An operative served as a representative of the criminal organization Crimson Dawn throughout the Imperial Era. Circa 3 BBY, the criminal syndicate Wandering Star organized an auction for a piece of technology called the Phylanx Redux Transmitter in the Outer Rim city of Canto Bight, which was located on the planet Cantonica; this operative was dispatched to act on behalf of Crimson Dawn. In the auction's concluding moments, the operative managed to offer a higher price than an independent Talz smuggler along with individuals who Sana Starros—a bounty hunter who was present representing the criminal syndicate Droid Gotra—believed had ties to the Commerce Guild. However, the device vanished when a gunfight erupted during the auction. Some weeks afterward, Starros brought up the Crimson Dawn operative's attendance at the auction to the smugglers Han Solo and Chewbacca when the trio attempted to locate the Phylanx Redux Transmitter for Starros's employers.
The Crimson Dawn operative was referenced in flashback sequences in the 2018 novel Last Shot, which was penned by Daniel José Older.