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badshah-cornelius · 2 years

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The Destruction of Cardiff: A Star Wars Fan-Fic

I generally do not write fanfic, but I’ve been inspired to write this story since reading about the Imperial Civil War in the old Expanded Universe. I hope you all enjoy, and I would love to hear your thoughts if you have any to share!

Chapter 1

10 ABY.

The 102nd Sector Army hovers in orbit over the modestly wealthy planet of Cardiff.

Nothing is remarkable about either the planet or the fleet defending it.

Save that Cardiff now sits on the border between the territories held by Moff Gideon and Moff Tyrus.

Years ago, that would not have mattered. Cardiff has been untouched by war since the days of Revan. It sat comfortably deep within Republic, and then Imperial, space for millennia. Not even the Separatists, or the Rebellion that followed them, ever came within striking distance.

With the fall of neighboring Xiongdu and Elladi to Moff Tyrus’s marauders, Cardiff became a border town overnight.

The 102nd, meanwhile, has two unique misfortunes. Firstly, it is not a heavily-armed fleet. Only three Imperial Star Destroyers, accompanied by two Acclamator-class and two Victory II-class cruisers. It is more of a deterrent against raiders than an actual threat. Secondly, it is one of the few fleets still at full strength in the Azure Sector. It, and the rest of Cardiff’s garrison, are needed to reinforce the defense of Moff Gideon’s capital, Axum.

Moff Gideon and his cohort see this as a strategic withdrawal to defend more vital positions. Admiral Algernon, the 102nd’s commander, sees this as a necessary evil. Pull back now, and hold the line at Axum. They can always retake Cardiff once Moff Tyrus is beaten back.

Of course, no one asked the people of Cardiff what they think.

Once the final shuttles from the surface land in the hangar, Admiral Algernon gives the order to jump to hyperspace.

One by one, the cruisers of the 102nd depart.

All is quiet over Cardriff.

Chapter 2

Echelon Square. It's crowded for the late afternoon. Families lounge on the grass. The restaurants are packed. Children run across the length of the courtyard. Not too humid, not too chilly - the weather is as pleasant as a summer day can get.

Zayd Sansour is almost back home. He strolls past the shops, the fountain, and the crowd huddled around the HoloNet display.

Sounds like they're listening to the news. He pays it no mind. It's all lies and hysteria as far as he is concerned. He's almost at his house now.

Once exiting the square, he's right by the riverside. Home. He crosses the street, then works his way down the stairs. His condo is a real pain to enter at times, especially for his aging knees, but it's worth it for him to have a house right on the River Zans.

Gorgeous view, lovely fresh air, and plenty of opportunity to sail up and down the river in his free time.

Zayd rounds the corner. His business partner, Sabur, is already waiting for him by the front door.

"Beat you again, you old goat!" Sabur bellows.

"Oh, stuff it, you croak." Zayd barks back.

"Who else has made it so far?"

"Glad you asked! Rakha, Enzaro, and Dishamur have already made themselves at home. Marsha and Raqi'i have been hard at work in the kitchen."

"Lovely- excuse me for a moment." Zayd takes a seat on the bench right next to the door. Sabur plops right next to him.

"And what about Malik and his girl?”, Zayd inquires.

"Ah, I have not seen either of them since I got here. I think they're up in his room, doing who knows what."

"If I know my son, he's probably filling his mind with HoloNet nonsense. Bad enough he spends his free time with that junk. Now he's not even showing up in the office! I swear, I'm doing the work of two men. Were it not for Marsha, I'd kick him out of the damn house! That would teach him!"

"Hey, hey, my friend, relax." Sabur intervened. "I know it's a lot of work, but we're still doing good. The Magistrate wouldn't have commissioned us if we weren't."

"And no thanks to Malik!" Zayd huffed.

"Ah, forget him! He'll get over himself, give him some time." Sabur rises from the bench, and opens the door.

"Now come, we got the deal with The Magistrate, let us celebrate. That is why we are here, after all, let's take it easy."

