Paataatus Hiveborn

The Paataatus Hiveborn was the nation of the Paataatus species. The nation's holy Paataatus space and its worlds, including the Paataatus homeworld and the Hiveborn's hive-home, Nettehi, were located in the Unknown Regions. Around 46 BBY, a pair of Paataatus warships attacked a Boadil survey ship of the Chiss Ascendancy nation in the Unknown Regions' Pleknok system; however, the Chiss Defense Force severely beat the Paataatus in retaliation. By 27 BBY, the Paataatus returned to Pleknok, where a Paataatus light frigate and six gunboats were forced to retreat by the Chiss Mid Commander Mitth'raw'nuru, core name "Thrawn."
Years later, in 19 BBY, the Nikardun General Yiv's Nikardun Destiny hegemony subjugated the Hiveborn, sending three Paataatus warships to attack the Ascendancy's capital planet of Csilla, whose defenses destroyed the attackers. In retaliation, the Ascendancy sent Picket Force Six to Nettehi to strike the Paataatus, who fought back with several Paataatus fighters, most of which were destroyed by the Chiss.
In 18 BBY, after the Chiss had reduced the Destiny to remnants, a remnant controlled the Paataatus and their capital, threatening the Paataatus Prince Militaire's life in return for the Hiveborn's cooperation. However, Thrawn assisted the Prince Militaire in destroying the Nikardun remnant. In the same year, the Kilji Illumine nation's Illumine Kilhorde battle fleet conquered several nations to the north and northwest of the Hiveborn, which the Paataatus deemed unacceptable. Thrawn retrieved data on the Kilji fleet from the Kilji picket cruiser Hammer and shared it with the Hiveborn, who sent a Paataatus attack fleet to obliterate the Kiljis in gratitude for Thrawn's assistance in destroying the Nikardun remnant.
==Description==
The Paataatus Hiveborn was the nation of the Paataatus species that was located in the Unknown Regions; it consisted of several planets, including its capital and the Paataatus homeworld, Nettehi. The Hiveborn possessed a military that possessed fighters, Paataatus gunboats, a Paataatus light frigate,Thrawn Ascendancy: Lesser Evil at least one Paataatus heavy frigate, and several Paataatus warships, three of which were antiquated. The military also included a multi-pronged Paataatus attack fleet. The Paataatus delegation was a group that served the Hiveborn, and the title of prince militaire was a leadership position in the nation.
==History==
===Early History===
Around 46 BBY,Star Wars: Timelines establishes that the Vagaari pirate operations, which include the death of Thrass as depicted in Thrawn Ascendancy: Lesser Evil, take place around 27 BBY. As Thrass and Thrawn discussed the Hiveborn's defeat, which the latter dates to nineteen years prior, before the former's death, they must have discussed it around 27 BBY. Therefore, the defeat must have taken occurred around 46 BBY. the Hiveborn conducted a survey of the Unknown Regions' Pleknok system to study possible development. A Boadil survey ship of the Chiss Ascendancy nation's Boadil ruling family was also studying the star system, and a pair of Paataatus warships attacked it, damaging it; however, the starship was able to escape to the Ascendancy, and the nation's Chiss Defense Force retaliated, severely beating the Paataatus. By 27 BBY, a pirate crew hijacked a Chiss Stybla family's Vivan cargo ship V-484 and brought it to the planet Pleknok, where the Stybla patrol ship Jandalin and the Clarr light cruiser Orisson attempted to capture it; however, a Paataatus light frigate and six gunboats had arrived at Pleknok, and they were rushing at the Jandalin.
As the Paataatus had a swarm mentality and they focused on the weakest target before moving on to the next one, the Jandalin Mid Commander Mitth'raw'nuru, core name "Thrawn," decided to exploit that Paataatus feature. As V-484 was damaged, and, as a result, the weakest vessel, the Paataatus frigate and a gunboat moved to attack it; however, Thrawn had predicted this, shooting a Crippler net at the Paataatus warships' path to disable them, prompting them to retreat. After rescuing the Vivan cargo ship's crew, the Jandalin crew discussed the confrontation with the Paataatus with Stybla Patriarch Stybla'mi'ovodo "Lamiov," who revealed that V-484 was carrying the second item—a second Starflash superweapon—and that he was worried that the Hiveborn would be able to retrieve the item and gain an understanding of the weapon's technology.
===Subjugation===
In 19 BBY, the Paataatus conducted several raids in the Ascendancy's territory, and the nation's Chiss Syndicure ruling body sent several emissaries to speak with the Paataatus delegation. After the discussions ended, one emissary warned the delegation that the Chiss would launch a destructive attack against them if they deemed it necessary, pointing at their optimal attack vector in the process.Under the directive of the Grysk operative known as "Jixtus," his servant General Yiv of the Nikardun Destiny conquered and subjugated several nations encircling the Ascendancy, including the Hiveborn, whose people were quite unhappy at Yiv's subjugation of their nation. Yiv then commanded the Paataatus military's three antiquated 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 did not know who had attacked them, a member of the Syndicure theorized that the Paataatus were behind it. Because of this suspicion, but mostly due to the increasing number of Paataatus raids into Chiss space, Admiral Ar'alani's Picket Force Six was sent to carry out a retaliatory attack on the Paataatus at Nettehi. They arrived at the attack vector that the Chiss emissary had pointed at, and they were ambushed by a force of at least fifty Paataatus starfighters. Seeing the swarm of Paataatus fighters. Thrawn disobeyed his superior's orders, breaking off and feigning weakness to draw the Paataatus fighters away from the main force and prompting the Paataatus to form a tight cluster around his cruiser. The senior captain's gambit allowed the other Chiss vessels to regroup and counterattack, destroying most of the Paataatus vessels. Thrawn was confident that this defeat would stifle the Paataatus' expansionary desires, at least until their current generation has 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.
After the Chiss captured Yiv and defeated the Nikardun Destiny at the battle over Primea, a Nikardun remnant continued to control the Hiveborn.
===Liberation===
The remnant's leaders threatened the Paataatus Prince Militaire's life in exchange for the Hiveborn's cooperation, seeking to enslave its people. In 18 BBY, Prince Militaire was a part of a Nikardun military operation aboard his Paataatus heavy frigate, which was 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 would order 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.
===Attacking the Illumine===
In the same year,Star Wars: Timelines places the main events of Thrawn Ascendancy: Lesser Evil in 18 BBY. Jixtus allied himself with the ruler of the Kilji Illumine nation, Generalirius Nakirre, and sent the nation's Illumine Kilhorde battle fleet to the southeast of the Ascendancy as part of the Illumine's conquests of enlightenment. Shortly after, Thrawn retrieved data that contained information on the fleet's weaknesses in combat doctrine and its design from the Kilji picket cruiser Hammer, sharing the data with the Hiveborn. As the conquests of enlightenment were taking place to the southeast of the Ascendancy, they also took place to the northwest of the Paataatus nation, which 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 it had conquered as a favor to Thrawn in gratitude for his assistance in the liberation of Nettehi.
==Behind the scenes==
The Paataatus Hiveborn first appeared in the 2020 novel Thrawn Ascendancy: Chaos Rising, the first volume in Timothy Zahn's Ascendancy Trilogy. It was identified as such in the 2021 novel Thrawn Ascendancy: Greater Good, the second volume of the Ascendancy Trilogy.
==Appearances==
*Thrawn Ascendancy: Chaos Rising 
*Thrawn Ascendancy: Greater Good 
*Thrawn Ascendancy: Lesser Evil 
==Notes and references==
Category:Interplanetary governments
Category:Nikardun Destiny-aligned governments
Category:Unknown Regions governments