Extraction on Daro

The Clone Wars was a three-year, galaxy-spanning conflict between the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems. The Republic's army was largely composed of clone troopers created by the Kaminoan cloners. Although the army had been commissioned by the Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas, he had been murdered and the project hijacked by the Sith, ancient enemies of the Jedi who wanted to control the galaxy. The Sith Lord Tyranus posed as a Jedi to the Kaminoans and had them implant inhibitor chips in the clones, supposedly as a safeguard against rogue Jedi but in actuality to force the clones to obey Order 66, the command by which the Sith intended to destroy the Jedi Order.

In 19 BBY, the Clone Wars were abruptly brought to an end when the order was issued by Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, truly Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Sidious, and the Separatist Droid Army was deactivated shortly thereafter. Most of the Jedi were killed, with the few survivors forced into hiding from the Galactic Empire that Sidious formed from the Republic. Very few clones were immune to Order 66, among them most of the members of Clone Force 99, an irregular clone commando unit known as the Bad Batch. The members of the squad defected from the Empire days after its formation, leaving behind their sniper, Crosshair, who as the only one of them to be affected by his chip continued to serve the Empire. They took with them Omega, a young female clone who was secretly extremely important to the Kaminoans' cloning efforts, particularly their hope to keep their Imperial cloning contracts which the Empire intended to cancel.

The Empire instituted Project War-Mantle as part of their plans to move to a recruited military. Under Vice Admiral Rampart, Crosshair was placed in command of the first unit of Elite Squad Troopers, handpicked from the galaxy's best soldiers. After the unit's first mission proved a success, despite the loss of one of the recruits, Admiral Wilhuff Tarkin gave permission for the project to expand further. A hidden base was constructed on the otherwise-uninhabited Outer Rim planet Daro, where new recruits known as "TK stormtroopers" were trained by a group of fifty clone commandos. One of the instructors was Captain Gregor, a former member of the 212th Attack Battalion's Foxtrot Group who had spent a period of the war missing in action after surviving the Battle of Sarrish and developing amnesia. Gregor was a friend of Clone Captain Rex, the former commanding officer of the 501st Legion, who was presumed killed in action by the Empire in the aftermath of Order 66, but had actually faked his death and deserted after having his inhibitor chip removed.

Rex tracked down the Bad Batch shortly after the formation of the Empire, taking them to Bracca to have their inhibitor chips removed after learning they had not done so. He left afterwards as he had to make a rendezvous with a contact, but he and Batch leader Hunter exchanged promises to contact each other if they were in need of help. The Batch began working as mercenaries for the information broker Ciddarin Scaleback. In the Empire's service, Crosshair developed an obsession with hunting his old squad, but although the Batch was wanted by the Empire, officers such as Rampart did not consider them an important enough priority to dedicate resources to actively search for them. This changed after the Batch was involved in the rescue of several high-profile freedom fighters from Imperial custody on Ryloth, after which Rampart gave Crosshair permission to go on the hunt.

After a period of time at the Daro facility, Gregor decided he was done with serving the Empire and attempted to desert. He managed to escape the base, albeit unarmed and without several pieces of his armor, chased by troopers using massiffs to track him. During the chase, Gregor planted a rescue beacon which sent a distress signal to Rex, but he was shortly captured and imprisoned in the base. Rex was busy with other matters and could not go himself, so he contacted the Batch, who were onboard their shuttle, the Marauder, in the middle of another job for Scaleback. Forced to sign off after only a brief conversation, Rex was only able to give the Batch the signal from Gregor's beacon. Noting that the signal sent by "CC-5576" was originating from a planet with no known installations or settlements, Tech was against going as it would not earn them any money for food. Echo, however, was adamant that they should go on the mission as he trusted Rex and felt he would not ask for help if it was not important. Omega felt that it was the right thing to do and was more important than money, while Wrecker said they all had valid points. Hunter was concerned about the lack of intel, but eventually agreed to go after a lengthy glare from Echo.