"You are right, my friend. Let us." Zayd follows suit, and they both enter the house.

The Sansour household is as fragrant as it is ornate. The scents of a thousand spices permeate the air. Marsha and Raqi'i, Zayd's wife and daughter, are to the left of the entrance in the kitchen. Both parties exchange a quick wave, then each went about their business. Zayd and Sabur round the corner, to where their associates are gathered around a Hookah, but they hear two footsteps storm above them.

Malik, Zayd's son, comes into view as he descends the stairs.

"Father! We need to leave now."

Zayd turns to his partner. "Give us a minute, Sabur."

He pivots to Malik while Sabur leaves for the Hookah.

Yudit Al-Mansiyya, Malik's fiance, follows suit down the stairs.

"Malik, my son, what are you-"

"Father, the fleet in orbit is gone. Cardiff is defenseless."

"The- the fleet?"

Malik struggles to contain himself. Yudit places a hand on his shoulder; she worries he is about to collapse.

"Yes, it's all over the HoloNet. With Xiongdu and Elladi gone, Moff Tyrus is about to-"

"Oh, forsaken! Enough with this Tyrus nonsense!" Zayd shoves Malik off him, and starts to walk away.

"Father Zayd", Yudit speaks. "Malik and I have been watching the local news. Even they say the fleet is gone."

"Yudit, my dear, you studied at Coruscant. Surely you know better than to trust such rumors."

Malik interrupts. "Father, why won't you listen? We've been arguing about this for weeks now, it's not safe here anymore."

"Of course we are safe! Everything is fine with the Imperial army!" Zayd raised his voice. Marsha and Raqi'i, and his business associates, drop what they are doing to observe the conversation.

"Thrawn made us strong again! Emperor Palpatine, may Heaven rest his soul, has kept us safe through the eons! All this dung news about the rogue Moffs is Rebel lies! Propaganda to make us fearful!"

Malik is about ready to get on his hands and knees in response.

"Father, Tyrus is not just a rogue Moff. Even official Imperial channels are saying the entire Imperial Command has broken down. All the major generals and Moffs are at each other's throats. They're saying it's all-out war."

"Again, they are lies! The Grand Moffs are loyal to the memory of the Emperor! We must remain loyal to the Empire too! We cannot give in to the fear and doubt that the Rebels are spreading! All that you see on the HoloNet is a hoax! They lied about Alderaan, they're lying about this too!"

"Father, please listen!"

"No more! It's bad enough you are paranoid over these lies. Your obsession nearly cost us the deal with the Magistrate today!"

"Deal? What deal?" Yudit cut in.

"Surely Malik has told you, my dear." Zayd whips out his datapad, flashing the screen to both her and Malik. "We are to supply the Imperial corps in this sector with fresh produce! Keep our men in tip top shape against the Rebels! Magistrate Kaisel sealed the deal with us today."

Malik snaps back. "Father, the stormtroopers are gone. They left us. Kaisel might have already left too."

"Enough! I've had enough! You will not undermine our success with your fear! Out of my sight!" Zayd storms off. Malik wants to pursue, but Yudit pulls him back. He’s at an absolute loss. He storms off up the stairs. Yudit follows. Marsha and Raqi'i return to their posts, while Zayd and his associates gather around for more jovial conversation.

Chapter 3

The alarm goes off. Yudit wakes up first.

4:09 AM.

She and Malik had already bought tickets off-world days ago, to her family on Eriadu. They were hoping they wouldn't have to use them so soon, but they cannot wait any longer.

They bought five in total - one for her, one for Malik, and one each for his family.

Zayd would never agree to leave willingly. Fortunately, Raqi'i and Marsha already agreed to leave with them beforehand. They are not as fearful as her and Malik, but they saw the news.

A knock at the door.

Raqi'i is fully dressed, a satchel in her arms.

"Is it time?"

Yudit nods.

Raqi'i nods back, then turns and whispers to her mom.

Yudit nudges Malik. "It's time, my love."

