The Paataatus species' nation was known as the Paataatus Hiveborn. Within the Unknown Regions lay the nation's worlds, its holy Paataatus space, the Paataatus homeworld, and the Hiveborn's hive-city, Nettehi. In approximately 46 BBY, warships of the Paataatus attacked a Boadil survey ship belonging to the Chiss Ascendancy in the Pleknok system of the Unknown Regions. The Chiss Defense Force retaliated, inflicting a severe defeat upon the Paataatus. By 27 BBY, the Paataatus had returned to Pleknok, where a Paataatus light frigate alongside six gunboats were compelled to retreat by Mitth'raw'nuru, a Chiss Mid Commander whose core name was "Thrawn."
Some years afterward, specifically in 19 BBY, the Nikardun Destiny hegemony, led by Nikardun General Yiv, subjugated the Hiveborn. As a result, three Paataatus warships were dispatched to attack Csilla, the Ascendancy's capital world. However, the planet's defenses obliterated the attackers. In response, the Ascendancy deployed Picket Force Six to strike the Paataatus on Nettehi. The Paataatus retaliated with numerous fighters, most of which were destroyed by the Chiss.
In 18 BBY, after the Chiss had reduced the Destiny to remnants, a remnant took control of the Paataatus and their capital. To secure the Hiveborn's cooperation, they threatened the life of the Paataatus Prince Militaire. However, Thrawn assisted the Prince Militaire in eliminating the Nikardun remnant. Later that year, the Illumine Kilhorde battle fleet of the Kilji Illumine nation conquered multiple nations to the north and northwest of the Hiveborn, a development the Paataatus found unacceptable. Thrawn retrieved data about the Kilji fleet from the Kilji picket cruiser Hammer and shared it with the Hiveborn. In gratitude for Thrawn's assistance in destroying the Nikardun remnant, the Paataatus dispatched a Paataatus attack fleet to obliterate the Kiljis.
The Paataatus Hiveborn, situated within the Unknown Regions, represented the nation of the Paataatus species. It encompassed several planets, notably Nettehi, which served as both the Paataatus homeworld and its capital. The Hiveborn's military assets included fighters, Paataatus gunboats, a Paataatus light frigate, at least one Paataatus heavy frigate, and various Paataatus warships, some of which were outdated. Furthermore, they possessed a multi-faceted Paataatus attack fleet. The [Paataatus delegation](/article/paataatus_delegation] served the Hiveborn, and the position of prince militaire denoted a leadership role within the nation.
Around 46 BBY, the Hiveborn undertook a survey of the Pleknok system within the Unknown Regions, assessing its potential for development. Simultaneously, a Boadil survey ship from the Chiss Ascendancy, specifically belonging to the Boadil ruling family, was also studying the [star system](/article/star_system]. A pair of Paataatus warships then attacked the Boadil vessel, causing damage. However, the starship managed to escape to the Ascendancy, prompting retaliation from the Chiss Defense Force, which inflicted a significant defeat upon the Paataatus. By 27 BBY, a pirate crew had hijacked the Vivan cargo ship V-484 of the Chiss Stybla family and brought it to Pleknok. The Stybla patrol ship Jandalin and the Clarr light cruiser Orisson attempted to recapture the stolen vessel. However, a Paataatus light frigate accompanied by six gunboats arrived at Pleknok and moved to intercept the Jandalin.
Given the Paataatus' tendency to focus on the weakest target due to their swarm mentality, Mitth'raw'nuru, the Mid Commander of the Jandalin (whose core name was "Thrawn"), decided to exploit this characteristic. As V-484 was damaged and therefore the most vulnerable, the Paataatus frigate and one gunboat moved to attack it. Thrawn, anticipating this, launched a Crippler net into the path of the Paataatus warships, disabling them and forcing their retreat. After rescuing the crew of the Vivan cargo ship, the Jandalin's crew discussed the confrontation with the Paataatus with Stybla'mi'ovodo "Lamiov," the Patriarch of the Stybla family. Lamiov revealed that V-484 was carrying the second item—a second Starflash [superweapon](/article/superweapon]—and expressed concern that the Hiveborn might retrieve the item and gain insights into the weapon's technology.
In 19 BBY, the Paataatus launched several raids into Ascendancy territory. Consequently, the Chiss Syndicure, the nation's ruling body, dispatched several emissaries to engage in discussions with the Paataatus delegation. Following the conclusion of these discussions, one emissary cautioned the delegation that the Chiss would initiate a destructive attack if deemed necessary, highlighting their optimal attack vector in the process.
