Reynad Ybarra is a Syndicate citizen who commanded a merchant vessel which traded mostly with worlds bypassed by hypernet gates. Ybarra works for a minor Syndic corporation which makes its money on the fringes, living off of the economic scraps left by the larger corporations. Ybarra's vessel was intercepted by the Alliance Fleet at a jump point in the Baldur system when the Alliance Fleet arrived at the jump point as Ybarra was preparing to depart it. Ybarra's ship was destroyed, but he and his crew were rescued by the Alliance ships. After being interrogated aboard the Dauntless, including being questioned by Captain Geary himself, Ybarra and his crew were released to await rescue by Syndicate forces.
Ybarra's homeworld is in the Medak star system, where his parents still reside. At one point Ybarra had both a brother and a sister. His brother was killed aboard a Mobile Defense Force ship during an engagement with the Alliance Fleet five years before Captain Geary's first campaign through Syndicate Worlds territory, while his sister was killed by the Alliance during the bombardment of Ikoni.