In this story, I've explored what a Separatist citizen/soldier/veteran left over from the Clone Wars, after the Yuuzhan Vong War, has written in an essay about a defense of the Confederacy from the Clone Wars. The character, Consky O'Nang, is an OC, unless I write another story based on her, you won't find her anywhere else. I hope at least somebody likes this!
Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars or the Clone Wars. Mr. Lucas and Mr. Filoni do.
CIS: Confederacy of Independent Systems Reconsidered:
A Patriot's Defense
The galaxy has it all wrong. So many people, Old and New Jedi, clones, Republic senators, the Republic Chancellor, most of the Republic's common citizens, everyone in the accursed Empire, the bulk of the Rebel Alliance, and even every single member of the "New Republic" and so-called "Galactic Alliance", have seen and still do see the Confederacy of Independent Systems as a purely evil movement, simply because its highest leaders were a user of the dark side of the Force, a bloodthirsty cyborg, and some greedy corporate barons. It's no wonder that words like Confederate and Confederacy are being summarily identified with evil. They even give us scornful nicknames, like Separatist, traitor, and rebel. Yet this movement, for all its alleged atrocities, must be dealt with in a more honest way, and with respect to what the CIS really was.
First, we must start off with the origins of the Confederate movement. Yes, the Confederate movement. Although many Confederates referred to it by the truncated name "Separatist Alliance", those with respect for it do not call it Separatism, but secession.
The Old Republic was wallowing in corruption and decay, as we all know now. It had come to the point that it couldn't be fixed. So Jedi Count Dooku entered the scene and charismatically announced a Confederate movement in which any and all worlds in the galaxy that wanted freedom from the growing tyranny of the Republic could make a clean, fresh start and govern their own lives, letting only the Force guide them and their actions in life. Tens of thousands of worlds desiring change and a new form of government answered the call and joined the movement. They were ready for it, and they got it. Besides Head of State Dooku and General Grievous, the Supreme Commander of the CIS Armed Forces, it was governed, protected, and provided for by a Confederate Parliament, and six corporate businesses that also split from the Republic, the Trade Federation, the Commerce Guild, the Hyper-Communications Cartel, the Corporate Alliance, the InterGalactic Banking Clan, and the Techno Union. The proud blue flag and banner for the Confederacy was a Blue Hexagon surrounded by a blue and gray background, standing for those corporations that led the government. I loved it with a lover's love.
Unfortunately, we now know all too well that the Confederacy was also secretly led by a demoniac Sith Lord called Darth Sidious, who was also Supreme Chancellor Palpatine of the Republic, and that he just wanted to use the Confederacy to destroy the Jedi Order and turn the Republic into the monstrous Galactic Empire. And he used Dooku, who was also a Sith, as a puppet to control the Confederacy's affairs, and had no intention of allowing the CIS to win the coming war. He betrayed our beloved Confederacy, and mercilessly wiped out its remnants with his mindless clones and twisted Imperial officers and the baddest of the bad, the "Chosen One", Anakin Skywalker.
Still, contrary to what so many people stubbornly believe, this was not the Confederacy's fault. Because of Sidious' treachery and Dooku's seduction, we were forced into a war that was hopeless for us all, no matter where we stood on galactic affairs. But before you condemn Dooku, yet again, let me speak plainly: Count Dooku, even with his flaws and his status as a Sith, was one of our greatest heroes, a courageous and principled man who devoted the last years of his life to bringing justice back to the galaxy and a sense of freedom to its citizens.
Many worlds found a sense of belonging in the Confederacy. Though it was called the "Confederacy of Independent Systems", in some ways, we were also interdependent. Even though we all ran our own affairs, we also helped each other out in our time of need, especially when it came to the war effort. The Confederate Parliament served as our personal Senators to represent our planetary governments, and while some contributed to the war, others wanted to find a way to stop it. The Confederate Council also governed worlds well. Countless brave militias joined the battle droids in the fight against the soulless clones and forever self-righteous Jedi, such as from Umbara, Ando, Sy Mirth, Jabiim, Dac, the purse worlds of the corporate Councilors, and New Plympto. We even had heroes on our side that could rival any Republic, Imperial or even Rebel hero any day, like Admiral Trench, a fleet admiral who could almost rival Imperial Grand Admiral Thrawn, Alto Stratus from Jabiim, Mon Calamari Commander Merai, dashing pilot and Raider Tofen Vane, and Senator Mina Bonteri, who tried to end the Clone Wars peacefully, but failed due to the machinations of the Sith.
