Setting up a new secluded and hidden base after the attack on Teth was anything but easy. The new direction had forced all other priorities to be put on the back burner. The Senators slowly coming together would be fine under the watchful eye of Riyo Chuchi; the same couldn't be said for (Y/N), whose extract was long overdue. Despite the best efforts of Echo and Gregor to focus on getting her and Wolffe out, something else that needed their immediate attention popped up. Something always prevented the pair from seriously sitting down to plan the finer details.

"Umm! That's not good," worded Gregor, the weight of the latest intel crashing down on him. Quickly, he scribbled down what the contact within the Empire was telling him on a piece of flimsi. Wolffe had been compromised and sent to Tantis to be questioned and interrogated. If (Y/N) had been in danger before, then she would be in dire straights now, even more so if Hemlock was as smart as Crosshair had claimed.

"What's up?" asked Rex, appearing behind Gregor and creeping along through the shadows of their latest base. No matter how hard the Commando tried, he found it difficult to hide the concern swimming through his golden eyes, even more so when his gaze landed on Howzer and Echo. "How bad is it?" sighed the former Captain, wiping a hand down his features before pinching the bridge of his nose and mentally preparing himself for the terrible news he was about to be hit with.

"Our contact confirmed Wolffe has been compromised," spoke Gregor, trying his hardest to keep his voice even despite the urge to scream out in frustration, despite wanting nothing more than to charge into Tantis and pull both (Y/N) and Wolffe from the fingers of the empire. "He was sent to Tantis for interrogation days ago."

"And Snap?" questioned Rex, suspecting Wolffe being arrested was just scratching the surface of the bad news to come. Briefly, the great captain turned to where Echo slouched over a makeshift table, a bowl of soup and datapad before him. Howzer was close by, trying to set up the communication table; every now and again, he'd swear about something not going right and wish Nemec and Fireball were there to help.

"Our source says (Y/N) was taken into custody, and the Dark Trooper project has been put on hold until an internal investigation is complete. They mentioned something about CX-2 but couldn't make it out," replied Gregor, his words whispered now as if he attempted to hide the truth from Echo and save him the crushing guilt and regret for not getting (Y/N) out sooner. "On other news, though, Devika is back within the senate; I hear she's quite the sneaky one," he laughed, attempting to lighten the mood, as he handed over a piece of flimsi with scribbled notes on it. "Message from Devika, all the senators that may pose a future risk against anyone who speaks out against the empire."

"Call Hunter and the boys," replied Rex, patting Gregor on the shoulder as if to convey silent comfort before walking away with the scribbled list. The idea was clear enough; the batch was intending to get to Tantis to rescue Omega, no matter the cost of doing so. The four there would be targeting the facility soon enough; it was better to work with each other rather than get in the other's way. They had a common goal, and working together would get them there faster.

With a heavy sigh, Gregor got to work on sending a quiet message to the boys of the Bad Batch, or at least what remained of them. He understood his goal loud and clear: keep Echo in the dark for now until they could be sure about Snap's position. Despite the urge to go into Tantis guns blazing, they didn't know for sure if the news of Snap was true or an elaborate trap designed to pull in rogue clones who'd attempt a rescue.

"Echo," called Rex, setting himself up to deliver the bad news. Upon gaining the Arc Troopers' attention, the captain gestured him to follow to the quiet corner shrouded in shadow not too far from their position. Already, Rex dreaded the response, dreaded giving the news of uncertainty. "Intel suggests Snap may have been compromised. She's being detained at Tantis," the captain said slowly, feeling the dread build in his stomach and his confidence begin to dwindle. The horror etching itself on Echo's features did little in the way of comfort. Instead only brought more guilt.

"Message sent to the boys," called Gregor upon realizing nobody was being kept in the dark this time. "Apparently, they already have a way to find Tantis. They broke some Imp out of a labor camp."

"Cause that doesn't sound suspicious in the slightest," replied Howzer, suspecting it was all a trap. This was even more so when the Empire wasn't known for its willingness to spare those who failed them. Execution was normally the preferred method. "Who is this imperial anyway?" asked the hero of Ryloth, allowing curiosity to get the better of him, if only for a second before he pushed it aside to return his attention to more pressing matters.

