Conspiracy! After repeated setbacks on the planet Anaxes, an elite clone squad is deployed to investigate the Separatists' tactical advantage. This special unit, called the Bad Batch, infiltrates Admiral Trench's Cyber Center to steal a strategic algorithm capable of predicting the Republic's every move. What our heroes found, was a live signal from the ARC Trooper known as Echo, a clone long believed to be dead.

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Anakin Skywalker, Captain Rex, Sergeant Hunter, and Corporal Slash all walk out onto the landing pad of the Republic's main base on Anaxes.

Hunter: Word is the general staff isn't completely behind this mission.

Rex: I admit, the idea that Echo is still alive is a long shot.

Anakin: I'm sure the Council will approve the mission. Just remember the primary goal is to learn how the Separatists are predicting our strategy, whether it's Echo behind it or not.

Slash: If you ask me, this whole thing practically has "trap" written all over it. But we'll have your back. Even if it's just to say "I told you so", before we all die.

Anakin: Just make sure you're ready, if we get the go-ahead from General Kenobi.

Rex: If you're certain he'll approve the mission, why wait? Let's get going.

Anakin: First, we have that thing to do.

Rex: (confused) Uh, what thing?

Anakin: You know.

Rex: We don't have time for that, sir.

Anakin: Yes, we do. (nods to the left)

Hunter: Well, we'll just let you two sort this out. (salutes them with two fingers)

Slash: We'll be on the ship with the rest of the team for when you're ready to go.

As the two clones leave, Slash glances back as Anakin and Rex head for the barracks.

Slash: Think they're a thing?

Hunter: Slash!

Slash: What?! It could happen! A Jedi and a clone? We've seen stranger and you know it!

Hunter: (insistently) Just shut the hell up and get on the ship.

Slash: Fine! (mumbles to himself) Maybe Tech has some statistics to that theory.

(A/N: AGAIN, I WANT TO SAY FOR THE RECORD: I. AM. STRAIGHT. ONLY INTO WOMEN! JUST TRYING TO MAKE SOME FUNNY INNUENDO! I APOLOGIZE IF I'VE OFFENDED GUYS WHO LIKE GUYS AND WOMEN WHO LIKE WOMEN!)

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The Havoc Marauder exits hyperspace and approaches Skako Minor.

Inside, Wrecker was balancing their GONK droid over his head while Anakin inspected Crosshair's sniper rifle.

Anakin: (hands rifle back to Crosshair) So, how many missions has your team been on, Sergeant?

Hunter: Honestly, sir, I've lost count. All the action sort of blurs together.

Rex: I know you work with Cody sometimes, but who do you guys report to?

Hunter: Hmm... good question. Can't say I've got an answer.

Slash: (scoffs, while sharpening his sword) I do. Nobody! No offense to your leadership skills, Captain, General, but the way we do things? It's pretty much our way and nobody else's way.

Wrecker: Ha! (takes a bite out of his drumstick) You got that right!

Suddenly the ship jerks violently.

Tech: We are approaching Skako Minor. It looks to be a difficult landing.

The clones and Anakin all strap themselves in as the Marauder flies through a violent storm and sets down with winds blazing through.

Anakin: Rex, what do we know about this place?

Rex: On this part of Skako, there's a race of locals, the Poletecs. All we know is, they're very primitive.

Tech: "Primitive" is being kind. My intel says the Poletecs worship flying reptiles.

As if on cue, a reptile with what was likely a Poletec riding it, lands on the windshield of the ship and makes them all jump back.

Slash: (hits Tech's shoulder) Way to call it, Tech!

Wrecker: Woah! What the heck was that?!

Tech: It's one of those reptiles.

Hunter: I want that thing off my ship!

Rex: Hold on! Hold on! Don't just run out there!

The Bad Batch all rush out with Anakin and Rex and aim their weapons at the Poletec.

Wrecker: Hey! Get offa there!

Anakin: Hey, calm down. We need to talk to them.

Hunter: Why?

Rex: The General's right.

Suddenly two more Poletecs on reptiles fly in and one grabs Slash by the leg and flies off.

Hunter: SLASH!

Slash: AGH! Let go of me, you stupid Iguana!

The Poletec on the Marauder drops down and grabs Anakin, making drop his lightsaber as all the Poletecs fly off.

Tech: (lowers visor) I have a thermal reading. Point-two-five east elevation 175.

Crosshair: Relax. I'll handle this.

Crosshair swaps his long barrel for a grappling launcher and levels his rifle on Tech's shoulder. He fires the cable as it attaches to the reptile carrying Anakin and Crosshair hands the reel to Hunter.

Rex: What are you doing?

Hunter: (bluntly) Going for a ride.

The cable goes tot and Hunter goes flying after the Poletecs.

Slash was still flailing from being held upside. He then sees Hunter reeling up behind the Poletec carrying and waves at him.

