Jeela Halish was a Twi'lek enslaved to a criminal syndicate in the outer edges of Hutt Space, called the Grabacr Outreach. When the Outreach was found to have strong ties with the Confederacy of Independent Systems, the Republic sent troops to take down their headquarters. She was wounded in the crossfire when the 422nd Line Battalion raided the Grabacr's underground palace, the place where she was forced to work as an exotic dancer in the palace's cantina. Left for dead by the scrambling criminals, she was found by the 422nd's Commander, Arsas Voram, who brought her to safety.
After the ordeal, Voram and Halish fell in love, and in 19 BBY, she married him. However, their time together was cut short when Voram and his unit were inducted into the Imperial Military. She went into hiding along with Voram's companion, Myar Tesc, until Voram and Halish were reunited in 8 ABY.