The Metellos Exchange functioned as an auction house, drawing its foundation from Metellos 3, a satellite of the planet Metellos, both of which are featured in legends. This occurred during the period of the Mandalorian Wars. The Exchange leveraged scientific findings gathered on the moon to put up for sale the rights to previously uncharted celestial bodies, aiming to generate revenue. The Raff Syndicate oversaw the operation, purposefully inflating the perceived advantages of the data to foster greater bidding competition and, consequently, increase their earnings. Chev slaves, under the ownership of a Chevin named Nunk Plaarvin, managed the market's day-to-day operations. However, in 3963 BBY, Marn Hierogryph, a black marketeer, and his conning enterprise, Cargryph Capital Management, ousted the Chevin from his position by deceiving the system using the planet Italbos. Following their success in tricking Plaarvin into departing Metellos 3, Cipiter, one of Plaarvin's Chev slaves and the auctioneer, was entrusted with the management of the Metellos Exchange on behalf of the Raff Syndicate.
Cipiter, a Chev slave in the service of Chevin Nunk Plaarvin, conceived the idea for the Metellos Exchange. The concept hinged on the understanding that explorations into the Outer Rim demanded substantial investments. Consequently, investors sought insights into potential returns to justify these expenditures. The Metellos Exchange was established on Metellos 3, a moon orbiting the planet Metellos. Telescopic equipment was deployed to examine the galaxy and identify previously unknown celestial bodies, coinciding with a renewed interest in exploration following the Great Sith War. The market was provided with this data, and rights to various claims were auctioned off, encompassing hyperspace transit agreements, extraction licenses and environmental concessions for mining, and the provision of water. Often, the rights to these planetary claims were sold for millions of credits years before any actual visitation to the planet occurred. The Raff Syndicate, the organization overseeing the Metellos Exchange, presented the market with embellished data to stimulate competitive bidding and, ultimately, amplify their profits through their commission. To safeguard their rightful share, the Raff Syndicate implemented stringent oversight, with members inspecting the Metellos Exchange.
The Metellos Exchange was founded on Metellos 3 shortly after the Great Sith War. With the support of the Galactic Republic, it became the first in a series of "planetary futures exchanges". During the Mandalorian Wars, the market facilitated the auctioning of trade franchises involving planets under the control of the Mandalorians—the nomadic warriors engaged in conflict with the Republic—including Mandalore itself.
In 3963 BBY, the Snivvian black marketeer Marn Hierogryph and Cargryph Capital Management, Hierogryph's circle of associates and business partners, identified and exploited vulnerabilities in the market's rights trading system. Jarael, a female Arkanian Offshoot and member of Cargryph Capital, adopted the guise of an explorer who had discovered the planet Italbos before the individuals who had acquired the claims on the world—as sold by the Metellos Exchange—had explored it. Her companion, the Mandalorian Rohlan Dyre, posed as a native of Italbos, expressing dissatisfaction with the prospect of being owned by others. They disrupted the sale of claims to a planet in the Anoat sector, Bespin, to voice their concerns. Hierogryph, assuming the identity of "Professor Gryphomarn," acted as an advocate in the matter and invalidated the claims on Italbos. Jarael further fueled the controversy by asserting that the Metellos Exchange's mineral projections were significantly underestimated. Consequently, Cipiter, the auctioneer, was compelled to suspend proceedings until the following day due to the sudden surge in demand to auction the newly revised, more valuable claims for Italbos.
Later, Nunk Plaarvin, the manager of the Metellos Exchange, discerned the deception and ordered Jarael and Dyre to be confined to the Observatory negotiating room, where they were to be subjected to intensified sunlight with the intention of causing their death. In response to Jarael's revelation, the original purchasers of the claims on Italbos demanded refunds in anticipation of the re-auction scheduled for the next day. Plaarvin recognized that he would need to acknowledge the accuracy of Jarael's claim and confirm Italbos's mineral wealth to profit from the re-auction. If the plan unfolded as intended, the Chevin would be able to remit the Raff Syndicate's stipulated commission.
Having overheard Plaarvin's instructions regarding Jarael and Dyre, Hierogryph and his Jedi associate, Zayne Carrick, enlisted the assistance of Slyssk, a Trandoshan and former member of the Raff Syndicate, as well as the final member of Cargryph Capital. Slyssk, disguised as a Raff captain, confronted Plaarvin to rescue Dyre and Jarael. Carrick initiated the confrontation by attacking the Sentinel droids guarding the Chevin to prevent their intervention. Hierogryph criticized Plaarvin, asserting that the Chevin had compromised the Raff Syndicate's operation on Metellos 3. Slyssk, still in the guise of the Raff captain, echoed the Snivvian's sentiment. Hierogryph argued that they were aware Plaarvin could generate greater profits, with his Trandoshan companion interjecting that the Chevin was easily deceived and accusing him of skimming profits. Exploiting Plaarvin's fear of incurring the Raff Syndicate's displeasure, the pair convinced the Chevin to travel to Jebble, recently decimated, where the Syndicate was supposedly awaiting him.
Falling victim to the deception, Plaarvin departed, effectively placing Cipiter in charge of the Metellos Exchange. Meanwhile, Jarael and Dyre had already managed to liberate themselves from their restraints with minimal harm and reunited with Carrick and Hierogryph. With Plaarvin no longer in command, Carrick disclosed to the traders that the claims they had made regarding Italbos were false. Nevertheless, the Metellos Exchange insisted on acquiring the rights from Cargryph Capital.
The Metellos Exchange made its debut and only appearance in the Prophet Motive storyline of the Knights of the Old Republic comic series. John Jackson Miller authored the story arc, with Bong Dazo providing the penciling.
Miller conceived the Metellos Exchange to expose readers to unexplored aspects of the Star Wars narrative. He drew inspiration for the concept from real-world economies and his fascination with the decision-making processes involved in selecting what to buy and sell. Miller had already developed the storyline for the issues prior to the financial crisis in late 2008 and found the release of the first issue in the arc around the same time to be ironically opportune.