When the Marauder dropped out of hyperspace above Daro, Tech brought the ship in low to avoid any potential sensors. Hunter commented that they were making a great deal of effort for a clone they did not know, but Echo responded that Rex trusting him should be good enough, since he trusted Rex. The starship landed in the forest, and the Batch disembarked. After a short trek, Omega located the beacon where it had been planted and showed it to Tech. Wrecker wondered where the reg was, and Hunter, taking off his helmet to survey the scene, said it was already too late. Analyzing the traces, Hunter deduced that there had been a struggle, after which the clone had been dragged away. They followed the trail to the base of the mountain containing the training facility, where Hunter's enhanced senses tipped him off that there was something inside. Tech agreed as his scanner was being jammed, responding to Wrecker saying that he thought there was nothing on Daro by pointing out that that information was obviously out of date. Given the increased danger, Hunter ordered Omega and Wrecker back to the Marauder, cutting off the girl's protests by pointing out that coming to Daro had been a debate, but this order was not. Echo wondered what was inside the mountain, and Hunter said there was only one way to find out.

Hunter, Tech, and Echo climbed the mountain to discover the base hidden inside, which was centered around a large open cylinder and was obviously military. Tech noted he was unfamiliar with what kind of base it might be. After taking cover as a Rho-class transport shuttle flew into the base, Hunter decided they would get a closer look. The trio approached the edge of the shaft and Echo scoped out the scene with macrobinoculars, spotting an open assembly area with squads of TK troopers led by clone commandos. Not realizing the true nature of the Imperial troopers, Echo assumed they were clones and noted their armor had been updated. Hunter asked for the binoculars in order to take a look, seeing another squad of troopers disembarking from a shuttle before handing them back. Stating it was no longer a simple extraction, Hunter decided to abort the mission and report back to Rex about what they had seen. Tech and Hunter turned to leave, but Echo refused. When Tech said they did not know if CC-5576 was still in the facility or even alive, and Hunter added they would be going in blind with no backup, Echo reminded them that they had done so to rescue him from captivity on Skako Minor and he would probably still be there if they hadn't, and that he felt he had a responsibility to help another clone who might be in the same situation. Faced with this argument, Hunter and Tech conceded to helping with the rescue.

Hunter contacted Wrecker and Omega back on the Marauder, telling them they were still working on finding the reg and that there was an Imperial base built into the mountain. Omega asked him to wait for the two of them, but Hunter told her and Wrecker to stay put, reminding her that they were their backup and to wait with the ship if they were called. Hunter added that comms would be jammed once his group entered the base before signing off. Tech said he needed to tap into the base's central computer to locate their target, and Echo noted their were entry points along the turbolift shaft. A lift arrived at the top, summoned by two clone commandos waiting on the uppermost level, and the three jumped atop it. They rode it down a ways before Hunter ordered everyone to jump off, and they hung on to the side of the shaft. After waiting for a unit of troopers to pass by, Hunter led the way into the base.

The trio snuck through the corridors, avoiding the base's personnel, before they found a control panel that Echo could use his scomp link arm to plug into. Noting the facility's encryption was new, Echo said he would need a bit of time to crack it. While he worked at it, Hunter and Tech kept watch. Hunter saw a unit pass through a nearby hallway, with the commando in charge using a keycard to open a door they went through. When Echo finally cracked the encryption and accessed the facility's muster list, he said it made no sense, as it listed the fifty commandos and one thousand TK troopers, a designation both he and Tech were unfamiliar with. Shortly after, he located their quarry in Cellblock 25, which was only four more levels down, and the Batch headed in that direction.

Gregor was in his cell when the TK trooper on guard passed by, and he sat up and demanded that the "newbie" be useful by bringing him some food. The trooper snapped that Gregor was a traitor before walking off, leading him to retort that he preferred "Captain Traitor" before grumbling about the "pleb's" insubordination. The guard was knocked out by the Bad Batch, and Echo came up to Gregor's cell and asked him if he was CC-5576. Gregor said that depended on who was asking as Hunter and Tech arrived and the cell door was deactivated. When Tech explained that Rex had sent them, Gregor told them his name and said they should move out. The group departed the cellblock and headed back towards the turbolift, avoiding more passing squads.

