The Kes system was located within the Core Worlds region. This system was positioned along the Perlemian Trade Route, specifically between the Coruscant and Alsakan systems. During the First Alsakan Conflict between the worlds of Coruscant and Alsakan, the area became host to hyperspace minefields. The Battle of Kes, a rare instance of direct combat between the two opposing forces during the initial stages of the Conflicts, transpired in this system in 16,921 BBY.
The Core Worlds included the Kes system. It was situated on the major super-hyperroute called the Perlemian Trade Route, which delineated the Northern Dependencies and the Slice regions, specifically its Arrowhead section. This Perlemian Trade Route provided a connection for the Kes system to both the Alsakan system and the hyperspace beacon recognized as Belgoth's Beacon.
Circa 17,000 BBY, the Kes system became part of the Galactic Republic. The First Alsakan Conflict then unfolded, marking the beginning of a fourteen-millennia-spanning series of wars. These wars were fought between Coruscant, the Republic's capital world, Alsakan, and their respective allies, all vying for political dominance over the Republic. At the time of that initial conflict, the Perlemian Trade Route stretch that passed through the Kes system provided a link between the Coruscant and Alsakan systems. Consequently, hyperspace minefields were deployed there. In 16,921 BBY, the Battle of Kes took place within the system, representing the sole direct engagement between the two warring systems' forces during the early Alsakan Conflicts. The battle concluded without a clear victor.
The Kes system's first appearance was in the 2012 reference work, The Essential Guide to Warfare, authored by Jason Fry and Paul R. Urquhart. The StarWars.com Online Companion for the 2009 reference book The Essential Atlas identified its location as grid square L-9.