that sometimes, one must accept the unexpected. After this lesson, Stellan Gios requested a lesson of his own, asking Vernestra to teach him how to do the leap she executed during the assassination attempt.
The attempt to assassinate the Hynestain royal family served as the central conflict in the comic short story First Mission, which debuted on December 15, 2021 as part of The High Republic Adventures Annual 2021.