Destruction of Despayre

The Destruction of Despayre was a cataclysmic event which occurred in 0 BBY, following the Battle of Despayre.

Background
For many years, the Death Star had undergone construction in orbit of the penal colony world of Despayre. Slaves from all over the galaxy had labored long and hard in order to finish construction on Emperor Palpatine's newest superweapon.

Leading up to 0 BBY, the Alliance to Restore the Republic launched progressively grander efforts to to stall the project. Shortly after the first operational use of the station's superlaser in battle, Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin, the overall leader of the Death Star project, made the decision to relocate the station. Admiral Conan Antonio Motti, the station's operational commander, concurred. However, Tarkin wished to test the functionality of the superlaser in a more controlled fashion than its first firing.

Target selection
"I understand your apprehension. But I believe the political fallout will be minimal."

- Grand Moff Tarkin

Tarkin himself chose the site for the superlaser's first controlled test. The Horuz system had been largely emptied by the construction project's resource-gathering efforts, leaving Despayre itself as the only suitable target within sublight range.

The decision stunned personnel across the entire station, from superlaser fire control to Admiral Motti himself. But ultimately, the decision was Tarkin's, and no one sought to challenge it. In fact, Tarkin had long predicted that Despayre was doomed anyway, as a cloud of industrial debris would have shrouded the planet after the construction ended.

Preparation
"For practice? Just to see how well it'll work?"

- Tenn Graneet

When Tarkin made the decision to move the station, the Death Star's engineering division wasn't quite prepared for a full-power discharge from the superlaser's main capacitors. A 33% charge was the best they were willing or able to manage. They now knew 4% power was sufficient to destroy a Lucrehulk-class battleship, but no one could be certain what kind of damage the superlaser could inflict at one-third of its full capacity.

What was certain, however, was that even at that strength, the first shot would kill millions of prisoners. The commanding officer of superlaser fire control was willing to allow Beller or Reshias to substitute for the gunnery chief, but ultimately Tenn Graneet chose to lead the gunnery squad that would fire the shot.

Destruction
"You may fire when ready."

- Grand Moff Tarkin

The first one-third power shot from the superlaser was a planet-killer in itself. Though it didn't physically destroy Despayre, it did terminate all life on the surface. The atmosphere itself became a massive firestorm, and the planet's ground became unstable from the blast. The tectonic plates shifted, causing massive waves in the planet's oceans and extreme volcanic activity.

Tarkin was pleased with the results. When Motti questioned the destruction of one of the Empire's primary prison colonies, Tarkin just shrugged it off by stating his expectation that the Empire would employ the death penalty more often.

One hour and fifteen minutes after the first shot, the Death Star fired a second. This shot further intensified the seismic effects, causing mountains to rise and fall in a matter of minutes and the surface to be covered with oceans of lava.

The final shot was fired an hour and nineteen minutes after the second. Despayre had gone from a verdant world of deep green to a lifeless ball of red lava. When the final shot hit, it was shattered into billions of fragments ranging from pebble- to mountain-sized. The planet no longer existed as a single entity in terms of the star system's gravitational configuration. The Death Star itself recorded the impact of thousands of fragments against the station's shields, none of which caused damage worth mentioning.

Aftermath
"Any attack made by the Rebels against this station would be a useless gesture, no matter what technical data they've obtained."

- Admiral Motti

Darth Vader felt the planet's destruction while the Devastator was in hyperspace en route to the construction site. He knew only that it was a terrible wound in the Force, until the ship dropped out of hyperspace and saw the expanding debris field on their scopes.

Some personnel aboard the Death Star, civilian contractors especially, were shocked. Others, especially military personnel whose careers were heavily invested in the project, like Admiral Motti, considered the planet's destruction to be vindication of their faith in the project.

Near the same time, the Rebel Alliance had captured the frigate Priam and the Rebels sent ships to follow up after the ill-fated Fortressa. However, when Rebel forces comprised of the two CR90 corvettes of Ethar group arrived in the region, they found only the planet's remains. The Death Star was absent and the Rebels were captured by the insightful Imperials that lingered in the system. and it would shortly be used again to destroy the planet Alderaan.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: X-wing
 * Death Star
 * Darksaber