The warlike Grysk species seized the Unknown Regions planet Sunrise circa 19 BBY under the orders of "Jixtus," intending to abduct The Magys, the Force-sensitive leader of Sunrise's inhabitants. Jixtus, utilizing the telepathic Agbui species, orchestrated a civil war that devastated Sunrise. This uncovered a vast, untouched deposit of nyix metal, crucial for constructing warships. Leveraging the nyix, the Grysk operative commanded Nikardun General Yiv, an agent of his, to establish listening post KR20 and listening post KR21. The Nikardun were later killed by Jixtus's forces at these locations. Given that Yiv had erected the listening posts in the space between Sunrise and the Chiss Ascendancy, the Grysks were able to monitor both targets while simultaneously producing smaller warships. Jixtus dispatched the HopeBreaker, one of the Grysk's largest warships, to orbit Sunrise, where the Grysks had enslaved the population while safeguarding the listening posts.
Following the defeat of Yiv by the Chiss species during the battle over Primea, the nations subjugated by Yiv – the Garwian Unity, Vak Combine, Paccian Governance, Tower Dimension, and Lioaoin Regime – achieved liberation. These nations, fearing a more significant power (unbeknownst to them, the Grysks) had been directing Yiv, prepared to exact revenge upon it. Senior Captain Mitth'raw'nuruodo, known as "Thrawn," of the Chiss, who had freed the Paccosh species, convened with Paccosh Commander Uingali foar Marocsaa on Rapacc, the Paccian homeworld, where he encountered The Magys and the refugees who had escaped Sunrise.
Subsequently, the Chiss Ascendancy's Picket Force Six task force, which included Thrawn and Senior Captain Xodlak'in'daro's Chiss heavy cruisers Springhawk and Grayshrike, along with Admiral Ar'alani's Nightdragon man-of-war Vigilant, was dispatched to investigate Sunrise, the designation Thrawn assigned to the devastated planet. There, Ar'alani's forces encountered the HopeBreaker, which fought the Chiss ships before they retreated, inflicting substantial damage on the Grysk vessel belonging to Jixtus's fleet. Upon their return to ascertain its continued presence, the commander of the Hopebreaker displayed aggression before the Grayshrike and Vigilant disabled it using plasma spheres, prompting the Grysk to destroy both his warship and an asteroid missile platform via self-destruction.
While the Agbui's attempt to precipitate a civil war in the Chiss Ascendancy unfolded, Thrawn engaged in discussions with The Magys, gaining deeper insights into the devastation of Sunrise. This led him to conclude that the planet held significance and might be linked to the entity employing Yiv and the Agbui. Following the demise of Agbui agent Haplif and the failure of his attempt to incite civil war, Ar'alani journeyed to Sunrise, where one of his Junior Warriors was driven away by Grysk soldiers conducting a slave operation. Simultaneously, Jixtus traveled aboard the Kilji Illumine government Kilji war cruiser Whetstone with the Kilji ruler Generalirius Nakirre through the Ascendancy, instigating conflict among the Chiss Nine Ruling Families.
Following an attack on Rapacc executed by General Crofyp's task force of the Kilji, Thrawn and Uingali traveled to Sunrise aboard the Nikardun blockade frigate Aelos, where they captured the Kilji picket cruiser _Hammer_ and inflicted considerable damage on a Grysk vessel, which escaped after destroying the Hammer. Supreme General Ba'kif of the Ascendancy persuaded the [Chiss Syndicure](/article/chiss_syndicure], the governing body, to dispatch a fleet of warships under the guise of "capturing Thrawn at Sunrise," while his true intention was to reinforce Thrawn, who was preparing to engage Jixtus's fleet there. Shortly thereafter, the Whetstone and Jixtus's fleet arrived at Sunrise after the slave operations had been dismantled, leading to a battle between Chiss and Paccosh forces and Jixtus's fleet. Observing from a nearby asteroid field, a group of Garwian and Vak ships opted to join the fray to eliminate Jixtus, who was ultimately destroyed by this coalition of alien warships and the Whetstone's navigator, Qilori. With Jixtus's fleet vanquished and the slave operations neutralized, Sunrise was liberated from Grysk control.