The Republic discovers a Separatist bio-weapon lab hidden on the planet of Naboo. Rather than wait for help, Padmé; explores the lab with Jar Jar. Anakin, Ahsoka, Rex, and Obi-Wan arrive and follow after her. They find that the Senator is being held captive by the sinister Dr. Nuvo Vindi. The mad scientist has been developing a lethal virus for the Separatists. Vindi threatens to set off a bomb and release the virus!

In the middle of a routine shopping trip on Coruscant, C-3PO is abducted by the bounty hunter Cad Bane. Bane is looking for information about the Senate building on behalf of Jabba the Hutt. Finding C-3PO devoid of useful information, Bane and his accomplices kidnap R2-D2 and extract the vital data, before memory-wiping the droids of the incident, and letting them on their way. The floor-plans and security details of the Senate building are part of a plot engineered by the Hutt families to free their imprisoned brother, Ziro the Hutt, who holds potentially damaging information about Hutt activities.