Episode 3.1—"Gathering the Pieces"
Warning alarms beep as Echo pilots the Marauder through space, narrowly avoiding incoming fire from three Imperial vessels. We've picked up right where Season Two left off, and the Empire has wasted no time tracking down the Bad Batch.
A shot grazes the side of the ship, disabling the hyperdrive. Hunter takes the helm and orders Echo to get the hyperdrive back online. Echo works as fast as he can, but he can't repair the system as quickly as Tech could. Wrecker, who is manning the turret gun, blows up one of the ships. Debris from the explosion crashes against the Marauder, sending it into a tailspin. When Hunter regains control of the ship, he discovers that the airlock is damaged. Echo scrambles to repair both the hyperdrive and the airlock while Wrecker destroys the second ship. Just as the third ship closes in, Echo succeeds in rebooting the hyperdrive. Hunter wastes no time sending the ship into hyperspace.
Once the squad has a moment to breathe, they evaluate their situation. The Marauder is low on fuel and barely functioning, and they need to find somewhere safe to land. Echo says he knows a place.
Meanwhile, Crosshair wakes up on Mount Tantiss. He's lying on an examination table among several other clones, who remain unconscious. The minute Emerie Karr removes his restraints, Crosshair attempts to make a break for it. He's still weak, however, and Emerie manages to block his escape. She advises him to comply with the Imperials' orders, for Omega's sake. Crosshair pauses, uncertain what she's implying. Just then, the door slides open. Crosshair whirls around to see a pair of guards leading a handcuffed Omega into the room. Realizing the Bad Batch has failed to heed his warning, all Crosshair can mutter is, "Those idiots."
Back on the Marauder, the squad approaches a rust-red moon called Eiloh. Echo says the moon contains a Republic outpost that was abandoned decades ago. For the past several months, Rex and his fellow rebel clones have used this outpost as a temporary base. Wrecker starts to ask why the Republic abandoned the location. He receives his answer when an asteroid nearly hits the ship. Up ahead, an expansive asteroid field comes into view. Echo explains that Eiloh has a 900-year orbital path. For the next century, it will be passing through this asteroid field. Navigation through the field is difficult but not impossible, if you know the path.
Hunter carefully directs the ship into the asteroid field. Between Echo's directions and Hunter's ability to sense approaching asteroids, he manages to land the ship, albeit with a few more dents in the side. A solemn Rex greets them and confirms that he received Echo's message.
As debris gathers in the upper atmosphere, Rex warns them that one of Eiloh's frequent asteroid storms is brewing; they won't be able to leave until it lets up. He leads them into the heavily fortified barracks, where Hunter spots an Onderonian flag on the wall. Rex reveals that Saw Gerrera claimed this base shortly after the Clone Wars ended and permitted the clones to settle it.
Rex determines that if they have no idea where Hemlock took Omega, their best option is to raid the ISB headquarters on Coruscant. There is a records vault on the lowest level that contains a list of Imperial prisons. Hunter asks how Rex knows this. Rex replies that he stationed a group of clones called the Rowan Squad on Coruscant to gather intelligence. If they wait until the Rowan Squad completes their mission, they could aid the Bad Batch in the raid. Hunter declines, believing they don't have time to wait. Just then, Rex receives a transmission. He steps outside to receive it, leaving the Bad Batch to weigh their options.
Wrecker declares that invading the ISB is a waste of time. Instead, they should return to Ord Mantell to interrogate Cid. Echo staunchly opposes this, believing they'd be walking into a trap. Wrecker murmurs that if Echo had been this reserved about Cid from the beginning, they wouldn't be in this situation. Before a fight can start, Hunter intervenes and sides with Echo.
A heavy silence settles among the three as they wait for the storm to end. To pass the time, Hunter moves a few important items from the Marauder into the barracks. Among the items are Omega's tooka doll and Tech's cracked goggles. An exhausted Wrecker falls asleep with Tech's glasses in his hands. Echo drifts off as well, but Hunter remains sitting on his cot, holding Omega's doll.
On Mount Tantiss, Emerie escorts Crosshair and Omega into a cell. Omega tries to speak to Emerie, but the scientist ignores her and activates the cell's ray shield, sealing the two inside. After Emerie leaves, Crosshair tersely asks if the Bad Batch received his warning message. Omega replies that they did, but they had to try to rescue him. Crosshair grumbles that his squad never could follow orders. He's even more annoyed to learn that the Batch likely doesn't know where they are. He comments that if Tech is good for anything, he'll find some map to decode. That's when Crosshair notices how upset Omega looks. She tremulously reveals that Tech is dead. After taking a moment to absorb her words, Crosshair turns his back to her. Omega says she doesn't know what will happen to them, but they can't lose hope. In an uneven voice, Crosshair asks her to please, just shut up.
