Rescue of Hera Syndulla (Ryloth)

Ryloth, the Twi'lek species' native planet, was attacked by the Confederacy of Independent Systems early in the Clone Wars between the Separatists and the Galactic Republic. Although Senator Orn Free Taa represented Ryloth in the Galactic Senate, General [Cham Syndulla](/article/cham_syndulla], Taa's long-time political rival, initially led the local resistance. The two men harbored intense animosity, with Cham viewing Taa as corrupt and the senator constantly fearing Syndulla's ambition to usurp his position. When the Republic launched a counter-offensive to liberate the planet, Jedi General Mace Windu convinced them to cooperate for Ryloth's benefit, driving the remaining Separatist forces away.

Windu also pledged that Republic clone troopers would depart after the planet's liberation, with a small contingent remaining to maintain order. Consequently, a unit led by Clone Captain Howzer was stationed on Ryloth to aid in its defense, and Cham befriended the clone officer. However, in 19 BBY, the Clone Wars abruptly ended with the elimination of almost all Jedi following an alleged rebellion, and the reorganization of the Republic into the Galactic Empire by the newly appointed Emperor Palpatine, supposedly to ensure peace and security in the galaxy. In reality, the clone army had undergone widespread brainwashing via secretly implanted inhibitor chips, compelling their unwavering loyalty to the new government and forcing them to execute Order 66, with only a select few clones immune to its effects.

Initially, Cham cooperated with the Empire, weary of war, although his wife Eleni Syndulla and lieutenant Gobi Glie harbored suspicions about the new regime. Cham particularly desired a peaceful life for his daughter, Hera, a life he had been denied. Nevertheless, Glie collaborated with other freedom fighters, including Serin and Lenk, against the Empire, stockpiling weapons and gathering intelligence on Imperial installations, including a newly established refinery intended as the first of many. Eleni utilized a network of contacts for similar purposes. Unbeknownst to Cham, Glie recruited the young Hera and her astromech droid Chopper into his cell, tasking her with accompanying him on supply runs and spying on the Empire. However, Glie's activities attracted Imperial attention, leading to the deployment of Vice Admiral Rampart and the new Elite Squad of recruited troopers to investigate.

During a public event in the capital [Lessu](/article/lessu_city], Taa was met with jeers from a tense crowd after delivering a speech supporting the Empire, as the people were eager to hear from the more popular Cham. Glie and some of his fighters were present at the speech, and their presence was noted by Elite Squad Commander CT-9904, who reported them to Rampart. Cham urged his people to embrace peace and look towards the future, expressing his continued trust in the clone army, which garnered cheers of support. However, Taa was displeased, and Glie's fighters left the scene. Rampart inquired about Hera's absence from the event, to which Eleni replied that she had other interests.

Glie dispatched Hera and Chopper to spy on the refinery, but the girl observed nothing out of the ordinary. Nevertheless, they were apprehended by a clone patrol, and Howzer escorted them back to the Syndulla residence. At the house, Cham was overseeing the surrender of weapons, while Glie expressed his concerns to Eleni about Cham's acceptance of the situation, questioning why clones were defending Ryloth. Upon Howzer's arrival, he informed Cham that Hera and Chopper had been found in a restricted area, stating that he would not report the incident but it could not happen again. Glie accused Cham of ignoring the Empire's potential dangers in the name of peace, admitting that he had sent Hera. Eleni deduced that Hera had been at the refinery and requested a full report while escorting her and Chopper inside.

Cham and Eleni later toured the refinery, with Eleni pointing out to Rampart that the facility's turbolasers and military personnel contradicted the Empire's claims that it was not a military installation. Rampart argued that Ryloth had been vulnerable under the Republic, but would not be under the Empire. He excused himself after receiving a report about rebel activity involving Glie's fighters, leaving the Syndullas to depart on their own. Despite evidence to the contrary, Taa remained jealous of Cham and insisted that he was the mastermind behind the rebel activity. Rampart saw an opportunity to exploit both Taa and Cham for the Empire's benefit, reassuring the senator that everyone had a role to play and setting a trap.

Due to the disarmament, Glie arranged a deal with information broker Ciddarin Scaleback to acquire more weapons. Hera and Chopper met Glie and Serin at the landing pad where his Rainhawk-class transport was kept, with the girl initially hesitant due to the earlier incident. Glie assured her that she would no longer be involved in spying, explaining that this was a supply run and he had intended to let her fly. The prospect of flying was enough for Hera to instruct Chopper to cover for her before boarding the starship. However, the Empire had learned of their plans, and Crosshair observed the meeting before attaching a homing beacon to the transport using his sniper rifle. Glie allowed Hera to pilot the transport for most of the journey to Ryloth's third moon, but deemed her too inexperienced for takeoffs and landings.

