Cayden Tavers

Cayden Tavers is a respectful, well-mannered, militaristic kind of man who refuses to accept no as an answer, and will only consider retreat as an option when faced with an unbeatable enemy. He is one of the three rightful heirs to the Throne of Onderon, along with his sister Angie and brother Cameron. He was engaged to Ashley before she was killed on Csilla.

He was a former pilot in the Vast Empire Navy, before retiring to help Bimmiel finish it's war against Onderon. After the war's end, he took the throne and began rebuilding both Bimmiel and Onderon. After 3 years of rebuilding, he began expanding the reach of Bimmiel by absorbing 13 other worlds into the Republic, including Mandalore and Hapes.

He married Maroy Caeli, a Twi'lek, 2 years after retiring. They both served the Vast Empire in the same squadron, before Cayden retired. It was in VE Naval service that they got together. They currently have a daughter named Midna, who is 10 years old, and are the monarchs of the Bimmiel Military Republic.

He is the Supreme Commander of the Bimmiel Military, King of the Bimmiel Military Republic, and captain of the X-103 Grace of Midna.

Physical Description
"The face of a soldier, a commander, and a friend..."

- Cayla Tavers, in describing Cayden's face

Cayden's hair, a light-brown color, is about an inch long, a little poofy-looking, and as soft as velvet. His eyes are as blue as sapphires. His skin, white it may be, is also slightly tan on the exposed parts. He has no scars, which shows that he has not been in any battles; nor any tattoos, showing he isn't a pirate or bounty hunter. He wears a black vest, black long-sleeve shirt, and black pants tucked into black combat boots.

Personality
Cayden is the type of person who likes helping people. He likes to know how people are doing, and if they aren't doing well, he tends to offer any aid he can. But, as a side-effect, his assistance tends to blow-up in his face, either destroying the person he his helping, or destroying his relationship with the person. He doesn't disclose his emotions with people often, only with those closest to him. He respects authority and the Chain of Command, and is a big supporter of the VE Navy. He also does not drink alcohol, or anything that doesn't even resemble a "natural-looking" beverage. He will drink water or, on the rare occasion, Jawa Juice (non-alcoholic variant).

Character's Background
The second born to Dorn and Talia Tavers, Cayden has only known the life of the Royal Family. His father was the Chief of Security, and his mother was the Princess and heir to the Throne of Onderon. A year later, his parents would give birth to his younger brother, Cameron. Together, along with their older sister Angie, they would go on adventures throughout the Palace, the protected regions of the surrounding forest, and the city of Iziz (when they were older). It was during one of these early adventures into the city that Cayden would meet a young girl by the name of Ashley Clearwater. Little did the both of them know, their fates would become intertwined in what would become a topic of conversation in the Royal Palace and Clearwater Residence for several years.

Cayden showed a natural affinity for the military at the age of 9, even catching the attention of several of the senior officers of the Onderonian military. When Cayden reached the prime age of 11, he and Ashley both decided to go into the Onderonian Naval Academy, to not only be part of the newly-created military division, but to also be the first of the Academy's alumni. Four years into his time in the Academy, Cayden's flight skills were tested in a simulation, pitting his flight and another flight against two other flights. Afterwards, Cayden and Ashley went on a picnic, where they both decided to give a relationship a shot, and kissed in the rain.

A year later, the Imperialists made a push towards the Palace. The Royalists had a difficult time holding them off, but Cayden, defying orders and "borrowing" the Academy Instructor's personal ARC-170, intervened and managed to shoot down 5 hostile fighters before the Imperialists ordered a retreat. Upon his return to the Academy, the Instructor opted to have him expelled, but instead was talked out of it by Cayden's father.

Two years after the Starfighter Incident, Cayden never stepped foot in another fighter. The Instructor made sure of that. Instead, he had Cayden run simulations of previous battles on and above Onderon, ranging from the Old Sith Wars, all the way to the air battle he himself participated in 2 years previous. However, a week after his sister's promotion to Major, Cayden was expelled for insubordination against the Instructor. It was then that he left, taking passage on a Firefly-class bulk transport, named the Longshot, under command of VE pilot and then-ranked Petty Officer 1st Class Stewart-Power.

They travelled to Rhen Var, where they encountered a New Republic outpost. It is unclear as to what exactly happened here, but it can be surmised that the outpost was destroyed and the two friends made it off the planet and into hyperspace bound for Abrae, since Cayden decided to enlist in the VE Naval Academy with Stewart's suggestion.

Before Vast Empire Enlistment
Cayden first saw military action during the Second Onderonian Civil War in 7 ABY, where he flew a down-graded ARC-170 Starfighter against Imperialist Forces, pushing them back to the Commoner Quarter. It was this event that set off a series of chain-reactions that would lead to his dismissal from the Onderonian Royal Naval Academy.

