“Truth and Consequences”

A new mission
The Bad Batch and Omega are resting aboard the Marauder while Gonky walks around. Echo notices that Omega is meditating, something she has picked up from Gungi. Echo doesn’t feel comfortable meditating due to his experiences as a prisoner of Wat Tambor on Skako Minor. The clones receive a transmission from Rex, who seeks their expertise. While Wrecker is excited, Hunter is concerned when he learns that they are to meet on Coruscant where Rex will brief them about the mission.

Journey to Coruscant
When Omega asks what is on Coruscant, Tech explains that the planet is the capital of the Galactic Empire. Echo adds that the Empire believes they are dead and that they won’t be looking for them. Hunter says he hopes to keep it that way. Rex says that he needs them for a covert data extraction mission and will send them a flight plan to bypass Imperial Security and coordinates for a safe landing zone.

The Bad Batch travel aboard the Marauder to Coruscant. Omega gazes at the skyscrapers while Hunter warns everyone to be steady. They land the ship at Trace Martez’s repair shop where they are greeted by Rex and Senator Riyo Chuchi, who thanks them for coming. Inside the repair ship, Rex shows them the corpse of Sniper X, noting that his identifying markings have been removed. Rex explains that he had come to rescue the Clone trooper CT-0409 (“Slip”) but that he was assassinated by the clone, who also tried to assassinate Chuchi.

When Echo asks why a clone would want to kill a Senator, Chuchi explains that Vice Admiral Rampart has been perpetuating the lie that Kamino was devastated by a cataclysmic storm. She says that Slip witnessed the truth and that she wanted him to testify. Echo volunteers to testify since the Bad Batch survived the Attack on Kamino but Hunter warns that the Imperial Senate won’t believe them because they are deserters.

Rex explains that they can prove Rampart’s crimes by obtaining Slip’s backup copy of his command log which are stored on his Venator-class Star Destroyer’s backup data banks. Rex tells the Bad Batch that the Star Destroyer is being retrofitted at the Imperial shipyard on Coruscant, which is heavily guarded. Rex says he knows a way inside the shipyard. Chuchi adds that Rampart’s Imperial Defense Recruitment Bill is being debated the following day and that they must prove his crimes before the vote passes. Chuchi intends to stall the Bill.

Rex warns that Chuchi is in danger, prompting her to say that she must be on the right track. Omega volunteers to accompany her. Chuchi says that people cannot enter the Senate District without a security clearance. Tech says that will not be a problem while Hunter tells the clones to get to work.

Omega’s Senate tour
While walking through the hallways of the Imperial Senate with Chuchi and her bodyguards, Omega asks what a Senator does. Chuchi explains that senators serve the galaxy and act as the voice of the people. They encounter Admiral Rampart, who says he is making preparations for tomorrow’s vote. Omega is unnerved by Rampart, who walks past the group. He speaks with Grand Vizier Mas Amedda who asks if Chuchi will be a problem. Rampart reassures Amedda that Chuchi will not cause anymore delays to the Bill.

Chuchi shows Omega the Galactic Senate Chamber, explaining that this is where the Senate discusses legislation and discusses the future of the galaxy. Omega is mesmerized. Chuchi explains that each pod belongs to each of the senators and delegates. When Omega asks if there is one for the clones, Chuchi explains that the clones never have had representation since some view the clones as military assets. Chuchi says she is working on ensuring that clones have the same right as any Galactic citizen. Chuchi is determined to fight for this cause.

Senator Bail Organa’s astromech droid R2-C4 pops by with a message. Chuchi asks Omega if she can keep a secret. While Rampart gives a speech arguing that the galaxy needs a military staffed by its citizens, Omega accompanies Chuchi during a meeting with Organa as they stroll through a hallway. Chuchi briefs Organa about the failed assassination attempt, leading Organa to surmise that Rampart is very resourceful. Chuchi explains that her associates are working on obtaining information proving Rampart’s role in the events on Kamino.

