Rothwell assumed that the girl that took out his men was part of another cartel or gang, that she was trying to prove herself by taking out his people and destroying his livelihood. In a desperate attempt to get revenge, he led a group of Stormtroopers to pursue the orphan employee of Jos'han by searching a series of orphanages. Unable to find the girl who escaped his men's grasp, Rothwell was unable to prove to his Imperial contact that the missing supplies were stolen. He and his employees were henceforth taken into Imperial custody for supporting Rebel activity and he was sent to a labor camp.
After the fall of the Empire, he was set free. He returned to Coronet City, but lost his contacts, money, and reputation. He picked up odd jobs in his determination to survive and eventually get revenge on the girl he blamed for losing his livelihood. He slowly rebuilt his enterprise, and struggled to find Rieve, who had escaped from Corellia the night after she took out his people. He scoured the Core Worlds, Colonies, and Inner Rim. He heard rumors of Rieve potentially performing in a band on Nar Shaddaa, but she had disappeared from there too.
Around 9 ABY, Rothwell learned of an advertisement for Balada the Hutt's Hunters of the Outer Rim tournament announcing a new Sith Lord-themed Hunter. One of his couriers never forgot Rieve's face, so Rothwell was certain the girl he sought was on Vespaara. He decided to apply to be her trainer, and was hired by Daq Dragus. He maintained an underground fighting ring in the industrial areas of the boomtown near the Grand Arena, and began manipulating Rieve to undermine her success. At strategic moments, he sabotaged Rieve's equipment, and planted seeds of doubt in her mind, hoping she would show her villainous potential to her new employers.
Rothwell came to realize that Rieve was not the woman he thought her to be, less adept and cunning than the picture he formed in his mind. Nevertheless, he lured her to his underground fighting ring, jeopardizing her future in the Hunters of the Outer Rim. Unfortunately, when Rothwell revealed his true self to Rieve and sent his fighters to destroy her as he sabotaged Balada's arena, Rieve managed to escape. He sent many of his goons to destroy significant portions of the arena, to marginal success. He used a holographic disguise matrix to lure two Hunters away from his position while he approached an alone Rieve backstage. He attempted to shoot her with a blaster, but she used her lightsaber and the Force to defend herself. Soon, she had him beaten, and Daq Dragus approached to apprehend. Rothwell, few options remaining, pulled out a Class-A thermal detonator, which if armed, could destroy a significant portion of the backstage area. Rothwell armed and dropped the thermal detonator. Rieve managed to contain the explosion using the Force, and Rothwell was apprehended by Dragus. Rothwell was soon taken into New Republic custody and transported off-world.