VE Naval Service
Cayden signed on to join the Vast Empire Navy on February 5th, 2010, joining Raptor Squadron, the training squadron of the Vast Empire Naval Academy.

After graduating, Cayden was assigned to Tuk'ata Squadron, then under command of Chief Warrant Officer Hunter-Morrell.

His first official assignment with Tuk'ata was leave on the planet of Jalor III, which was scrubbed for unknown reasons.

After that, Tuk'ata fell under the command of Chief Warrant Officer Drac pending Ensign Hunter-Morrell's choice to step own as Squadron Commander of Tuk'ata. Almost immediately upon arriving, CWO Drac ordered a personal defense training session for the entire squadron, where Cayden was forced to battle himself, Cameron, Angie, Ashley, and fellow pilot and Flight Leader Stewart-Power.

After the PD training session was complete, CWO Drac met with Ensign Cali'reharn to organize a live-fire training session on the secret training facility known as Asteroid 19. It was here that Cayden successfully shot down almost 6-year veteren pilot, 1st Lieutenant Willtconq, but was disqualified from the competition due to breaking the game's code of conduct.

Cayden served as Tuk'ata Gamma's #2, right beneath Warrant Officer 2nd Class Stewart-Power, his wingman, faithful companion, and true best friend in the entire Vast Empire. He has also served as Flight Leader of Delta Flight of Tuk'ata Squadron for a short time before leaving to return to Bimmiel.

Cayden returned to the Vast Empire after receiving an urgent message from Commander Geordi Atrasin to return to Abrae to take up the mantle of Squadron Commander of the 153rd Vast Imp. Fighter Squadron, Regents.

After several more months of service to the Vast Empire, Cayden has retired to finish the war between Bimmiel and Onderon, and hopes to one day return. But for now, Cayden shall rebuild the society he left behind over a year ago, with the hope and courage his ancestors had during their times of great crisis and need.

Onderonian Military Service


After the Asteroid 19 incident, Cayden requested leave to head home, to Onderon, where he would execute a military operation to retake his home planet from another Imperial faction under the command of High Admiral Torti and the Onderonian Imperialist Army commanded by High General Mizra Moore. Sometime during the operation, the Onderonian High Council (or, at least what's left of it) unanimously elected to have Cayden lead the Royalist Army, as a Colonel in the Onderonian Royal Air Force (ORAF), effectively taking the place of his late father, Dorn Tavers, as the overall commander of all Royalist military forces. This position will last until the end of the civil war, when he will step down as the military supreme commander and take up his place as the commanding officer of the only ship in the Onderonian Royal Navy (ORN), the Etere Videum.

Bimmiel Military Service
Cayden went on many missions under the banner of Bimmiel, including the following unclassified ones:
 * Rilfor: where Cayden attempted to gather some of the advanced technology the people there possessed before a massive planet-wide earthquake caused him to leave prematurely. (unclassified due to failed status)
 * M4-78: Cayden came here in an attempt to forge an alliance between Bimmiel and the Droid Planet. However, things didn't go as planned and he and EV-3 were forced to leave before being overrun by a massive droid army. (unclassified doe to failed status)
 * Bastion: Cayden traveled alone to the Imperial capital in an attempt to gather intel on High Admiral Torti's whereabouts. However, due to a mistake with the Bimmiel Customs Station's detainment officer's report, Cayden was given Ambassador-level access.  When on the surface, he was attacked by several drunk soldiers, but managed to not kill them before SFs arrived to contain the situation.  He managed to force an alliance between the Imperial Remnant and Bimmiel, but failed to gather intel on High Admiral Torti. (unclassified due to Commander-in-Chief's desire; restricted to Bimmiel citizens and VE citizens eyes only)

-Dorn Tavers
Cayden's father is Dorn Tavers, a ship engineer who helped construct the training fighters for the Onderonian Royal Naval Academy. During the Clone Wars, Dorn served the Republic as Captain of an Acclamator-class Assault Ship stationed over Onderon. He saw little action here, but still saw military service none-the-less. After the rise of the Empire, Dorn retired from military service to raise a family. He married Talia Kira, daughter of the current Queen of Onderon, and had 3 children: Angie, Cayden, and Cameron. During the Second Onderonian Civil War, Dorn would attain the rank of General of the Royalist Forces, and be placed in charge of Palace Security. He would participate in many campaigns the Royalist Army would lead on the Imperialist forces. He would die in 9 ABY after an assault made on the Palace. Some say that he was just unfortunate, but others speculate the disappearance of his eldest and most gifted son saw the demise of the late General.

