Mission to Scipio

"If what you are saying is true, then this information Clovis is offering is vital to our security. I need you to be very clear in this matter, for the Republic. Is he telling the truth?" "Yes. I am sure." "Perhaps then, in this scenario, it would be best for you to trust an old friend and do what he suggests."

- Palpatine confers with Padmé Amidala about Rush Clovis

During the Clone Wars, the Mission to Scipio took place when Padmé Amidala traveled to the planet with fellow senator Nix Card to appropriate funds from the InterGalactic Banking Clan for aid to the hundreds of displaced war refugees.

The mission
Arriving on Scipio, Card, Amidala, and her aid Teckla Minnau were greeted and led into the neutral zone by Mak Plain. When Padmé came before the heads of the Banking Clan, the Core Five, Clu Lesser told her that to secure a loan to the Republic humanitarian efforts; she would need to confer with their representative, Rush Clovis. Knowing Clovis's traitorous past, Padmé refused to negotiate any further while he was present and left. Clovis later sneaked into her in her quarters and told her that there were no funds in the bank for the Republic humanitarian effort. The Core Five had been embezzling credits for other uses, causing the Banking Clan to destabilize. As Clovis explained this to her, bounty hunter Embo attempted to assassinate him. Clovis used the attack to prove to Padmé that he had potentially damaging information on the Banking Clan and insisted that she trust him with the negotiations before escaping in his speeder.

After conferring with Chancellor Palpatine, Padmé decided that further investigation into Clovis's story would be best for the Republic's security. The following day, she went before the Core Five again and accepted Clovis as the representative because she could accompany the Core Five into the main vault and personally oversee the transaction. They were skeptical of allowing an outsider into the vault, but Clovis insisted that transparency was key in light of the attack on Padmé's quarters. The Core Five agreed to their terms.

That evening at Clovis's residence, Clovis and Padmé planned to sabotage the power source once she was inside and use the blackout to download the hidden files of the bank's credits. The following morning, Padmé went into the vault with the Core Five while Teckla placed the explosive charges at the power grid. However, having done this, she was shot dead by Embo. With the vault in darkness and running on only emergency power―inadequate to disengage the lock-down―Padmé gains access to the files.

Padmé and Clovis review the files to find that the vaults were indeed empty, as Clovis stated. As they do so, Nix Card had Padmé arrested for espionage, and the latter later learned of Teckla's death. A few days later, Anakin Skywalker arrived to bail her out. She informed him that she needed to speak with Clovis about the evidence they discovered. Though distrusting of Clovis, Anakin agreed to help her and informed R2-D2 to keep his shuttle ready for immediate takeoff.

Ambush
Skywalker and Padmé arrived at Clovis's private residence, finding it ransacked, in search of answers regarding the Banking Clan scandal. Shortly after finding Clovis, the three were attacked by Embo, who was sniping at them from afar. Anakin demanded they make for the speeder. As they boarded the vehicle, Marrok, Embo's pet, pursued Skywalker. Marrok failed, and they boarded the speeder. Embo shot the vehicle's engine, and it crashed onto the snowy mountainside. It slid down and led to a lengthy chase from Embo using his hat. In the end, Skywalker and his companions escaped in his shuttle piloted by R2-D2.

Appearances

 * An Old Friend
 * The Rise of Clovis