The Bitthævrian species on the planet Guiteica, who also controlled the wider Kadok Regions, had a strained relationship with the Galactic Republic over many years. Around 65 BBY, a Republic-backed attempted to depose in a coup and failed, leading the Bitthævrians to rebel against all Republic representation in the Kadok Regions. Corrupt Republic officials hoped to hide their culpability in the incident, and so they manipulated the Kaleesh of the planet Kalee, which bordered the Kadok Regions, into believing falsely that their territory was threatened by the Bitthævrians. Republic agents armed several Kaleesh tribes and the kolkpravis, the Kaleesh united army, with Czerka Outland rifles so that they could fight against the Bitthævrian militia, the m'Yalfor'ac Order.
The Jedi High Council sent a group of Jedi Knights to aid the kolkpravis, including Dooku and Qui-Gon Jinn. Together, they fought the m'Yalfor'ac Order. One participant in the conflict was the great-grandmother of the Kaleesh Qymaen jai Sheelal. The kolkpravis used hopscotch tactics during the war, where, after landing on Bitthævrian worlds, half of their warriors would maintain a front line while those behind them pushed forward. If they lost a battle, the Kaleesh warriors would scatter and take deep cover to wage a guerilla warfare campaign, inflicting demoralizing losses. By approximately 60 BBY, the Kaleesh, including Sheelal, launched an invasion of Guiteica, and the Bitthævrians were defeated.
After the invasion of Guiteica, many Kaleesh took home baby roggwarts, a creature native to the planet, as trophies, including Sheelal, who's roggwart was named Gor. They raised the creatures to be devoted pets and watch-beasts. Sheelal eventually inherited the Outland rifle his great-grandmother had used in the war. and would later change his name to Grievous. Shortly after the Bitthævrian War, the Kaleesh were attacked by the Yam'rii, causing the Huk War between the two species. Sheelal rose to prominence as a warlord in that conflict and changed his name to Grievous.
Grievous's great-grandmother's rifle was either lost or destroyed in a shuttle crash on Kalee that resulted in Grievous becoming a cyborg by 29 BBY. The kolkpravis never learned that they had been the Republic's pawns. Grievous kept Gor until the creature was killed in his castle on the third moon of Vassek by the Jedi Master Kit Fisto in 22 BBY.
The war between the Bitthævrians and the Republic was first mentioned in the 1995 West End Games sourcebook Alliance Intelligence Reports by Bill Smith. It was first identified as the Bitthævrian War in the 2009 sourcebook Galaxy at War.
- Alliance Intelligence Reports
- The Story of General Grievous: Lord of War on Hyperspace
- Galaxy at War
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars – The Official Episode Guide: Season 1
- The Essential Atlas
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars Official Episode Guide Series 1 & 2
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Episode Guide