-Talia Tavers
Born as the Princess of Onderon, Talia grew up in every girl's dream lifestyle. Lavish gowns, priceless jewelry, catered to her every whim, Talia saw nothing of the outside world for 12 years. But, that soon changed when one day, as she was travelling through the Commoner Quarter, her entourage was attacked by thugs. The attack was thwarted by the young Dorn Tavers, who Talia immediately fell in love with. Over the next several years, Talia would sneak out of the Palace at night to see Dorn. When she reached the age of 16 is when this all stopped, because the Captain of the Palace Security informed the Queen of her actions. When the Queen found out, she ordered her guards to bring Dorn to the Palace for interrogation. Talia began crying hysterically at her mother's feet, but was told not to cry and that she (the Queen) was going to put an end to the secrecy. Dorn was brought before the Queen, who said to him "Dorn Tavers, you aren't here because you are in trouble. You are here because of your secret relationship with my daughter, Talia.  If you can hold a relationship with her, amidst all the chaos of the Palace, hidden in the shadows, and living in fear of discovery, I believe it is only fair to reward such actions.  So, Dorn Tavers, by the power invested in me as Queen of Onderon, I hereby grant you permission to be in a relationship my daughter." They would continue in a relationship for 5 years before getting married, the ceremony being carried out by none-other than the Queen herself. It would be several years later until Angie came along, during which time Talia used to learn more about the duties of the Queen of Onderon, seeing that she is to take the throne after her mother passes away. During the Second Onderonian Civil War, Talia would be confined to the Palace and placed under heavy guard. To this day, Talia is still under guard, and is also aiding the war-effort in the absence her deceased husband.

-Angie Tavers
Angie is Cayden's older sister. The two of them grew up real close, no secrets between the two. When Cameron came around, they quickly accepted him into their triad. One time, when Angie was 13, and Cayden 11, Angie was being picked on my a group of guys. Cayden was walking by and noticed them. He walked over and intervened before the guys could do anything "inappropriate" to her. The guys knew they were older and stronger than him, so they started to fight... but, what they didn't know, was that Cayden was skilled with a vibroblade, so Cayden picked up a nearby tree branch and used it to subdue the guys. The two Tavers kids ran back to the Palace, where Angie thanked Cayden for saving her. They both went into the Onderonian Military Academy, where they both studied for acceptance into the Royal Naval Academy. Angie was accepted 2 years before Cayden. She was a natural at piloting, just like her father was during the Clone Wars. She graduated with high honors and near-perfect marks, the only female student to do so. She would later serve the Royal Onderonian Air Force, piloting a Z-95 Headhunter. She would also fly in the same battle that Cayden would participate in, not knowing that her brother was flying beside her. When Cayden left 2 years later, she felt a wave of depression, but also remembered her duty to the Queen, and continued serving the Air Force loyally and dutifully.

-Cameron Tavers
Cameron is the youngest of the 3 Tavers kids. Some may say he had everything handed to him, but his siblings know that he worked his ass off to get the respect he has today. Cameron was considered the nerdy kid in initiate school, always picked on by the older kids. When it came time for him to pick a field of study, everyone thought he'd do intelligence. But instead, he choose the infantry corps. During his years in the Army Academy, he was considered one of the greatest students they had. He pushed himself harder than anyone else dared to, pushing past obstacles others put in front of him, pushing past his own physical and mental limitations. He graduated from the Academy a full 2 years before everyone else, excelling in every field, especially marksmanship. He was given an officer's commission upon graduation, attaining the rank of 1st Lieutenant in the Royalist Army. He is currently fighting the Imperialist forces in the Commoner Quarter. Until the Queen can appoint a replacement General, Cameron will be leading the Royalist Army.

Cameron didn't spend much time with Cayden, but he spent lots of time with Angie. Angie helped Cameron train for his mental tests, and when Cayden had free time, he helped Cameron train for his physicals. When they weren't busy training for physicals, which was rare, they usually did normal guy things. They hung out, talked about girls, worked on the speeder, played games, and even pulled pranks on other classmates. When either of them weren't busy, they had a really good brother-to-brother relationship. He wasn't as affected by Cayden's disappearance as Ashley or Angie were, but he knew that Cayden plans to come back some day, maybe to end this civil war... at least, thats what Cameron hopes is true.

