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.