Once upon a time a group of nameless Jedi came together in secrecy in hopes of protecting the future of their Order in a Galaxy at war. Children were gathered from all known Jedi Temples and Academies, the numbers from each minute to keep suspicions at bay; most were infants, too young to have formed meaningful attachments or habits too deeply ingrained. Together with a handful of Jedi Masters, each with their own unique set of skills, the children were shipped off to the farthest reaches of the Galaxy, away from prying eyes, where they were raised in the Jedi Path.
Crystalsong proved to be a most wonderful world to grow up on. Though the children did not know any different, the vast ecosystem and crystallized mineral deposits allowed for a rather unique setting. The native Nioks who inhabited the land surrounding the Jedi Temple were warm and welcoming toward the children whenever they interacted, though the same could not be said of many of the other species who were to be avoided at all cost. Thankfully the region they were raised within was free of any real strife, and their proximity on the edge of the Galaxy meant that the wars which plagued the central worlds never rippled far enough to reach them.
It was among all of this that Rhia was raised. A Zelosian with a strong connection to nature from the start, she felt at home among the forests and fields they called home. Even the strange crystal trees brought her unparalleled serenity, which allowed her to grasp the concept of meditation and peacefulness a little faster than her peers.
They knew no other life but that provided to them by the ageing Jedi Masters. They were raised with core Jedi beliefs as the cornerstone of their education, the Mantra was their first nursery rhyme and soon enough the Three Pillars were ingrained in their minds. The Force was something they became intimately aware of, brokering a connection with it one of the most important lessons they were taught. How to feel it, how to trust it, and eventually how to utilize it.
As with all things, however, the serenity of their existence could not last. After nearly a decade had passed most of the children were reaching an age where they required practical tuition, something most of the Masters could no longer feasibly provide. They were growing old, bodies not as strong as they had once been, and though they could have provided something in the way of training they knew that most of their students were nearing the point in time in which they would need true Masters of their own so that they might be prepared for the trials in their future.
While men and women had initially been set aside ready for when this time came to be, the state of the Galaxy had left most of them dead and the rest scattered. It was time for the Masters to find new mentors for the Jedi in their care...
Rhia found herself in the care of one Cotan Sar'andor. While initially their pairing was fairly awkward and unforeseen, they soon found their stride. There was much misinformation which Cotan had to pick through and undo, effectively having to reteach the girl almost everything she had learned within the Enclave in order to prepare her for the real world.
It was a difficult time for both Master and student, who both showed stubborn streaks. With time though Rhia began to exhibit more natural, childish traits, as she came out of her almost cultish programming. Life around her was strange but decidedly more normal than she'd been used to. More so when Cotan's girlfriend joined them on the ship. Doubly so when she realized they were, gasp, together.
Eventually, however, the Galaxy caught up with Cotan. Asha was gone, nowhere to be found, and he was left in a difficult predicament. Unable to give her the proper time and attention she needed, he sent her away to study on Eira Pechal under the watchful eyes of more modern day Jedi. Their apprenticeship was formally ended soon after, and Rhia found herself alone once more.
At first the child was inconsolable. Had she done something wrong? Why had everything changed again, and this time for the worse? Then she grew bitter. Frustrated. She became difficult to train, and wouldn't really focus. Still her new mentors were very patient and understanding, and tried their best to help her move on and make something of herself.
This lasted for all of two years, before one day the girl up and vanished in the middle of the night. At just ten years old, Rhia put the path of the Jedi behind her and entered the greater Galaxy seeking... more. The influences of Cotan and Asha lay heavy upon her, lessons of the Je'daii she'd only ever really overheard from afar ringing in her ears. When she left, it was to find one of these Je'daii.
But the road forward was far from simple. Rhia had very little on her person, and she was forced to hop from ship to ship as little more than a stowaway for some time. Eventually, by fate or otherwise, she landed herself on the wrong ship; perhaps one could argue it was the right one. A ship belonging to none other than Je'daii Ranger Vero Shif. Somehow she'd done as she had set out to do... But now what?
Over the next several years, Ranger Shif took Rhia under his wing and fostered within her a strength borne of her perceived abandonment. He managed what the Jedi could not, and consoled away her grief. Provided her with an outlet, a focus, through which to get herself back on track, and fostered a newfound relationship with the Force.
Shif himself was limited where that was concerned, capable only of utilizing the Force to Sense. But he did his best all the same to give her a well rounded education, to verbally teach even if he could not show. They made use of holocrons and texts belonging to the Je'daii of old, and with time their relationship changed from one of student and teacher to that of a more formalized Master and Padawan.
Around this time, another stray wandered in. He was a small boy, a very quiet boy, by the name of Ideon. Like Rhia he had come to Vero broken and inconsolable, though where Rhia found solace in his teachings Ideon had a much harder time with it. An anger bubbled within him, and his frustrations with the Galaxy ran so deep that he was more or less mute. Every now and then a few words would tumble free from his lips, but outside of that... Nothing.
Rhia became attached to him almost immediately. The boy was five years her junior, and over the next few years of their joint training he became something like a brother to her. She was fiercely protective, and through Rhia he was able to release some of his pent up rage. The pair were more or less inseparable.
One day, after a particularly long meditation session, Rhia came to a realization. Their little trio had more or less kept away from the Galaxy at large, lingering within unnamed worlds in the Outer Rim while their training was undertaken. When her 18th birthday came and passed, she decided that it was time for such to end, so she approached Vero and suggested that they seek out the rest of their Order. They existed somewhere out there, she knew. Asha and Cotan were living proof of such.
And she was ready to face them once more.
It took some time to convince him, in truth she'd brought it up several times before and been shot down each time. But this time... This time he agreed. They would make a pilgrimage out into the greater Galaxy, they would seek the Je'daii Order once more.
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