To love, is to trust. To trust is to believe.
Senator Padmé Amidala has travelled to the planet Scipio, headquarters of the InterGalactic Banking Clan, in order to do business on behalf of the Republic to secure aid for the huge numbers of war refugees. However, the bounty hunter Embo is also on-planet, sent by his current employer to track Padmé. But when the ruling council of the bank requests that she meet with their special representative to discuss the terms of her transaction, she's unexpectedly reunited with her former colleague Rush Clovis, who tells her that the Banking Clan is secretly on the verge of collapse because the economics of the war don't add up, a claim Padmé finds difficult to believe. But when she reluctantly decides to work with Clovis to expose the truth, their enemies will stop at nothing to prevent them from talking.
Tropes:
- Assassination Attempt: Embo makes several on Clovis' life. As it turns out, he wasn't actually paid to kill Clovis at all, which is why none of them succeed.
- Back for the Dead: Teckla Minnau returns for the first time since "Pursuit of Peace", only to be killed by Embo.
- The Bus Came Back: Senator Rush Clovis returns after having last been seen in trouble with Lott Dod in "Senate Spy".
- Call-Back:
- This story arc follows up on the deregulation of the banks in "Pursuit of Peace".
- Padmé insists that Clovis be removed from the negotiations because, as she saw back in "Senate Spy", he's a known Separatist and traitor to the Republic.
- Clovis remembers Anakin, but is surprised to learn who he really is since he was disguised as a pilot the last time they met.
- Crazy Jealous Guy: Anakin is even more unpleasant with Clovis than he was the last time they met. The instant Padmé mentions Clovis' name, Anakin immediately flies into a petty, jealous rage that lasts for the rest of the arc, even threatening to leave Padmé in her cell rather than take him with her, and when he later actually meets Clovis, he draws his lightsaber on him. Padmé is not impressed.
- Cut the Juice: Clovis' plan is to set off an explosion that will cut the vault's power, allowing Padmé a brief window of time to steal data proving that the Banking Clan is running dry on funds.
- Death Glare: Anakin gives several of these to and when hearing about Clovis.
- Foreshadowing: Embo has been shown in his previous appearances to be a highly competent and skilled Bounty Hunter, but he fails in every single attempt to kill Clovis. It's revealed in the last scene that Embo wasn't actually hired to kill him at all, but scare him.
- Gunship Rescue: R2 arrives with the ship just after the downed speeder Anakin, Padmé and Clovis are on goes over a cliff, with the three of them landing on the outside.
- Laser Sight: Embo uses one on Teckla just before he shoots her, giving her enough time for an Oh, Crap! moment.
- Match Cut: From Padmé's circular hair ornament to a circle on the door leading to the Council of Five's chamber.
- Mythology Gag: When Anakin finds Padmé in her prison cell, her position is identical to Princess Leia’s aboard the Death Star. Additionally, his shadow on the wall looks eerily like Darth Vader.
- Oh, Crap!:
- Teckla, when Embo's Laser Sight hits her.
- Anakin in Clovis' residence just before Embo fires, yelling at the others to get down.
- Shield Surf: Embo uses his shield-hat as a makeshift snowboard to pursue Clovis down a mountain.
- Spider-Sense: Anakin, using the Force, detects that Embo is about to fire on them about a second before he actually does so.
- Spikes of Doom: During the Chase Scene, Embo shoots out icicles on arches the downed airspeeder is passing below to try and crush Anakin, Padmé and Clovis.
- Title Drop:Palpatine: Perhaps then in this scenario it would be best for you to trust an old friend, and do as he asks.
- Truce Zone: The area of Scipio surrounding the Banking Clan's main vault is a neutral zone where all business is conducted, since the Banking Clan is secretly playing both sides.
- Two-Keyed Lock: The main vault can only be opened by all five members of the Banking Clan council touching glowing spheres set into the door.
- Wham Shot: At the end, Embo contacts his employer... Darth Sidious.
- You Have to Believe Me!: Padmé isn't inclined to believe Clovis given what happened the last time, although he insists that their pasts have to count for something.
