The individual who gave birth to Kartessa was a female. During the final stages of the Galactic Civil War, specifically in 5 ABY, she accompanied a New Republic diplomatic team, headed by Senator Tia'dor Emshwa, on a journey to the world of Ithor. Their CR90 corvette, known as the Starfall, was infiltrated by the Super Star Destroyer called the _Annihilator_, which was under the control of the non-binary alien pirate named Eleodie Maracavanya. Despite her mother's protests, Kartessa offered to join Eleodie's crew when given the chance, and Eleodie accepted. He then instructed the mother to respect her daughter's choice. The mother, with tears in her eyes, accompanied her disobedient daughter onto the Annihilator. By the time the Battle of Jakku occurred, Kartessa had become annoyed with her mother's constant presence and left her on the engineering sublevel. Eleodie then scolded Kartessa for her lack of respect toward her mother.
The first appearance of Kartessa's mother was as a minor character in Aftermath: Life Debt, a 2016 novel by Chuck Wendig and the second book in the Star Wars: The Aftermath Trilogy. She received a brief mention in Aftermath: Empire's End, the 2017 follow-up.