A few days later, Eiloh's skies clear, and Hunter, Wrecker, and Echo head to Coruscant. Echo takes the helm this time. They take Rex's ship to decrease their chances of the Empire identifying them. If Imperials suspect that the Bad Batch has discovered Omega's whereabouts, they will likely relocate her.
On Coruscant, hordes of protestors crowd the streets. Stormtroopers try to restrain the clamoring citizens, who accuse the Empire of neglecting the people's needs. Hologram recordings of senators such as Riyo Chuchi and Bail Organa air in the streets. The senators promise they are doing all they can to represent the people's concerns in the Senate.
The Bad Batch enters the atmosphere and requests to land near the ISB. They transmit the clearance code Rex gave them, only to learn that the ISB has tightened its security. A guard speaks to them through the intercom, asking for their registration number. When they fail to provide one, the guard orders his men to fire. Stormtroopers gather outside the ISB to shoot down the ship. Echo evades most of the blasts, but a stray shot disables one of the engines, forcing him to make a crash landing. The three are relatively uninjured, but the same can't be said for the ship. Wrecker says that next time, he's doing the flying.
As stormtroopers march up to the ship, Hunter reminds his squad that the Empire cannot discover their identities. They step back into the shadows as the stormtroopers break into the ship. Once the troopers pass their hiding places, the clones step out and stun them in the backs. Hunter dons the armor of a fallen trooper and suggests that Echo do the same. While the two of them access the records vault, Wrecker, who can't fit into the troopers' armor, can secure a new vessel.
The moment Hunter and Echo enter the ISB, an officer stops them for a progress report. Hunter claims that they destroyed the invaders, but the rest of his squad was killed. The officer sends Echo away to collect the bodies. He then leads Hunter to the command center, where other stormtroopers have gathered.
In the command center, the officer announces that the protests on Coruscant have distracted them from a more immediate threat. He displays a hologram of five decommissioned clones that may be involved in rebel espionage. Hunter realizes that these clones are the Rowan Squad. The officer informs the troopers that they will storm the clones' residence at midnight.
While Hunter listens to the briefing, Echo sneaks into the records vault. He hacks into the computers and discovers an encrypted file about detainment facilities. Elsewhere, security droids detect the breach and confirm that an unauthorized life form is in the records vault. They head down to the vault. Just as the door opens, Echo finishes copying the file onto a datastick. He hides the datastick inside his socket arm and opens fire. He takes out most of the droids, but the last one hits him with a stun blast.
Wrecker sneaks toward the ISB's hangar, taking care to avoid the security cameras. A stormtrooper enters the hangar, and Wrecker follows him in. He crouches behind a stack of crates to avoid detection. When the trooper leaves, Wrecker peeks around the crates, only to discover that the hangar is filled with hovering patrol droids. He ducks back behind the crates, trapped.
Echo wakes up in a holding cell. A pair of security droids stand over him, as does the officer who spoke to Hunter earlier. Due to Echo's unusual appearance, the officer fails to identify him as a clone. When questioned, Echo claims he came alone. Unconvinced, the officer orders one of the security droids to send out an alert. The droid in question has a pair of sleek, human-like arms. It extends one arm toward a port in the wall. Its index finger detracts, revealing a peripheral device similar to the one at the end of Echo's socket arm. Echo watches jealously as the droid activates the alarm.
Back in the hangar, Wrecker hears the alarm blaring. A voice from the loudspeaker announces that there has been a security breach in the records vault. Wrecker mutters that this is going well. Then he gets an idea. He pulls some explosives out of his pack and rolls them across the ground, just softly enough that the hovering patrol droids don't notice.
The ISB officer once again asks Echo who he's working with. Echo refuses to speak, so the officer orders the security droids to salvage him for parts. Before the droids get started, Echo covertly sends a distress signal to his team. Hunter receives the signal and sneaks away to the detention level.
Inside Mount Tantiss, Omega hesitantly approaches Crosshair. She reiterates that if they work together, they can find a way out of here. Crosshair glares at her with such a severe expression that she stops talking. Then, almost imperceptibly, he nods toward the ceiling. Omega follows his gaze. After a moment, she spots a tiny, nearly invisible camera on the ceiling. Her eyes flit away immediately.
Emerie returns to the cell with a pair of guards. She handcuffs both prisoners and orders the guards to take Crosshair to the main lab while she brings Omega to Nala Se. Omega doesn't want to leave Crosshair, but he warns her that resisting orders will only bring them harm.
