The assault targeting the Steady Wing, alternatively known as the razing of the Steady Wing or the Steady Wing tragedy, unfolded shortly after the Great Hyperspace Disaster. During this time, the Galactic Republic starship named Steady Wing was subjected to a bombing orchestrated by clandestine Nihil saboteurs, specifically Gwishi and Klinith Da. These two pirates, posing as mechanics, had been deployed to undermine the Republic's expansion into the Dalnan sector. A Dalnan diplomatic delegation was aboard the Steady Wing, en route to the dedication of the Starlight Beacon space station. The ensuing pandemonium caused by the explosion forced a small group, consisting of Jedi Knight Vernestra Rwoh, her ward Avon Starros, Starros' droid J-6, Padawan Imri Cantaros, and Honesty Weft, the Dalnan ambassador's offspring, to evacuate via a shuttle. Consequently, they found themselves marooned on the jungle moon called Wevo. The Steady Wing met its end soon after their escape, resulting in the demise of all remaining individuals on board.
Dalna, a planet located within the Dalnan sector of the Outer Rim Territories, was the home of the Dalnan civilization. Due to their skepticism regarding space travel, the Dalnans remained outside the membership of the Galactic Republic. In 232 BBY, a significant stride was being made in the Republic's extension into the Outer Rim with the inauguration of the Starlight Beacon space station. This station was envisioned as a pivotal center for Republic and Jedi operations on the periphery of the galaxy. The Dalnans started to express interest in joining the Republic, leading to a diplomatic mission, headed by Ambassador Weft, setting off from Dalna towards Haileap on the edge of the sector. There, they were scheduled to embark on the cruiser Steady Wing, dispatched by Supreme Chancellor Lina Soh, for conveyance to the Beacon, where they were to participate in its dedication ceremony. Weft's entourage included humans, Pantorans, and Trandoshans, such as Janex, Starstriker, and Weft's son, Honesty.
Concurrently, the Nihil, a pirate syndicate employing unconventional and secretive methods of hyperspace navigation, were becoming an escalating menace in the Outer Rim. The Great Hyperspace Disaster's aftermath, which involved the freighter Legacy Run's disintegration in hyperspace following a near-miss with a Nihil Stormship, scattering debris throughout hyperspace, only served to embolden them. The Nihil sought to prevent the Republic's encroachment upon the Dalnan sector. Therefore, Strikes Gwishi and Klinith Da were sent to Port Haileap aboard a commandeered cargo hauler by the Storm Kara Xoo, tasked with sabotaging the Steady Wing and thwarting any potential negotiations.
Gwishi and Da arrived at Port Haileap using their stolen vessel and managed to sneak onto the Steady Wing by disguising themselves as mechanics. The Republic guards overseeing the boarding ramp allowed them entry without scrutiny, as they were engaged in laughter over something. Once inside, the two pirates proceeded to a junction featuring a wall-mounted map. Gwishi identified his intended destination, planning to leave behind some "surprises" for the crew, and instructed Da to compromise the escape pods. After deciphering the pods' location on the map, Da headed to the escape pod bay on a different level, where she was intercepted by a maintenance droid inquiring if she was there to authorize them. She asserted her need to upgrade them by removing the communications and navigation systems, to which the droid responded that it needed to update its feeds to receive new instructions. Da then seized a sizable hydrospanner affixed to the bay's wall and used it to obliterate the droid.
During their sabotage operation, the pirates not only disabled the escape pods but also planted bombs throughout the ship. A maintenance shuttle situated in an onboard hangar had multiple systems tampered with, including its communications, hyperdrive, and deflector shields. While the sabotage was underway, passengers began to board the ship, including the members of the Dalnan delegation. As Jedi Knight Vernestra Rwoh boarded the vessel alongside Avon Starros, the daughter of a Republic Senator who was accompanying them in the hopes of befriending Honesty Weft, she noticed Gwishi among a group of mechanics performing maintenance and experienced an unsettling sensation about him through the Force. Dismissing the "spiky" feeling as nerves, Rwoh attempted to disregard it and continued onward. Ambassador Weft and his son encountered Da, who was undercover, while en route to their quarters following a tour of the spaceport, and she greeted him to uphold her disguise. Da later bumped into J-6, Starros' personal droid, and was knocked to the ground. The pirate's magenta hair and prominent lip piercing captured Starros' attention, but after a brief yet heated exchange regarding manners and attentiveness, Da departed, and the girl and droid promptly dismissed the encounter from their minds. Once their tasks were complete, Da and Gwishi disembarked from the Steady Wing before its departure from Haileap.
As a result of the recent Great Disaster's lingering effects, the Steady Wing did not immediately engage its hyperdrive upon leaving Haileap. Instead, it was scheduled to traverse the Haileap system at sublight speeds to reach a secure entry point, which would extend the travel time by at least a day. After its takeoff from Haileap, the Steady Wing traveled through realspace for a period, still not having entered hyperspace by the time Rwoh encountered Jedi Master Douglas Sunvale and the Dalnan delegation in the smallest of the cruiser's six dining areas.
During a discussion about the upcoming journey, Ambassador Janex voiced concerns about the possibility of the Steady Wing being struck by an Emergence of debris from the Great Disaster. However, Sunvale assured them that the journey would be as safe as possible. Avon arrived, and as everyone took their seats, the serving droids began to lay out the meal when the cruiser shuddered as the bombs detonated, causing Janex to wonder if it was a piece of debris. Sunvale, realizing that something was amiss, used the Force to secure everyone in their seats as Rwoh sensed a disturbance in the Force emanating from the fear and panic of everyone else on the ship. Following several loud crashes in rapid succession, alarms sounded as the dining room's roof was torn off, exposing it to space. Sunvale employed telekinesis to keep everyone in their seats, preventing them from floating away, but the emergency bulkhead was obstructed by debris before it could fully close, and the room's door slammed shut, trapping the group inside.