Kilji Illumine
The theocratic government of the Kilji species, known as the Kilji Illumine, operated on the belief that all beings should be enlightened and converted to their religious beliefs, specifically the Kilji way of order and enlightenment. The Illumine possessed a formidable battle fleet, called the Illumine Kilhorde, which was under the command of the Illumine's leader, Generalirius Nakirre. From their Kilji homeland, the Illumine initiated its expansion and carried out its conquests throughout the Unknown Regions. The decisions of the generalirius, including the alliance between the Kilji theocracy and the Grysks, specifically the Grysk operative named "Jixtus," who guided Nakirre's conquests, were subject to the approval of the Kilji Overlords.
During Nakirre's alliance with the Grysk, Jixtus and Nakirre journeyed across the territory of the Chiss species' government, the Chiss Ascendancy. They visited several worlds with the intention of instigating a civil war among the Chiss families around 18 BBY. As the generalirius and the Grysk traveled, the Grysk's true agenda began to emerge. General Crofyp, an officer within the Illumine, attempted to retrieve certain refugees that Jixtus had an interest in. This attempt failed when Senior Captain Mitth'raw'nuruodo of the Chiss, whose core name was "Thrawn," destroyed the flagship of the general's task force's, the Kilji war cruiser known as Anvil.
The Kilji picket cruiser named Hammer, a part of Crofyp's task force, managed to escape the star system and fled to the Sunrise system located in the Unknown Regions. There, Thrawn's Chiss heavy cruiser Springhawk captured the Hammer and extracted valuable data pertaining to the Kilhorde. After a Grysk vessel destroyed the cruiser, the Whetstone made its way to the Sunrise system, where it came across a destroyed Chiss fleet under the command of Thrawn. Nakirre and Thrawn engaged in a conversation via comm, during which Nakirre learned of the Kilhorde's destruction. This destruction had been orchestrated by the government of the Paataatus, known as the Paataatus Hiveborn, who had acted on information about the battle fleet provided by Thrawn. Jixtus, seeing Generalirius Nakirre as now useless due to the loss of the fleet, assassinated him, thus ending the alliance between the Grysk species and the Illumine.
History
Spreading Enlightenment in the Unknown Regions
Following the defeat of Nikardun General Yiv and his nation at some point, the Grysk operative "Jixtus" formed an alliance with Generalirius Nakirre, who led the Kilji Illumine, which was the theocracy of the Kilji species. Jixtus promised to guide and advise the generalirius in the religious conquests undertaken by the Kiljis. In return, Jixtus requested transportation aboard Nakirre's Kilji war cruiser, the Whetstone, intending to communicate with representatives from four nations that the Grysk species considered to be the most vulnerable to conquest. After receiving authorization from the Kilji Overlords, the generalirius began traveling with Jixtus. They visited the planet Zyzek in the Unknown Regions, where Nakirre encountered Mitth'raw'nuruodo, a Senior Captain of the Chiss, whose core name was "Thrawn." The Chiss and the generalirius engaged in a confrontation, during which Nakirre vowed that the Illumine would bring the Kilji beliefs to the Chiss.
Later in the same year, Nakirre met with Patriel [Thistrian], a representative of the Mitth family within the Chiss. Thistrian ordered the generalirius and his ship, the Whetstone, to leave. Jixtus, not wanting to engage in conflict with the Chiss, complied with the order and departed, which caused a later confrontation with Nakirre. During this confrontation, the Grysk threatened Nakirre with the destruction of the Illumine. Although Nakirre dismissed the threat, the Kilji continued to serve Jixtus—even though he wanted to kill him—fearing the destruction of the Kilji homeland, the source of the Illumine's power and the base from which the theocracy expanded and carried out its conquests of enlightenment. Subsequently, Nakirre and Jixtus visited Rhigar, a planet belonging to the Clarr family. There, the Kilji and Grysk offered warships from the Illumine to Captain Clarr'os'culry, whose core name was "Roscu." Jixtus had informed the captain that her family was being threatened by another Chiss family; however, Roscu declined the generalirius' offer.