-Ashley Clearwater
Ashley Clearwater is the only daughter of Bob and Rozanne Clearwater. Ever since they were 5 Galactic Standard years old, Cayden and Ashley have been the best of friends. They did just about everything together. Where ever Ashley went, Cayden went. Where ever Cayden went, Ashley went. They went to initiate school together, went to the Royal Academy together, and even went to the Naval Academy together. For some unknown reason, all of their teachers not only assumed that they were in a relationship, but they also frowned upon their dependency on each other. They grew real close, telling each other their secrets, hiding nothing from the other. One day, several years back, they were on a walk together through a protected area of the forest. Ashley asked Cayden how much she liked her. He looked at her, surprised, then answered "You're my best friend, Ashley... I like you a lot." She smiled at that, then asked "Enough to kiss me right now?" Still surprised, he answered "I don't know..." Then, like an unforeseen force pushing them together, he leaned in and kissed her. They've been dating ever since that day, never fighting, the love never ceasing. Then came the day Cayden left Onderon. He left in the middle of the night, not telling her he was leaving. Only she knew he was expelled from the Academy at the time, her and the Queen. When she woke, she saw a note on her desk. It read 'Ashley, by the time you read this, I will be far away from Onderon. I'm sorry I couldn't tell you this in person, but I was left with no choice. My expulsion from the Academy would have brought pain to my father's heart, pain he need not burden himself with. Without the Academy, without a commission, I am nothing here. I will return as soon as I can for you, Ashley... that, I promise you. I love you always, Cayden.' She cried that whole week, never leaving her room. The instructor grew worried about her, and sent a messenger to the Queen to request her presence at the Academy. Instead though, the Queen sent for Ashley to report to her directly, as her ambassador to the Vast Empire. Ashley asked her why them, and she said "Because, Ashley... there is something there worth finding." She left Onderon, bound for Lotaith, when the ship began experiencing engine malfunctions. She was forced to make an emergency stop on Abrae, where she re-encountered Cayden in a bar. They had a heart-to-heart conversation there, finally laying to rest the whole "why did you leave" mystery. They agreed to meet up later that evening. She will be communicating to Cayden whenever he is not on duty or off on missions.

Death
Cayden was unaware that Ashley died until he returned to Bimmiel, when Angie informed him of what happened. Initially not believing her, Cayden ran off to the Palace to find Ashley. He searched the entire Palace, then began searching the entirety of Caput City, when Angie had him arrested and brought down to the Naval Command Center. Once brought there, Angie handed Cayden the one thing Ashley would never part with: Cayden's Medal of Valor awarded to him by the Onderonian Government (following Onderonian Liberation) that he gave to Ashley before he departed Bimmiel (with the Etere Videum) to search for allies in the Unknown Regions. After Angie gave him that medal, Cayden's heart sank. Hard. For about twenty days, Cayden didn't leave his quarters at the Palace, leaving all responsibilities of both the military commander and the highest political figure on Bimmiel to Angie.

-Cayla Tavers
Cayla Tavers was the manifestation of Cayden's subconscious mind, initially brought out to help relieve stress during boring missions, but later, much to Cayden's surprise, stuck around and became a projection of his subconscious thoughts, aiding him in the construction of various devices, helping plan missions, and assisting during battles, whether they be land or space. After she was removed from Cayden's mind, she enlisted in the Ve Army, much to the dismay of Cayden.

Notable Skills
Cayden is capable of flying any fighter he pilots. He is also very handy with both a blaster rifle and a vibroblade should the need arise, but more relies on his persuasive skills do the talking. He can, for the most part, predict the outcome of a battle, and can turn the tide of the battle to a victory. He is also very well at both giving and following orders. Cayden also has some electronics training, due to his time in the Onderonian Naval Academy.

Accident Prone
Cayden has a knack for getting injured, especially while flying starfighters.

He has, to date, been:
 * Shot down over Rhen Var
 * Pelted by asteroid bits during a training exercise (Mihawk Showdown at Asteroid 19)
 * Shot twice in the stomach and once in the right leg Onderonian Liberation
 * Hit by a missile A Page from the Rebels' Book
 * Exposed to vacuum A Page from the Rebels' Book
 * Leg broken over Asteroid 19 and during A Page from the Rebels' Book
 * Leg severed from body during the Retaking of Bimmiel and Exploration of Kala

Shaka
Shaka is a blue-grey HK-series Assassin Droid with blue photoreceptors, purchased by Cayden on one of his visits to Abrae. Shaka is the ships droid commander. He oversees the maintenance and operation of the astromech droids. He answers directly to Cayden and no one else, holds respect for few, and has no patience for inefficiency. He battles often with Ashley and Cayden about the morals and ethics behind their actions. Shaka can be found in the cargo hold, 'patrolling the area' he so often tells anyone who asks what he is doing.

Arianna
Captain Arianna is a Celestial who has dedicated her life to watching over and protecting Bimmiel from any non-corporeal threats and the Aesorans.