Destruction of Special Task Force One

Following the launch of Outbound Flight from Yaga Minor, carrying 18 Jedi, Darth Sidious issued an order to the Trade Federation to obliterate it within the Unknown Regions. In response, Kinman Doriana, operating under the pseudonym "Stratis," and Vicelord Siv Kav amassed a fleet of 15 Trade Federation warships—comprising two Lucrehulk-class battleships, six armed Hardcell-class transports, and seven Trade Federation escort cruisers—with the intent of intercepting Outbound Flight. They positioned themselves in the star system located in the Unknown Regions, designated as a navigational checkpoint for Outbound Flight.

Simultaneously, their presence was detected by a patrol vessel belonging to Picket Force Two of the Chiss Expansionary Fleet. Force Commander Mitth'raw'nuruodo, whose core name was "Thrawn," brought Jorj Car'das along, who successfully identified the vessels as belonging to the Trade Federation. Thrawn then made the decision to establish communication with the Darkvenge, aiming to ascertain their motives. While Doriana showed a willingness to engage in dialogue, Vicelord Kav, in his impatience, opted to initiate an attack.

The Keeper deployed half of its complement of droid starfighters, dispatching three formations to engage Picket Force Two, while the remaining fighters formed a protective cordon. Upon discovering the limited operational range of the droids, stemming from their reliance on computer control, Thrawn commanded his vessels to retreat, while repositioning the Whirlwind to a different sector of the combat zone. The droid starfighters soon found themselves beyond their operational range, forcing them to withdraw. Subsequently, Thrawn directed one of his fighters to repeatedly enter and exit the engagement range. Despite appearing to be a simple maneuver to Vicelord Kav, this tactic was strategically designed to pinpoint the signal governing the droid starfighters. Once this was accomplished, Thrawn's forces re-entered the engagement range. They transmitted a modified signal to the droids, causing them to veer aimlessly into the vast expanse of space. Picket Force Two, having successfully neutralized the initial three groups of fighters, commenced their assault in full force.

Upon closing the distance to the primary defensive screen, the Chiss vessels launched conner nets at the droid starfighters, effectively rendering nine additional groups inoperable. Vicelord Kav countered by initiating the launch of the Keeper's remaining fighters. However, before they could be deployed, Thrawn activated full spectrum jamming, thereby disrupting communication with the fighters. The Chiss unleashed a barrage upon the defenseless fighters, not only destroying them but also generating debris that obstructed the laser communications utilized by the Darkvenge to reactivate the fighters. Concurrently, the other capital ships within the task force initiated their assault.

The Hardcell-class transports launched their missiles at the Chiss vessels, but the latter responded by deploying additional conner nets to disable the missiles, causing them to collide with the other Hardcells. Identifying a vulnerability, the Chiss swiftly eliminated the remaining Hardcells and proceeded to engage the escort cruisers, destroying them as well. Meanwhile, the Darkvenge attempted to retreat but found itself unable to engage hyperspace due to the presence of the gravity well projector aboard the Whirlwind, which maintained its position on the periphery of the battle. At this juncture, the Keeper detonated, as the unlaunched and disabled droid starfighters self-destructed within the launch bay. With only the Darkvenge remaining, Doriana and Vicelord Kav surrendered, allowing Thrawn to board the vessel.

Special Task Force One suffered complete destruction, with the exception of the Darkvenge, which Thrawn intended to scrutinize. Kinman Doriana recognized the necessity of persuading Thrawn to eliminate Outbound Flight on his behalf, lest Darth Sidious kill him. This sequence of events culminated in a dialogue between Thrawn and Sidious, marking the commencement of Thrawn's future tenure within the Imperial Navy.