Cadesura disaster

The Cadesura disaster, also known as the catastrophe on Cato Neimoidia, was a bombing which occurred in Zarra, the capital city of the planet Cato Neimoidia, in 22 BBY. In the catastrophe, the entire Cadesura district was torn from the bridge city's mooring structure and sent plummeting to the ground below, resulting in thousands of deaths. The disaster occurred weeks into the Clone Wars, a galactic conflict between the Galactic Republic and Confederacy of Independent Systems. Cato Neimoidia had declared itself neutral in the war, as had the Neimoidian-controlled Trade Federation, although its leader, Viceroy Nute Gunray, was a prominent member of the Separatist movement who was claimed to be leading an extremist faction whose views did not represent those of the Federation as a whole.

In the aftermath of the disaster, representatives from both the Republic and Confederacy were sent to Cato Neimoidia to investigate. The Separatist emissary, Dark Acolyte Asajj Ventress, sought to stoke Neimoidian discontent with the Republic. The Republic representative, Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, met a Neimoidian Royal Guardswoman, Ruug Quarnom, who began working on the investigation with Kenobi. The Jedi and his companion discovered both Republic and Separatist weaponry had been used to carry out the bombing, leading them to conclude that the attack had been carried out by a third party who was playing both sides of the conflict.

Text and facts from the “Cadesura disaster” article on Wookieepedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. Modified for this site.