Mala Mala was a Sephi species spy who was left both crippled and burned.
Early in her life, the handsome bounty hunter Nikk Zavod betrayed Mala Mala. He seduced her, then absconded with her ship, and subsequently left her for dead by burning her body with the ship's afterburners.
She survived only because of a chance encounter with Chewbacca, who transported her to a ship's sick bay. There, a medical droid provided life-saving treatment. From that point forward, she developed a deep distrust of men, preferring the company of droids, which she built and considered her friends. This event also marked the moment she adopted her new name, inspired by hearing Chewbacca murmur his wife's name, Mallatobuck, in his sleep. Thus, she began her life anew as Mala Mala.
Later, Mala was among a group of bounty hunters, including Brazzo and Selle, on Centares. She became the sole survivor who knew Luke Skywalker's identity as the destroyer of the first Death Star, information she obtained from Thurlow Harris. She managed to evade Vader long enough to reach Coruscant and reveal the name to Emperor Palpatine. After being rewarded for the information, the Emperor permitted her to leave with her life.
Fordee and Beesix were among her droids. She was still alive during the Yuuzhan Vong War, allowing R2-D2 and C-3PO to record her memories of Chewbacca after his passing.
Prior to her burning, Mala Mala appeared to be Human, albeit with pointed ears. Leland Chee theorized on the StarWars.com Message Boards that "all species with pointy ears are either Sephi or closely related to them."