Rissa Mano, a Devaronian who was Force-sensitive, was a Jedi Knight in the service of the Jedi Order during the Galactic Republic's final years. Beyond her Jedi skills, Mano was a talented engineer and pilot. Mace Windu, a Jedi Master who noticed Mano's abilities, enlisted her in a Jedi task force. This group was formed by Windu to investigate Separatist actions on the world of Hissrich, a jungle planet, soon after the Clone Wars began.
Mace Windu chose Rissa Mano to join him on Hissrich with Jedi Masters Kit Fisto and Prosset Dibs early in the Clone Wars. Her selection was due to her exceptional piloting skills, which rivaled those of Master Plo Koon, and her engineering aptitude, which surpassed expectations for a newly appointed Jedi Knight. She named her blue lightsaber "Marcie."
The team traveled on the Westwind, a T-6 shuttle that was unusually fast due to modifications Rissa had made in her free time. Upon landing on the planet, Mano expressed her admiration for Windu, but only seconds later, she joined him, Fisto, and Dibs in ambushing a droid patrol. Subsequently, they entered an underground cave inhabited by the planet's indigenous lifeforms. Inside, Mano discovered a scout droid and, using specialized lenses, determined that despite the droid's damage, data could still be recovered. Immediately after, the cave collapsed, and they were attacked by droids once more. In the ensuing chaos, Windu and Mano were separated from Fisto and Dibs, only to encounter larger droids extracting minerals from the planet.
After dealing with the remaining droids, they began reconnaissance to gather information on the droids' future plans. Once they had obtained the necessary intelligence, they returned to the ship to await the return of Fisto and Dibs. When Dibs challenged Windu and physically confronted him, Mano attempted to intervene, but Fisto stopped her, trusting Windu's methods and strategies.
After the [fight](/article/lightsaber_duel] concluded, Fisto, Windu, and Mano devised and executed a raid on the headquarters of the droid army. The three undertook separate missions within the outpost to accomplish their objectives. Mano's primary task was to destroy the final shipment of minerals destined for the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Her secondary objective was to save Fisto's life, which she accomplished just before Fisto was about to be defeated. Following the successful completion of the mission, Dibs was put on trial and, at Windu's request, was sentenced to work in the Jedi Library.