Slash: A little help here?!

Hunter takes out his pistol and aims at Slash.

Slash: (holds hands out) Wait, wait, wait! I didn't mean shoot me!

Hunter fires at the reptile until it hits the leg carrying Slash, releasing him. Slash falls towards the ground, before pulling out a knife and stabs it into the rock, slowing his descent and watching Hunter struggle to hold on.

The reptiles descend and Hunter cuts himself from the cable and rolls to a stop on a ledge overlooking a village below.

Hunter: (taps helmet) Tech, I'm with the General. Hone in on my signal.

Tech: (on the radio) What about Slash?

Hunter: He-

Before Hunter could finish, Slash walked up and hit him on his head with the butt off his sword, making Hunter hit the rocky surface on his stomach.

Slash: Alive and kicking, no thanks to our Sergeant. Just hurry up and get here.

Hunter groans, standing up. 

Hunter: Did you have to do that?

Slash: Did you have to shoot at me?

The Marauder lands behind them and the rest of the team rushes out to join them.

Hunter: One of the creatures still has a hold of the General.

Rex: We're going in. But remember what the General said. "No casualties. Disarm only."

Slash: Whatever you say, boss-man.

Hunter: Wrecker, Crosshair, rockslide.

Wrecker and Crosshair push a giant boulder that rolls down and takes some structures in the village as Rex, Hunter, Slash, and Tech run in shooting the Poletecs' weapons out of their hands.

Crosshair snipes the leg of the reptile holding Anakin down, allowing him to roll out of the way at the last second as the boulder came towards him.

The Bad Batch and Rex all aim at the Poletecs, as Slash levels his blade at the throat of the Poletec leader. The leader had his hands raised and speaks, pleadingly.

Slash: Tech, translation please?

Tech lowers his visor as it translates the Poletecs vocabulary.

Tech: He says he does not want our war on his planet. That is why they took our leaders.

Anakin: We didn't bring the war here. It was Wat Tambor and the Separatists.

Tech speaks in the Poletecs' language, making them understand.

Rex: Tell him we apologize for what's happened. But tell him the enemy is holding one of our men prisoner in Purkoll. As soon as we rescue him, we'll leave his planet for good.

Slash: Also tell him to apologize for snagging me!

Anakin/Rex/Hunter: SLASH!

Slash: (growls) Fine!

Tech speaks again to the leader. The leader then turns to his people and gestures them to calm down. He speaks to Anakin.

Tech: The chief says he will provide us with scouts and lead us to Tambor's city. From there, we're on our own.

Anakin: Any help is better than no help.

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Two Poletecs scouts lead the group up the mountain side and they see the city.

One of the Poletec scouts points out at the city and speaks before leaving with his comrade.

Anakin: Hope nobody's scared of heights.

Hunter, Crosshair, and Slash look back at Wrecker.

Wrecker. Well, I'm not scared of nothing! I just... when I'm up real high, I got a problem with gravity.

Slash: Yeah, you're scared of heights, Wrecker.

Wrecker: No, I'm not!

Tech: Speaking of problems, I am no longer picking up Echo's signal.

Rex: I... I don't understand. You said it was coming from this city.

Tech: I can only speculate, but it is possible there's a latency issue with the frequency caused by all these atmospheric disturbances.

Hunter: Or... maybe they sent the signal to lure us into a trap. And maybe you're friend's actually dead.

Slash: (throws hand up) Who called it? Who called it?!

Rex: (points at them) Every mission could be a trap. This one is no different. I'm telling you that signal is being sent by Echo himself! He's alive!

Slash: General, all due respect, are you sure your Captain isn't going nuts like his other reg buddy? What was his name... Fives?

Rex marches up and gets visor-to-visor with Slash.

Rex: You. Don't. Talk. About him.

Slash: (grabs the handle of his left sword) Or what?

Crosshair: I think you're letting your feelings get in the way because you left him for dead at the Citadel.

Rex: (shoves Slash away) I had no choice. You hear me?

Crosshair: Oh, I don't blame you. I would've left him for dead too. Besides, he's just another reg.

Rex punches Crosshair twice, knocking him to the ground before Wrecker grabs Rex and holds him up.

Wrecker: Hey! (shoves Rex down) Why don't you pick on someone not your size?

Rex: (marches up to him) You'll be a whole lot smaller when I'm through with you!

Anakin: (pulls them apart) That's enough! Sergeant, take your men and scout the area for a tower entrance. I wanna talk to my Captain alone.

Hunter nods for the clones to follow him. Slash looks back at them before following again.

Anakin: (holds Rex's shoulder) Rex, I hate to say it, but you have to prepare yourself for the possibility that Echo is dead, and this is all a Separatist trick.

