Chiss–Grysk conflict

The Chiss-Grysk war was characterized by a string of political and military clashes. These conflicts pitted the blue-skinned Chiss Ascendancy and their allies against the Grysk Hegemony, the nation of the warlike sentient species known as the Grysk, and their respective allies. This war began in 19 BBY when the Grysk-controlled Nikardun Destiny launched an attack on the Chiss Ascendancy's capital, Csilla. This attack also involved attempts to capture or assassinate several Chiss individuals, including Senior Captain Mitth'raw'nuruodo (known as "Thrawn" in the Core name). Ultimately, Thrawn triumphed, defeating the Nikardun Destiny and neutralizing its leader, General Yiv the Benevolent. Following Yiv's failure, the Grysk agent "Jixtus," who had trained and manipulated the Nikardun, enlisted the aid of another faction, the Agbui, and their leader, Haplif. Their attempt to precipitate a Chiss Ascendancy civil war involved instigating tensions among the Chiss' Nine Ruling Families and Great Families, resulting in a battle between the Pommrio family, the Erighal family, and the Xodlak family. This was achieved by Agbui agents sharing the location of a "nyix mine" with untapped resources to all the families, causing them to converge at the same time. However, Thrawn once again uncovered Jixtus' and the Agbui's scheme, and destroyed the mine thanks to Jixtus' Watith agents that had been sent to kill Thrawn, which failed. In 18 BBY, Jixtus formed an alliance with the theocratic Kilji Illumine, the government of the Kilji species, and its leader, Generalirius Nakirre. Jixtus promised the Kilji "nations and guidance" in their conquests of "enlightenment". Unbeknownst to Nakirre, he was providing the Grysk with transport aboard the Illumine's battle fleet, the Illumine Kilhorde, ensuring the Chiss Ascendancy realized the Kiljis were not a threat, masking the "true enemy," the Grysk Hegemony. As Nakirre and Jixtus traveled across the Ascendancy, brewing Chaos between families by showing recordings of the Hoxim incident, creating fake warships to simulate families attacking others, the Kilji Illumine lost. Jixtus dispatched General Crofyp and Colonel Tildnis to Rapacc to retrieve refugees, but this mission failed. Subsequently, Tildnis, the sole survivor of the battle against Thrawn and the Paccian Governance, was sent aboard his Kilji picket cruiser, the Hammer, to Sunrise, where Thrawn boarded the ship. During the assault on Tildnis, Thrawn and the Paccosh eliminated all Kilji personnel on board, recovering technical data and combat doctrines that he shared with the Paataatus Hiveborn. Meanwhile, the Kilhorde had been deployed by Jixtus to the southeast of the Ascendancy, and subsequently to the north and northeast of the Hiveborn, with the objective of conquering several impoverished nations. The Paataatus, considering the Kilhorde's activities near their borders unacceptable, destroyed the Kilhorde, liberating all the conquered nations and worlds.

Later, after Jixtus murdered Nakirre aboard the Kilji's Whetstone, Thrawn fought Jixtus at Sunrise. This confrontation led Jixtus to initiate a self-destruct_mechanism, eliminating himself and his forces, thereby ending the plot to destroy the Chiss Ascendancy. However, other Grysk agents continued their operations against the Chiss, under the leadership of Admiral Ar'alani. These operations ended disastrously for the Grysks when Ar'alani discovered the location of the Grysk's homeworlds and destroyed numerous warships and research facilities, with the assistance of the Galactic Empire and Grand Admiral Thrawn, who had joined the Empire after being exiled from the Ascendancy and had risen to become one of its highest-ranking officers.