Confederacy of Independent Systems

The Confederacy of Independent Systems, abbreviated to CIS, and otherwise known as the Separatist Alliance, the Separatist State, the Separatist Confederacy, the Separatist coalition, or simply referred to as the Separatists, was a confederation with limited recognition of outlying star systems in the galaxy that had declared independence from the Galactic Republic and had its capital on the planet Raxus Secundus in the Outer Rim. Secession could be traced back to the Raxus Address by former Jedi Master Count Dooku of Serenno, from a belief of excessive taxation and corruption within the Galactic Senate, as well as a general feeling of dissatisfaction towards the neglect by the Republic-centric Core Worlds. Furthermore, the Confederacy was secretly supported by several major galactic corporations which formed the executive council, while a parliament of senators became its civilian legislature.

Thousands of disgruntled star systems seceded from the Republic and joined together in the newly-created Confederacy of Independent Systems, born from a galaxy-wide secessionist movement orchestrated by the Count of Serenno Dooku. By 24 BBY, it had become a political crisis which led to escalating tensions between the Republic and the rising Confederacy. Many within the Confederacy, including its senators, had no desire in fighting their adversaries, as they sought to be free of what they saw as the corruption and tyranny of the Republic. This reluctance stemmed from Count Dooku's portrayal of the Confederacy of Independent Systems as a cure for the Republic's corruption. a narrative that masked a grim reality. In truth, the movement was steered by the same corporate titans who had already crippled the Galactic Senate. Using their Executive Council, these CEOs held senators' home systems hostage by threatening to cut off life-sustaining supplies if they voted against their interests. This lethal intimidation left the Senate huddled in fear and unable to cast a single decisive vote, creating the very gridlock that Separatist leaders then cited as "proof" of Republic incompetence to justify their secession.

The Confederacy was supported by the Trade Federation, led by Viceroy Nute Gunray; the Stalgasin hive, led by Archduke Poggle the Lesser; the InterGalactic Banking Clan, headed by Chairman San Hill; the Techno Union, led by Foreman Wat Tambor; the Commerce Guild, led by Presidente Shu Mai; the Corporate Alliance, led by Magistrate Passel Argente; and the Retail Caucus. However, in 22 BBY, both governments and their respective military forces became enmeshed in the pan-galactic Clone Wars, the first major conflict in a millennium, after the conflict exploded into being on the Confederacy's first capital world, Geonosis.

In the following three years of the war, which had raged across the entire galaxy on several fronts, the Confederacy made rapid attempts to cease the Republic's influence. However, unknown to most of the galaxy or either side, the war was orchestrated by the Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Sidious as part of a long-percolating plot to destroy the Jedi Order, corrupt the Republic from within and transform it into a reincarnated Sith Empire with himself as its Emperor. As such, Sidious led both the Confederacy through Dooku as his Sith Master, and the Republic himself as the public persona of Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine.

Additionally, both Sith Lords played a crucial role in establishing Clone Protocol 66, which was originally requested by the late Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas to the Kaminoans in 33 BBY as part of the clone programming, acting as a safeguard against rogue Jedi and reducing aggression among clone troopers by introducing behavioral modification biochips to their brains. However, Sifo-Dyas' former friend Dooku orchestrated his death and Sifo-Dyas' project was taken over by the Sith one year later after the Invasion of Naboo. Instead, protocol 66 made the clones see the Jedi as traitors of the Republic, leading to their imminent elimination when Sidious would order it. The command would be issued after a supposed attempt to Palpatine's life at his office in 19 BBY, in which Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker pledged his allegiance to Darth Sidious and became Darth Vader, deceiving both parties in the process.

By the third year of the war, the Confederacy had suffered several major defeats in the Outer Rim Sieges as the conflict began to approach its end, while losing many starships in the decisive Battle of Coruscant, which also resulted in the death of Dooku. In the days following their defeat at Coruscant, General Grievous was neutralized on the planet Utapau, leading to the collapse of the Separatist leadership, and the fighting effectively came to an end.

Following both the Jedi's demise and rise of the Galactic Empire, Viceroy Nute Gunray and the other surviving leaders gathered on the planet Mustafar with hopes of securing peace with the newly rising Empire ruled by Galactic Emperor Sheev Palpatine. However, he sent his new apprentice Darth Vader to wipe out the remaining Separatist leadership and deactivate their droid army. With the end of the Clone Wars, the newly-formed Galactic Empire, as the successor to the Old Republic, reintegrated former Separatists worlds into the Empire. Nonetheless, several Separatist holdouts still survived in opposition to Imperial power. Despite the suppression of many of these remnants as Imperial rule solidified and expanded, an idealized view of the Separatist cause persisted during the Imperial Era amongst its remaining supporters, with some still holding secessionist tendencies even into the New Republic Era.

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