Mair Koda was a spacer, captain, and self-employed freighter who earned her living by shipping merchandise between the planets located in the Zuni cluster. She spent her childhood aboard the Blue Boy, a light freighter, alongside her parents, until her mother eloped with a Wroonian smuggler. Unable to both earn a living and safeguard his thrill-seeking daughter, Koda's father placed her in the care of Emmi Stonelaw and Arn, who were farmers of chorba on Vernet. She spent her formative years with the Stonelaws' two sons, Kristoff and Yuri, and worked on the family's farm until she reached the age of eighteen. Later, Koda reunited with her father, who trained her to command the Blue Boy. Upon his death, Koda inherited both the vessel and his established trade route.
Koda continued the scheduled transport routes and declined solicitations from criminal organizations seeking her services. She also refused proposals from the Rebel Alliance. During a return trip to Vernet, Koda discovered that the Empire had created a base on the planet and had forcefully enlisted all males between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five, which included her foster brother, Kristoff. Koda and Yuri attempted to break into the base to free Kristoff, only to discover that the Empire had brainwashed him into embracing their ideology. Consequently, Koda and Yuri were compelled to escape Vernet.