Seventh Alsakan Conflict

"These gave as good as they got, and 'cold' and 'hot' wars alternated for a thousand years&mdash;while the Republic flagellated itself with inquisitions&mdash;until Pius Dea rule met its end in that famous encounter which hardly needs retelling here."

- Gabrel Treon, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Praji: A Cartel of Genes

The Seventh Alsakan Conflict, also known as the Renunciation or the Pius Dea Civil War, was one of several conflicts between the planets Alsakan, Coruscant, and their respective allies. The seventh was a war between the Galactic Republic&mdash;under the control of the Pius Dea religious group&mdash;and their enemies, including the Jedi Order, Alsakan, and many alien species that had been persecuted by the religious cult. The conflict resulted in a Alsakani and Jedi victory, removing the Pius Dea from power and replacing the Pius Dea leader Contispex XIX with Jedi Grand Master Biel Ductavis as Supreme Chancellor.

Prelude
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&mdash;a time later known as the Pius Dea Era&mdash;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.

The conflict
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. Unknowningly influenced by the Jedi, many believers joined the movement and renounce the traditional Pius Dea faith in favor of one more favorable to alien species. Those Pius Dea who followed this new faith secretly called themselves the Renunciates, gathering new members throughout the Republic.

The schism sparked a brutal civil war between the Renunciates and the those who remained loyal to their faith&mdash;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. Alsakan forces attacked Pius Dea fortresses at Fondor, Cyrillia, and Ixtlar, supported by the Jedi Order and the combined forces of their allies&mdash;primarily the Duros, Herglics, and the Hutts.

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 Alsakan 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 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 code. 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, 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 flagship Flame of Sinthara and captured Supreme Chancellor Contispex XIX, ending the Pius Dea's rule of the Republic. Contispex was taken to 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.

Aftermath
The Seventh Alsakan Conflict ended a millenia of widespread fear and state-sponsored persecution, ushering in the Ductavis Era of rebuilding and restoration. The Pius Dea faith died out not longer after the end of the conflict, as the galaxy turned on them in revenge for the millenia of persecution they had caused. The faith's humanocentric views, however, would remain just below the surface of society&mdash;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.

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&mdash;a practice that ended with the election of Tarsus Valorum and the Ruusan Reformation.

Behind the scenes
The Seventh Alsakan Conflict were 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.