On the moon, the Twi'leks met with the Bad Batch, a group of rogue former clone commandos who had become mercenaries for Scaleback after Order 66. While Glie and Serin inspected the blasters and thermal detonators delivered by the squad, Hera bonded with Omega, a child clone taken in by the Batch, and was given a tour of the Marauder. Omega also provided Hera with the Batch's comm channel for emergencies. Satisfied with the weapons, Glie paid the Batch and instructed Hunter to inform Scaleback to notify him when more weapons were available. When Hunter remarked that stockpiling an armory would attract attention, Glie replied that they had no choice. With the weapons loaded, the three Twi'leks returned to Ryloth.

However, the Imperials used the homing beacon to set up an ambush. When the Rainhawk detected an Imperial ship on its sensors, Serin attempted to evade it in a canyon. Crosshair was waiting below and disabled one of the transport's engines, causing it to crash. A LAAT/i gunship arrived and deployed clones and Elite Troopers to surround the crash site. Glie, Hera, and Serin were escorted off the ship and surrounded as a Juggernaut tank arrived, carrying Rampart, Taa, and Howzer. The senator further insisted that Hera's presence proved Cham's involvement.

Rampart acknowledged that it proved nothing, as Cham had not committed a crime, but Hera certainly had. Howzer protested the order to arrest Hera, but the other clones complied, and the captain eventually oversaw the arrests. Crosshair informed Rampart that three rebels were observing the scene, and the admiral instructed him to allow them to report in and remain in position. Lenk informed Cham and Eleni of their daughter's arrest, but the situation worsened when Chopper discovered that all three detainees had been charged with treason. Aware that Taa would ensure Hera could not defend herself, Cham ordered the fighters to prepare an ambush on the tank before it reached Lessu, setting out with Eleni and Chopper to assist.

The Juggernaut traveled through a canyon in the western outskirts, escorted by clones on BARC speeders. Along with the handcuffed prisoners, Rampart, Howzer, and Taa were also in the passenger compartment. Lenk and her team monitored the convoy's progress as Cham, Eleni, and Chopper arrived in a Flash speeder. Informed that the tank was heading towards the narrows, Cham declared that they had to stop it beforehand. Eleni instructed Chopper to remain in position and monitor the situation, and the rebels dispersed, with Cham and Lenk proceeding on foot while Eleni and another fighter rode off on blurrgs. Once the fighters were in position, Cham on the canyon floor and Eleni on the ridge, they signaled each other with lights before initiating the attack.

Running along the canyon side, Cham threw a spear to dismount a clone from his speeder bike, before taking control of the vehicle. He circled back and retrieved his weapon, knocking the clone out of the way. A second outrider noticed the hijacking and opened fire on his bike, but Cham deflected him with the spear, causing the clone to lose his helmet as he fell. Cham approached the tank before changing direction again, prompting two other outriders to follow him. Inside the tank, Howzer was informed that the convoy was under attack, and Taa immediately blamed Cham. However, Rampart noticed Howzer's hesitation before affirming the order to counterattack.

Lenk jumped onto the tank's roof as it passed an outcropping, scanned the area, and entered the vehicle through the top hatch. She disarmed the clone trooper inside and stunned him with his own blaster before taking control of the vehicle. Cham continued further down the canyon before stopping his bike across a dead end, planting his spear in the ground. Eleni and the other blurrg rider positioned themselves on the cliffs, and Eleni opened fire as the two clone bikers approached, eliminating one. The other fighter and her blurrg pushed a rock off the cliff towards the other clone, but he evaded it and shot her before being shot by Eleni.

Howzer was attempting to communicate with his men when Rampart inquired about their reinforcements. However, Lenk disabled the tank's communications. As Howzer put on his helmet, Taa asked what they were going to do. The tank and its two remaining outriders stopped by the bike and spear Cham had planted in the canyon, and the two bikers turned to check another direction. However, Eleni destroyed their vehicles with fire from above. One trooper got up only to be stunned by Cham from behind, and he retrieved a charge from the unconscious clone. Eleni and Cham approached the tank as Lenk brought it to a halt and cut its power, Cham attaching the explosive to the door controls. Inside the tank, Taa insisted that the attackers had to be held off as Howzer aimed a blaster pistol at the door, but Rampart pushed his weapon down and said that they were going to surrender, to Taa's surprise. Cham and Eleni entered the tank, and Hera ran to her parents.