Organa advises Chuchi to speak with the Kaminoan Senator Halle Burtoni but warns that her support may not be forthcoming. Organa explains that she served on the Defense Finance Committee before being removed from office. Organa advises Chuchi to follow the money since they always leave a trail.

Smoke and mirrors
Omega is present in Senator Chuchi’s senatorial residence when she hosts Senator Burtoni, who asks if guards are necessary. After the guards close the door, Omega sits beside Chuchi while Burtoni sits on a high chair near the wall. Chuchi asks about the missing Senate appropriation funds earmarked for operations on Kamino. Funding for the cloning facilities has been siphoned off since the last year. Chuchi asks where the money went and who diverted the funds.

Burtoni derides Chuchi as a fool and warns about the danger of prying into sensitive matters. When Chuchi mentions the Kaminoan people, Burtoni says that most of her people are gone and that she is not concerned with the Kaminoan diaspora scattered across the galaxy. When Omega asks why she is not concerned about the Kaminoan cataclysm, she asks why a child like her would care. Omega responds she is a clone and that Kamino was her home. She says that she saw the Empire destroy everything and that she is angry about what they did. Omega emphasises that it was not right.

Burtoni says that she suspected that an attack was imminent, dismissing Prime Minister Lama Su as arrogant in his belief that the clones were a necessity to the Empire. Burtoni laments that none of them are. When Chuchi asks if Admiral Rampart diverted the funds, Burtoni responds that she already knows the answer and confirms this is the case. Chuchi pleads with Burtoni to testify at the Senate debate but the Kaminoan Senator says that her words won’t matter since she will need concrete proof. Chuchi responds that she needs both and that she is running out of time.

The heist
Meanwhile, the other members of the Bad Batch and Rex infiltrate Rampart’s Star Destroyer. They climb up a ladder past a generator. Hunter gets Wrecker to cut through the hatch. Hunter chats with Rex, who tells them that more of their brothers are waking up to what has been done to them. Rex is determined to reach out to the other clones and says that troopers who know too much are a liability to the Galactic Empire. Rex says that he is working with a few contacts but that they are spread pretty thin with limited help.

After Wrecker encounters ray shields, Rex manages to improvise and disable the shields. They climb up the manhole and hide under a walkway. There are several Clone troopers and droids moving around them. The clones hide under a repulsorlift platform. Wrecker is nervous due to his fear of heights. Tech manages to hack into the platform’s controls and commandeers the platform, alarming its droid pilot. Tech gets the speeder to drop them on top of the Venator’s dorsal door. The clones infiltrate the shut through a hatch.

After stunning several Clone troopers, the Bad Batch and Rex enter the command bridge. Tech discovers that the energy conduits are offline and that the only way to retrieve the data is to reroute the power, which could trigger a security breach. With time running out, the clones get to work and reactivate the bridge area. Their presence is detected by other Imperial Clone troopers who realise that there are intruders aboard vessel VZ-114. The Clone commanding officer dispatches patrols to trench Alpha-7 and alerts the onboard sentries.

Clone sentries proceed towards the bridge, finding unconscious comrades in the command room outside trench Alpha 7. Wrecker jams the doors while Tech retrieves the copied file. Rex and the rest of the Bad Batch engage in a gun battle with sentries after they break down the doors. The sentries request reinforcements, who dispatch several Alpha-3 Nimbus-class V-wing starfighters. Hunter gets the clones to man the ship’s turbolaser cannons, which down several starfighters. After Tech completes the data transfer, the Bad Batch activate plan five which involves firing up the Star Destroyer’s engines.

While Clone troopers retreat from the moving structure, the Bad Batch and Rex fight their way through the Clone sentries and head towards the corridors. Due to the movement of the engines, the Star Destroyer tilts forward, causing the frontal support clamp collapse. The Bad Batch and Rex escape in an escape pod, which lands in the shipyard. The infiltrators escape down a manhole as Clone troopers and speeders swarm the site.

