Throughout their adventures, members of Clone Force 99 have occasionally taken odd mercenary jobs for bounty hunters, smugglers, and space pirates, and very few among them have proven themselves to be as honorable as the members of the batch. In the eighth episode of the final season of Bad Batch, we take a look back at those days as Hunter and Wrecker are compelled to make a deal with one of the infamous bounty hunters with whom the team came into a conflicting course earlier. Previously, the team ventured to Teth on Clone Captain Rex’s request, as his Clone insurrectionists had apprehended an Imperial covert Clone operative whose target list included Omega. The team found themselves in trouble after another Clone operative was sent from Tantiss to kill the former one, who spotted Omega and informed Imperial forces about his findings. The majority of Rex’s Clone Troopers perished in a surprise attack orchestrated by the operative, and as they tried to escape, Crosshair squared off with the operative. Eventually, Imperial Clone Troopers led by Commander Wolffe cornered the team, and Rex was able to appeal to his friend’s sensibilities to convince him to let them escape. The team learned about the possible reason for the Empire’s hunt for Omega being related to the M-count connection, and in order to keep her safe, it is imperative that they get to know more about it.
Spoilers Ahead
What Did Fennec Shand Demand In Exchange For Information?
The episode opens in Pabu, and we see Omega still feeling pretty bummed out about what happened in Teth, blaming herself for Rex and Echo losing their Clone brethren. Crosshair comforts her, stating that, for the time being, she can help them by letting them be on their way.
The batch receives transmissions from their pirate associate, Phee Genoa, whom they had asked for help regarding the M-count connection to the Empire. Phee remarks that bounty hunters might have more information regarding that, and Omega suggests checking up on Fennec Shand, the bounty hunter who was formerly employed by Kaminoans to abduct Omega. Unbeknownst to anyone in the team, it was Omega’s guardian figure, Nala Se, who had ordered Shand to abduct her, but after knowing that she was safe with the batch, she called Shand off. As Phee states that she can locate Shand for them, Hunter agrees to approach her but decides to leave Omega behind with Crosshair for her safety, as Shand cannot be trusted. Hunter and Wrecker go to meet Shand and question her about the Empire’s search for M-Count Clones. She states that she herself hasn’t taken part in any such operations, but she knows someone who might have, and she is willing to share the information in exchange for a hefty sum. The Clone brothers don’t have that kind of credit, which leads Shand to propose them working for her on a particularly tricky mission. Her target is the infamous bounty hunter Sylar Saris, who has taken down some powerful people across the galaxy to draw the ire of some notorious folks, and for quite a long time, Sylar has managed to escape Shand and every other bounty hunter in his pursuit. Hunter and Wrecker decide to take the deal, as they don’t have many options anyway.
How Does Omega Help Crosshair’s Troubled Psyche?
Meanwhile, back at Pabu, Omega decides to get Crosshair tested by AZI, as Hunter had asked her to. Crosshair’s dreaded aim hasn’t been the same ever since his shaky hand started troubling him, and Hunter had noticed that. According to AZI’s diagnosis, Crosshair’s ailment is psychological, not physical, as his sordid memories of getting experimented upon by Imperial forces back in Tantiss have seemingly done a number on him. With the ugly truth being revealed, Crosshair decides to shut himself off even more, but Omega approaches him regarding the issue, as acceptance of the situation will help him get better.
To help Crosshair gain better control of his mental state, Omega teaches Crosshair to meditate. Initially hesitant, Crosshair follows her lead and gradually calms his mind in a better way. Upon questioning, Omega mentions that she has learned this from her friend Jedi Padawan Gungi and other Wookie friends at Kashyyyk. Crosshair is surprised to know Omega has visited Kashyyyk and agrees with Omega’s words that he indeed has missed a lot while staying away from his family.
Did Fennec Shand Keep Her End Of Bargain?
To capture Sylar Saris, the trio of Shand, Hunter, and Wrecker travel to a toxic planet and venture into a swampy area in a boat where Sylar has possibly built his hideout according to Shand’s intelligence. Hunter and Wrecker help her navigate through booby-trapped, alligator-like creature-infested wetlands. After a while, as Hunter finds it tough to track the possible waypoint, Shand initiates a conversation, which soon moves on to the topic of Omega. Shand is skeptical about the Clones’ intentions, as despite their past altercations, they have agreed to work for her, and he asks Omega’s whereabouts. Hunter and Wrecker stay silent, making Shand assume that they have lost Omega or perhaps are searching for her. Shand shares with the duo that previously she had let Omega God go because her employer called the bounty off, considering the girl would be safer with the Clone brothers.
Finally, the trio manages to locate Sylar in his hideout, and a prolonged scuffle ensues among them. After managing to evade them for some time, Sylar eventually gets stunned by their blasters and is brought back to their shuttle. After returning to the space station, Shand prepares to go on her way, and Hunter reminds her about keeping her end of the bargain. They still need to learn about possible connections regarding the Empire’s search for M-Count Clones. Shand states that she doesn’t know the details at the moment but will gather the intel for them. Obviously, this doesn’t go down well with Hunter, and Shand is implying to leave them hanging in anticipation. But he is unwilling to pick a fight about it either, and he chooses to trust Shand’s words.
As Shand leaves through Hyperspace, she communicates with an unknown person to inform them about her recent deal with the Clones, who were asking intel about M-Count bounties, and also shares information for them to be able to track Hunter and Wrecker. The episode ends with Shand’s betrayal, which shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone—integrity isn’t exactly a common trait among bounty hunters. However, the identity of the mysterious caller remains unknown, but we assume either Hemlock or the covert Clone operative from the last two episodes to be the party interested in Cline Force’s whereabouts.
