Early in the Imperial Era, Clone Force 99, a group of rogue clones, received a mission from their informant, Cid: steal a lizard from the Rhokai gang. This lizard, who would later be known as "Ruby," had previously been stolen from an unknown party. Tech justified their theft of the lizard by calling it an "interception."
The lizard's theft, who would later be called Ruby, occurred in the early days of the Imperial Era. The Rhokai gang of thieves were the current possessors of the lizard, having stolen her once already. Roland Durand, a criminal, hired the information broker Cid to steal the lizard for him. Cid, in turn, dispatched the Bad Batch, a team of renegade clone commandos who worked for her as mercenaries. The squad successfully retrieved the lizard from the Rhokai's base.
Following the acquisition, the Batch's starship, the Marauder, found itself pursued by three Rhokai starfighters. The shuttle's hyperdrive malfunctioned, and Tech piloted the ship while Echo worked to repair the drive. Hunter took control of the ship's rear gun, returning fire while inquiring about the hyperdrive's status. Wrecker secured the lizard's cage on a jump seat but failed to properly secure it, leading to the lizard escaping and causing Wrecker to panic. Omega, the youngest member of the group and a child clone, told Wrecker to calm down, revealing she had named the lizard, surprising him. Echo managed to restore the hyperdrive's functionality just as Omega secured Ruby back in her cage, allowing the Batch to successfully escape the Rhokai.
Upon returning to Ord Mantell, where Cid's operations were based, the Batch presented Ruby to Cid. Hunter, Echo, and Tech protested when Cid paid them significantly less credits than initially agreed upon, citing various expenses and their failure to retrieve a tactical droid head during a job on Corellia. These expenses included multiple cartons of Mantell Mix purchased by Wrecker and Omega, who had developed a habit of treating themselves after successful missions. Shortly after, the Batch traveled to Bracca to assist their friend Captain Rex. While there, Hunter sought valuable salvage on the junk planet to offset their debt, but the group ended up escaping Imperial forces who discovered their presence. The Batch's debt was eventually settled when Omega displayed a talent for dejarik while the rest of the squad was on another mission.
Later, Roland Durand became involved with the Pyke Syndicate and, in an attempt to establish himself in the criminal underworld, seized control of Cid's Parlor with his henchmen. During this time, Omega reconnected with his pet Ruby, as Cid attempted to steal spice Durand owed the Pykes in order to cause trouble for him.