The Sophon Schism was a series of skirmishes between two Sophon factions that lasted only 3 years but had a profound effect on the UUR-Sophon-Amoeba Alliance. During this period, many Sophon ships were indisposed to deal with this civil conflict.
God Or Man?[]
For decades, the Sophons have poured time and energy into studying every inch of Zend's preserved body in an attempt to figure out what granted him his power. However, these attempts have been futile and many Sophons have become frustrated at the lack of solid scientific evidence. Some theorists have come forward with the possibility of Zend transcending the mortal plane, explaining what the Followers of Zend saw as godhood. A large number of Sophon researchers and a few Sophon systems dub themselves the Enlightened, and advocate for their studies.
Not Yet A War[]
The conflict between the Sophon Technocracy and the Enlightened is not to be confused as a full on war between two factions. Rather, to the Sophons, the goal is in disproving the other through technological superiority and the number that migrate to your theory. The Enlightened's goal was to slow Sophon technology so that theirs would be considered the higher end, by launching raids against research facilities and bases.
While the battles were small, to the Sophons, research is everything. Most of the Technocracy's ships were pulled from the frontline to reduce maintenance costs, as battles for scientific information occurred domestically. The dust from these cutbacks went straight into research disproving the Enlightened's theories or simply improving their own technologies to the point that the rebels would have to stand down. For UUR, the situation was at once incredibly tedious, frustrating, and ultimately boring.
In the end, the Enlightened were beaten out by the Technocracies superiority in discovering an advanced wormhole engine that retains ship movement after jumping. The Enlightened conceded their defeat and relinquished their worlds, the question of Zend still unanswered.
Effects[]
The UUR steadily loses ground during the three year period of the Schism, as the Amoeba and UUR forces cannot secure every border world without Sophon assistance. However, this also had the effect of increasing UUR self-reliance and a healthy distrust in their allies, allowing military projects to gain majority approval where before they would have been dismissed for upsetting allies or being too extreme.