The Chelloa Cataclysm transpired in 1032 BBY during the Chelloan affair, a significant event within the Second Charge Matrica. This event was a stage within the latter years of the New Sith Wars. In this pivotal battle, the Sith Lord known as Daiman attempted to eliminate his adversary, his estranged brother Lord Odion. His strategy involved using the Jedi Knight, Kerra Holt, to lure Odion with deceptive information. This information suggested an expansion of baradium operations on Chelloa. Odion, along with his Lightning Guard, arrived near the Chelloan settlement of Arboth and almost gained control of the mobile munitions complexes. However, these were actually kinetic corruptors which were activated to set ablaze vast sections of Chelloa's surface. This act decimated his forces and rendered a significant portion of Chelloa uninhabitable.
Simultaneously, Kerra Holt, aided by fellow Jedi Knight Gorlan Palladane, successfully evacuated thousands of Chelloans from across the planet. They commandeered a group of cargo liners and transports, which became known as the Freedom Fleet. Consequently, they managed to escape the planet with a large portion of the civilian population, seeking refuge in Republic-controlled territories. In a final confrontation, Kerra and Gorlan faced the Sith Lord Odion, who sustained critical injuries. Tragically, Gorlan perished during this endeavor.
Chelloa was a component of the Daimanate, the principality of the Sith Lord Daiman located within the Grumani sector. By the year 1032 BBY, Daiman had determined that the planet held substantial baradium deposits, a resource vital for manufacturing weaponry. To support his war efforts against his brother Odion and the Galactic Republic, Daiman engaged in extensive strip-mining operations, leading to the planet's depopulation and the destruction of its once-pristine environment. Gorlan Palladane, a former Jedi Knight working as a local miner, established communication with the Jedi Order. He served as an informant, assisting the Order in planning a military assault on Daiman's assets on Chelloa. Using a transmitter constructed by the Rodian mechanic Skodo, he relayed information to the Order. However, these communications were intercepted by Odion, the rival Sith Lord and ruler of the Odionate. A Jedi strike force, under the command of Jedi Master Vannar Treece, initiated Operation Influx, destroying several of Daiman's cargo ships and seizing control of Jenith Spaceport.
However, their operation was disrupted by Odion's arrival, who deployed a kinetic corruptor, obliterating a large area and causing numerous casualties among slaves and soldiers. The entire Jedi team, except for Kerra Holt, was killed. Palladane rescued her, managing to evacuate a few survivors on a cargo ship. Upon reaching the town of Jenith, they encountered Daiman, who showed little concern for his people but was preoccupied with countering Odion's actions. He investigated the source of the intelligence leak, torturing Skodo to death and setting up a false transmitter.
To counter Odion's moves, Daiman imported ten more kinetic corruptors, disguising them as mobile munitions complexes, along with a fleet of transports. This was intended to deceive his enemies into believing he was expanding baradium mining operations. His plan was to lure Odion into landing an invasion force on Chelloa, where they would be trapped and annihilated by the kinetic corruptors, along with all life on the planet. To provoke Odion, he launched a minor starfighter attack and tricked Holt into believing this false information, convincing her that Odion posed a greater threat with his mobile factory, The Spike, which produced more kinetic corruptors. During a confrontation with Odion, she unwittingly revealed Daiman's expanded baradium operations, playing into Daiman's scheme.
Meanwhile, Daiman's forces captured Palladane after he attempted to contact Odion to warn him that there were no more baradium mines on Chelloa. Daiman tortured Palladane, retaliating to this intelligence leak by ordering a planet-wide crackdown, including the destruction of Jenith. However, Holt rescued Palladane, also saving his family and several Chelloan citizens, including village leaders. They then escaped to the town of Arboth, where they had a safehouse. While scouting Arboth's spaceport, Holt discovered that the transports carrying the workers were empty. Determined to escape Daimanate oppression, Holt and Palladane began preparations to evacuate Chelloa's population of 60,000.
