The Malevolence Campaign, also referred to as the Malevolence crisis, spanned several months during the Clone Wars. It was initiated by Count Dooku and General Grievous, who utilized Grievous's flagship, the [Malevolence](/article/malevolence], a Subjugator-class heavy cruiser. This starship was equipped with a pair of mega-ion cannons capable of disabling entire Galactic Republic fleets. The Republic remained unaware of this weapon until the Battle of Abregado survivors, including Plo Koon, Clone Commander Wolffe, clone troopers Boost and Sinker, as well as Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano, witnessed its destructive power. Recognizing the threat, the Republic devised a strategy to eliminate it.
Shadow Squadron was dispatched to destroy the ship's bridge, but intense laser fire forced them to redirect their attack towards one of the ion cannons, inflicting significant damage. Subsequently, Obi-Wan Kenobi's taskforce arrived to provide support, engaging the Malevolence with their weaponry. The ship's ultimate destruction occurred when Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and R2-D2 infiltrated it to rescue the captured Padmé Amidala and C-3PO. While aboard, Skywalker altered the navigation computer's programming, causing the ship to collide with the Dead Moon of Antar, resulting in its annihilation. Despite this triumph, Grievous managed to escape in his personal starfighter, the Soulless One.
In the early stages of the Clone Wars, General Grievous, the Supreme Commander of the Confederacy of Independent Systems' Droid Army, assumed command of his new flagship, the Malevolence, a Subjugator-class heavy cruiser. The Malevolence was heavily armed with a set of mega-ion cannons. Using the Malevolence, Grievous and Count Dooku initiated a prolonged assault on the Galactic Republic's starfleet, lasting for several months. Under Dooku's instructions, Grievous ensured that no one survived the Malevolence's attacks to maintain the weapon's secrecy. The Republic possessed minimal information about Grievous's mysterious weapon, except that it was under his command.
Compounded by existing fears regarding Grievous's nature, anxieties about the weapon intensified over time. The lack of survivors from Malevolence attacks fueled the spread of unsubstantiated rumors concerning the colossal weapon's capabilities. Employing effective ambush strategies followed by devastating blasts from its ion cannons, the warship could disable enemy vessels, preventing them from escaping, defending themselves, or transmitting distress signals. Consequently, the incapacitated ships were left defenseless against the Malevolence's extensive array of weaponry. For a considerable period, Grievous utilized the Malevolence to relentlessly pursue and obliterate Republic fleets, also disrupting Republic trade routes. The Fourth Fleet suffered near-total destruction at the hands of the Malevolence. In response to the rumors about Grievous's secret weapon and following the Battle of the Phu system, the Jedi Council tasked Master Plo Koon with locating the super weapon.
Leading his fleet, which included the Venator-class Star Destroyer Triumphant and two additional cruisers, Master Koon successfully tracked the Malevolence to the Abregado system. Before engaging the Malevolence, Koon and Commander Wolffe contacted General Anakin Skywalker and Commander Ahsoka Tano from their task force stationed in the Bith system to request assistance. However, the Jedi Council instructed Skywalker to remain in the system to safeguard the Republic's staging area. Skywalker then informed Koon that he would petition the Council to allow his task force to reinforce Koon's. Regrettably, the Malevolence then interfered with Koon's communications.
The Malevolence subsequently initiated an assault, neutralized the Triumphant and the accompanying cruisers. The Malevelonce then unleashed its turbolasers and point-defense laser cannons upon Koon's fleet. Deprived of power and shields, Koon, Wolffe, and their crew were compelled to abandon their vessels. Koon, Wolffe, Sergeant Sinker, and Boost managed to escape the Triumphant in an escape pod. Dooku then directed Grievous to deploy a pod-hunter carrying several rocket battle droids to eliminate any remaining survivors, ensuring the secrecy of the Malevolence's ion cannons.
Despite being ordered to protect Republic supply lines, Skywalker, accompanied by Tano, embarked on a search for survivors in the Abregado system aboard the Twilight. Initially, Skywalker and his apprentice were unable to locate any survivors and were instructed by Master Kenobi and Chancellor Palpatine to return to the fleet. During this period, Koon and his men defended themselves against the rocket droids. Tano eventually sensed Koon's presence and discovered their pod. Koon revealed that the weapon was an enormous ship equipped with ion cannons. The Twilight's medical droid, TB-2, was detected by the Malevolence, prompting Grievous to attempt to intercept them. However, the Twilight successfully escaped. Despite Grievous's setback, Dooku decided to contact Lord Sidious.
