Desperate times on Mandalore!
Having won neutrality for the Mandalorian system,
Duchess Satine now finds herself an outsider with little aid to her people.
Supplies are impossible to come by, except on the black market.
As a result, the Duchess faces a world consumed by greed.
Hoping to alleviate some of the tensions rising in the capital city of Sundari,
Satine has called upon her friend Padmé Amidala
to make a diplomatic visit.
Senator.
Duchess. It's good to see you.
Thank you for coming, Padmé.
I know our decision to stay neutral has caused distress in the Senate.
But for many here, the fallout from your war has been too much.
If your government has trade concerns, we can talk.
Many systems have been affected.
I assure you, not everyone in the Republic has neglected Mandalore.
And there are those of us who would still vote to give you any help you require.
The help we need now is opening trade routes so we may get supplies more freely.
We are making progress in the Senate.
Forgive me, Padmé, I did not bring you here to discuss politics.
I had hoped to show you the new Mandalore.
Not the typical Mandalorian welcome.
Senator Organa teased you'd have a royal court waiting.
I just wanted to greet you myself before the others.
Now, this is a Mandalorian welcome.
We are a people of tradition.
Hurry up. Get that stuff unloaded quickly.
Here comes the customs official.
Nice day here on Mandalore.
It is, let's try not to ruin it.
I don't get your meaning.
Oh, I think you do.
Your arrival isn't listed here on my schedule.
So what exactly are you unloading on my dock?
Must be a clerical oversight.
I'm sure it won't happen again.
Normally, there would be five times as many officers out here.
They're off at the parade. Some big shot just arrived on Mandalore.
You're lucky.
Luck has nothing to do with it.
Well, just in case, deal with me directly in the future. Got it?
As you wish.
Esteemed colleagues, leaders of Mandalore, friends,
I'm afraid our neutrality has caused our people to suffer.
The war between the Separatists and the Republic rages across our galaxy.
It has caused trade routes to be closed to Mandalore.
And has forced us to turn to a black market filled with corruption.
We know what is happening, Almec! What will be done about it?
Mandalore should not need to pay smugglers to feed its people.
It's not that we want to deal with smugglers, we have no alternative.
I'm sure you and the Trade Federation
make a profit whether our business is legitimate or not.
I resent that!
Ladies and gentlemen, please! Order! Please!
Prime Minister Almec seems a bit overwhelmed.
If you're volunteering your services as a negotiator, please be my guest.
Perhaps they will listen to a new voice.
Ruling council! May I speak?
Senator Amidala.
The floor is yours.
I hear your worries, your frustration.
But the longer you argue, the more your people suffer.
You are right, new trade routes are essential to survival.
But the black market is no substitute for legitimate and legal trade.
What would you propose, Senator?
The Republic can provide security.
The Republic's own dealings with the black market far surpass Mandalore's.
I agree. It's quite hypocritical of you to come here,
a member of the Republic Senate, and lecture to us about corruption.
Mandalore cannot protect its...
The black market is essential to our survival.
The corporate alliance controls every nation!
Silence!
I told Senator Amidala that Mandalore was not part of the war.
Yet, here I find a battle in my own palace.
I call this meeting adjourned.
We will reconvene and allow cooler heads to prevail.
Come on, you worms, get those barrels inside.
What is this stuff?
This "stuff" is slabin, a diluting agent.
If we add it, we can make twice as much tea at twice the profit.
Isn't it toxic?
Only if the dosage is wrong, so get your mixture right.
Tell me, Padmé.
How do you feel about the Republic's war with the Separatists?
It's so complicated.
As you know, in the Senate, the Chancellor says it's going very well.
But my sources say otherwise.
And how does that make you feel?
There are times I wish I could follow Mandalore's lead.
Neutrality, and not just in the war.
But the politics as well?
The contamination of greed reaches deep and far within the Republic.
Corporations, trade guilds,
too many senators serving their own interests.
There are still those of us who work to overcome the corruption
and believe it to be possible.
Enough of this dreary talk. A new hospital has opened.
Tomorrow, you and I shall visit, see true good at work.
It will do us good.
- Orderly, what's going on here? - I have no idea, Madam.
Dr. Zaz is handling the outbreak. He's inside.
What is happening here?
Duchess, I'm sorry no one has come to speak to you.
- These children have been poisoned. - How?
We don't know. And it's not just here, I'm afraid.
We've gotten reports from across the planet.
Have you identified a cause?
Well, the children here all came from the same school.
We're testing their food.
If we find something, perhaps we can create an antidote.
But it will take some time.
Which they may not have.
What if it's not a poison? It must be Death Watch.
I'm not so sure. In the past, the Death Watch attacks
have only been directed at myself and the administration, not the children.
They are terrorists.
Perhaps the senator's visit has inspired them.
Terrorists? Our minds should be on the sick children that are dying in the streets.
What are you going to do to save them?
I must speak to the ruling council about this matter.
I refuse to believe that Death Watch has anything to do with this.
I agree. And his concern for the children...
Was practically none. All he thinks about is politics.
Well, we can't just sit here and do nothing.
My thoughts exactly.
Thank you all for coming.
I suppose you're wondering why I asked you here.
As my personal guards, you are the only ones I can trust to investigate this matter.
We have little time. That is why I've asked for your help.
Padmé.
Each of you will be getting a special comlink and datapad,
means of direct communication and locations you should investigate.
This must be a closed-loop affair.
Hundreds of children have been poisoned.
They are our children.
And they need our help.
This is a Mandalorian matter,
and we must find out who dares poison our children.
