The Vagaari sought to conquer and despoil the Geroons, initiating an assault on their homeworld known as Geroon. Force Commander Thrawn employed what may have been a favored strategy of his, the Thrawn Pincer. In this conflict, Thrawn managed to seize the Vagaari ship net, a less sophisticated version of the Gravity well projector; however, he sustained injuries during the engagement.
More than 100 warships from the Vagaari fleet launched an offensive against the Geroon homeworld. Despite resistance from the Geroons, their numbers were insufficient against the overwhelming Vagaari force. Upon investigating the battle, Force Commander Thrawn discovered that the Vagaari had successfully created a functional gravity well projector. He observed that one such projector was relatively exposed, guarded by only three warships, and devised a plan to capture it. His objectives were two-fold: to acquire this valuable technology for the Chiss, and to incite the Vagaari into attacking the Chiss, thereby justifying retaliatory action. Jorj Car'das and Maris Ferasi, two prisoners from the Republic, accompanied Thrawn aboard the Springhawk.
Thrawn instructed his fighters to execute a hyperspace jump towards the gravity projector, relying on the gravity well to pull them out of hyperspace as they approached. Following this, he ordered them to eliminate enemy fighters and establish a defensive perimeter between the projector and the warships. Once the fighters were cleared, the Springhawk followed. Thrawn then commanded Assault Teams One and Two to board the projector and subdue the crew, while Chief Engineer Yal'avi'kema and three of his crew members attempted to disable the projector for transport, either by collapsing it or attaching it to the hull of their ship. The boarding parties swiftly neutralized the Vagaari crew and began working to disable the projector. Car'das noticed the presence of Zero-g plastic bubbles on the ships, and upon closer inspection, Thrawn realized that each bubble contained a slave. Despite his awareness, Thrawn recognized that he could not intervene at that moment. Instead, he ordered his fighters to unleash full missile bursts and shock nets at all three warships, targeting the vessels' bridges and command stations with the shock nets. The gravity projector was then spark-welded to the Springhawk's hull, and they prepared to jump into hyperspace.
Before the jump could be executed, however, a Vagaari attack struck the bridge. Thrawn sustained injuries from the blast and was thrown to the floor. Maris and Car'das attempted to apply a sealant patch to a tear in his vacc suit, but it failed to adhere to the material. Maris was compelled to lie chest-to-chest over him, pressing her stomach against the wound until two Chiss arrived with a larger sealant patch and carried him away. The Springhawk then successfully jumped into hyperspace.
The Vagaari triumphed over the remaining Geroons and proceeded to plunder their planet. The Chiss suffered the loss of two warriors, an event that later had repercussions as the raid was perceived by some as an act of overt aggression. Thrawn made a swift recovery at the Crustai base. The capture of the gravity well projector proved significant in subsequent battles, and the strategies Thrawn honed during this operation contributed to his later victories.