Malik dreaded this day.

The family enters the garage. They pack all they can carry into the Speedervan.

As they are about to set out, Zayd barges in.

“What in Heaven are you all doing?”

Marsha confronts him.

“My love, we cannot stay. We need to go, at least for a little while. Please come with us.”

“No!” Zayd can barely contain his rage. “You have let this brat poison your minds with his lies! There is no danger, and you will not leave!”

Raqi’i backs up her mother. “Papa, we will only be gone for a little whi-”

“NO! I am not abandoning our lives! You will all go back inside! And Malik!”

Zayd lunges towards Malik and grabs him by his collar.

“You insolent child! You are no longer welcome in this house! Bego-”

“ENOUGH!”

Mother Marsha throws herself between them, and shoves Zayd to the ground.

“Malik, start the speeder!”

Malik and the girls rush into the van, and power it on.

Marsha turns to her husband, still on the ground in shock. He tries to get up, but his aging knees are not cooperating.

“You will be lucky if we come back at all. Get yourself off-world, we are leaving without you.”

Before he can respond, she rushes into the van and slams the door. The speeder takes off out of the garage.

Zayd rises to his feet and hobbles outside. As they drive off into the distance, he yells:

“Smite! I will smite all of you! Leave, and never come back!”

Chapter 4

The four of them drive through the rain to the nearest space port - three hours away. By the time they get to the station, it is 7am.

Yudit fidgets with the ticket tokens in her hands. They are silent all the way there, save for one brief exchange.

“Your mother knows we are coming, right Yudit?”

“Yes, Mother Marsha.”

“Good. Malik, are you sure Eriadu is safe?”

“Yes. It will take us some time to get there, but we should be passing through New Republic space. They say those sectors are less chaotic.”

Once they arrive, they encounter a mass of people and speeders at the space port gates.

A security guard approaches their speeder.

"We're only letting ticket holders through right now. There's too many people and not enough shuttles today."

Malik addresses him - "have you not seen the news, you need to-"

Yudit cuts Him off - "We have the tokens, sir.”

The guard nods. "Step out of the vehicle and follow me."

The four of them follow the guard up to the gate. They march past a crowd of people, all of them shooting a dirty look.

They reach the gate.

"These four are clear to proceed", the guard informed his colleagues.

The family works their way to the terminal without a word. It is much less crowded inside.

"We'll come back for papa, right?", asks Raqi'i.

"He's made his choice. We must worry about us first", replies Marsha.

They wait around in hangar 2C for two hours. Finally, the shuttle is cleared for launch. The tension in the air is palpable as they board the craft. As Malik waits in line, he hears chatter from a couple dockworkers nearby. They’re trying to keep their voices down, but he can still pick up what they’re saying:

“These people have no idea what we’re going through to get them off-world.”

The launch itself is routine. For just a moment, the family is calm. Then they hear from a few seats away, "Look!"

They turn to the starboard side.

A humongous mass of ships is concentrated on the far side of the planet.

There are at least two dozen Imperial Star Destroyers, accompanied by a hundred smaller cruisers and frigates.

But they aren’t gray, like the Imperial fleets they are all used to seeing.

They are dark red.

Moff Tyrus is here.

Panic strikes. People try to call down to the surface, but no one can get a signal.

Finally, the intercom comes on.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I am sorry, but for your safety, we are scrambling our communications to avoid detection. Please remain calm, we will be entering hyperspace as soon as possible."

As everyone else looks on, Raqi'i asks, "Papa will be safe, right? Papa will-"

The fleet begins its bombardment.

Scores of explosions erupt across the surface.

The turbolasers are silent as they shot volley after volley.

The wailing on board is deafening.

Raqi'i breaks down crying, as do so many other passengers.

Yudit and Malik look on in horror.

Cardiff disappears from view.

All they can see is the blue of hyperspace.

The shuttle makes the jump.

#Star Wars #my art #fanfiction #fanfic #Star Wars EU #Expanded Universe

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