Shortly thereafter, Jixtus dispatched Illumine General Crofyp and his task force to the Rapacc system in the Unknown Regions to retrieve some refugees. However, Uingali foar Marocsaa, an official from Paccosh, and Thrawn joined forces and destroyed Crofyp's flagship, the Kilji war cruiser Anvil. The picket cruiser Hammer managed to escape to the Sunrise system in the Unknown Regions.
Nakirre's Downfall
Following the Hammer's escape, Nakirre and Jixtus met with numerous Chiss officials from the Nine Ruling Families, the families that governed the Chiss Ascendancy, the nation of the Chiss species. The Kilji initially offered ships from the Illumine, but Jixtus altered the offer to warships from the Grysks, providing ships to the Chaf and Ufsa families. Thrawn, aided by Qilori, a navigator from the Pathfinders (navigators' guild) who had been the navigator of the Anvil and had escaped the ship's destruction before being rescued by Thrawn, located the Hammer at the Sunrise system. The Chiss and Paccosh forces then boarded the picket cruiser, obtaining information about the Kilhorde's weaknesses and combat doctrines after assassinating everyone on board. Sometime after the battle, the Chiss senior captain shared this information with the Paataatus government of the Paataatus Hiveborn. The Kilhorde battle fleet had received Grysk authorization to conquer worlds and nations south and southeast of the Chiss Ascendancy, which placed the fleet close to the Paataatus borders. Deeming the Kilji battle force's operations unacceptable, the Hiveborn launched a multipronged Paataatus attack fleet that destroyed the Kilhorde.
Nakirre and Jixtus, having been informed of the Hammer's destruction, traveled to the Sunrise system themselves and observed a destroyed Chiss fleet floating above the planet Sunrise. Thrawn, who was in command of the fleet, hailed the Whetstone via comm and informed Nakirre—and indirectly, Jixtus—of the Kilhorde's destruction. As the Grysk operative had only allied himself with the Kilji to use the Kilhorde to conquer nations and encircle the Chiss Ascendancy, he shot and killed Nakirre, ending the alliance with the Illumine.
Organization
Government
Driven by deep religious convictions, the people of the Illumine sought to conquer the universe to spread their enlightenment and, in Generalirius Nakirre's view, to establish order. The Illumine was governed by the chief civilian leader and the chief military commander, the generalirius, whose decisions required the approval of the Kilji Overlords. Represented by Generalirius Nakirre, the Illumine formed an alliance with the Grysks, traveling throughout the Chiss Ascendancy with the goal of enlightening the Chiss.
The Kilhorde Battle Fleet
The Kilji Illumine maintained a battle fleet known as the Illumine Kilhorde, which visited—and enlightened—the worlds on the Illumine's list of peoples or worlds to enlighten. Although the Kiljis, including Nakirre, considered the fleet to be "mighty and unshakable," it possessed several weaknesses in both its design and combat doctrines. These weaknesses could be discovered by an alien visitor aboard a Kilji battleship. Ultimately, the Kilhorde was destroyed because of these weaknesses, which were exploited by Senior Captain Thrawn and the Paataatus Hiveborn, who had obtained information from the Kilji picket cruiser Hammer.
Society and Culture
The Kilji Illumine was a deeply religious theocracy comprised of the Kilji species and the peoples conquered by the Kilhorde. It functioned as a religious empire that expanded its territory throughout the Unknown Regions. Members of the government referred to themselves as the enlightened, alluding to their "superior" status gained through enlightenment to the Kilji way of order and enlightenment. As the Kilji way required its followers to enlighten others, the Illumine was focused on enlightening the entire universe. Some members of the Illumine, such as Crofyp, spoke the Kilji language.
Astrography
The Kilji homeland, located in the Unknown Regions, served as the point of origin for the Illumine's expansion and conquests of various worlds, all aimed at spreading enlightenment. Worlds conquered by the Kilhorde were placed under Illumine control, with all inhabitants receiving everything they needed in exchange for being enlightened.
Behind the Scenes
The Kilji Illumine made its debut in the 2022 novel Thrawn Ascendancy: Lesser Evil, the concluding book in Timothy Zahn's Ascendancy Trilogy.