The Clone Wars: Shakedown

"Grievous strikes in Shakedown!"

- Tagline

The Clone Wars: Shakedown is a six-page webcomic and the second issue in the Star Wars: The Clone Wars webcomic series. Posted on StarWars.com on October 2, 2008, Shakedown leads directly into the Star Wars: The Clone Wars television series episode "Rising Malevolence." It was written by Pablo Hidalgo, illustrated by Thomas Hodges, colored by Jeffery Carlisle, and lettered by Grant Gould. The comic introduces the Separatists' new secret weapon, the Subjugator-class heavy cruiser Malevolence, which is destroying the Republic Navy in hit-and-run attacks.

Plot summary
"Until found this menace is, vigilant we all must be."

- Yoda, speaking of the Malevolence

General Anakin Skywalker, aboard his flagship, the Venator-class Star Destroyer Resolute, arrives at a Republic staging area over a Bith-populated planet. Admiral Wullf Yularen informs Skywalker that the staging area is secure, to which Skywalker states that he doubts that the Bith will give them any problems, believing that the true threat is far from them. Yularen asks the Jedi Knight if he means the Separatists' new secret weapon, to which Skywalker responds by reminding the Admiral that it has made almost twelve attacks on the Republic Navy. Yularen reminds Skywalker that High General Yoda believes that it is important to keep a foothold in this part of space; Skywalker, however, thinks they are not doing enough. Skywalker's apprentice, Ahsoka Tano, then tells him that being in this system gives them a good vantage point to look at the Separatists' movements and shows Skywalker a chart she compiled of the secret weapon's strike points. Unfortunately for the Republic, these attacks are just too random, and a prediction of the weapon's next strike would be just a guess.

Meanwhile, in the Phu system, a Republic task force, under the command of Jedi Master Ares Nune, is patrolling the system for enemy activity. Nune, aboard the bridge of his flagship, the Venator-class Star Destroyer Laudable, is talking to Clone Commander Kite about their mission. Nune jokes that Kite has a very singular outlook on life, to which Kite responds that he would prefer to fight the enemy on a planet rather than in space, so he can die with dirt under his feet rather than deckplate. As the two are finishing up their conversation, the Confederate's secret weapon, the Subjugator-class heavy cruiser Malevolence, under the command of General Grievous, attacks the task force. The Malevolence fires an ion pulse at the Republic fleet, catching Nune and his men off-guard, disabling the entire fleet's deflector shields. The Malevolence proceeds to destroy Nune's task force, killing Kite, Nune, and everyone else in it.

Back on the Republic capital planet of Coruscant, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine and Jedi Masters Plo Koon, Mace Windu, and Yoda are discussing the loss of Nune's fleet in the Chancellor's Suite. Koon tells them that he has recommended an increase in the number of patrols in the region, and that he will lead the sweeps in the Venator-class Star Destroyer Triumphant. However, the others worry that it will still not be enough to stop the Separatists' weapon.

Conception
The Clone Wars: Shakedown is a six-page webcomic and the second issue in the Star Wars: The Clone Wars webcomic series, which ties directly into the Star Wars: The Clone Wars television series. The comic leads into "Rising Malevolence," an episode in the first season of the television series. Shakedown introduces the Malevolence and the reason why Plo Koon is patrolling the Abregado system in The Clone Wars television episode. Shakedown, along with the rest of The Clone Wars events, takes place sometime around the year 21 BBY, according to the 2010 Star Wars Annual 2011.

The events of Shakedown involving the loss of Ares Nune's fleet were also reported in the in-universe HoloNet News — A Galaxy Divided, the first installment of the online HoloNet News podcast series that took place before the events of "Rising Malevolence." However, unlike the comic, which makes it appear that the Laudable was destroyed almost instantly, the podcast states that an evacuation of the Laudable via its escape pods was attempted, but the crew was not quick enough to escape.

Production
Shakedown was posted on StarWars.com on October 2, 2008, alongside the first issue in the series, The Clone Wars: Prelude. It was written by Pablo Hidalgo, illustrated by Thomas Hodges, colored by Jeffery Carlisle, and lettered by Grant Gould. Leland Chee, the keeper of the Holocron continuity database; Sue Rostoni, the executive editor at Lucas Licensing; and Dave Filoni, the supervising director of The Clone Wars TV series, were also given special thanks.