The hafa plant, a type of climbing vine, was indigenous to the world of Garqi. Its fruits and leaves served as components in the Cassandran choholl, a prized and costly alcoholic drink, making it a highly valued food item. During the time of the Empire, its growth on Garqi was actively promoted, and the scientist Chine Gabbard once attempted to utilize genetically modified hafa pollen as a delivery system for deadly toxins.
The Hafa was a plant type of vine that was found growing on the planet of Garqi, which was located within the Cassandran Worlds system. The vine held status as a luxury food because its fruits and leaves were gathered and then fermented to be used as the key ingredient of Cassandran choholl, a strong alcoholic beverage that was highly sought after throughout the galaxy. This amber colored drink was well known because of its sweet smelling fruity fumes.
Growing the hafa vine on Garqi was something the Imperial Procurator pushed for after the Galactic Empire took control of the planet and the Cassandran Worlds right before the Battle of Yavin. Chine Gabbard, who was an Imperial botanist and also worked for the agricultural company Rehemsa Consumables, was stationed at Garqi Agricultural University. His public goal was to increase the yield of the crops of hafa vines. This project got a lot of attention; however, very few people knew that Gabbard was secretly working for the Empire to develop a biological weapon derived from the vines that could be used in Imperial covert operations. His work involved genetically engineering the pollen of the plant so that it could carry nerve toxins. He was very close to suggesting that the Empire should take over Garqi and turn it into a large production center for his bioweapon.
The Vlassy Nature Preserve, which was the home of rdava-birds, was located downwind of Gabbard's laboratory. The nerve agent-filled pollen escaped from Gabbard's facility and resulted in the deaths of a large number of the birds and several biologists who were trying to find out why the birds were dying. Before the biologists died, a group of agents that they had hired also began to be affected by the nerve agent. However, the agents were able to break into Gabbard's facility and get the antidote before it was too late.
The concept of the hafa was first introduced in Geonosis and the Outer Rim Worlds, a 2004 tabletop game supplement released by Wizards of the Coast for the Star Wars Roleplaying Game.