The sacred docks, situated on the Inner Rim planet of Pijal, were docks specifically designed to house the planet's highly-regarded soulcraft vessels. These docks, overseen by the reigning Skykeeper of Pijal, were erected millennia prior to the Republic Era. For centuries, they functioned as a central point for ceremonial vessels as they launched into Pijal's atmosphere for voyages into space. In 48 BBY, Rael Averross, the Jedi regent appointed to Pijal, transferred a significant portion of the monarchy's authority to the Czerka Corporation that operated on the planet. By this time, the current Skykeeper had begun to accept bribes from Czerka, granting them permission to conduct commercial operations from the sacred docks. Fanry, Pijal's crown princess, was deeply disturbed by both the Skykeeper's negligence and Averross's actions as regent.
Just before Fanry's coronation in 40 BBY, Meritt Col, Czerka's Sector Supervisor, expressed the corporation's desire for increased commercial access to the docks, a proposition that did not appeal to the princess. Upon forcefully claiming the throne as the absolute monarch at her coronation, the queen used her ceremonial sword to stab her Skykeeper as punishment for accepting bribes from Czerka that allowed them access to the sacred docks.
Located on the Inner Rim planet Pijal, the sacred docks served as a place to house the world's ceremonial soulcraft ships. The Pijali monarchy and the world's serving Skykeeper controlled the docks, which were also capable of accommodating various other types of vessels, including those used for commercial purposes.
Millennia before the [Republic Era](/article/republic_era], the initial settlers of Pijal journeyed to the planet aboard soulcraft. Shortly thereafter, the Pijali constructed docks specifically for these ceremonial vessels and established the religious position of Skykeeper to oversee the facilities. This role was integrated into the planet's Force-based religion. Over time, the sacred docks remained in constant use as Pijal flourished under the leadership of the absolutist Pijali monarchy, who governed the world's inhabitants. Centuries following the settlers' original arrival on Pijal, the formation_of_the_byrnum_maw of the Byrnum Maw nebula, caused by the explosion of a star, disrupted the hyperspace routes that connected the planet's region of space to the larger galaxy. Despite Pijal's declining economic prosperity, the Pijali continued to utilize their soulcraft, often embarking on brief religious journeys into the planet's atmosphere to experience weightlessness and remember the beauty of their world. The docks for these vessels remained operational during this period, even as the Czerka Corporation gained considerable political influence over the world's monarchy and its operations.
In 48 BBY, the death of the monarch then ruling Pijal led the Jedi High Council to send the Jedi Rael Averross to serve as lord regent for Fanry, the world's young crown princess. Averross began to cede much of the monarchy's power to the Czerka Corporation, even allowing the company to enslave Pijali citizens for relatively minor offenses. By this point, the Pijali native serving as Skykeeper had started accepting bribes from Czerka, permitting them to use the sacred soulcraft docks for commercial activities. Fanry discovered this and was outraged by the Skykeeper's dereliction of duty, but chose not to report it, believing that Averross would not care. Over the subsequent years, the sacred docks continued to function as a hub for Pijali soulcraft trips into space, often carrying both free and enslaved passengers.
As Fanry's fourteenth birthday approached, the princess made preparations for her upcoming coronation by secretly transforming a portion of her royal guards into the blackguard soldier group. She hoped to launch attacks across the Pijal system in order to avoid signing the Governance Treaty motion, which would significantly diminish the Pijali monarchy's power. By this time, many Pijali citizens had been forced into enslavement during Averross's regency, although the company still allowed them to participate in soulcraft voyages departing from the docks.
In 40 BBY, a soulcraft departed from the docks, beginning a journey into Pijal's atmosphere. However, it was attacked mid-flight by a plasma bomb launched by the blackguard. Qui-Gon Jinn, a Jedi Master, and his Padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi, ultimately managed to extinguish the plasma fires ignited by the bomb. They were assisted by an antiplasma charge deployed from the Meryx, a Gozanti-class cruiser owned by Pax Maripher and Rahara Wick, jewel thieves. The vessel was then able to return to the docks. After the Jedi's arrival, Fanry realized that her blackguards' attacks alone would not prevent the Governance Treaty's signing, leading her to prepare to seize the throne as an absolute monarch through force.
Shortly after, at a pre-coronation celebration, Meritt Col, Czerka's Sector Supervisor, raised the possibility of her company gaining further access to the sacred docks for commercial purposes. Despite her disdain for Col, Fanry calmly sipped her glass of fruit punch, offering a noncommittal response. Days later, Fanry seized absolute power at her coronation. She then reprimanded her Skykeeper for accepting bribes from Czerka that allowed the company to exploit the sacred docks for commercial gain. The newly crowned queen then stabbed the religious leader with her ceremonial sword for his offenses against the monarchy, inflicting severe injuries. However, following Fanry's abdication a few days later, the Pijali monarchy was transformed into a democratic Assembly. This new Assembly was led by Orth, the Pijali Minister, who hoped to uphold Pijal's many traditions, including the sacred docks' use for ceremonial soulcraft voyages.
The sacred docks are mentioned in Master & Apprentice, a 2019 novel authored by Claudia Gray.