Yolanta was born on 15 March 3280 in Nueva Tarragona, an affluent coastal settlement on Keytree in the Empire system of Cibola. The eldest of three daughters to an Imperial patron, Yolanta's early life was one of privilege and luxury. However, after university she rejected her upbringing and became a freedom fighter. Her travels took her to Atroco, where she was recruited by The Night Witches, a political activist group inspired by the charismatic Lady Kahina Tijani Loren. Events led to the Witches being absorbed into Loren’s Legion, and in turn part of the Legion’s Colonia unit, Loren’s Reapers, based in Carcosa.

Yolanta has a fiery temperament and a stubbornly defiant attitude towards any form of authority. She has a sarcastic sense of humour, very rarely smiles and never laughs. She is tremendously loyal to her friends, but regards strangers with suspicion. She speaks her mind when aroused, and prides herself on her devotion to whatever is the current cause.