Rex: Sir, I've watched so many of my brothers fall during this war, and I try not to hang on to any one of them. (takes off helmet) But that changed when I heard that Separatist transmission. It was no algorithm. That was Echo's voice. I know it.

Anakin: I hope you're right. But if, for some reason, you're wrong...

Rex: Then I'll deal with it.

The Jedi and clone Captain make their down and rush through the winds, seeing the Bad Batch at the entrance.

Hunter: We're in business, General. Tech regained Echo's signal. It's coming from this tower.

Slash: Tech, how are we doing?

Tech doesn't respond for several seconds before the door opens.

Tech: Sorry it took so long.

Hunter: Hey, Crosshair, check it out.

Crosshair enters the room and looks back at them.

Crosshair: Yeah, it's a lift.

Tech: Well, we already knew that.

Slash: Tech, don't be smartass.

Wrecker: Wait, wait, wait. A lift? (looks up) How far up are we going?

Slash: Aww, does baby Wrecker need big brother Slash to hold his hand?

Wrecker: Cut it out, Corp. Just get me some droids to crush.

As the lift went up, Anakin addresses the clones.

Anakin: Remember, this is a stealth mission. No blasting, no blowing things up. Nobody knows we're here.

The door opens and they see a at least two dozen droids are seen in a cargo bay.

Wrecker yells as he charges and grabs a droid before throwing it into several others. The rest of the Bad Batch rush in and deal with the droids.

Rex: So much for stealth.

As the last droid falls, Wrecker yells out in triumph as everyone looks at him.

Wrecker: Uh... sorry. I just got excited.

Tech: I've still got a lock on Echo's signal.

Hunter: All right, men. Let's hunt some droids.

Wrecker: Now you're talkin'! Yeah!

They make it through a corridor, taking out several more droids.

Anakin: Where exactly is Echo's signal coming from?

Tech: Strange. I just lost the signal.

Rex: What? How can that be? There's no "atmospheric disturbances" up here.

Tech: Well I have a new theory. I'm surprised I didn't consider it earlier.

Slash: Well, spit it out, Tech.

Tech: The signal is only traceable during data transmissions. So until Echo dispenses more intel, I cannot pick up the signal.

Anakin: Okay, we're splitting up. Search every door. If someone finds Echo, contact the others. We go in together, just in case there's trouble.

Anakin, Crosshair, and Slash head left, while everyone else went right. They search door for door, not finding anything. Tech was about to check one until his tracer pinged.

Tech: Ah! It appears the signal is back. It's from up ahead.

Tech, Hunter, Wrecker, and Rex rush around and find a door larger than the others.

Hunter: In there.

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Anakin was struggling with two droids shooting at him until two kunai hit them in the backs and they fell sparking.

Anakin looks up and sees Slash with Crosshair behind him. Slash salutes him with two fingers.

Slash: Seems like you had your hands full.

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The others approach the large door.

Rex: Tech, open this door.

Suddenly they hear a noise and a goggled figure appears on the screen next to the door.

Tambor: You clones are so predictable.

Rex: Wat Tambor.

Tambor: Your algorithm predicted nearly every move you made to infiltrate Purkoll.

Rex: There is no algorithm. We know you're holding a prisoner of war here.

Tambor: Prisoner? I don't know what you mean, Captain.

Rex: (points at the screen) I am leaving here with my friend.

Tambor: Your friend is dead. His mind is ours.

Rex: Liar!

Suddenly several dozen droids marched in and surrounded them.

Tambor: Execute them!

The droids opened fire as the clones started mowing them down. Anakin, Slash, and Crosshair joined the fray and took them all down within seconds.

More droids started marching in as the group took cover.

Anakin: Tech, open that door for Rex!

Tech: Yes, sir!

Hunter: I hope you find what you're looking for, Captain.

Rex and Tech rush in and see a large room with chamber being held over a console system.

Rex: I don't like the look of this.

Tech starts working on opening the chamber.

Tech: I'm definitely picking up a life-form in there. It seems to be a stasis chamber. I think I can get it open.

The chamber then opens releasing a body, being held up by wires. Rex stared in shock in awe at who it was.

Rex: Echo! Tech, we gotta get him out of here. Figure out how to unplug him from— from this mess.

Rex pulls a wire out of Echo's side and sets him down against the console. Rex then takes off his helmet.

Rex: What have they done to you?

Echo: (mumbling) We— we have to get to the shuttle to escape the Citadel. No! I'll go first! No, no, no!

Rex: Echo. Echo! It's Rex, I'm here.

Echo: (shudders) R-Rex? You— you came back for me...

Rex: Yes, yes I did.

Echo: What— what happened? Where am I?

Rex: (holds his hand) It's okay, Echo. You're safe now. Just sit tight, trooper. You're going home...

(AND THAT'S CHAPTER TWO DONE! I'LL TRY TO GET THREE OUT WHEN I CAN!)