Tessera functioned as a shuttle on the Imperial-class Star Destroyer known as the Vengeance during the era of the Galactic Civil War. Captain Thrawn, along with Lieutenants Wolver and Tier, utilized this shuttle to travel to the planet S'krrr nine months after the Battle of Yavin, with the intention of examining S'krrr artistic expressions. Following the deaths of Wolver and Tier, who were slain by hordes of drog beetles, Thrawn, in company with the S'krrr poet-warrior Sh'shak and the Human siblings Zak and Tash Arranda, sought refuge aboard the Tessera with the goal of escaping the Sikadian Gardens. Unfortunately, the beetles had infiltrated the vessel's internal systems, resulting in a short circuit that disabled both the engines and the comlink. As the beetles began to flood in through the ship's ventilation shafts, the group was compelled to evacuate. Subsequently, after Sh'shak and Mammon Hoole managed to temporarily pacify the swarm, Thrawn went back to the Tessera to try and fix it.