An Old Friend

"While on Scipio to fund a mercy mission, Padmé Amidala is called upon by an old friend, Rush Clovis, to help uncover corruption in the Banking Clan. They must evade the bounty hunter Embo to escape the planet with the incriminating information."

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. Their arrival is observed from a distance by the bounty hunter Embo, who 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 terms of the loan with the IGBC's special representative, who to Amidala's surprise turns out to be Rush Clovis. She refuses to deal with Clovis, who 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 to 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 investigate 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 agree to open the vault the following morning.

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

The next morning, 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 manage to open the vault door, Amidala emerges and says she will report the incident to the Chancellor. In Amidala's quarters, Clovis checks the files which confirm that 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 from Clovis's private residence. They travel there on a speeder, and arrive to 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 takes aim at Amidala, Skywalker senses the danger and deflects his shots with his lightsaber. They make a 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 been a success, and that he will now deal with them personally.

Following the original airing order from Star Wars Insider 134, "An Old Friend" was to be the fifth episode of Season Five, but this was later revised to "The Gathering" with an update to Cartoon Network's online schedule. Along with the episodes "The Rise of Clovis" and "Crisis at the Heart," "An Old Friend" was pushed back later in the broadcast order. It did not air in Season Five as originally scheduled.

According to Series Writer Brent Friedman, the story arc that "An Old Friend" is a part of initially included the episode "A Friend in Need," but the arc was later split between seasons, with "A Friend in Need" being released with the series' fourth season.

According to the official Databank, Padmé Amidala's handmaiden Teckla Minnau survived the Clone Wars and went on to marry a writer while serving as handmaiden to Queen Kylantha. However, "An Old Friend" ignored this previous continuity and depicted Minnau's death on Scipio.

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