Their progress, however, was stymied when it turned out that the troopers were gathering for inspection, blocking the way to the lifts. Tech said he could stage a diversion, and located a nearby control panel to work with. Gregor asked if the Batch were CCs like him based on their armor, and Hunter said they were CT-99s. Surprised to learn his rescuers were "defective" clones, Gregor mused that he thought the clones who wanted to stay with the Empire were the truly defective ones. Echo asked Gregor what he had been doing at the base, and Gregor was in the middle of explaining he had been an instructor when an alarm went off: Tech had attempted to use the clone Code-16 to stage a diversion, but Gregor explained that such codes no longer worked. A unit of troopers found the intruders and opened fire, forcing them to take cover. Hunter threw a smoke bomb and charged in while stunning the troopers. As Hunter took the leading commando in a choke hold, Gregor knocked out several of the TK troopers before retrieving a blaster. After rendering the commando unconscious, Hunter took his keycard and asked Gregor if there was another way out of the base, and he said there was only one: "Up."

Before they could move out, however, Tech discovered that the TK troopers were not clones after removing one's helmet. When he drew the others' attention to this, Gregor explained he had been trying to tell his rescuers that information, and the recruits were intended to be the clones' replacements, although he was skeptical of their effectiveness. The group fled through the hallways, continuing to use stun shots against the Imperial troopers, with Hunter employing an EMP grenade against one group. Tech asked Gregor if he knew where he was going, and when Gregor pointed out he had previously escaped from the base, Tech noted he had been captured. Gregor retorted that that had only happened after he had made it out. When they lost their pursuers for a moment, Echo, not impressed by the recruits' competence, said he thought that Gregor had said he had trained them, and Gregor responded that he obviously hadn't taught them everything because it would not be intelligent to do so. Reaching the base's central shaft, Gregor looked out and saw an approaching turbolift. The two TK troopers inside were stunned by the Batch before they boarded the lift. Tech discovered an access code was required, and Hunter handed him the keycard he had taken, allowing Tech to send the lift towards the top of the shaft.

Echo asked Gregor what he had meant about the recruits being their replacements. Gregor explained that while the clones were soldiers of the Republic, which no longer existed, the recruits swore loyalty to the Empire, and although they weren't as effective, there was an endless supply of them. Hunter commented that numbers were not everything. When the lift reached the top, however, the doors opened on a surprised group of TK troopers led by the commando Scorch, and the Batch hurriedly retreated, sending the elevator back down. As Tech quipped about what Hunter and Gregor had been saying, Gregor said they would have to take a detour. Disembarking from the lift, the intruders were pursued in a running firefight with Imperial troopers as they attempted to make their way around the facility's central shaft to another lift, utilizing a smoke bomb at one point.

Scorch, in pursuit, took an outside shortcut across the top of a rising turbolift to ambush the Batch when they came around the side of the lift bank, injuring Gregor by shooting him in the chest before attacking Tech and knocking him to the floor. Hunter and Echo, assisting Gregor, fired a barrage of stun blasts which rendered the enemy commando unconscious on the edge of the central shaft, before the group retreated deeper into the facility and away from another unit of troopers. They took refuge inside a control room, Tech firing on the door controls to seal them as he brought up the rear. Hunter asked Gregor if he was going to be alright, and he responded that he had been through worse, having been blown up once and surviving, so this was nothing. Echo reported that all of the access points to the central shaft had been blocked off. Tech deduced another way out, noting that a ventilation shaft leading out of the room was actually a reactor conduit, so they could use its thermal exhaust port to escape. Gregor protested that the port was halfway up the mountain and they would never survive the drop, but Tech countered that the Batch would be able to summon their ship before using a small explosive to blow off the vent cover so they could climb in.

Upon reaching the exhaust port, Hunter leading the way, Echo helped the injured Gregor walk, asking him how he had wound up on Daro. Gregor explained he and the other commandos had been sent there by the Empire, but he had quickly realized he wanted out, and quipped that the Empire did not take kindly to desertion before laughing. Echo agreed with him. Hunter contacted Wrecker and Omega onboard the Marauder, as the girl had been worrying while Wrecker had attempted to keep her calm, telling them they needed a pickup. Omega and Wrecker leapt to get the ship ready, taking off to meet the others. When they reached the opening of the exhaust port, Hunter and his group stood on the narrow ledge, Gregor commenting on the sheer drop.

