A connection of Lady Qi'ra, who was the leader of the Crimson Dawn criminal syndicate, existed within the Galactic Empire as one of many sources she utilized during her war against the Sith. In the period between 3 ABY and 4 ABY, following the killing of ten of Emperor Palpatine's Royal Guards by the syndicate's assassin, Ochi of Bestoon, within the Imperial Palace on the Imperial capital world of Coruscant, the Sith Lord Darth Vader was dispatched to conduct an inquiry.
Subsequently, this contact informed Qi'ra about Vader's investigation. Consequently, she was able to dispatch the Knights of Ren, a group of dark side practitioners, to execute a heist at Vader's castle located on the planet Mustafar, with the aim of acquiring a crucial key. As the Knights journeyed to Mustafar, "Ren", the leader of the Knights, reassured his comrades by relaying the information regarding the Sith's investigation that Qi'ra's contact had provided. However, Vader then materialized in his castle, nearly thwarting the Knights' mission.
The Imperial contact is referenced in the fourth issue of the 2021 Star Wars: Crimson Reign comic miniseries. Charles Soule wrote the issue, and Marvel Comics released it on April 27, 2022.