Before it was rechristened as Cay's Dream, a starship functioned as the private transport of Ulic Qel-Droma, who was once a Jedi Knight but later became a Sith Lord, during the time of the Great Sith War. After his descent to the dark side and his subsequent role as an apprentice to Exar Kun, the Dark Lord of the Sith, Qel-Droma started utilizing this vessel in 3996 BBY. Qel-Droma and Kun then jointly initiated a conflict against both the Galactic Republic and the Jedi Order. In that same year, following the threat of a supernova that could have obliterated the Great Jedi Library situated on Ossus, Qel-Droma and Kun journeyed to the planet with the intention of acquiring as many Jedi artifacts as they could. Upon Qel-Droma's arrival aboard his starship, he encountered his brother, Cay, a Jedi who was assisting with the evacuation of the planet. Cay, desiring a chance to resolve matters with his brother, attempted to shoot Ulic's ship down, leading to a dogfight.
Instead, Ulic shot down his own brother, proceeded to land his vessel, and then killed Cay in a lightsaber duel. Consequently, Ulic, overwhelmed by the horror of his actions, had his connection to the Force severed by Nomi Sunrider. Qel-Droma then proposed to guide the Jedi to Kun's location on the moon of Yavin 4, subsequently leading a substantial Jedi fleet to Yavin 4 aboard his ship. After a series of events that involved Kun employing Sith magic to shed his body and a fire engulfing the forests of Yavin 4, the Jedi assault force withdrew. Qel-Droma continued to operate the ship after the war, renaming it Cay's Dream in remembrance of his deceased brother. In 3994 BBY, he piloted Cay's Dream back to Yavin 4 with the goal of uncovering the precise events of that fateful day, only to find nothing.
Cay's Dream was a starship with a blue color and a hull design that bore a resemblance to insectoid forms. The ship incorporated a pair of wing-like structures on either of its sides, placing the cockpit at the front and equipping four engines at the rear. Inside the cockpit, there was a comlink attached to a wire descending from the ceiling, although it wasn't necessary for verbal exchanges with other pilots during sublight travel. Cay's Dream possessed the capacity to endure multiple direct laser impacts on its four engines without being forced to land, and it demonstrated impressive maneuverability during atmospheric space combat. The vessel featured three landing pads that extended from its underside when required and retracted during flight. Cay's Dream could be operated by a single individual but had the capacity to accommodate up to seven occupants.
The Human male Ulic Qel-Droma, a former Jedi Knight who succumbed to the dark side in 3996 BBY and became the apprentice of Dark Lord of the Sith Exar Kun, owned a particular starship. Together, they initiated a war against the Galactic Republic and the Jedi Order. Later in the war, a supernova within the Cron Cluster, triggered by the use of Sith magic during a battle at the nearby Kemplex Nine, unleashed a shockwave that posed a threat to the Great Library on the Jedi world of Ossus. Recognizing a chance to seize numerous valuable Jedi and Sith artifacts, Qel-Droma and Kun devised a raid on the Library. Qel-Droma embarked for Ossus aboard his vessel, accompanied by Kun in his own ship, the Starstorm One.
They arrived during a large-scale evacuation of Ossus, as the Jedi desperately attempted to salvage whatever they could with only hours remaining before the shockwave devastated the planet. Supported by an assault force of Mandalorian Crusaders, Qel-Droma and Kun descended upon the planet. However, Qel-Droma's brother, Cay, a Jedi Knight aiding in the evacuation efforts on the planet's surface, sensed his brother's presence aboard the starship and ascended to confront him in his own vessel, the Nebulon Ranger. Cay pursued his brother through the skies above Ossus, as Ulic attempted to evade and avoid engaging his brother directly. Cay persisted and inflicted damage on Ulic's ship by targeting its engines; nevertheless, Ulic managed to maneuver his craft behind the Nebulon Ranger and shot his brother down. Ulic landed his ship near the crash site of the Nebulon Ranger and discovered that his brother had survived. The two then dueled with their lightsabers, a confrontation that concluded when Ulic killed Cay.
Kun fled Ossus with his ship full of Jedi artifacts, leaving his apprentice behind on Ossus. Nomi Sunrider, Qel-Droma's horrified former lover and fellow Jedi, employed a wall of light to strip him of his connection to the Force. Stunned by his actions, an extremely remorseful Qel-Droma offered to guide his former allies to Kun's hiding place, the moon of Yavin 4. Qel-Droma brought the Twi'lek Tott Doneeta, Nomi Sunrider, Sunrider's young daughter, and his brother's corpse aboard, while the remaining Jedi were assembled to battle Kun on Yavin 4. The ship reached Yavin 4 supported by hundreds of Jedi vessels, and the assembled Knights created a wall of light around the moon. Suddenly, the forest below them was consumed by a massive fire. Knowing he couldn't defeat the overwhelming Jedi force, Kun had used Sith magic to shed his mortal body and unleash his spirit. The power generated by the thousands of sacrifices required for the ritual, combined with the wall of light, created a conflagration that spread across the moon. With nothing remaining on Yavin 4 and the fire intensifying, all the Jedi ships, including Qel-Droma's, departed. Qel-Droma went on to christen the ship Cay's Dream, in honor of his late brother. Two years later, following a pilgrimage to his brother's grave, Qel-Droma returned to Yavin 4 in Cay's Dream to determine what had transpired on the day of the battle against Exar Kun. However, he discovered nothing on the scorched moon and left.
Cay's Dream served as the personal vessel of Ulic Qel-Droma following his fall to the dark side and his apprenticeship under the Dark Lord Exar Kun. Indeed, Qel-Droma himself bestowed the ship with its name, in memory of his fallen brother, Cay. After Qel-Droma's connection to the Force was severed on Ossus in 3996 BBY, Jedi Knights Nomi Sunrider, Oss Wilum, Thon, and Tott Doneeta also served aboard the ship during the hunt for Kun.
Cay's Dream made its initial and solitary appearances in The Sith War, a narrative arc within the Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi comic book series, authored by Kevin J. Anderson and published from 1995 to 1996. The ship was featured in the arc's fifth and sixth issues. In these instances, Dario Carrasco, Jr. provided the illustrations for Cay's Dream. Although the ship wasn't named in its first appearance, it received the name "Cay's Dream" in the sixth issue of The Sith War, when it was mentioned that Ulic Qel-Droma gave the ship that name after the Great Sith War. The ship's original designation remains undisclosed; for the purpose of this article, Cay's Dream is not referenced by name when discussing events that occurred prior to its renaming.