In 28 ABY, Senators Leia Organa of the New Republic and Ransolm Casterfo undertook a journey to Bastatha. Their goal was to probe into the activities of Rinnrivin Di's cartel, a crime lord from the Nikto species. During their time on Bastatha, a planet situated in the Inner Rim of the galaxy, they received hospitality from Magistrates Xun and Tosta, who showed them around their casino. Soon after, Leia was abducted by Rinnrivin's subordinates, who transported her to Rinnrivin's underground headquarters. Rinnrivin attempted to influence the senator with a bribe, hoping she would relax regulations on the spice trade. However, Casterfo successfully located and rescued Leia. Together, they managed to escape and alert the Bastatha security forces. A search of Rinnrivin's headquarters revealed evidence indicating that he was channeling his earnings into clandestine corporations in the Outer Rim.
Following the Battle of Jakku, the Galactic Concordance was signed by the New Republic with the defeated remnants of the Galactic Empire, shifting focus to reshaping the galactic structure. In 21 ABY, seven years before the Amaxine warrior crisis, the First Order started directing funds to a pro-Imperial militia, the Amaxine warriors, facilitated by several Centrist senators, including Lady Carise Sindian. To conceal these funds, the Centrists invested in a criminal front organization headed by Nikto crime lord Rinnrivin Di.
Over the subsequent seven years, Rinnrivin's cartel operated from Bastatha, a planet in the Outer Rim. Its smuggling and gambling activities negatively impacted the economy of the Gaulus sector, which included Ryloth. Eventually, Ryloth's economy began to suffer due to Rinnrivin's cartel's exploitations. The cartel thrived because the New Republic failed to enforce financial regulations and patrol the galactic space lanes adequately. Consequently, the Ryloth government sent Emissary Yendor to Hosnian Prime to petition the Galactic Senate for assistance. After some consideration, Leia Organa, a Populist Senator, and Ransolm Casterfo, her Centrist counterpart, agreed to investigate on behalf of the Senate.
Leia, alongside her senatorial staff and Casterfo, journeyed to Bastatha aboard her personal starship, the Mirrorbright. They were accompanied by Joph Seastriker, a pilot from the New Republic Defense Fleet, who piloted an X-wing starfighter. Upon landing on Bastatha, they were greeted by Nikto Magistrates Tosta and Xun, who hosted a banquet for them at a high-end casino. While socializing, Leia and Casterfo noticed a group of humans from Daxam IV. One member, an elderly woman, was observing them. Unbeknownst to them, this woman, 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 deception orchestrated by Rinnrivin Di to abduct Senator Organa. His henchmen ambushed Tosta's delegation and whisked Leia away on a hoversled to his underground headquarters.
Rinnrivin attempted to ingratiate himself with Senator Organa by praising her role in slaying Jabba Desilijic Tiure. As a sign of respect, he presented her with a holocube depicting her strangling the Hutt crime lord to death. Rinnrivin then tried to bribe Leia, attempting to persuade her to ease the New Republic's restrictions on illicit spice. Before discussions could continue, Casterfo arrived and rescued Leia, having tracked her down by planting a tracking device on her cloak.
Together, the two senators escaped on a hoversled. Rinnrivin dispatched several henchmen after them, but they managed to evade them in the subterranean caverns. Shortly after, Leia and Casterfo encountered Joph, who had flown his X-wing into Bastatha's depths. Together, the three returned to the Bastathan city. The local security forces later secured Rinnrivin's headquarters, but the crime lord had already escaped.
The kidnapping of Leia and the failure to capture Rinnrivin Di caused embarrassment for the Bastatha authorities. Leia informed Magistrate Xun that the New Republic had placed Bastatha under conditional probational advisory to monitor activities on the world. While Leia appreciated Joph's bravery, she reprimanded him for disregarding New Republic safety protocols. As a result of their shared experience, Leia formed an unexpected friendship with Casterfo, despite their political and philosophical differences.
After examining the data stored in Rinnrivin's droids, Leia's team discovered that a significant portion of Bastatha's gambling revenue was being diverted to shadow corporations in the Outer Rim. Based on this information, Leia and Casterfo concluded that Yendor was truthful and called for the investigation to proceed. While the Senate postponed the investigation into Rinnrivin, Leia dispatched Joph and her pilot Greer Sonnel on a secret mission to Pamarthe to investigate whether Rinnrivin was recruiting pilots from there. In response to the investigation, Lady Carise collaborated with Hadrassian to orchestrate a distraction.
The Mission to Bastatha was first introduced in Claudia Gray's 2016 novel Bloodline.