"Admiral Rampart," said Gregor, seeing the harsh disappointment paint on Echo's features. He then rolled his eyes as he figured out which of Hunter, Crosshair, and Wrecker was responsible for breaking the untrustworthy weasel out of prison if it was the admiral who had mercilessly destroyed Kamino.

"I'll go to them," Echo said, reaching for his helmet. He knew the boys of the batch were going to do something crazy again, and this time, they were willing to risk it all to get Omega back. "Whatever they're planning, they're not going to wait. I'll signal if we need backup."

"We'll have everything ready for your return," called Gregor, raising his voice so Echo could hear him as he left for the makeshift hanger bay. The Commando refused to think negatively thrust forced himself to believe Echo would return, and among all their missing brothers, Wolffe and (Y/N).

"Any idea who the Shadow on our trail is?" asked Rex, turning his attention to Howzer at the makeshift table. At first, they believed it was the one marked CX-2, but they soon figured otherwise. Whereas CX-2 seemed to have a personal vendetta against the members of the Bad Batch, CX-3 seemed to have it out for all of them, as if he knew each of them.

"My first thought was Fox, but intel suggests this mysterious Sith apprentice killed him months ago," started Howzer, a wave of sadness washing over him, another brother lost at the hands of the empire. Destined to be forgotten as those who perished during the war were. "After a bit of digging, I found Bly was within the imperial ranks until about three months ago, and Cody's been listed as Awol for almost seven months."

"What about Scorch and Sev?" questioned Gregor, knowing his fellow Commandos were likely still within the ranks of the Empire. They were loyal but never truly believed in the republic. "Could one or both of them be these Shadows?" he added, allowing another sigh to pass his lips. Deep down, he knew there were only two ways of finding out who the operatives were. Either by capturing and removing their helmets or getting intel from the person who'd created them. (Y/N).

"Remind me to shoot whoever created these guys," commented Howzer, quickly noticing when the air seemed to have been sucked from the room and how it had fallen into a deathly silence.

"Snap created them. It's why there was such a high bounty on her," answered Rex, hearing Gregor begin to chuckle from across the darkened room.

"That's why they're so effective," laughed Gregor. "These X troopers only started popping up after we sent her in. They're a part of the Dark Trooper program the Empire wanted her for."

"They're protecting her?" asked Howzer, confusion evident in his voice. Was that why none of them answered when asked questions? Was that why none of them said anything when asked who they were and who turned them into the operatives?

"Snap created them. The odds are she knows how to reverse it," added Gregor, choosing to think on the bright side and have faith in his friend. He doubted Snap would have tortured all the clones and turned them into empire loyalists and assassins without a way to reverse what she'd been forced to do. Even more so when so many knew she would do anything to protect them, even at the cost of her own well-being.

"Note to self: Don't shoot her. I'd rather not be the recipient of Echo's wrath," noted Howzer. As he allowed himself to think, he suspected it would be more than just Echo he'd be dealing with. Wolffe and Gregor, too, perhaps Rex as well.

"It's better than being on the receiving end of his disappointed look," voiced Gregor, recalling the last time he'd personally been on the receiving end of the expression of irreparable shame. The Arc Trooper had mastered the art better than anyone else he knew. "I still haven't forgotten when he threw it at me, when I helped (Y/N) prepare for her mission."

"Howzer, make a list of everyone who could potentially be a Shadow. We'll get (Y/N) to confirm once she's back," commanded Rex, choosing to focus on what they could do rather than dwell on everything that could possibly go wrong. From losing more brothers to the impromptu rescue mission going horribly wrong.

"I'll work on getting communications up and prepare the packs in case we're called for backup," spoke Gregor as he stepped toward the communications table, kicking some of the thick wires from his path. "Snap, Wolffe, Echo, The Batch, and all our brothers out there need us. Let's not let them down when the time comes," added the commando, refusing to allow the doubt to creep into his mind. The empire had already taken so much from clones; he wasn't about to let them take away those his brothers loved, too.