Sometime later, the Malevolence was tracked to the Abregado system by General Koon's own fleet in order to destroy the warship before it could strike once more. While Koon's fleet was destroyed by the Malevolence, Koon was able to escape the destruction and report his findings to the Republic.
Due to its capabilities of destroying entire fleets, the Republic endlessly searched for the Malevolence in order to destroy it.
In 22 BBY, during the Clone Wars between the Galactic Republic and Confederacy of Independent Systems, the confederate government, through the help of the Quarren engineers of the Free Dac Volunteers Engineering Corps and Pammant Docks, constructed the Subjugator-class heavy cruiser Malevolence, a starship capable of destroying entire starfleets with its two mega-ion cannons. The Confederacy began to use the warship, placed under the command of the Kaleesh Separatist General Grievous, in a series of attacks against the Republic Navy that left no survivors. The Malevolence was thus dubbed a mystery weapon by the Republic.
In response to their losses, the Jedi High Council intended on preventing the Malevolence from inflicting further damage to their starfleet. Eager to destroy the Separatist weapon, Jedi General Plo Koon sent a task force of three Venator-class Star Destroyers commanded by Jedi Master Ares Nune to locate the warship.
While moving through the Phu system in the Colonies region, the task force, led by Nune, following their orders from Koon, was intercepted by the Malevolence, which had remained one step ahead of the Republic. Following its arrival, the task force's transmissions were jammed by Grievous under orders from the Separatist leader, Count Dooku, to keep the vessel a secret. The task force then came under intense fire from the Malevolence, resulting in the destruction of all Republic forces, including the Jedi Master.
Following the engagements in the Phu system, the Malevolence was tracked to the Abregado system.
Despite the destruction of the Republic task force in the Phu system, the Malevolence was later tracked to the Abregado system by the Republic. As a result, the Jedi High Council, resolute in destroying the heavy cruiser before it could conduct further attacks, dispatched General Koon and his fleet to the Abregado system to destroy the Malevolence. Despite their attempts, Koon's fleet was destroyed by the Malevolence just as other ships were before it, but the Jedi Master was able to escape the warship and report his findings to the Republic, resulting in the Malevolences eventual destruction.
The Battle of the Phu system was first mentioned in the new Star Wars canon in the forty-third issue of De Agostini's Star Wars: Build the Millennium Falcon magazine, published around October 28, 2015. In the Star Wars Legends continuity, the battle originally appeared in The Clone Wars: Shakedown, authored by Pablo Hidalgo as the second installment of the Star Wars: The Clone Wars webcomic, released on October 2, 2008.