After the devastating droid scourge and amidst the widespread Galactic Civil War, the bounty hunter known as Raslin Grace was contracted by Melchior Votto. This officer of the Imperial Security Bureau, also named Melchior Votto, enlisted Grace for the purpose of tracking down the disreputable archaeologist Doctor Chelli Lona Aphra, whose past actions had been a source of frustration for the Empire.
During the [Imperial Era](/article/imperial_era], within the galaxy, existed a criminal and rogue archaeologist known as Doctor Chelli Lona Aphra. Though ostensibly supportive of the Galactic Empire and its efforts to establish Imperial dominance over the galaxy, she would eventually determine that she was an individual who consistently prioritized her own freedom above all else. As such, she would repeatedly thwart Imperial endeavors throughout the Galactic Civil War that pitted the Empire against the Alliance to Restore the Republic. Her actions included inciting an uprising on Milvayne, a planet that had previously been loyal to the Empire, and hindering the Empire's search for Echo Base. Despite this, she managed to secure a position within the Imperial-aligned Tagge Corporation through the support of its leader, Domina Tagge, who even entered into a relationship with Aphra. However, following the scourge of the droids, Aphra resolved that her future lay with her former lovers, Magna Tolvan and [Sana Starros](/article/sana_starros], embarking on a new life of criminal activity with them.
After the droid scourge, as Aphra pursued her new path and the war against the rebellion raged on, Melchior Votto, an officer serving in the Imperial Security Bureau, decided to place a bounty on Aphra's head. To accomplish this, Votto contacted a bounty hunter he knew, Raslin Grace, seeking to bring her down and promising Grace that the hunt would be a worthwhile endeavor. Grace was summoned to the Imperial-class Star Destroyer Peerless by Votto. Upon meeting the ISB officer, Votto presented Grace with the bounty on Aphra via a hologram, an offer that excited Grace. Sometime thereafter, Grace, now carrying a hologram of Aphra with her, visited the Bounty Hunters Guild Social Club on the planet D'Assem, where she joined a group of individuals at a table. Among those present were Just Lucky and Ariole Yu, both of whom were friends with Aphra, Starros, and Tolvan. Also present in the bar were the bounty hunters Boushh, Bossk'wassak'Cradossk, and Durge, as well as the assassin Deathstick, all of whom had varying degrees of involvement in the doctor's past escapades. After sharing her belief that this would be her greatest hunt with those at the table, while admitting she considered every hunt her greatest, Grace grew eager for her next task: the hunt for Aphra. Displaying a hologram of the rogue archaeologist, Grace assured the doctor's image that their paths would soon cross.
The initial mention and foreshadowing of the hunt for Chelli Lona Aphra occurred in "Tall Tales," a brief comic story penned by Alyssa Wong and illustrated by David Baldeón. This story, which was released as part of the Revelations (2023) 1 collection on December 20, 2023, concluded with a "To Be Continued" message, suggesting that the narrative of Raslin Grace's pursuit of Aphra would continue in subsequent content. Indeed, the circumstances surrounding the hunt—Melchior Votto's engagement of Grace—were depicted in Doctor Aphra (2020) 40, the concluding issue of Wong's 2020 run of Doctor Aphra. That issue was released on January 31, 2024, featuring artwork by Minkyu Jung. When "Tall Tales" was included in Star Wars: Doctor Aphra Vol. 7 — Dark Droids on April 23 of 2024, the "To Be Continued" message that had appeared in the Revelations release was removed.