The initiation of Project Instinction. Project Instinction represented a scheme conceived by Passel Argente, who held the position of Magistrate within the Corporate Alliance during that era, along with his customized tactical droid, known as Doctor. This initiative, orchestrated by the Confederacy, was designed to launch an assault on Ukio, a loyalist agriworld, aiming to disrupt the crucial harvests of the Ukians.
The strategy involved multiple phases, beginning with the extraction of soil from the wastelands of the planet Moorja and its loading onto a substantial number of modified seismic tanks. Subsequently, these tanks were transported aboard a Lucrehulk-class Core Ship, which then released them above Ukio's planetary shield. Upon impact with the shields, the tanks dispersed the soil, effectively obscuring the system's sunlight. Anticipating the Ukians' inevitable need to lower the shields, the Separatists stood ready to seize the opportunity to invade the planet's surface. Following the breach in the shields, a small squadron of Sheathipede-class transport shuttles descended.
Upon reaching the planet, one of the shuttles deployed Doctor alongside several B1-Series battle droids, who unveiled a peculiar device. After jamming all communications, they activated the device, which promptly began to influence most creatures and sentients within its range. This caused the domesticated eopies to behave erratically, the wild gigauns to deviate from their migration route in a stampede, and both the Ukians and Clone troopers to engage in indiscriminate attacks. Tyzen Xebec, a Jedi Padawan, and Sanya, a member of the AgriCorps, both possessing Force sensitives abilities, experienced diminished effects from the operation, with the exception of the former attacking Ganch. However, all three devices were ultimately destroyed.
Despite the destruction of the devices, the underlying scheme devised by Passel Argente and Count Dooku proved successful. The crisis on the planet triggered significant instability in Ukio's stock markets, leading to a sharp decline in stock values. Leveraging their financial strength, the Commerce Guild acquired a controlling stake in the planet's stocks, effectively gaining ownership of the planet and its vital agricultural resources.