Shortly after the Galactic Empire's establishment, a brief conflict erupted at a spaceport town located on Saleucami. This clash involved the renegade clone commandos known as Clone Force 99 and the Empire's clone troopers. Two members of the Bad Batch, Tech and Echo, infiltrated an Imperial base by falsely reporting their shuttle, the Marauder, as an abandoned starship. The intention was for the ship to be seized and impounded, allowing them to forge chain codes for the Lawquanes, a family seeking to leave the planet. The Lawquanes couldn't obtain the codes themselves because Cut Lawquane, a clone, had deserted from the Grand Army of the Republic during the Clone Wars. While the acquisition of the necessary equipment for creating the false identification proceeded smoothly, the presence of the child clone Omega on the shuttle, the attempt to deliver the IDs before the Lawquanes' transport departed, and the discovery of Echo and Tech at the spaceport all culminated in a gunfight. This confrontation served to divert the clone security forces, enabling the Lawquanes to escape unnoticed. Subsequently, the Marauder managed to flee Saleucami.
Early in the Clone Wars, clone trooper Cut Lawquane abandoned the Grand Army of the Republic after surviving a Separatist attack that wiped out his entire unit's transport. He later met and married Suu Lawquane, a Twi'lek, and became the adoptive father of her two children, Shaeeah and Jek. They established a home on a farmstead located on Saleucami.
During the Battle of Saleucami in 21 BBY, Cut encountered Clone Captain Rex from the 501st Legion. Rex had been injured during a patrol and was taken to the Lawquanes' farm by his men while Cut was away. Despite initial tensions stemming from Rex's perception of Cut as a deserter, they reached a mutual understanding after repelling commando droids that attacked the farm during the night. Rex ultimately decided not to report Cut before rejoining the Republic Military.
Later in the Clone Wars, Cut and Suu befriended the unconventional clone commando squad Clone Force 99, also known as the "Bad Batch." Due to their tendency to disregard orders, they also refrained from reporting Cut. As the Clone Wars concluded in 19 BBY, Order 66 was executed. This secret command, engineered by the Sith and embedded in the clones' behavioral modification biochips, designated all Jedi as traitors to the Galactic Republic. This brainwashed almost the entire GAR, forcing them into blind obedience to Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine, secretly Darth Sidious, the Dark Lord of the Sith. Among the few clones who resisted the mind control were most of the Bad Batch and Captain Rex, who had his inhibitor chip removed with Ahsoka Tano's help. Shortly after, Sidious proclaimed himself Emperor of the newly formed Galactic Empire, while his new apprentice deactivated the Separatist Droid Army, officially ending the war.
After parting ways with Tano to avoid Imperial detection, Rex visited the Lawquanes on Saleucami. He informed them about the chips and how they had caused the clones to betray the Jedi, also warning them about the dangers of the emerging Empire. Rex's visit was brief, and Cut and Suu didn't inquire about his next destination. Concerned about the increasing Imperial presence on Saleucami, Cut and Suu resolved to leave the planet with their children and find a more secluded location. Around the same time, the members of the Bad Batch had defected from the Empire after Admiral Wilhuff Tarkin tasked them with a mission to assess their loyalty, intending for them to kill civilian refugees. However, they had lost their sniper Crosshair, the only member of the unit whose mutations didn't grant immunity to Order 66. They had also taken in the child clone Omega, a mysterious creation of the Kaminoans who aided their escape. Former Clone Sergeant Hunter decided to seek Cut's advice on their next course of action.
Upon arriving at the Lawquane farm, the Batch was greeted by Cut and Suu. When asked about Crosshair's whereabouts, Hunter only stated that the situation was complicated. He then introduced them to Omega and Echo, a "reg" clone who had joined the squad after being captured during the war and experimented on by the Techno Union, resulting in extensive cybernetics, including a scomp link arm. Cut and Suu told the Batch about Rex's visit and their plans to leave Saleucami. Hunter offered to transport the Lawquanes offworld in the Marauder, the Batch's shuttle, but Cut refused. He feared that traveling on their starship would endanger his family, as Clone Force 99 were wanted by the Empire.
Accompanied by Hunter, Cut visited a nearby spaceport town to purchase passage offworld. However, he discovered that his Republic credits were now worthless, as the Empire had devalued them in favor of a new currency. Furthermore, only Imperial citizens registered with a new official chain code could exchange their old credits or book passage offworld. Cut's status as a deserter prevented him from registering. The two returned to the farm, where Hunter offered the Batch's assistance. Tech, the team specialist, was confident he could forge the Lawquanes' chain codes before the next offworld shuttle departed in a few hours' time. Privately, Hunter asked Cut and Suu to take Omega with them, believing she would be safer with them than with the Bad Batch.
Aboard the landed Marauder, Echo and Tech discussed how to forge the Lawquanes' identification, as they needed Imperial identification cards to attach the chain codes to. Noting that Cut had mentioned the Imperials had been seizing starships for almost a week and storing them at an impound dock at the spaceport, Tech proposed gaining access to the spaceport by reporting the Marauder to Imperial authorities. This would result in the ship being transported to the lot, behind security lines. Echo was initially hesitant but agreed, suggesting they make the shuttle appear abandoned. They proceeded with their plan. Unbeknownst to them, Omega was hiding on the shuttle, upset after a previous encounter with a nexu.
