An Imperial shuttle lands at Desix, and alarms blare in response. Tawni Ames, governor of the planet, comes to meet the visitors. Governor Grotton, the ranking Imperial, says he has come to relieve Ames of her authority, but the governor protests. After activating a signal, battle droids surround the Imperials.

Elsewhere, Crosshair wakes from his bunk. He's soon called to Vice Admiral Rampart's office, who assigns him a new mission: He will travel to Desix under the guise of discussing a diplomatic resolution, but is to secure the world by any means necessary. Crosshair won't be leading the mission, however.

Crosshair meets up with Commander Cody, who will head the Desix mission. The vibrant yellow from Cody's old armor is gone, replaced with a dull gray; Crosshair doesn't recognize him until he removes his helmet. When Cody mentions that more and more clones are questioning Order 66, Crosshair labels them traitors. The commander seems unconvinced.

Traveling to Desix, the clones hatch a plan. With the insurgents expecting a diplomatic envoy, they hope to catch the insurgents by surprise. "Sounds easy enough," Crosshair says.

On Desix, Ames meets with her prisoner. She knows the diplomatic envoy is a ruse. "Dooku was right in the end," she says. "He saw it coming. A Galactic Empire."

As the clones make their approach, the battle droids blast them from the skies. But Crosshair, Cody, and a small number of troops survive.

The small squad makes its way from the wreckage toward the city. "I've beaten clankers with far less," Crosshair says. They methodically take out the battle droids before them, and finally reach the city gate. Crosshair believes there's a tactical droid in charge.

The clones split up in the hopes of dividing the Separatist battalion. Cody and Crosshair remain together, fighting their way up the tower. With an assist from Cody and a well-placed shot, Crosshair manages to take out the last of their forces and the tactical droid.

Crosshair and Cody find Tawni Ames, who holds Governor Grotton at blaster point. "We are not the enemy," Cody says. "The Empire seeks to establish peace and order throughout the galaxy." In response, Ames tells of how she once submitted a bipartisan treaty to end the Clone Wars. "Your supreme chancellor rejected it. I realized then peace was never an option."

Cody refuses, and Grotton grows more irate. Suddenly, a shot rings out — fired by Crosshair. Ames falls.

A visibly troubled Cody watches as more troops arrive, before leaving with his squad.

Back at base, Cody and Crosshair talk once more. "You know what makes us different from battle droids?" Cody asks. "We make our own decisions, our own choices. And we have to live with them too."

Rampart summons Crosshair to his office for his next assignment. Cody will not be his commander this time — he has gone AWOL. "Clone loyalty does not seem to be as advertised anymore," Rampart says. "Funny, isn't it? How these clones around you keep disappearing." He dismisses Crosshair, who slowly walks away.