An inhabitant of the planet Firrerre, Rillao is a beautiful, golden-skinned woman. Like many of the beings of Firrerre, she dared not have her name spoken allowed, for the common belief was that the speaker of the name had power over the named one.
Blessed, or damned depending on how one looks at it, with strong Force powers, Rillao became the centre of attention of the Dark Lord of the Sith when she was young. She was naïve at the time, and trained with Vader. It was under Vader’s tutelage that Rillao met Hethrir, a male Firrerreon. They married, and Rillao became pregnant by Hethrir. The young woman would not embrace the Dark Side, much to Vader’s anger, for she was a healer and user of the Light Side. Darth could not turn her, but had high hopes for her child.
After being named Procurator of Justice by Vader, Hethrir passed a test of loyalty, whereby he exiled freighters full of his own people from Firrerre, then destroyed the planet. The people on the freighters had been mostly adults, and the millions killed on the planet were made up mainly of their children. Realising just how evil Vader and her husband were, Rillao escaped with her as yet unborn child, and sought sanctuary in a secret place.
The child was eventually born, and named Tigris. He had absolutely no Force powers at all, much to the relief of his mother. Together they lived in peace and solitude, not daring to venture out into the galaxy lest they be recognised and captured.
But Hethrir did find them, after the fall of the Empire. He imprisoned Rillao in a weblike torture device, while Tigris was separated from his mother and treated as a servant. Hethrir fed the boy lies, not telling him of his heritage, and saying the Rillao was a traitor. Within the torture device, Rillao was helpless to stop this, and had she escaped, she would never have managed to get Tigris back, for Hethrir had placed her on a freighter and had sent it into the depths of hyperspace.
Completely empty of hope, Rillao was surprised when she encountered Leia and Chewbacca, who had been looking for Leia’s children. They had been among the many children kidnapped by Hethrir, although they were special since they were so strong in the Force. Disliking the offer of help, Rillao allowed herself to be freed after five years of hell. Naturally the first thing she wanted to know was the fate of Tigris. She feared the worst, and planned how to kill her husband.
After much tracking, Hethrir was eventually located on the Crseih Research Station, where he was planning to feed the Solo children to the Waru, a creature who fed on Force powers. Confronting Hethrir and Tigris, Rillao told her son about his father, about the great many evils he had carried out. After so many years of lies, the truth hit Tigris like a sledgehammer. He grabbed Anakin from his father’s arms, and watched as the Waru, hungry for Force powers, consumed Hethrir.
Free from Hethrir and the Dark Side, Rillao and Tigris went to Coruscant and joined the New Republic. Unsure of what they might do, Rillao hoped that Tigris might become an artist, a diplomat, an explorer, or maybe a scientist. One thing that would not do, or ever do, would be to follow in his father’s footsteps and learn the ways of the Force.
As for Rillao, she has thought about going back to her Force training, with Luke as her master this time. Her abilities as a healer are great, and the galaxy can always do with one more. After a lifetime of misery, the Light Side could be Rillao’s one and true sanctuary.