The Empire dispatched a clone impound vessel to retrieve the "abandoned" shuttle. Simultaneously, Tech and Echo informed Hunter of their plan via comlink. Hunter was furious, believing that having to fight their way out was far from a "simple" plan, especially with Omega on board. It was then that Omega, sitting in the rear gunner seat, revealed herself to Echo and Tech, expressing her belief that their plan was actually quite good. Echo quipped that the plan was no longer simple.
The Marauder was taken to the impound lot, where a boot was attached, and it was added to a list for later identification of its signature. Two clone troopers boarded the vessel and inspected it, finding it messy and seemingly abandoned. After they disembarked, Echo, Tech, and Omega emerged from the ceiling compartment where they had been hiding. Omega offered to help, but Echo told her she had had enough excitement for the day and should stay on the ship. Following Tech's instructions, Echo stealthily left the shuttle and approached a security booth. The trooper on duty soon left the booth, allowing Echo to enter. Using his scomp link, Echo downloaded information on the chain codes before opening the locker containing the identity disks. He took a box of disks and a card reader, then returned to the Marauder. Tech used the reader to create five identity disks.
Meanwhile, the Lawquanes, accompanied by Hunter and Wrecker disguised in civilian clothing, arrived at the spaceport town and joined the line of people waiting to travel offworld. Tech planned to run the codes past security, but a sudden increase in troopers on guard made him reconsider the plan's viability. Echo noted that a firefight could lead the Empire to lock down the entire spaceport. As they discussed this, Omega decided to take the codes herself, sneaking off the Marauder with the disks. Echo noticed she was missing when he went back to retrieve the disks, and Tech saw her outside through a window, contacting Hunter to inform him that Omega was taking the codes. Wrecker immediately ran off to ensure her safety, while Suu reassured Hunter that children often find trouble.
Echo went outside to try and remove the boot, plugging in his socket arm. He was struggling when a clone trooper spotted him and demanded to know what he was doing. Echo unconvincingly claimed he was performing maintenance. The trooper managed to report the situation before Tech stunned him from behind, leading to a gunfight as Tech fired at the attacking clones while Echo continued working on the boot.
Omega avoided the clone troopers but encountered an astromech droid that sounded an alarm when she tried to persuade it to stop. However, Wrecker arrived and disabled the droid with a blow to its head-dome. Seeing Omega over the wall and out of the impound lot, he contacted Hunter to let him know she was on her way. Immediately afterward, Wrecker was confronted by three troopers who demanded to see his identification. He pretended to search for his chain code before knocking the trio unconscious by slamming their heads together. More troopers arrived, and Wrecker threw a large box at them before moving to assist Echo and Tech.
As the line advanced, Cut grew increasingly anxious about whether Omega would arrive in time. Just as he was about to leave the line, Omega finally arrived with the chain codes, prompting Shaeeah to cheer her on. Omega pointed out that Tech had accidentally made five codes, leading Cut to express surprise that Hunter hadn't informed her about his plan. As the Lawquanes moved forward, Hunter told Omega he wanted her to go with them for her safety. Reluctant, she eventually followed the Lawquanes into the security line. Meanwhile, many clones stationed at the civilian port left to reinforce their comrades fighting the "locals with blasters" at the impound lot.
Echo continued working on the boot as Tech and Wrecker held off the Imperial troopers. Tech called Hunter, suggesting he come over as they were about to leave. Hunter ran to the impound lot, arriving just after Wrecker had thrown a large crate at three clones. The box incapacitated one trooper, and Hunter quickly took out the other two with hand-to-hand combat and a blaster taken from one of them. He took cover and joined the firefight.
Concealing his face with a wide-brimmed hat and a large box, Cut and the Lawquanes reached the security booth and presented their forged chain codes for inspection. Their identification was cleared, and the family proceeded, unloading their luggage onto a waiting cart. Suu asked Omega if she was ready to leave, but she hesitated before refusing and heading back to the impound lot to rejoin the Bad Batch. While boarding the Star Commuter 2000 shuttle, Cut was nearly recognized by a clone trooper, but the soldier let him pass after another trooper informed him that reinforcements were needed at the impound lot, causing him to leave to join the fight.
Wrecker eventually questioned the delay with the boot and used brute force to disable it, proving effective. As the Batch boarded the shuttle to escape, he realized Omega was missing and asked about her whereabouts. Just as Hunter was about to explain, Omega arrived and called out. She ran toward the Marauder, but a clone trooper grabbed her foot. Hunter rescued her, incapacitating the clone and providing cover as she escaped onto the ship. The Marauder flew away from the impound lot, sustaining damage from blaster fire.
Omega admitted to Hunter that she had made a mistake, explaining that she had left Kamino with the Batch and wanted to stay with them. Hunter accepted her decision, assuring her that she could stay if that's what she wanted.
The blaster fire damage sustained by the Marauder on Saleucami knocked out its capacitor, forcing it out of hyperspace and causing it to crash-land on the Ordo Moon. The process of installing the spare capacitor was complicated by an energy-feeding Ordo Moon Dragon native to the moon that stole the device, requiring Hunter and Omega to track down the creature and retrieve it.