“Embrace others for their differences, for that makes you whole.”

THE BAD BATCH
The battle for Anaxes! One of the
Republic’s largest shipyards is under attack
from Admiral Trench’s Separatist
forces. Jedi Generals Mace Windu and
Anakin Skywalker lead a two-pronged
assault on the ground and in the air.

But after weeks of heated battle and
mounting losses, the Republic’s grip
on Anaxes begins to slip away….

The Republic’s campaign on Anaxes became worse when the Separatists captured the main production facility for the Republic’s battle fleet. Commander Cody and Captain Rex join Mace Windu and Anakin Skywalker to discuss their losses, debating how to proceed. Rex suggests that the Separatist Droid Army uses analytics to predict Republic strategy and that the Republic needs to vary its attack to counter this constantly. Windu notes that the losses on Anaxes are not expected, and Rex believes the Separatists’ counterattack is so specific because they have learned his strategy. Cody worries that if the Separatists have figured out how to counter Rex, the Republic could suffer even more severe losses. He proposes they lead a squad behind enemy lines to steal any intel the Separatists have from their Cyber Center. Windu agrees, but Skywalker notices that Rex has something else on his mind and asks him if he has anything else to say. Rex denies it.

Cody finds Rex in the barracks, staring at an old picture of them with the late ARC troopers Fives and Echo. Rex is grieving their deaths and the Republic forces’ losses in the war, which Cody understands. Rex shares that he suspects Echo might still be alive because the Separatists are using old battle plans that he and Echo came up with, but he hasn’t told the Jedi since they might think he’s crazy. Cody is unsure but agrees to proceed. When Rex asks who they are taking, Cody replies, “Clone Force 99.” On the landing platform, Rex and Cody, along with ARC trooper Jesse and clone medic Kix, see the squad’s shuttle, the Marauder, landing wildly, causing other clones to run out of the way.

Rex asks Cody why he has never heard of a specific group, and Cody clarifies that the group is informally called the “Bad Batch.” This squad comprises clones born with desirable mutations but considered defective. The “Bad Batch” consists of Sergeant Hunter, the team’s leader; Wrecker, the squad’s strongman and assault specialist; Crosshair, the team’s sarcastic sniper; and Tech, the tech specialist with extensive knowledge and intelligence. After assembling and boarding a gunship, the team heads towards the Cyber Center.

On their way to a mission, the clones are spotted by a group of battle droids. The droids shoot down the clones, and their ship crashes in a ravine. Cody is seriously injured and trapped inside the wreckage. The Bad Batch, however, shows their unique qualities: Wrecker lifts the gunship off Cody’s body with his bare hands, and then he and his squadmates aggressively engage the incoming droids, taking down the entire enemy force without any help. Once the clones have left, a second droid force investigates the crash site and informs Trench of their findings.

The clones, guided by Hunter’s exceptional sensory abilities, make their way on foot to the cyber center. However, Cody cannot continue, leading Rex to step up and take command of the mission. This causes tension with Crosshair and Wrecker, almost escalating into a fight. However, Hunter intervenes and concedes command to Rex. Proceeding without Cody and Kix, they reach a Separatist outpost near the cyber center. Rex decides to take the outpost, hoping to find vital information. Using the Bad Batch’s past success as a strategy, Rex and his fellow clones quickly overpower the droid garrison and capture the command and communication center. However, while attempting to hack into the cyber center’s computers to investigate its defense capabilities, Tech intercepts a message announcing the impending arrival of heavy droid reinforcements.

To create a diversion, Rex divides the squad into three groups and orders them to attack the center’s guard force. At the same time, droid relief forces arrive at the outpost, but Trench fails to warn them about the clone’s assault. The cyber center droids are taken by surprise. Rex, Crosshair, and Jesse engage the guards in a fight while Hunter, Tech, and Wrecker enter the building and capture its command center. The other clones hold the incoming droid reinforcements off. Rex and Tech go into the command center, where Tech hacks into the computer system and discovers an algorithm.

Interestingly, the algorithm is not stored in the center’s memory banks but is being broadcast from another planet called Skako Minor. Tech receives an audio signal, which sounds like a human voice. Rex asks Tech to send a transmission requesting the person’s identity. The voice responds, “CT-1409,” and its masking drops, revealing that the voice belongs to a clone trooper.

After being attacked by the enemy, the remaining clones retreat to the command center. When Rex hears about Echo’s survival, he is so shocked that he momentarily ignores Hunter’s instructions to leave. The clones fight out of the structure and escape using a speeder craft that Crosshair has secured. Meanwhile, Trench learns about the clones’ infiltration of the broadcast. Rex is left brooding over the startling discovery that Echo, whose identification number was “CT-1409,” is still alive.