On Coruscant, Senator Onaconda Farr is leading a movement to end the war. Padmé Amidala braces herself for an important speech in support of Farr's cause which is also supported by politicians Lolo Purs, Mon Mothma and Bail Organa. At the Senate assembly, Padmé warns that more military production will not end the war, but only prolong it.

Her speech is met with enthusiastic support, but the cold Senator Mee Deechi is not applauding. Deechi meets with Padmé outside the Senate chamber, and warns her not to make such unpatriotic speeches.

Later, in her offices, Padmé and her colleagues share a toast for their success, but their private get-together is interrupted by the intrusive Senator Halle Burtoni. The old Kaminoan used her clone production efforts into getting her a seat in the Senate, and she would like nothing more than to see Padmé's peace-promoting efforts fail. Burtoni goes so far as to brand the Senators as Separatists for their anti-war stance.

Onaconda asks Burtoni to leave. Soon, the Rodian Senator becomes woozy. He clutches at his heart and collapses dead.

A few days later, a funeral is held at a landing platform as Senator Farr's body is taken aboard a departing starship back to Rodia. Lolo and Padmé are saddened by the loss of their close friend.

Chancellor Palpatine requests an audience with Senator Farr's allies in his office, where they are met by Inspector Lieutenant Tan Divo, who announces that Onaconda was murdered. Lt. Divo reveals an unknown chemical was found in Senator Farr's bloodstream. Divo's condescending tones indicate he cares little for politicians, and he'd rather not have any of them interfere in the investigation.

Padmé can't help but speculate who might have wanted Onaconda dead. The clone-troop bill was indeed controversial and could have gained many enemies. Padmé Amidala begins by questioning Senators Deechi and Burtoni, the most obvious political opponents of Farr. They scoff at any accusations. Deechi admits that he had Farr followed on occasion, and that the Rodian had a secret meeting at the docks.

That night, Bail and Padmé look for clues at the derricks. A cloaked assailant gets the drop on them. The two Senators barely escape being crushed by a dropped cargo container. The assailant flees into the darkness. The police arrive, and Lt. Divo is annoyed that Amidala cannot keep her nose out of his investigation. Amidala nonetheless continues, and speculates that Deechi may have purposely sent her and Bail into a trap.

Padmé races to Deechi's office only to find the Umbaran dead, stabbed through the heart with a dagger. Lt. Divo requests that Senator Amidala and her allies stay in the confines of her office for the time being under police protection. Lolo, however, is impatient and finds Divo incompetent. She storms away while Divo continues his questioning.

Realizing that Senator Burtoni was the only other person present when Deechi suggested the rendezvous at the docks, Divo leaves to question the Kaminoan, but she is not in her offices.

A frantic Lolo Purs races back to Padmé's office, claiming she was attacked by Senator Burtoni. The police droids catch Burtoni in the East Wing corridor, and bring her to the Chancellor's office for questioning. Burtoni is mystified by the interrogation, insisting on her innocence. Divo receives the forensic evidence report, concluding that the poison in Ono's bloodstream was engineered by Kaminoans to affect Rodians.

As Divo moves to arrest Burtoni, something nags at Padmé. If the poison was in all their drinks and engineered to kill Rodians, then surely Lolo Purs would have also been afflicted. She then realizes that Lolo never drank -- that she knew the drinks were poisoned for she was in truth the killer.

Cornered, Lolo produces a blaster and takes Padmé as a hostage. Lolo reveals that Ono's murder was in revenge for involving their home world in the Clone Wars and briefly siding with the Separatists.

When the opportunity opens, Padmé smacks the weapon from Lolo's hand and knocks her out cold with a solid punch to the jaw.

Later, the Senate votes on the clone-trooper bill. The motion to scale back war production is defeated, ensuring that more clone troopers will continue to be created for the security of the Republic.