While searching for the wreckage of an Allanar N3 light freighter, Grand Admiral Thrawn of the Imperial Navy, aboard the Chimaera, came across a hidden cloaking device and gravity well within an asteroid observation post. Concealed beneath the asteroid base was an armed Grysk warship.
Under the command of Thrawn, Commodore Karyn Faro launched TIE Defenders along with two squadrons of TIE fighters, executing a Marg Sabl formation. Simultaneously, he directed Lieutenant Pyrondi to unleash a barrage of turbolaser fire upon the enemy vessel.
At that precise moment, the Chiss Ascendancy's heavy cruiser, the Steadfast, emerged from hyperspace, deploying plasma spheres designed to divert the Grysk warship's laser weaponry. Observing the Chimaera and the Marg Sabl maneuver of its starfighters, Eli N. Vanto deduced that Thrawn's intention was to divert the Grysks' attention away from his TIE fighters.
Thrawn's starfighters successfully eliminated the electrostatic generator nodes and laser defenses of the Grysk warship. To aid Thrawn's efforts, Admiral Ar'alani instructed her crew to cease deploying plasma spheres and instead launch Breacher missiles towards the enemy ship's laser emplacements. Although the Grysk warship's laser cannons managed to intercept and destroy two of the Breachers, four of them successfully struck their designated targets, penetrating the ship's outer hull. Subsequently, Thrawn's Defenders and TIEs annihilated the Grysk warship's hyperdrive and thrusters, resulting in the ship's destruction.
Following the engagement, Thrawn extended an invitation to Ar'alani and Eli to meet him onboard the Chimaera. Before departing, Ar'alani instructed her crew to recover any salvageable materials from the wreckage of the Grysk warship. After exchanging formalities aboard the Chimaera, Thrawn, Eli, and Ar'alani proceeded to board the Grysk warship, where Major Carvia and four stormtroopers were holding two Grysk prisoners captive.
Major Carvia informed Thrawn and Ar'alani that they had discovered the remains of five humans and eighteen entities belonging to an unidentified species, all of whom had sustained multiple stab wounds. Carvia further reported that they had also located a young Chiss girl who had survived the massacre. While Ar'alani expressed a desire for retribution against the Grysks, Thrawn maintained his opposition to executing prisoners. In a private conversation, Ar'alani confided in Eli that she had intentionally fabricated her anger in order to mislead the Grysk prisoners into believing that there was discord between herself and Thrawn.