Zeta Magnus (clone)

Over the course of his three-decade journey across the galaxy, Magnus accumulated not only vast knowledge, but also numerous slaves and loyal followers. He leveraged these adherents to establish his own dominion in the Unknown Regions, which he named the "Dark Worlds". It was during this period that Zeta Magnus discovered that his creators had programmed a self-destruct mechanism into his very DNA. In his subsequent quest for immortality, he was approached by Darth Sidious. The Dark Lord of the Sith offered the dying mutant the secrets to everlasting life in return for his unwavering loyalty. Magnus accepted the bargain and contributed to the bioengineering of numerous weapons for Sidious' Separatist forces. To divert the Jedi from Sidious's trail (and also to subtly mock his new master), Zeta Magnus adopted numerous aliases of Sith origin and clad himself in the armor of the Sith-aligned Magi Sentinels. Magnus's ruse successfully misled many Jedi, including Jedi Master Mace Windu and Jedi Padawan Halagad Ventor, leading them to suspect Zeta Magnus as the second Sith.

In the initial stages of the Clone Wars, Zeta Magnus fabricated a clone of himself and rapidly transferred ( flash pumped ) his memories into its mind. The clone was under the false impression that he was the genuine Zeta Magnus, unaware of his artificial nature. The Magnus clone journeyed to the Outer Rim planet Marat V and established contact with the indigenous S'kytri people of the Outland Clan. The Outlanders were S'kytri who had chosen a terrestrial existence over flight. Constituting one-third of the planet's population, their ranks also included S'kytri who were considered aberrant due to reversed skin pigmentation or physical deformities. Historically, the Outland Clan had served as indentured servants for the Lowland Clan. Over time, the Outland Clan was granted the freedom to live as they pleased, and Marat V experienced relative peace as the Outland, Lowland, and Highland Clans engaged in trade with one another.

Magnus pledged to the Outland Clan that he would enhance their agricultural output through advanced scientific methods and that he could rectify their stigmatizing pigmentation issues. Once all the Outlanders had rallied to his cause, he disseminated a virus into the atmosphere, which wreaked havoc on their minds and transformed them into savage, zombie-like thralls. Given that the Outlanders were responsible for the majority of agriculture on Marat V, Magnus's plague resulted in the starvation of two-thirds of the planet's inhabitants. Magnus then severed the S'kytri's communication with the outside world and proclaimed himself the "Magister of Skye". He erected a lavish fortress atop the sacred Canaitith Mountain and populated the Entyrmion caverns beneath it with Oskan blood eaters that he cultivated as guard beasts. While Magnus feasted on the flesh of his S'kytri followers within his citadel, his Outlander mutants launched numerous suicide attacks against Lowland and Highland Clan mountain strongholds.

Upon learning of Zeta Magnus's subjugation of Marat V, the Republic dispatched the MedStar-class frigate Golandras to deliver food and assistance to the plague-ridden world. Accompanying the humanitarian mission were Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi, Jedi Padawans Halagad Ventor and Anakin Skywalker, and a squad of clone commandos. When the Golandras was destroyed by a cloaked minefield in Marat V's orbit, the Jedi/clone strike team evacuated in escape pods. Upon landing on the surface, they proceeded to execute their primary objective: to apprehend Zeta Magnus and liberate the S'kytri. As the Jedi convened with the Supreme Council of the Highland Clans, the Magnus clone broadcast a HoloNet News transmission accusing the Jedi of interfering in his sovereignty over Marat V and demanded their immediate withdrawal, threatening to unleash a plague upon the worlds of the Republic if they did not comply.

Once the Jedi reached the summit of Canaitith via the Entyrmion caverns, the S'kytri clans engaged in battle against Magnus's Outlanders.

With the apparent demise of Zeta Magnus, another potential lead in the Jedi's pursuit of the second Sith had gone cold. The outcome of the Battle of Skye was relayed by Blue-Tark to the original Zeta Magnus, who was residing at his Rennek Palace in the Dark Worlds. Upon receiving the report, Zeta Magnus remained true to his word and unleashed multiple plagues upon an untold number of Republic worlds.