Odion's invasion force, carrying his elite Lightning Guard in landing ships, entered Chelloa's atmosphere and landed near Arboth. Daiman's space forces deliberately retreated, leaving behind a small force of Daimanate Sith troopers and tanks to guard the ten "mobile complexes." Equipped with jetpacks and superior tanks, Odion's forces quickly overwhelmed Daiman's troops. As victory neared, Odion sensed that he was fighting inferior troops and began to suspect Daiman's true intentions. Meanwhile, Daiman and his commander observed the battle from a high mountain. With Odion caught in his trap, Daiman ordered the "factory-carrier units" to deploy. Within minutes, the mobile pyramids shed their metal shells, revealing the deadly, world-destroying kinetic corruptors.
Odion quickly understood that Daiman's real plan was to lure him to Chelloa to destroy him along with the entire planet, but it was too late. His escorting Odionate gunships and landing ships rapidly retreated to safety, leaving his ground forces stranded. Daiman had already evacuated the majority of his forces off-world. As the corruptors activated, Daiman ordered his shuttle to be prepared and for the decoy fleet at Arboth to take off. He was willing to sacrifice a portion of his own troops and the Chelloan people, along with their planet, to eliminate his primary enemy, Odion, whom he considered the "Destroyer" in his twisted ideology. The Kinetic Corruptors then unleashed a surge of flammable shale gas and molten magma from beneath the surface, resulting in the deaths of many combatants from both sides. Unable to reach their troop landers in time and without air support, Odion instructed the surviving Lightning Guardsmen to hitch rides on the Kinetic corruptors and Daiman's transports at Arboth.
Seeing an opportunity in the fleet of decoy transports at Arboth spaceport, Kerra and Palladane organized the villagers into teams. These teams seized control of the vessels, overpowering and disarming the Daimanite crew and security personnel. Thus, the Freedom Fleet was established, and its ships were dispersed across the ten Chelloan mining settlements to transport the inhabitants to safety. As the evacuation neared completion, Daiman activated his kinetic corruptors, triggering molten activity underground, which killed many of the invading Odionate forces. Facing annihilation, Odion ordered his remaining troops to board the transports at Arboth.
However, the two Jedi Knights and the Chelloan people prevented them from boarding. Many of the Odionate Guardsmen were killed during the boarding attempts, while others were consumed by the encroaching magma. During a confrontation, Kerra taunted Odion, daring him to kill her. Meanwhile, Daiman attempted to contact his decoy fleet to order them to lift off. When he received no response, he used a telescope and quickly discovered that the Chelloans had commandeered his transports. He was even more surprised to see Palladane free and wielding a lightsaber.
The Freedom Fleet then ascended into orbit, but Daiman was unable to shoot them down because he had ordered his defense fleet to tactically retreat from the atmosphere. Still, Daiman and his command managed to evacuate to safety before the mountain collapsed on their command post. Meanwhile, Kerra and Odion engaged in a fierce lightsaber duel in the upper atmosphere above Chelloa. The Jedi Knight commandeered an airspeeder, while her Sith opponent donned a jetpack. Kerra managed to reach one of the ascending cargo liners, but Odion caught up with her. During a verbal exchange, Odion tried to provoke Holt by telling her that he enjoyed his role in the killings on Aquilaris and challenged her to kill him.
However, this duel was interrupted by Gorlan, who opened one of the entry hatches while fastened to a cable. Armed with a lightsaber, Palladane confronted the Sith Lord and drove him towards the engine thrusters, expressing his desire for revenge. During the confrontation, both men sustained severe burns, but Odion managed to escape using his jetpack. Mortally wounded, Palladane crawled back up to the entry hatch with Holt's assistance. In his final moments, Palladane remarked that Kerra was dying for the wrong cause, while he himself was living for the wrong cause. Kerra promised to bring the Chelloan people back into Republic space, but Palladane reminded her that they were now her people and that she had a responsibility to save billions of other sentients living under Sith domination.
The Freedom Fleet then journeyed to the Daimanate world of Nilash III, where they liberated the native slave workers before heading to Aquilaris, Holt's former home planet.