03x05 - Corruption

Episode transcripts for the TV show "Star Wars: The Clone Wars". Aired: October 2008 - May 2020.*
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03x05 - Corruption

Post by bunniefuu »

The challenge of hope is
to overcome corruption.

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 on 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, padme.

I know our decision to stay neutral
has caused distress in the senate.

But for many here, the fallout
from your w*r 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, padme. 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.

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 sh*t just arrived On mandalore.

You're lucky.

Oh, 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 w*r 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.

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.

To come here,

a member of the Republic senate,
and lecture to us about corruption.

The corporate alliance
controls everything.

Silence!

I told senator amidala that
Mandalore was not part of the w*r,

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, padme,

how do you feel about the republic's
w*r 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 w*r.

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.

I'm afraid.

We've gotten reports
from across the planet.

Have you identified a cause?

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.

{PUB}What if it's not a poison?

- It must be death watch.
- I'm not so sure.

In the past, the death watch
att*cks have only been directed

at myself and the administration,
not the children.

They are t*rrorists.

Perhaps the senator's visit
has inspired them.

t*rrorists?

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. 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 have asked
for your help.

Padme?

Each of you will be getting a
special comlink and datapad,

Means of direct communication,
and location 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, superintendent.

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 seeded

- corruption than I had imagined.
- Duchess, we 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's 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

- Satine...
- Padme, 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 am 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 w*r 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 yoget the tea?

From mooga.
The commerce guild controls it.

Here, I have 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,

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.

How can they operate
with such impunity?

I need to find out how far up the chain
of command this corruption goes.

{PUB}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 w*apon 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.

Arrest them!

Hold it right there.

Impressive sh**ting 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 d*ed because
our government cannot be counted on.

I assure you this will not
go unpunished.

I'm counting on you, Almec.

I'm troubled, padme.

You heard prime minster 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.
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