Ric'ah T'rib was a female Rutian Twi'lek Jedi Master of the New Jedi Order. She escaped the purges of Order 66 and eventually returned to her Jedi teachings, taking Dareth Pan'dha as a padawan.
Biography[]
Early life[]
Ric'ah T'rib was born in 26 BBY on Ryloth. Shortly after her first birthday, she was discovered to be Force-sensitive and taken to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant for training. In 21 BBY, Ric'ah encountered a Rodian youngling aimlessly wandering the halls of the Temple alone. Named Eniki Kwadwo, the youngling was usually segregated from the other trainees due to a poorly-understood developmental disorder. Ric'ah noted Eniki's confused and agitated state—apparently the Rodian was lost—and decided to help. Ric'ah found that Eniki responded well to her and the two became friends. Through Eniki, Ric'ah was able to view the world in a different way, and learned to communicate with those who were not able to express themselves by conventional means. The friendship helped shape Ric'ah into a patient and caring individual.
Ric'ah T'rib (right) and Eniki Kwadwo.
Though Ric'ah's training kept her and most younglings away from Eniki and her minder, Solah Tark, she was still a part of the duo's impromptu evacuation plan. In 19 BBY, Order 66 was put into effect, hordes of clone troopers descending upon the Jedi Temple, slaughtering the occupants. Amid the confusion, Ric'ah and Eniki escaped into the Temple's service tunnels with Solah providing cover. Taking a small transport ship from the hangar, Solah took Ric'ah and Eniki offworld, relocating them to Corellia, where they were separated. Ric'ah was put into the foster care system and Eniki ended up in an institution. Over the years, the constant moves caused Ric'ah to lose contact with Eniki. Attempts to locate the Rodian ran cold.
After finishing her schooling in 2 BBY, Ric'ah left Corellia, answering what she assumed to be an advertisement for a model search. The advertisement was merely a ruse, and Ric'ah found herself in the captivity of slavers. She went from master to master, sold as a dancing girl. The slavery eroded away her self-confidence, leaving her with a fearful sense of hopelessness. In 0 ABY, bounty hunters raided the headquarters of Ric'ah's current master, Khijana the Hutt. A young upstart from the Besadii clan, Khijana was diverting slave and spice traders to his location, which soured the tempers of several rival Hutts.
The bounty hunters that were hired operated like a small militia, the raid carefully orchestrated. Ric'ah and the other slave girls were herded out of the complex by a rookie Rodian huntress named Camilla Sookanado. The dancing girls were freed and Ric'ah pledged a life debt to Camilla, opting to journey with her. Ric'ah claimed that the Rodian, who preferred to be addressed as "Cami", reminded her of an old friend.
Ric'ah traveled with Cami for several years, assisting her on hunts and keeping her company during long space flights. The routine was not to last as in 5 ABY, Ric'ah parted ways with Cami as the latter went on a solo hunt. She soon lost contact with the Rodian, and as the years passed, Ric'ah feared her to be dead.
Return to the Jedi Order[]
In 11 ABY, Ric'ah decided to return to her Jedi training upon the establishment of Luke Skywalker's Jedi Praxeum. Having not used her Force abilities since going into hiding on Corellia many years ago, Ric'ah felt that she was woefully out of practice. However, she ascended through the ranks quickly, and even was assigned her first padawan, Dareth Pan'dha, in 15 ABY. Ric'ah oversaw Dareth's training, shaping him from a homely small-town Chandrila farm boy to a confidant Jedi.
It was not to say, though, that the training went smoothly. Ric'ah's patience was tested with Dareth's sometimes frustrating behavior. Constantly doubting himself and seemingly ready to throw in the towel when faced with difficult challenges, Dareth was not an easy padawan to train. Ric'ah stood her ground, however, doing her best to teach Dareth without losing her temper. Her experience with Eniki Kwadwo helped her develop her unwavering patience and thick skin.
After several years of training, Ric'ah and Dareth were given their first assignment. Pharmaceutical companies had caught wind of a possibly Force-sensitive healer on the backwater mining world of Tyne's Horky, and thus Ric'ah was sent to place the healer in protective custody. The healer, a thirteen year-old albino Rodian named Mikhos, reportedly had blood that possessed medicinal properties and drug manufacturers could not wait to get their hands on him. Ric'ah had a passing thought on why she seemed to encounter so many Rodians, but did not dwell on it. A boy's very life was in danger, Ric'ah did not have the time to concern herself with what species he was.
On Tyne's Horky, Ric'ah and Dareth entered into a brief firefight with two inept bounty hunters who had found Mikhos first. Words were exchanged, the hunters realizing what they were hired for and having a change of heart. The two hunters instead deserted their employer and escorted the Jedi and Mikhos to Coruscant where they parted ways. Mikhos was placed in protective custody while Ric'ah and Dareth returned to the Praxeum.
Reunion with an old friend[]
Three years later, Ric'ah and Dareth were reassigned to Coruscant to oversee the rebuild of the Jedi Temple. It was there that they met yet another Rodian, a VJ named Trak Nar, who was looking for exclusive interview rights and offered to put the Jedi up in his apartment. Ric'ah obliged, noting that Trak's apartment was the same one owned by her old friend Cami. The memory prompted her to do a search, eventually finding Cami to be living in a group home a short speeder ride away. Relieved to find that her friend was still alive, Ric'ah paid her a visit, shocked to see what had happened to her. Thin, pale, and paranoid, Cami barely resembled the headstrong huntress she once was.
Over a cup of coffee, Cami explained to Ric'ah what happened, from her capture on a distant backwater world that the Republic denied the existence of, to her escape and recovery. And of the son she was forced to give up for adoption. Ric'ah made the connection rather quickly; Trak was Cami's son. With permission from the group home, Ric'ah was able to secure Cami's release and immediately reunited her with Trak.
Personality and traits[]
Ric'ah T'rib was a patient and caring individual. From her experience with Eniki Kwadwo, Ric'ah learned to listen to and understand those who were unable to communicate in conventional ways. Having spent her early childhood with a Rodian, Ric'ah felt that may have contributed to why she seemed to encounter and befriend a number of Rodians over the years— perhaps she was just drawn to them. However, she learned the race's customs quite well, which helped in situations where she dealt with aggressive hunters.
When training Dareth, Ric'ah found her patience being tested rather often. She was protective of her charge and worked hard to shape Dareth into a confidant Jedi. Being a veteran of the Old Jedi Order, Ric'ah held the old values close, teaching them to Dareth. While she respected Skywalker for resurrecting the Order, she felt it to be too disorganized, lacking the intense discipline she was taught prior to Order 66.