“Spoils of War”

Escaping the crabs
Echo, Wrecker, and Hunter are fleeing large crab creatures along a beach after securing an unknown package on a tropical island located on the water world of Aynabodi. Echo berates Wrecker that they went over the plan five times, while Wrecker retorts the package was secured regardless. Meanwhile, aboard the Marauder, Omega takes a study break to Tech’s disapproval, as she tries to learn every ship in the Imperial fleet.

As she is about to continue, Hunter calls the ship and Tech and Omega prepare to give the others a pickup, but are assaulted by the same creatures chasing them on the beach. Omega shoots them off the hull with her energy bow and using the shell of another, jumps back onto the line as Tech flies into view of the three running. Echo, Hunter, and Wrecker finally get hoisted onto the ship with their cargo. Hunter thanks Omega for the back-up but warns her to stay inside the ship next time. Omega says that she will try, but adds that it was still pretty fun.

Dooku’s war chest
They arrive back at Cid’s Parlor and are greeted by AZI. Cid introduces the Batch to a pirate named Phee Genoa, who finds the Batch’s genetic mutations to be strange but interesting. Cid offers the Bad Batch a job on the planet Serenno to steal one of Count Dooku’s war chests from his ruined castle. Hunter turns down Cid’s offer and continues a ship recognition lesson with Omega. Howeved, Wrecker, Echo, and Tech decide they want to follow through with the mission. Hunter expresses his concerns that Serenno is occupied by the Galactic Empire and that they have avoided drawing Imperial attention since the events on Kamino.

Cid counters that just one of those war chests could be worth more that all the previous jobs that the Batch did for her. She tells them that they can buy their freedom. When Hunter counters that they are already free, Cid warns that the Empire will eventually turn their attention to her operations on Ord Mantell. Tech agrees with Cid’s promise to free them from their debts if they succeed with this mission. Seeing Omega, Hunter agrees.

Mission to Serenno
On the Marauder, Echo expresses his desire to fight the Empire instead of just hiding, and proposes the war chest as a means to this end. He notes that others need their help and wants to do more. Hunter doesn’t immediately address Echo’s concerns but clearly is thinking about his words. The Marauder lands on Serenno and the Batch beholds the bombed-out city, the result of an Imperial Orbital bombardment. Through a pair of macrobinoculars, Tech spots Class four container transports departing with loot and believes they have a narrow escape window. Hunter volunteers to serve as their eyes on the ground while the rest of the squad carry out the mission.

The squad eventually reaches the Imperial shipyard, where clone stormtroopers were carrying out the extraction of Dooku’s loot in large cargo containers. Hunter splits up with Tech, Echo, Wrecker, and Omega to provide a diversion if needed, as the other four make their way to steal anything they can from the containers. As Hunter plants explosives on some Imperial escort ships, Wrecker stuns a passing clone stormtrooper, much to the frustration of the others who know that his absence will be noticed.

The four search for items of high value, and Omega finds a chest full of credits that they decide to take first. When Omega asks how one person could gather so much wealth, Tech explains that Dooku acquired these resources from the worlds he exploited and controlled. Echo adds that this is what corrupt people do. When Omega points out that they are stealing, Echo counters that it depends on how they use their loot.

Detection and escape
His suspicion aroused, the clone stormtroopers’ Captain Wilco, orders his troopers to find the incapacitated clone CT-8801. In response, Hunter detonates the explosives on the escort shuttles and distracts them. After assessing the damage, Wilco orders the last remaining cargo ship to depart. Wrecker grabs the credit-filled chest and runs back to Hunter, but the container doors close before everyone else can escape. Meanwhile, Omega along with Tech and Echo find themselves trapped in their container as the third escort shuttle prepares for take-off. Omega relays the news to Hunter and Wrecker via comlink.

Wrecker and Hunter engage in a firefight with clone stormtroopers as they try to scale the container ship and get to Tech, Echo, and Omega. When the two slip off the container ship, they decide to go back to the Marauder and recover the others. Tech decides that they will try and commandeer an escape pod and the trio make their way through the ship while fighting through its clone stormtrooper crew. Wrecker and Hunter make their way into Dooku’s office, but are cornered by clones at Dooku’s desk. Hunter and Wrecker engage the troopers in a gun battle and escape.

Descent
Captain Wilco orders the escape pods to be released to prevent the rogue clones from escaping in them. Realizing that they are on a class four freighter, Omega comes up with the idea of escaping the ship in a cargo vessel since they have reentry thrusters. Tech agrees but points out that the containers must be ejected before leaving the atmosphere. Pursued by clone stormtroopers, they are forced to abandon their treasure chest.

Back at Dooku’s palace, Hunter discovers a lift panel behind Dooku’s controls and activates it while Wrecker provides covering fire. Since the lift is jammed, Wrecker jumps on it to release it and they both fall down the shaft. Meanwhile Tech, Echo and Omega dodge their Imperial pursuers in the cargo ship’s corridors. Tech initiates the cargo release, which deactivates the force field holding the various crates. The three clones make it to a cargo container as it descends towards the planet’s surface, hoping that the reentry thrusters will fire soon.