After rogue archaeologist Doctor Chelli Lona Aphra was possessed by the Spark Eternal, the smuggler Sana Starros and archaeologist Kho Phon Farrus assembled a crew that consisted of her father Korin Aphra, two of her exes, rebel Captain Magna Tolvan and Professor Eustacia Okka, and the University of Bar'leth student Detta Yao, to rescue Aphra from the Spark Eternal and deliver them both to Lady Domina Tagge of the House of Tagge. Starros and Farrus had also attempted to recruit Vulaada Klam, a loved one of Aphra's, though she did not join. With the crew assembled, they traveled to the Outer Rim planet Birukay where they located Aphra's droids, 0-0-0 and BT-1, who agreed to join Starros as they were bored.
The crew then made their way to the Vermillion, the Fortress-Flagship of Crimson Dawn, where the Spark had gone to acquire technology of the Ascendant. The crew were ultimately unsuccessful in their attempt to save Aphra from the Spark Eternal, and the Spark took control of the two droids and also convinced Farrus to defect from the crew to join Crimson Dawn. As the Spark left the Vermillion aboard the Ark Angel IV, the crew attempted to follow in Starros' starship, the Volt Cobra, but the Spark destroyed the Cobra and fled.
The crew were rescued from the wreckage of the Volt Cobra by Just Lucky and Ariole Yu who took them to the penthouse of Ronen Tagge in Canto Bight on the planet Cantonica, where Tagge had Starros and her crew placed in bacta tanks. After they recovered, he attempted to recruit the crew to his services in return for the cost of operating the tanks to heal them. Starros rejected Ronen's offer as she did not want to cross Ronen's aunt, Domina. Ronen revealed his alliance with Crimson Dawn, and his desire to overthrow his aunt and take over control of the Tagge Corporation. Believing Crimson Dawn and its leader, Lady Qi'ra, to be the probable winning side, Starros reversed her decision and accepted Ronen's offer, though she suggested to Ronen that they instead kill Domina as merely overthrowing her would result in her becoming a problem for him in the future.
Unbeknownst to the rest of her crew, however, Starros was secretly working for Domina, trying to acquire proof for her of her nephew's treachery. The crew, along with Lucky and Yu, then made their way to Domina's flagship, the Acquisitor, where they saw the Tagge's at war. They eventually made their way to the ship's bridge, where they fought against the crew of the bounty hunter Boushh and Domina herself. Ronen then arrived, and declared himself the leader as the leader of the company. After Ronen drew a blaster and pointed it at his aunt, Starros asked Domina if that was good enough evidence for her, to which she replied she supposed it was. Domina then executed Ronen. Following this, Starros told Domina she had held up her side of their agreement, and told her to pay up, asking for all of their debts, including Chelli's, to be cleared, the release of Korin and Okka, who Ronen had held hostage to ensure the crew would help him, and finally, a new Volt Cobra. Domina agreed to clear their debts, and then offered them a job, stating that she paid very well. The crew rejected the offer as they had a place to be, people to see, and scores to settle. The group then reunited with Korin and Okka, who had been released, before they made their way to find Farrus. When they arrived at Farrus' location, Yao approached them, telling Farrus they had a lot to answer for, but they cut off the group, telling them they knew where Aphra, the Spark Eternal, and Crimson Dawn was. Farrus then informed the crew they knew what Crimson Dawn leader Lady Qi'ra was planning, what she had already done, and that it would kill them all.