Seventh Alsakan Conflict

The Pius Dea was a religious cult that had controlled the Galactic Republic ever since the Human Contispex I was elected Supreme Chancellor in 11,987 BBY. His descendants formed the Contispex dynasty, cementing their control of the Republic for over a thousand years. During their reign—a time later known as the Pius Dea Era—the Pius Dea launched a series of thirty-four crusades against alien species and suspected alien sympathizers.

The cult's humanocentric views and their aggressive actions against non-Humans angered many alien species, driving groups such as the Duros, Herglics, Hutts, and the Caamasi to oppose their rule. The Jedi Order had long split with the Pius Dea–controlled Republic, having recused themselves to their academy world of Ossus in 11,933 BBY.

Around 10,967 BBY, the peaceful Caamasi finally convinced the Jedi to end their Recusal and act against the Pius Dea. The Caamasi also convinced the inhabitants of the planet Alsakan and their allies to join the fight, and began making alliances with alien species that had been persecuted by the Pius Dea. Over the next few months, the two groups secretly instigated a religious revolution amongst the Pius Dea. Unknowingly influenced by the Jedi, many believers joined the movement and renounced the traditional Pius Dea faith in favor of one more favorable to alien species. Those Pius Dea who followed that new faith secretly called themselves the Renunciates, gathering new members throughout the Republic.

The schism sparked a brutal civil war between the Renunciates and those who remained loyal to their faith—known as the Faithful. Renunciates and Faithful battled across the Republic, ravaging Ordnance/Regional Depots, generation ships, government offices, and a myriad of other locations. Alsakani forces attacked Pius Dea fortresses at Fondor, Cyrillia, Ixtlar, Ord Mirit, and Ord Carida, supported by the Jedi Order and the combined forces of their allies—primarily the Duros, Herglics, and the Hutts. The Republic's Rocket-Jumper Elite Advance Unit also saw action against Pius Dea forces on Ord Carida.

The conflict soon exploded into all-out war, as the Pius Dea–led Republic began attacking the Renunciates and the Jedi-led alliance. However, much of the Republic Navy decided to defect from the Republic, joining the Jedi and Alsakani against the religious fanatics. While the Pius Dea were greatly weakened by the defection, they still had an entire fleet of cathedral ships to rely upon, and continued to wage war against those they saw as impure.

It was not until a year later that the Bureau of Ships and Services (BoSS) decided to make their move. Coordinating with the Renunciates and the alliance, the BoSS secretly seeded Pius Dea's fleet of cathedral ships with rogue navicomputer codes. The Order and its allies gathered their forces at the planet Uquine, baiting the Faithful into attacking the Renunciate fleet there. Just before the Pius Dea's fleet jumped to hyperspace, the BoSS sent a signal to every ship in the fleet that activated the implanted code.

More than half of the fleet disappeared and was lost in hyperspace. Many of those missing cathedral ships found themselves stranded in deep space, with their navicomputers wiped clean and their hyperdrives and communications systems rendered useless. Those aboard would be unable to return, and would eventually die from lack of supplies. The remaining ships arrived at Uquine to find themselves under attack by the combined forces of the Renunciates and the Jedi-led alliance.

A strike team of Jedi Knights boarded the Pius Dea flagship Flame of Sinthara and captured Supreme Chancellor Contispex XIX, ending the Pius Dea's rule of the Republic. Contispex was taken to the planet Caamas, where he was found guilty of crimes against the galaxy and imprisoned for the rest of his life. Without their leader, the Pius Dea faith crumbled after their defeat at Uquine. Every single member of the faith was removed from office, and Jedi Grand Master Biel Ductavis succeeded Contispex XIX as Supreme Chancellor.

The Seventh Alsakan Conflict ended a millennium of widespread fear and state-sponsored persecution, ushering in the Ductavis Era of rebuilding and restoration. The Pius Dea faith died out not long after the end of the conflict, as the galaxy turned on them in revenge for the millennia of persecution that they had caused. The faith's humanocentric views, however, would remain just below the surface of society—by the fall of the Republic, the idea of Human High Culture was once more widely accepted in the Core Worlds. The Sith Lord Darth Sidious used the humanocentric attitude of the primarily-Human Core to help cement his control over the new Galactic Empire millennia later in 19 BBY. Despite the fact that Alsakan had aided the Jedi in removing the Pius Dea from power, this would not prevent the planet from rebelling against Coruscant and the Republic later on. Alsakan and its allies would continue attempting to usurp Coruscant as the Republic capital in a further ten conflicts, with the final conflict ending almost eight thousand years later.

Biel Ductavis was one of the earliest Jedi to assume the post of Supreme Chancellor, and he began a trend of Jedi assuming power in times of turmoil. During the second half of the New Sith Wars, each leader of the Jedi Order also served as Supreme Chancellor—a practice that ended with the election of Supreme Chancellor Tarsus Valorum and the Ruusan Reformation.

The Seventh Alsakan Conflict was first indirectly mentioned in the Hyperspace-exclusive history article Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Praji, as the "famous encounter" that ended the Pius Dea Era. It was later expanded upon in the 2012 reference guide The Essential Guide to Warfare, along with the rest of the Pius Dea era and the Pius Dea crusades.

• Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Praji on Hyperspace
• The Essential Guide to Warfare
• "10 Key Battles" — Star Wars Insider 133