Mission to Bastatha

In 28 ABY, the New Republic Senators Leia Organa and Ransolm Casterfo embarked on a mission to Bastatha to investigate the Nikto crime lord Rinnrivin Di's cartel. While visiting Bastatha, a planet in the galaxy's Inner Rim, they were hosted by Magistrates Xun and Tosta, who took them on a tour of their casino. Shortly later, Leia was kidnapped by Rinnrivin's henchmen who brought the senator to Rinnrivin's underground headquarters. Rinnrivin tried to bribe the senator into easing restrictions on the spice trade. However, Casterfo managed to track down Leia and rescue her. The two managed to escape and alert the Bastatha security forces. After searching Rinnrivin's headquarters, they discovered evidence that Rinnrivin was funneling his profits into shadow corporations in the Outer Rim.
==Prelude==
Following the Battle of Jakku, the New Republic signed the Galactic Concordance with the defeated remnants of the Galactic Empire and turned its attention to reshaping the galactic order.Star Wars: The Force Awakens: The Visual Dictionary In 21 ABY, seven years prior to the Amaxine warrior crisis, the First Order began channeling funds into a pro-Imperial militia called the Amaxine warriors through the auspices of several Centrist senators including Lady Carise Sindian. To hide these funds, the Centrists invested their resources into a criminal front organization led by the Nikto crime lord Rinnrivin Di.
Over the next seven years, Rinnrivin's cartel operated from the Outer Rim planet of Bastatha. Its smuggling and gambling activities exacted a toll on the economy of the Gaulus sector, which included Ryloth. Eventually, the Ryloth economy began to succumb to the depredations of Rinnrivin's cartel. Rinnrivin's cartel was able to flourish due to the New Republic's inaction in enforcing financial regulations and patrolling the galactic space lanes. In response, the Ryloth government dispatched Emissary Yendor to petition the Galactic Senate on Hosnian Prime for help. After some deliberation, the Populist Senator Leia Organa and her Centrist colleague Ransolm Casterfo agreed to investigate on behalf of the Senate.
==The Mission==
Leia, her senatorial staff, and Casterfo traveled to Bastatha on her personal starship Mirrorbright. They were accompanied by the New Republic Defense Fleet pilot Joph Seastriker, who flew an X-wing starfighter. Upon landinng on Bastatha, they were greeted by the Nikto Magistrates Tosta and Xun; who took them for a banquet at an upmarket casino. While mingling with the locals, Leia and Casterfo noticed a group of humans from Daxam IV. One of the party, an elderly woman, was watching them. Unknown to them, Hadrassian was the leader of the Amaxine warriors.
Leia and her companions then returned to the Mirrorbright to prepare for a meeting with a "business delegation" sent by Magistrate Tosta. However, this was a ruse arranged by Rinnrivin Di to kidnap Senator Organa. His henchmen ambushed Tosta's delegation and spirited Leia away on a hoversled. Rinnrivin's henchmen brought the New Republic senator to his underground headquarters.
Rinnrivin attempted to flatter Senator Organa by complimenting her role in slaying Jabba Desilijic Tiure. As a token of respect, he gifted her a holocube showing her strangling the Hutt crime lord to death. Rinnrivin then tried to bribe Leia by trying to persuade her to convince the New Republic to ease its restrictions on illicit spice. Before discussions could proceed further, Casterfo arrived and rescued Leia. He had managed to track down the Senator by planting a tracking device on her cloak.
Together, the two senators escaped on a hoversled. Rinnrivin sent several of his henchmen after them but the two managed to outrun them in the subterranean caverns. Shortly later, Leia and Casterfo encountered Joph, who had flown his X-wing into the depths of Bastatha. Together, the three returned to the Bastathan city. The local security forces later secured Rinnrivin's headquarters but the crime lord had escaped by then.
==Aftermath==
The kidnapping of Leia and their failure to apprehend Rinnrivin Di embarrassed the Bastatha authorities. Leia informed Magistrate Xun that the New Republic had placed Bastatha under conditional probational advisory to keep an eye on activities around that world. While Leia appreciated Joph's courage, she reprimanded him for ignoring New Republic safety protocols. As a result of their shared adventure, Leia struck an unlikely friendship with Casterfo despite their political and philosophical differences.
After examining the data stored in Rinnrivin's droids, Leia's team discovered that much of Bastatha's gambling revenue was being siphoned off to shadow corporations in the Outer Rim. Based on this information, Leia and Casterfo deduced that Yendor was telling the truth and called for the investigation to continue. While the Senate tabled the investigation into Rinnrivin, Leia dispatched Joph and her pilot Greer Sonnel on a secret mission to Pamarthe to investigate whether Rinnrivin was hiring pilots from there. In response to the investigation, Lady Carise arranged with Hadrassian to stage a distraction.
==Behind the scenes==
The Mission to Bastatha first appeared in Claudia Gray's 2016 novel Bloodline.
==Appearances==
*Bloodline 
==Sources==
*Star Wars: Timelines
==Notes and references==
Category:Battles in the Inner Rim
Category:Battles of the Amaxine warrior crisis
Category:Missions during the New Republic Era