Taa, Rampart, Howzer, and a clone were led outside the tank and guarded while Eleni led Hera away from the scene towards the speeder Chopper had arrived in. Hera, worried, asked what Cham was going to do as Taa was certain to not let the incident pass, and Eleni told her that her parents would handle it. Taa called Cham a traitor for his actions, but the general flipped the accusation on the senator, accusing him of treason for his greedy and self-serving actions which had put Ryloth in danger. Cham aimed a DC-15A blaster carbine at Taa, and when the senator looked to Rampart, the admiral coolly noted that Cham was the one with the blaster. Howzer appealed to Cham to stop and think about what he was doing, unaware that Crosshair was taking aim at the scene with his rifle from above. Eleni successfully talked Cham down, saying that Taa's time would not come that way and reminding him that their daughter was watching. Rampart thanked Taa for playing his part before signaling Crosshair, who fired a shot which hit Taa in the side of the head, severely injuring him but leaving him alive.

Cham and Eleni were startled, and Howzer looked back in the direction of the shot to try and find the shooter. Two LAAT gunships arrived, and Eleni ordered Chopper to get Hera out of there, leading the droid to drive the speeder into the night. The gunships offloaded clones and the rest of Crosshair's Elite Squad, who outnumbered the Twi'leks. Rampart ordered the rebels' arrest for the attempted assassination of Taa as he disarmed Cham, who was too surprised to resist. Cham, Eleni, Glie, Lenk and Serin were handcuffed and loaded onto a gunship, while Taa was carried from the scene on a hovercart. Rampart handed the blaster to Howzer, who had removed his helmet, and ordered him to find Hera, suggesting she would not get far. Howzer was left standing by the ruined tank as Rampart departed with his prisoners, while more gunships swept the area.

Despite Rampart's expectations, Hera and Chopper evaded capture, prompting him to assign the Elite Squad to locate her. Howzer, suspecting that the rebels were not responsible for shooting the senator, attempted to continue his search with the intention of secretly protecting the girl, but Rampart denied his request. Cham, Eleni, and the other rebels were imprisoned in Lessu for their attack on his convoy and their alleged involvement in what he declared as the "attempted assassination of Orn Free Taa." Rampart planned to exploit their actions to turn the populace against the Syndullas. Rampart further ordered the arrest of anyone who supported Cham, a decision Howzer protested, given his widespread popularity among Ryloth's population.

Hera dispatched Chopper into Lessu to assess the situation while she surveyed the Syndulla family home, which had been occupied by the Empire. After Chopper reported on the situation in Lessu, Hera decided on her next course of action. Retreating to her father's old command outpost from the Clone Wars, she contacted Omega via the comm frequency, requesting her assistance. Hunter was initially hesitant to respond to Hera's call, but Omega persuaded him, and the Bad Batch returned to the Ryloth system, meeting Hera at the hidden cave outpost. She implored them to rescue her parents.

While scouting Lessu from sector five, the group observed Imperial forces comparable to those on the former Separatist capital world Raxus Secundus, despite Ryloth's history as a Republic planet. Omega also spotted Crosshair, who had been a member of the Bad Batch before the brainwashing of Order 66. A probe droid detected the group, and although Hunter swiftly destroyed it, it transmitted a report of the Batch's presence to the Empire. The group retreated from Lessu, realizing that the Empire was now aware of their presence. Crosshair informed Rampart of the report, and security was increased. Since surprise was no longer an option, Hunter decided to leave, despite Omega's protests. Still wanting to help, Omega approached Hera and, using her knowledge of the planet, the two girls devised an alternative rescue plan involving a diversionary attack at the refinery. Hunter finally agreed to the rescue after hearing the second plan, and they split into two groups: Tech, Wrecker, Chopper, and the girls would attack the refinery to draw away Imperial reinforcements, while Hunter and Echo would scale Lessu's walls and free the prisoners.

The diversion was successful, but Crosshair realized that the refinery attack was a distraction and moved to block the Capitol's main exit. Howzer observed Crosshair's actions and, deciding he could no longer support the Imperial oppression, warned Cham and the others about the ambush. As the escapees prepared to steal Senator Taa's shuttle to escape, Eleni asked Howzer to come along, but he decided to stay and try to convince some of his men about the true nature of the Empire. Howzer persuaded some of his troopers to lay down their weapons, but Crosshair had the entire group arrested. However, the captain's further distraction allowed the Twi'leks and commandos to escape Lessu. The group then rendezvoused on Ord Mantell. Cham and Eleni offered to pay Hunter for the rescue, but he declined their credits, stating that they would need them more. The Syndullas and their fighters departed to return to Ryloth and continue their fight. Meanwhile, Rampart acknowledged that he could not underestimate the Batch's skill, wishing that they were on the Empire's side. He granted Crosshair permission to hunt down his old unit when the commander requested it.