Emerie ushers Omega into Nala Se's lab. Stormtroopers guard every exit, but all the clone commandos who previously roamed Mount Tantiss are mysteriously absent. Emerie stands Omega on a platform between two stormtroopers who are armed with electrostaffs. Metal cuffs close down over Omega's feet, locking her in place. Emerie assures Nala Se that as long as she meets her quotas, no harm will come to Omega. Nala Se delves into her work, studying blood samples and mixing chemicals. Omega tries to make eye contact with Emerie, but the scientist avoids her gaze.
Back in Echo's cell, the security droids have confiscated all the prosthetics not vital to his survival—including his legs, headpiece, and socket arm. Echo still refuses to speak, so the officer sends for a mind probe. When the cell door buzzes, the officer opens it to let in the droid. Instead, a stormtrooper waits outside the door. The trooper blasts the officer and steps into the cell. He removes his helmet, revealing that he is Hunter. Taken aback at the sight of Echo sans prosthetics, Hunter asks where the rest of him is. Echo grumpily replies that he will probably be lining a ship by this time tomorrow. When Hunter assumes that Echo failed to download the data, Echo counters that he accessed the file easily. Echo adds that he may not have enhanced senses or 20/10 vision or oversized biceps, but he can still do things. Hunter then asks where the datastick is. Echo admits it was hidden inside his socket arm. He doubts that the Imperials have discovered the datastick yet, but he knows they will soon.
We return to Wrecker. He emerges from his hiding place and creeps over to a ship. He's still somewhat lacking in the stealth department, and the patrol droids swarm him almost instantly. Wrecker dodges their fire and pelts toward the west side of the hangar. Grinning, he challenges the droids to come get him. Before the droids can pursue him, Wrecker activates the explosives. Detonations ripple through the east side of the hangar, destroying many droids and blasting a large hole in the wall. With a roar, Wrecker starts firing at the surviving droids.
Hunter and Echo hear the commotion and assume it has something to do with Wrecker. Snatching up the fallen officer's key card, Hunter suggests they make good use of this distraction. With no other options, Echo allows Hunter to carry him, although he doesn't look happy about it. They reach the security room, where Echo says the droids took his prosthetics. Hunter uses the keycard to infiltrate the room, where they find half a dozen droids staring back at them. The droids have torn apart Echo's socket arm and just discovered the datastick inside. Hunter and Echo blast them before they can harm the datastick.
While Echo reattaches his legs and headpiece, Hunter checks the security cameras. He discovers that Wrecker has hijacked a shuttle in the hangar. More droids pour into the hangar, but Wrecker blasts them with the shuttle's turret gun. Another camera reveals that stormtroopers have prepared a tank for retaliation. A grim-faced Hunter shoots the computer consoles to destroy the footage. Echo reminds him that all the security cameras will retain copies. Without his socket arm, he cannot access the network to delete the footage. Hunter does not respond right away. He has discovered a holoprojector displaying a picture of the Rowan Squad. Echo asks what he's looking at. Hunter pockets the holoprojector and says it's nothing. They need to cut their losses and get to the ship.
Hunter and Echo reach the hangar, where Wrecker has obliterated most of the droids. They board the shuttle and start disabling the ship's tracking device. One surviving security droid—the one with the intricate arms—starts to climb the gangplank. The clones shoot the droid just as it reaches them. As the gangplank rises, Echo dangles the droid's body outside the ship, keeping ahold of its arm. The gangplank closes, severing the droid's body and leaving Echo with the arm. He says that this is coming with him.
Before Wrecker can steer the shuttle out of the hangar, the tank rolls through the entrance, blocking their escape. Wrecker turns up the thrusters and directs the ship right through the damaged hangar wall. They take to the sky, dodging blasts from the tank. Spotting the ISB's electrical tower, Hunter says he knows how to get rid of that surveillance footage. At Hunter's command, Wrecker fires at the narrow tower, destroying it. Inside the ISB, the power shuts down and the security cameras short-circuit.
The squad enters the safety of hyperspace. Hunter asks if it's possible to send a message to Rex. Echo replies that they are too far out of range to reach Rex with their communicuffs. He also suspects that the Empire could trace them if they sent a transmission through their hijacked vessel. He asks if Hunter's message to Rex is urgent; if it is, they could return to Eiloh to speak to him directly. Wrecker reminds them that storms are still passing through Eiloh. They could be stranded on the moon for many more days if they return now. After a pause, Hunter tells them not to worry about it.
On Mount Tantiss, Omega still stands between the stormtroopers' flickering electrostaffs. She hugs herself and lowers her head. On the ship, Hunter looks out at space. He closes his eyes, as if he can almost sense Omega's distress.
END OF EPISODE ONE