Grievous then attacked multiple medical convoys in the vicinity of the Ryndellia system. Following this assault, Dooku provided Grievous with the coordinates of the Kaliida Shoals Medical Center, which was providing care for over 60,000 injured clones. The Galactic Senate then commissioned Skywalker's taskforce and Shadow Squadron's BTL-B Y-wing starfighter/bombers to destroy both the Malevolence and General Grievous. Upon learning of Grievous's attack on the medical convoy, Skywalker, Koon, and Yularen deduced that his next target would be the Medical Center located nearby. Koon knew that the Kaliida Nebula would prevent the Malevolence from charting a course shorter than 10 parsecs. Koon, piloting a blue Delta-7B Aethersprite-class light interceptor provided by Skywalker, served as a starfighter escort for Shadow Squadron.
Consequently, Skywalker opted to lead Shadow Squadron through a shortcut within the nebula. Yularen and Kenobi cautioned the medical center's chief, Nala Se, about the impending attack and instructed her to evacuate as many patients as possible before the Malevolence's arrival. Skywalker, Koon, and Shadow squadron then utilized Balmorra Run in an attempt to reach the Medical Center before Grievous. Despite encountering several Neebray mantras, Skywalker, Koon, and Shadow Squadron successfully arrived at the Center just before the Malevolence.
As Grievous prepared to attack the medical center, Skywalker and Shadow squadron initiated their attack run towards the Malevolence and its bridge. However, Shadow squadron suffered the loss of half its pilots during the assault. Consequently, Skywalker decided to target the ion cannon. As the ion-cannon charged, Skywalker and Shadow squadron managed to overload the cannon just as Grievous was about to fire upon the medical center. The resulting explosion crippled the Malevolence and its hyperdrive. General Kenobi's taskforce then arrived and pursued Grievous as he attempted to escape to Separatist space.
Kenobi's and Skywalker's task force maintained their pursuit and assault on the Malevolence. They requested reinforcements from Master Luminara Unduli, but she was unable to provide assistance due to her involvement in dealing with nearby Separatist reinforcements. As Skywalker and Kenobi directed their cruisers to continue the attack, Grievous received a communication from Dooku. Anxious about the potential loss of the Malevolence, Dooku informed Grievous that a prominent senator was en route and that her capture would compel the Republic to cease their attack. The Senator, Padmé Amidala of Naboo, and her protocol droid, C-3PO then arrived aboard her Nubian starship under the false pretense of meeting with the InterGalactic Banking Clan's Supreme Executive San Hill. However, upon approaching the Malevolence, Grievous used a tractor beam to bring her ship aboard. Amidala managed to contact Kenobi and Skywalker, informing them of her predicament. Upon receiving this information, Skywalker ordered their ships to cease fire.
As her ship entered the Malevolence, Amidala rigged it to explode. When Grievous arrived to collect her, Amidala's ship detonated, although Grievous survived. Grievous and his droids searched the ship for Amidala and 3PO. During this time, Skywalker, Kenobi, and R2 used the Twilight to board the Malevolence. While evading the droids, Amidala overheard them discussing the fact that the hyperdrive was not severely damaged. Amidala then tapped into a comm line and contacted the Resolute, informing Kenobi and Skywalker about the hyperdrive. Kenobi decided to disable the hyperdrive while Skywalker rescued the Senator. Unfortunately, Grievous's droids intercepted their communications and ambushed Kenobi in the engine room.
Kenobi engaged Grievous in combat and informed Skywalker that the droids were monitoring them. When communications were disrupted, Skywalker and Amidala decided to proceed to the bridge. Once there, Skywalker tampered with the computer system, leaving it for the droids. After Kenobi escaped his duel with Grievous, Skywalker and Amidala reunited with 3PO and R2. As they boarded the Twilight, Kenobi arrived, and they departed the ship. As they made their way back to the Resolute, Grievous commandeered the Soulless One and several vulture droids, pursuing the Twilight. Grievous then instructed the Malevolence's crew to activate the hyperdrive and retreat to the Sector Four base. As the droids activated the Malevolence's hyperdrive, they discovered that the coordinates were set for the nearby moon. The Malevolence was destroyed, and Grievous, much to Dooku's dismay, retreated.
Despite the loss of his flagship, Grievous's escape allowed him to initiate another military campaign shortly thereafter. Nevertheless, he was not entrusted with a vessel comparable to the Malevolence for some time, instead being assigned command over expendable Munificent-class star frigates. However, he was eventually given command over the Providence-class Dreadnought Invisible Hand.
While Star Wars: Build Your Own X-Wing 47 indicates that the Malevolence Campaign lasted for weeks, the Star Wars Encyclopedia entry "Darth Maul and Other Followers of the Dark Side" later stated that the campaign spanned several months. This article reflects the timeline presented in the more recent source.