Tav was born in 10BBY to a large family on Ord Mantell, though she spent little time there before relocating to Corellia in 9BBY. Throughout her childhood she spent a great deal of time tinkering with various machines, learning their functions and putting them back into working order (most of the time). Whether it be a simple household appliance or a speeder engine a deep curiosity always drove her to understand how they function and eventually how to improve them.

She spent a good deal of her childhood fixing various things that broke down in her family's shop but eventually she decided the best way to help them was to leave. At fourteen she snuck out and stowed away aboard a freighter to Nar Shaddaa, hoping to get a well paying job fixing swoop bikes for the various racing teams so she could send back something more tangible to keep the shop afloat. And she did. Sort of.

Befriending Silmo Mikar, a veteran Devaronian pilot, she began racing in the Belt Circuit, a racing event taking place in the asteroid belt of the Y'toub System. Through chance she ended up fixing a fault on his Z-95 after noticing an act of sabotage committed by his previous mechanic before a race. It was steady work but five months and seven races later Silmo was crippled by a rival, Ral "Kid" Kolbirrith. She took up Silmo's pilot seat in the race and through all odds managed to place 6th of the 27 surviving contenders. Silmo, unable to race, became her dedicated piloting mentor. The years ticked on and the steady flow of creds back home helped appease the Syndicate extorting her family's shop, but never truly break free.

All was well in Tav's career until the messages from her family abruptly ceased. A few months later she would learn of their fate. Her entire family, including her parents, grandmother, sister, two cousins and their parents had all been killed. The Imperial missive had no context, merely a cold and bureaucratic "deceased". Tav was devastated, filled with despair, anger and an all encompassing emptiness. 

The day of the Ijunta Run started like any other. Her practiced focus took her mind off of the pain she was feeling and she quickly managed to slot into the lead ten. It would have been a good race, but Kid was up to his usual tricks. Following her into a large asteroid with a well known and dangerous tunnel shortcut. Kid first tried to ram her into the terrain. When that didn't work, he attempted to blast her apart with his cannons instead. The burst of shots hit the wing, starting an electrical fire but the redundancies she had modified into the craft ensured it had little effect. With the sporting line crossed, Tav threw on her breaks, allowing Kid to pass in an attempt to line up her own shot. However, Kid was a formidable pilot and managed to evade her shots.

The weight of her family's fate crept into her mind. An unbridled rage rising from the stunt that Kid was pulling. In a moment of clarity, she focused those feelings, the dark instincts upon Kid's craft. To her surprise, the Craft slowed and aligned perfectly into her sights. She took the opportunity and her laser cannons fired true. Kid's fighter ricocheted off the wall of the asteroid and disintegrated. She emerged from the tunnel, the Z-95's wing still trailing flame, and finished close second. But the weight of what she had done caught up to her as she made for the rendezvous to collect her winnings. She felt remorse. Kid had fired first, but Tav discovered on that day what she was willing to do. She had killed a man, not just to survive, but to win. It was not an incident she wanted to repeat.

Officially it was ruled that Kid had crashed due to pilot error. The Syndicate weren't pleased that someone as profitable as Ral Kolbirrith was gone. He threw a wrench into the races often and made them more exciting, more dangerous. With him out of the picture they had lost their best pilot in the field. Worse, she had bet against them and won, taking away a hefty payday in the process. In revenge, they had their pilots spread rumors to cast doubt on Tav's win, saying that she had blasted Kid out of the sky.

Despite this scrutiny, Tav continued to race, eventually becoming one of the foremost figures in the series. Seeing an opportunity, the Syndicate approached Tav with an offer: Take Kid's slot, play dirty and keep winning. Remembering her family's struggles with the Syndicate, Tav initially refused the offer. However, the Syndicate would have their pilot. In this pursuit, the Pykes abducted Silmo, threatening to send him back one piece at a time unless Tav raced for their profit.

Tav wasn't sure what to do. Flying for the Syndicate meant winning at any cost. Refusing, meant losing the last person in the galaxy she could truly call family. With no other options, she agreed to fly for the Syndicate. However, while preparing for the first race under their banner, Tav remembered the stunt she had pulled before firing on Kid. Managing to replicate the maneuver, she swiped a set of credentials from the Syndicate rep and utilized them to free Silmo. The pair snuck out of the Pyke compound, eventually making it aboard her Headhunter. However, having slighted the Pykes for a third and final time, a death warrant was issued. Silmo, still caring for his protegee, offered to call in a few favors to delay the beginning of the hunt. However, it became clear to the pair that wherever Tav went, it needed to be as protected from the Syndicate as possible.