Thank you. Thank you all.
- So where do we start? - The schools.
Thank you for allowing us to inspect the school, Superintendant.
My pleasure, Duchess.
We've cleared the food here. None of it is tainted.
What about what they ate yesterday?
The menu of food is pretty regular here.
We would've caught something with our tests.
- What about their drinks, Doctor? - No, they drink fresh water.
It's impossible for it to be tainted.
Not the water. What about the bottled drinks?
Those are not part of the school's menu.
They are allowed through an outside vendor.
Excuse me, child. I must borrow your drink.
- How could this have happened? - It's not your fault.
I appreciate that. However, for an outbreak of this size to occur...
I'm afraid it's a sign of a much, much deeper-seated corruption
than I had imagined.
Duchess, we've found something.
This tea contains a high level of slabin.
I didn't know slabin was lethal.
It usually isn't, but mixed with the tea and at this concentration,
I'm certain it's the cause of the children's illness.
The school must have an import log, correct?
Yes, I believe so.
So we should be able to find out where the tea came from.
Well, then let's get to the docks.
Everything is here, Satine.
Everything except the records for the tea shipments.
It looks like the school's import log has been erased.
There's no record of an outside vendor.
Superintendent? Hold it right there!
I'm actually on my way to the hospital. I have to go.
Stop him!
Tell me what's going on here
or else my guards will not be as conversational as I am.
- Satine! - Padmé, please.
Where did you get the tea?
Please, I never meant to harm anyone. I just...
I needed to cut costs. The school's budget was too low.
The school has received sufficient government funding.
Look, they offered me a great deal. I could keep some money for myself, too.
But I didn't know that the drinks were poison.
All this because you were greedy?
I'm not the only one making money off this operation. There are others.
More guilty than I am!
Was Death Watch involved?
Death Watch?
I don't know, I dealt with a middleman. An importer. His name's Siddiq.
He works for a shipping company not too far from here.
Tell us where.
Sure I bribed the school official. What's the problem?
What you've done is illegal.
Beyond these stars, there's a war going on.
As long as my company imports goods,
most people turn a blind eye to anything else.
We are not most people, Mr. Siddiq.
My corporate contracts protect me, Duchess.
So I'll play your little game.
Look, I'm sorry there are sick children. I truly am.
But I'm just a messenger.
Where do you get the tea?
From Mooga, the Commerce Guild controls it.
Here, I've nothing to hide.
Here we are, shipping schedules from Mooga.
Right there, the highlighted ones.
And a customs official reports these to the government?
As far as I know.
Are these all for the ones bringing in the tea?
No. I'd have to narrow that down.
Okay, okay, no problem.
There you go. Look, they're actually bringing in a shipment tonight.
You want to know which dock?
I must say, when I came to visit, I hadn't pictured us in such an informal setting.
Yes, well, from what Master Kenobi tells me,
during your tenure as Queen, you became quite familiar with such excursions.
One can only survive the rigors of courtly formalities for so long.
We are of the same mind.
Duchess, there's a shipment arriving.
- The smugglers. - We'll soon find out.
Shall I call in more security?
No, let's wait and see what transpires.
Look, a customs official.
Welcome back, gentlemen. I'm here for my inspection.
Certainly. We would expect nothing less.
How can they operate with such impunity?
I need to find out how far up the chain of command this corruption goes.
I'm sorry, Duchess, but what you're saying, it's impossible.
Impossible? We witnessed it with our own eyes.
Bribery of a customs official at the shipping docks? I'm afraid not.
The docks are a highly secure area. Free of dangerous criminals.
But not free of corruption.
The most dangerous weapon in the galaxy is money, Captain.
Smuggling does not take place on my watch.
And what about when you're not watching?
I'm always watching, Senator.
And were you watching as children were dying? Who was watching then?
- Duchess, with all due respect... - No, Captain!
If you want my respect, you will arrest these criminals and stop stalling.
Stalling?
Why else would you not be down there with a patrol unit making arrests,
unless you're involved?
All right, we'll see what's going on.
Satine, what are those guards doing here?
Did you order them here?
Duchess, I've been with you the whole time.
Guards, let us into this warehouse.
We're under strict orders not to let anyone in.
- Do you know who this is? - I command you, open these doors!
Um...
Arrest them!
Hold it right there!
Impressive shooting for a senator.
Captain, I want you to burn down this warehouse.
- Excuse me? But there's evidence... - Burn it down,
or I'll consider you a part of this conspiracy, Captain.
You heard her, men. Burn the warehouse.
It wasn't Death Watch, Prime Minister.
It was a group of black market smugglers. They were diluting the drink with slabin.
What they didn't count on was the process would make the drinks poisonous.
And what about the sick children?
I ordered shipments of the antidote for all the schools and hospitals.
- I'm glad this is over. - No, I'm afraid it's not over.
The corruption we witnessed is intolerable.
Payoffs, police unwilling to comply, my government fooled!
How does this happen?
I'm sorry. I'm setting up a committee to look into it.
Children nearly died because our government cannot be counted on.
I assure you this will not go unpunished.
I'm counting on you, Almec.
I'm troubled, Padmé.
You heard Prime Minister Almec say he'll investigate.
His heart is in the right place, but this corruption...
- You must have hope, Satine. - Hope will only go so far.
The very people conducting this investigation might be corrupt.
Perhaps a Jedi working undercover at the academy could be of service to us,
and in more ways than one.
For if we lose our young, Mandalore will indeed be lost.
I will speak with Master Yoda. Don't lose hope, my friend.
- Senator. - Duchess.