Moment of truth
At the Imperial Senate, Admiral Rampart argues that there is no need to delay the vote on the Imperial Defense Recruitment Bill since Chuchi’s concerns about Clone trooper’s welfare has been addressed. Chuchi disagrees and says that they cannot take his word since he has given them reason not to do. She and Burtoni take their pod to the middle of the podium. Rampart asks what reason is that.

Chuchi responds that Burtoni is willing to testify that Rampart has diverted Kaminoan funds without Senate approval. Rampart dismisses Burtoni as a disgraced senator. Chuchi proposes a formal investigation into the funds. Outside, Echo passes a copy of the file to Omega. Meanwhile, Rampart responds that he is not at liberty to disclose classified military operations. He claims that the funds were redistributed. Chuchi responds that his actions began months before the events on Tipoca City and suggests that he was planning for it.

When Rampart asks what she is talking about, Chuchi accuses him of intentionally destroying the Kaminoan cloning facilities. Chuchi’s allegations are met by gasps and murmurs. Senator Organa watches the proceedings grimly. Rampart denies the accusations as baseless while Burtoni asks Chuchi for the proof that she speaks of. Chuchi says she doesn’t know. Rampart calls for the vote on the Defense Recruitment Bill to proceed. InterGalactic Banking Clan Senator Gani Riduli calls for Chuchi to be removed from the Senate proceedings and censured for misconduct. The Unidentified Commerce Guild senator seconds the motion.

At that point, Omega presents the data package to Senator Organa, who detaches his pod and presents the recording to Chuchi. Chuchi presents the recovered command log from Admiral Rampart’s Venator, which she states proves that his own ships caused the destruction of Tipoca City. She plays a recording of Rampart’s Venators bombarding Tipoca City. Omega and Organa watch with vindication while the other senators react with shock and outrage.

A hollow victory
Emperor Palpatine and Grand Vizier Amedda rise on the central pod to address the Senate. Amedda addresses the Senate, commending Chuchi and condemning Rampart for his unprovoked and cowardly attack on Kamino. Amedda claims that Rampart acted to fulfil his own selfish goals and orders several Imperial shock troopers to arrest him for war crimes. Rampart protests that he was just following orders as shock troopers handcuff him.

Emperor Palpatine says that he is deeply troubled by the revelations and commends Chuchi for exposing a rogue element within their ranks. Palpatine regrets that many lives have been lost and promises that Rampart will be punished for his treachery. Palpatine also points out that Rampart did not act alone and that the clones under his command blindly followed his orders. Palpatine uses the revelations of the Kaminoan atrocities to make an impassioned speech arguing for the passage of the Defense Recruitment Bill into law in the name of peace and stability. He adds that this new era will be heralded by the Imperial stormtrooper. Omega, Chuchi and Organa watch with concern.

Farewell and onward
Following the Senate vote, Rex laments that the Emperor is several steps ahead of them and that they played right into his hands. Omega is perplexed that they failed despite telling the truth. Hunter responds that Palpatine twisted the truth to his own advantage. Rex agrees that Palpatine wanting them to implicate Rampart in order to secure Senate approval for his stormtrooper programme. Echo laments that the fate of the clones is sealed as a result of their actions.

Chuchi vows to continue to fight for clones to have the same rights as every citizen. Kneeling to face Omega, she promises not to give up. Hunter tells Rex to contact him if he needs anything. Echo decides to stay behind, prompting Hunter, Wrecker and Tech to wish him farewell and good luck. Omega is surprised that Echo is not coming with the rest of the Bad Batch. Echo explains that he is going with Rex because the clones will need their help more than ever. Omega is upset, but Echo promises that he will return and tells Omega to keep up her training. Echo hugs a tearful Omega before she joins the rest of the Bad Batch aboard the Marauder. While Echo watches with Rex and Chuchi, Omega hugs her tooka doll Lula.