A unit of troopers and their commando leader found the control room where the Batch had been, the commando surveying the scene and reporting the intruders intended to escape via the reactor port. Numerous shuttles, LAAT gunships, and Alpha-3 Nimbus-class V-wing starfighters were mobilized in pursuit, launching from the base's hangars. The unit then initiated pursuit through the exhaust vents, opening fire on the Batch when they found them and forcing them to take cover. As a firefight ensued, the Marauder approached, Wrecker leaving Omega to fly and telling her to hold the ship steady while he went to the entry ramp. Opening the ramp when the ship pulled up, Wrecker provided cover fire, before telling Omega to move the shuttle a bit closer in. Wrecker yelled for the others to jump in, and Tech went first before Wrecker helped the injured Gregor onto the boarding ramp. However, approaching Imperial starfighters forced Omega to pull the Marauder away from the exhaust port, leaving Hunter and Echo behind, as she tried to hold the ship steady.

Tech took over piloting duties, telling Omega she had done well and ordering Wrecker to the rear gun, while Gregor was sat down in the co-pilot's seat. Flying the Marauder away from the mountain, Tech led the starfighters on a pursuit while Wrecker opened fire on them, shooting several down. At the exhaust port, the commando in charge of the attacking squad ran forward and engaged Hunter and Echo in hand-to-hand combat. Hunter disarmed him, and Echo briefly grabbed him in a hold before he broke free. However, the commando ran into the middle of the port entrance and was hit by friendly fire from his troopers, falling down the mountain with a scream. In the sky, one of the pursuing V-wings hit one of the Marauders engines, knocking out the deflector shields and causing the ship to lose power. Omega plugged in Gonky, the Batch's GNK-series power droid, to restore the power, and Tech put the ship into a steep dive. Pulling out, they were followed by the two remaining V-wings, but Wrecker shot one, causing it to crash into the other. With pursuit ended for the moment, Tech alerted Hunter and Echo that he was bringing the ship back around.

Tech brought the shuttle up to the exhaust port, and Omega yelled for the others to jump. Echo made it onto the boarding ramp, but more V-wings approaching forced Tech to jerk the Marauder away and down from the port. Hunter jumped for the ship, but bounced off the boarding ramp and fell, leading Omega to scream as Echo pulled her inside the ship. Plummeting through some tree branches, Hunter landed on a lower part of the mountain and attempted to use his knife to slow his fall, but his momentum carried him off the ledge. He fell through some more trees before hitting the ground, momentarily unconscious. The stress of the atmospheric pursuit caused Gonky to short out, and Tech took the Marauder into another dive. As Hunter came to, a gunship landed near his location, disgorging enemy troopers. Tech reported that the Marauder had sustained multiple system failures and could not take many more hits, while Wrecker continued to fire the tail gun at the pursuing Imperial starfighters.

Standing up, Hunter saw the pursuit through the trees and ordered Tech to get the ship out of there, promising he would find another way back. Refusing, Tech said the odds of escape were not in Hunter's favor, but Hunter reiterated that they go and that that was an order. Tech hesitated before engaging the thrusters, flying around before heading upwards. As Wrecker continued to keep up fire, Omega screamed at the others to go back for Hunter, asking him to tell them to come back, but he said over comms that he could not do that. Approached by many Imperial soldiers, some leading leashed massiffs and including a recovered Scorch, Hunter sheathed his knife and silently surrendered. The Marauder was chased out of Daro's atmosphere by the V-wings until the ship escaped into hyperspace.

Hunter was imprisoned in the Daro base. When Crosshair, who had been assisting Vice Admiral Rampart in an operation on Kamino, heard of Hunter's capture, he visited Daro by himself. Hunter was not surprised to see his former teammate, and Crosshair said he had hoped for the entire Batch, but Hunter would do.

The Batch regrouped on Ord Mantell to repair the Marauder, leaving Gregor with Scaleback while they rescued Hunter. Crosshair brought Hunter to Kamino, activating his comlink to lure the Batch into a trap while the Empire prepared to destroy Tipoca City. When the squad arrived on Kamino to rescue Hunter, Crosshair attempted to persuade them to join the Empire, even killing his own troopers when they refused to stand down. During the confrontation, Crosshair revealed he had removed his inhibitor chip but was loyal to the Empire anyways. After stunning the sniper and taking him prisoner, the Batch attempted to escape Tipoca City while Rampart, informed that Crosshair had lost control of the situation, began bombarding the city. The Batch successfully returned to their ship after a hazardous underwater journey, but Crosshair refused all of their entreaties to come with them and was thus left behind on Kamino.

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