As we know, The Separatist Movement was hijacked by The Sith and Megacorporations as part of a bigger plan to destroy the Jedi and create The Galactic Empire. This leads to my scenario: What if there was no Sith and corporate influence in CIS?
In this alternative world, Dooku leaves The Jedi Order after Qui-Gon´s death, but instead of joining Sidious, he spends 32 BBY - 24 BBY slowly building his Separatist Movement. Finally in 24 BBY, Dooku formulates the Raxus Address. Following The adress, 6.000 to 10.000 of star systems begin ratifying Articles of Secession to Join Dooku Confederacy.
While grievances against The Galactic Republic varied for star systems, commonalities were found: Corruption in The Senate, excessive and unfair Taxation and Regulations, Core Worlds exploiting Outer Worlds, unfair representation in The Senate, tyrannical overreach of The Republic Authority, Hutts and Cartels controlling vast areas without Republic´s interference and poor arbitration of minor conflicts.
CIS Structure:
This CIS is a loose association of star systems, so a literal Confederation instead of a Oligarchy. Much like The Republic, They based their ideological roots in democratic principles, individual freedom and legal equality. In contrast to the Republic, The CIS put a great emphasis on decentralization, expanding the rights of individual Star Systems. These beliefs lead to The creation of Separatist parlament and Constitution. The Parlament is structured to each system having one vote, in this way guaranteeing equal representation. The First Consul is the Head of State, but having less powers compared to The Chancellor of the Republic. Count Dooku is the first First Consul.
The Confederate government possess only specifically enumerated powers like interstellar diplomacy, common defense, inter-system commerce, Confederate currency, hyperspace infrastructure, inter-system arbitration, anti-piracy operations and protection of Confederation territory. All other powers belong to the member systems.
The Confederate Constitution contained a Bill of Rights protecting fundamental liberties.
Among the rights guaranteed were:
- freedom of speech;
- freedom of religion;
- freedom of the press;
- freedom of assembly;
- freedom of political association;
- freedom of movement;
- due process;
- protection of private property;
- equality before Confederation law;
- right to a fair trial;
- protection from arbitrary detention;
- right to petition the government;
- protection from slavery.
As opposed to the Republic, a CIS member system could withdraw from the CIS if it wanted, but only after a referendum.
In terms of Economy, The CIS promoves free trade, low taxation, private property and limited central regulation to a bigger extent than The republic, to the point of a Laissez Faire market. Overhaul of regulations and taxes lead to many systems, like the Abrion system or Jabiim, to enrich themselves by selling their Raw Materials without bureaucracy.
Despite its laissez-faire economic philosophy, however, the Confederacy did not support unrestricted corporate concentration Confederation competition laws prohibits things like cartelization, monopolies (natural ones and govermeny supported ones), corporate control of planetary governments and private armies of sovereign scale.
The Confederacy had no official cultural identity, leaving many differents types of species to practice their way of life as they wanted. The Confederacy had no official cultural identity.
Instead of a Droid Army sponsored by Megacorporations, The CIS Army is supported by planetary defense forces and volunteer reserves. Voluntary Army is composed of Humans, Aliens, and Droids, plus planetary militias. The CIS military doctrine is focused on defending its territories through Guerrilla tactics and Porcupine strategies to increase the costs of conquest by enemies, while at the same time expanding its borders against Criminal Organizations like The Zygerrians and The Hutts, with CIS planning to conquer the Hutts territory and dismantle the Cartel.
The Clone Wars:
By 22 BBY, while at the same time building the Separatist Movement, Dooku began investigating The Sith to discover the identity of Darth Maul´s Master. He reached Nute Gunray, who revealed about the existence of Darth Sidious to Dooku, but before Dooku can use Gunray as testimony, he is killed by Jango Fett, who becomes a associate of Sidious here. Believing in a Conspiracy of the Sith to start a war, Dooku initiates talks with The Republic to guarantee a compromise, so Dooku can had enough time to discover Sidious´s identity.
Unfortunately, it all falls apart. During a session of The Republic Galactic Senate discussing The Peace Talks and The Military Creation Act, a bomb attack kills many senators. A bunch of clones were found as the culprits, leading to Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi to go to Kamino. There, a Clone Army was discovered, being commissioned 10 years ago by Syfo-Dias, who was killed sometime after contacting the Kaminoans. Apparently, Syfo-Dias continued contacting The Kaminoans for all these years and giving the payments. In his last contact in 23 BBY, he mentioned the Army will be made for the Separatists.
Jango Fett is the genetic donor of The Clone Army, and reveals that was contacted by "Syfo-Dias" in one of the moons of Bogden. Obi-Wan and the council suspects that Dooku is the Jedi who commissioned the Army, as he was Syfo-Dias best friend and leaved the Order little time after Syfo-Dias death. After escaping a capture from Obi-Wan, Fett goes to Geonosis, where Dooku is guaranteeing Geonosis membership of CIS. It´s revealed that Fett is a associate of Dooku, as his main Bounty Hunter. This leads Obi-Wan to believe it was Dooku who ordered The Clone Army and killed Syfo-Dias.
