The Republic, lacking its own military, is paralyzed. The Jedi Knights, keepers of the peace, are stretched thin, acting as detectives and negotiators. Meanwhile, Senator (now the former Queen of Naboo) has returned to Coruscant to vote on a controversial measure to create a Republic Army—a proposal her security adviser believes makes her a target for assassination.
Arriving at Kamino, he discovers a vast, storm-swept cloning facility. An unassuming alien named (the Prime Minister) explains that they have been creating a massive army for the Republic, commissioned ten years earlier by a Jedi Master named Sifo-Dyas . Obi-Wan is stunned; the Jedi Council never authorized any army. He inspects the first batch of clone troopers —genetically modified soldiers ready for combat. He also meets their template, the ruthless bounty hunter Jango Fett .