But, you may say, bringing justice and freedom back to the galaxy was exactly what the Rebel Alliance did at the end of the Galactic Civil War, and they're so much purer than any "Separatists". I disagree. The Rebellion wanted to bring back the Republic, so that everyone would again be united as one voice and one state of mind instead of practicing self-determination and thinking for ourselves. And although some Confederate holdouts joined the Alliance, Mon Mothma, in her wisdom, said that it was mandatory that they completely disavow their allegiance to the Confederate cause and convert and commit their way of thinking to restoration of the Republic. Mothma wouldn't tolerate any more people running their own affairs in the galaxy any more than Palpatine and the Old and New Jedi Orders did.
The Old Republic, the Empire, and the Rebel Alliance were all complicit in the annihilation of the most noble movement ever created, and the New Republic, New Jedi Order and Galactic Alliance that came from them are still too narrow-minded to see the truth. With this eternal "union" in place, no one will ever be truly free again, and in their ignorance no one will ever realize it, except me, and a few others who may pay attention to these words.
I am baffled by critics who recognize the faults of the Confederacy and also acknowledge the message Count Dooku gave to the galaxy, and yet refuse to change their low opinions about either him or the innocent Confederates. It was Sidious who never intended any good with the CIS. Dooku knew that the galaxy would rot inwards if the old form of government endured forever, and so he tried to forge a just, free, and interdependent society that could rediscover peace and happiness together. Why won't they accept that Dooku may have had good intentions as well as (or instead of) bad ones? Because that would lead them to the only logical conclusion: that a Sith Lord was right instead of a Jedi or an ordinary person.
Recent history has been nothing but tragic for all those who associated with our beautiful Confederacy, and the few of us that remain, myself included, are still persecuted from time to time by arrogant Galactic Alliance citizens, self-righteous Jedi like Luke Skywalker, and rigid Imperial remnants.
There was another chance, though, during the Dark Times, a chance to get the Confederacy back. A Geonosian engineer named Gizor Dellso reactivated the Droid Army and tried to revive the Confederacy. However, his army was exterminated and Dellso himself slain by the undead 501st Legion under orders from Darth Vader.
Nearly everyone in the galaxy sees the utter defeat of the CIS as a great victory. But if they would look more carefully, they would see the silver lining behind the alleged atrocities of the Droid Army and realize that with the Confederacy completely dead, and our Count, General, Council and Parliament taken from us, so are their chances of ever achieving self-determination again. Now, I'm afraid, only Skywalker's Jedi Order will have access to that.
I, however, have no intention of ever being seduced by the Galactic Alliance, the Imperial Remnant, or even the New Jedi Order, because their mind powers won't work on someone like me. The Confederacy of Independent Systems was the only truly righteous government in the galaxy after the Old Republic began to become complacent, and I still wistfully remember it in great detail with love in my heart. If anyone, and I mean anyone, is willing to give this writing a chance to be proven right, I welcome them to join me in learning about the cultures and peoples that were part of the CIS. I still remember that my home world before the Empire rose was Raxus, which is now laid waste to the point that it doesn't look too different from its ugly neighbor, Raxus Prime.
Consky O'Nang, female human, citizen of Raxus, soldier of Separatist Droid Army, non-canon, in-universe author of this writing
"Confederate born, Confederate bred, when I die I'll be Confederate dead."
A/N: Excuse me if some of my language seemed a little strident, please. I wanted to give some feelings and emotions to the character O'Nang. Some of the things in this story are things I more or less agree with, though not all of them, so relax, I'm not as anti-Republic, anti-Rebel, or anti-Jedi as she is.