Ria Deleru, a Nautolan female being, existed during the era of the Great Galactic War. This war was a major conflict between the Galactic Republic and the re-established Sith Empire. As the war raged, she, along with her spouse Nik Deleru, relocated to Coruscant, the Republic's capital planet. However, they struggled to adapt to life within the planet's Galactic City. Following the Sacking of Coruscant at the war's conclusion, they joined thousands of other alien refugees in the Old Galactic Market sector. Like many others, they experienced severe financial hardship.
Sometime around 3643 BBY, during the period known as the Cold War, Ria grew weary of her economic struggles and Nik's possessive and jealous nature. As a result, she chose a new path as an erotic dancer with Hanera's Dance Troupe. She deceived Nik into believing she had been abducted by the violent criminal organization, the Migrant Merchants' Guild. Although he dispatched an envoy to rescue her, she successfully convinced the messenger that she had found a better existence.
Ria Deleru was a female of the Nautolan species. Her life spanned the Great Galactic War and the subsequent Cold War that unfolded between the Galactic Republic and the Sith Empire. Ria entered into marriage with another Nautolan, Nik Deleru. Sometime before 3653 BBY, the pair departed their homeworld of Glee Anselm together. Ultimately, they made their home on Coruscant, the Republic's capital world. This shining ecumenopolis, while serving as the heart of galactic governance and finance, also housed a vast population of impoverished aliens in its lower levels. It was within this environment that the two Nautolans established their lives, a situation that Ria found increasingly displeasing.
In 3653 BBY, during the negotiations on Alderaan (a Core World) between Republic and Imperial representatives to end the Great Galactic War, the Sith launched a large-scale invasion of the Republic's capital, an event remembered as the Sacking of Coruscant. During this attack, Imperial warships unleashed numerous explosives upon the lower districts of Coruscant's Galactic City, resulting in the destruction of Ria and Nik's residence, alongside countless others. Though the Empire eventually withdrew, Coruscant remained devastated, and the Republic lacked the resources for a swift recovery and reconstruction. Eventually, Ria, Nik, and numerous other displaced families found themselves residing in the Old Galactic Market, a commercial sector largely abandoned following the Sacking. In the subsequent decade, the criminal organization known as the Migrant Merchants' Guild infiltrated the Old Galactic Market and began extorting protection money from the refugees in the area.
Over time, Ria grew increasingly frustrated with Nik's actions, which she perceived as overly protective and obsessive. When Nik failed to provide the guild with their protection payment, Ria viewed it as an opportunity to escape her current life and her husband. She abandoned their home and became an erotic dancer in Hanera's Dance Troupe, an entertainment act operating from the Migrant Merchants' Guild headquarters. Hanera herself commented that she had never seen someone with as much potential as Ria. Nik, believing that she had been abducted by the Guild as punishment for his late payment, sought assistance from Officer Mal of the Coruscant Security Force. However, due to the Coruscant Security Force being overwhelmed with combating the Merchant's Guild on other fronts, its police officers were unable to assist the Nautolan. Instead, Nik persuaded a Republic war hero to aid him in finding his wife. The war hero successfully located Deleru at the Guild's headquarters, but the dancer refused to return to her husband. She instead requested that the Republic combatant inform Nik that she had already been transported off-world, hoping that he would move on and allow her to live her new life. After the war hero relayed the false information to Nik, Ria sent the messenger an electronic message thanking the hero for complying and encouraging the being to return to see her.
Deleru possessed green skin, a common trait among Nautolans, and large, black eyes. While her husband Nik loved her deeply, his affection bordered on possessiveness and jealousy, which she felt prevented her from pursuing her aspirations. After years of enduring poverty, Deleru decided she could no longer tolerate the emotional or economic hardship that had defined her life. She found solace among the Twi'lek dancers of Hanera's Dance Troupe and decided to remain with them rather than return to her distressed spouse. Despite her frustration with Nik, she did not want to cause him distress. Therefore, instead of informing him of her decision to leave, she allowed him to believe that she had been kidnapped. Following the Republic war hero's agreement to maintain her deception, Ria requested that the individual return to see her dance under "less formal circumstances."
Ria Deleru made her debut in Star Wars: The Old Republic, a massively multiplayer online game developed by BioWare and LucasArts, which launched on December 20, 2011. Deleru is encountered on Coruscant as part of the "For Better or Worse" mission, accessible to Republic-aligned player characters. As such, any of the following classes can complete the interaction with Deleru: Jedi Consular, Jedi Knight, trooper, or smuggler. Given The Old Republic's nature as a role-playing game, the mission has two possible outcomes regarding Deleru's destiny. The player character can choose to uphold her deception of her husband, enabling Deleru to continue pursuing her ambitions. This decision grants light-side alignment points. Conversely, the player can earn dark-side alignment points by demanding that Ria return to Nik, or by agreeing to support Ria's lies only to later reveal the truth to Nik. This article assumes that the Republic player character selects the light-side conversation choice; however, it is important to note that a canonical storyline has not yet been established.