“To love is to trust. To trust is to believe.”

AN OLD FRIEND
As the war between the Republic and the
Separatists intensifies, many are driven from
their home planets, and it is up to Senator
Amidala to secure aid for them. All eyes turn to
the Banking Clan and the planet Scipio. In an
effort to remain independent from the Republic and
the Separatists, all operations are divided, and
money transactions are performed in a neutral zone
surrounding the main vault. For operations to
continue, there must be no war on Scipio. However,
worry about the stability of the Banking Clan is
brewing within the Republic as the wellspring of
money may be in jeopardy….

A senatorial shuttle arrives on Scipio, bearing Senator Padmé Amidala, her handmaiden Teckla Minnau, and two Senate Guards. The party is greeted by Muun banker Mak Plain, who escorts them to the neutral zone, which houses the Banking Clan’s Main Vault. The bounty hunter Embo observes Their arrival from a distance and dispatches a small probe droid to follow Amidala.

Amidala meets the leaders of the Banking Clan—the Core Five—to attempt to expedite a much-needed loan for the Republic. Core Five leader Clu Lesser requests that she discuss the loan terms with the IGBC’s special representative, who, to Amidala’s surprise, turns out to be Rush Clovis. She refuses to deal with Clovis, whom she calls a known Separatist and traitor to the Republic.

Later that night, Clovis climbs onto the balcony of Amidala’s quarters, where he tells her that the Banking Clan has run out of money and is on the verge of collapse. When she asks for his evidence, he says the accounts showing the discrepancies are sealed in the Main Vault, and only the Core Five can see them. He asks her to put pressure on the Clan and help him gain access to the vault to prove his accusation. As she refuses, Embo opens fire on the balcony, narrowly missing Clovis. He tells her this demonstrates that the Clan is trying to kill him because of what he knows and summons a speeder to escape. As Muun security investigates the attack, Amidala consults with Supreme Chancellor Palpatine. When she says she believes Clovis is telling the truth, Palpatine agrees she should trust his judgment.

Amidala tells the Core Five she will accept Clovis as the negotiator of the transfer on the condition that she be allowed into the vault to accompany the funds through the entire transfer process. Lesser objects, saying that no outsider has ever been admitted to the vault, but Amidala states that she has the authority of the Supreme Chancellor, and Clovis supports her, saying after the attack the previous night, it is only fair that the bank be transparent and agree to her terms. The bankers agreed to open the vault the following morning.

Clovis takes Amidala and her handmaiden to his residence in a snow-covered mountainous region. He outlines his plan to detonate a charge in the vault’s power source, triggering a shutdown and giving Amidala a brief period to locate and download the account files before the backup generators cycle.

The following day, the Core Five activate the identification scanners to admit Amidala to the vault. As Clovis moves to leave, Mak Plain insists that he stay to accompany Amidala when she exits the vault. Clovis passes the detonator to Teckla, who quietly leaves the chamber and makes her way to the power generator, where she places the charge, activates it, and then is shot and killed by Embo. The charge explodes, triggering a system shutdown and plunging the vault into darkness. In the confusion, Amidala slips away and accesses the files using a device given to her by Clovis. As the Muun manages to open the vault door, Amidala emerges and says she will report the incident to the Chancellor. Clovis checks the files in Amidala’s quarters, confirming the vaults are empty. As they close the file, Nix Card enters and arrests Amidala for espionage.

Anakin Skywalker arrives on Scipio with R2-D2 to negotiate Amidala’s release. He confirms that Teckla was found shot dead at the bomb site, and that the Muuns believe she had sabotaged the power grid. Skywalker is furious when he hears that Clovis is behind the incidents and questions how he can be trusted after his previous betrayal. With Amidala released into his custody, she insists they must retrieve the files from the vault of Clovis’s private residence. They travel there on a speeder and find the house ransacked and empty. They find Clovis hiding in the house, and he and Skywalker argue, but they all agree to leave and get off the planet. As Embo aims at Amidala, Skywalker senses the danger and deflects his shots with his lightsaber. They run for the speeder, pursued by Embo’s Anooba, Marrok. Amidala and Clovis take off, and Skywalker leaps after them, but Embo hits the speeder, causing it to fall and slide down the mountain slope. Using his domed hat as a sled, the bounty hunter takes off in pursuit, firing at massive overhead icicles, which Anakin deflects with the Force. Anakin calls Artoo to their location, and the droid pilots the ship to catch the trio as the speeder flies off a cliff. Embo contacts his employer—Darth Sidious—who tells the bounty hunter his mission has succeeded and that he will now deal with them.