Under the direction of "Jixtus," a Grysk operative, his servant General Yiv of the Nikardun Destiny conquered and subjugated numerous nations surrounding the Ascendancy, including the Hiveborn. The Paataatus people were greatly displeased with Yiv's subjugation of their nation. Yiv then ordered the Paataatus military to use its three outdated warships to carry out an attack on Csilla, the Ascendancy's capital planet. The Chiss vessels orbiting Csilla destroyed the attackers, while the world's defense platforms destroyed the Paataatus missiles, obliterating the Paataatus in fifteen minutes. Although the Chiss were unaware of the attacker's identity, a member of the Syndicure theorized that the Paataatus were responsible. Due to this suspicion, and primarily due to the increasing number of Paataatus raids into Chiss space, Admiral Ar'alani's Picket Force Six was dispatched to conduct a retaliatory attack on the Paataatus at Nettehi. Arriving at the attack vector indicated by the Chiss emissary, they were ambushed by at least fifty Paataatus starfighters. Observing the swarm of fighters, Thrawn disobeyed orders, breaking away to feign weakness and draw the fighters away from the main force, prompting the Paataatus to cluster tightly around his cruiser. This gambit allowed the other Chiss vessels to regroup and counterattack, destroying most of the Paataatus vessels. Thrawn was confident that this defeat would quell the Paataatus' expansionist ambitions, at least until the current generation had passed. After the battle, Ar'alani met with the Paataatus commanders in the inner system. This meeting confirmed Thrawn's prediction; the Paataatus diplomats were fully committed to withdrawing to their borders and leaving the Ascendancy alone.
Following the Chiss capture of Yiv and the defeat of the Nikardun Destiny at the battle over Primea, a Nikardun remnant continued to exert control over the Hiveborn.
The remnant's leaders threatened the Paataatus Prince Militaire's life in exchange for the Hiveborn's cooperation, intending to enslave its people. In 18 BBY, Prince Militaire was participating in a Nikardun military operation aboard his Paataatus heavy frigate, surrounded by a Nikardun enhanced cruiser housing the remnant's leadership, five Paataatus enhanced cruisers, and at least twenty fighters, when Thrawn's Springhawk arrived over Nettehi. The senior captain sought to confirm rumors of a Paataatus alliance with the Vagaari pirates, and the Prince Militaire warned that Thrawn was intruding holy Paataatus space. Thrawn ensured the Prince Militaire that the Chiss came in peace, but the Nikardun ordered the military exercise to reposition into a defense formation around the Prince Militaire's frigate. The Nikardun cruiser, specifically, went from immediately behind the frigate to a ventral guard position behind and below the frigate. Thrawn would later reiterate his intentions of peace but told the Prince Militaire that they would see the "full might of the Chiss Ascendancy" if the current situation remained the same. Thrawn, recognizing the Nikardun's presence and threat to the Paataatus, challenged the Militaire to focus on the precise words of his statement. The Prince Militaire, in turn, recognized Thrawn's true intentions, and, wanting to destroy his Nikardun overlords, ordered a fake attack on the Springhawk. The Paataatus fighters used low-power lasers keyed to the interplanetary dust profile to make the attack look real to the Nikardun, and the Chiss would fire back in the same manner to maintain the illusion. The Springhawk would then fire two breacher missiles and four plasma spheres at the Nikardun cruiser, with the Paataatus theatrically maneuvering out of the way. Once the the projectiles slammed into the Nikardun enhanced cruiser, the Paataatus carried out a furious attack on the vessel, destroying it and killing the Nikardun. The Prince Militaire then thanked Thrawn for his assistance, remarking that it was a unique experience to have the senior captain as an ally. As a gesture of gratitude towards the Chiss, the Paataatus Hiveborn allowed Thrawn to use the its long-range triad transmitter to inform the Chiss Ascendancy of the battle. They also informed Thrawn of potential areas where Vagaari pirates could be operating.
In the same year, Jixtus formed an alliance with Generalirius [Nakirre], the ruler of the Kilji Illumine nation, and dispatched the nation's Illumine Kilhorde battle fleet to the southeast of the Ascendancy as part of the Illumine's conquests of enlightenment. Shortly thereafter, Thrawn retrieved data containing information about the fleet's weaknesses in combat doctrine and design from the Kilji picket cruiser Hammer, sharing it with the Hiveborn. As the conquests of enlightenment were occurring to the southeast of the Ascendancy, they also took place to the northwest of the Paataatus nation, a situation the Paataatus deemed unacceptable, sending a Paataatus attack fleet to obliterate the Kilhorde. The Hiveborn attacked the Kiljis, destroying their battle fleets and liberating the nations they had conquered as a favor to Thrawn in gratitude for his assistance in liberating Nettehi.
The Paataatus Hiveborn made its initial appearance in the 2020 novel titled Thrawn Ascendancy: Chaos Rising, which is the first installment in Timothy Zahn's Ascendancy Trilogy. Its formal identification as such occurred in the 2021 novel Thrawn Ascendancy: Greater Good, the second volume within the Ascendancy Trilogy.