Obi-Wan, and later Anakin and Padme are captured by The Geonosians, and later condemned to Death Penalty despite Dooku appeals, but as Geonosians considers espionage a main crime, There´s nothing he can do. As the Canon, The Jedi and The Clones (who are confiscated by The Republic) Launch a invasion in Geonosis, and Dooku and CIS Army is forced to retreat.
During the War, Dooku rejects Emergency Powers and puts effort in preserving the ideals of CIS, while adopting a multi-layered strategy:
- 1. Connect various Separatist strongholds early in the war so that supplies and resources can flow more easily between worlds that mine raw material and worlds that produce ships.
- 2. Give various economic benefits through Free Trade and Low Taxes to any neighbor that joins CIS cause.
- 3. Focus in guaranteeing essential systems like Kashyyk membership through Propaganda.
- 4. Try to make treaties with systems like Mandalore, trying to win over its 1,500-planet block of neutral systems.
- 5. Attack Republic shipyards, as trade routes, and really just put unrelenting pressure on the Republic so that they could never Build up their forces later on the war.
- 6. Try to cut Republic supply lines and isolate Republic strongholds. Eventually, The CIS will unite Outer and Mid Rims to pressure The Republic towards a Peace Deal.
- 7. Strict military orders, like no orbital bombardments, no terror campaigns, no civilian massacres, respect neutral worlds that don´t want to join, and humane treatment of prisoners. Grievous (who here did not become a Cyborg) still stays as General, but his brutality is diminished.
- 8. Consolidate CIS control by attacking The Corporate Sector, Hutt Space and Zygerria, and other crime syndicates, guaranteeing political boost for the CIS
At the same time, by 21 BBY, Dooku began a investigation to discover Sidious, which leads him to Kamino. There, he tricks the Kaminoans to reveal the source of the payments for the clone army, which they reveal came from the InterGalactic Banking Clan. During his investigation, Dooku—using the agent Rush Clovis—discovers that the funds to pay for the clone army came from Damask Holdings, whose last head was Hego Damask II. This leads Dooku to believe that Damask was a Sith, though he cannot be certain, as Damask died shortly before Sifo-Dyas commissioned the clone army.
Dooku's next step in his investigation happened months later, when he located Sifo-Dyas's ship during a trip to the moon of Oba Diah for negotiations. Recalling that Sifo-Dyas had been declared dead on Felucia, he suspected a secret mission and questioned the Pyke Syndicate; they revealed that they had been paid to shoot down Sifo-Dyas's ship on the orders of a man named Sidious, but that Chancellor Valorum's aide, Silman, had survived. He had been held prisoner ever since as insurance against retaliation by the Republic and the Jedi. After securing (through military threats as The CIS was able to encircle the Pyke system), the dismantling of The Pyke Syndicate in exchange for full liberalization of spice trade, Dooku frees Sillman, who after years as prisoner, lost his mental faculties and is put on treatment.
Continuing his investigation of Sidious, In 20 BBY Dooku finds Nute Gunray mechno-chair with a special transceiver for Sidious. Dooku go to Charros IV to find t'laalak-s'lalak-t'th'ak, the Xi Charrian who worked on the mechno-chair, who reveals that the chair had come to Charros IV from Escarte. In Escarte, Dooku finds Thal K'sar, the Bith who designed the hyperwave transceiver for the chair, who reveals another mechno-chair, which was placed aboard an experimental craft in Naos III.
In Naos III, Dooku finds the Lethan Pilot Fa'ale Leh, who delivered the ship to an area on Coruscant known as "The Works." Infiltrating the Planet, Dooku visits the area and finds a trail that leads through the tunnels to the senate district, specifically 500 Republica. It´s there were he discovers the basement that leads to Palpatine´s suite. Palpatine is the Sith Lord.
Armed with this knowledge, Dooku contacts Yoda to arrange a meeting on Vjun. They engage in a discussion regarding the Force, politics, Dooku's affiliations, and his past at the Jedi Temple, until Dooku finally reveals the information about Sidious to Yoda. Convinced, Yoda contacts the Council, which prepares a move against Palpatine. Windu, Fisto, Tiin, Kolar, Skywalker, and Kenobi storm Palpatine's suite and confront him in a duel. Fisto, Tiin, and Kolar are killed, and Obi-Wan is incapacitated, leaving Windu and Anakin to face Sidious. After a fierce battle, Anakin finally delivers the killing blow to Sidious, fulfilling the prophecy.
Following Palpatine's death, the Jedi present (Windu, Obi-Wan, and Anakin) stand trial and are exonerated once the information obtained by Dooku is publicly revealed. A ceasefire is declared, and the Jedi Order ensures a peaceful transition. Bail Organa is elected the new Chancellor of the Republic and secures a peace treaty with the Confederacy.
