During the time of the Clone Wars, Padmé Amidala, a Senator, was contacted by Duja, one of her handmaidens. The message from Duja stated that Separatists were present on Mokivj and had established a droid factory. Padmé planned to investigate this report, however Anakin Skywalker, her husband and a Jedi Knight, decided to first determine the cause of the issue. Later, Anakin encountered a mysterious ship led by Mitth'raw'nuruodo, a Chiss Senior Captain whose core name was "Thrawn." Upon their meeting, Thrawn presented himself to Skywalker as a commander, a rank lower than his actual one. Che'ri, his pilot and a sky-walker, explained that the diminished rank was employed to be less imposing.