Crab Heist

|prev=Subjugation of KashyyykStar Wars: Dark Times—Fire Carrier
|conc=
|next=Mission to Castle Serenno
|name=Crab Heist
|image=
|conflict=
|objective=Retrieve a package
|date=June 28th, 1985
|place=Aynaboni
|result=*Success
**Clone Force 99 escape with the package
|side1=Clone Force 99
|side2=
|commanders1=Hunter
|commanders2=
|ppl1=*5 mercenaries
**Echo
**Hunter
**Tech
**Wrecker
**Omega
*1 Omicron-class attack shuttle
**Marauder
|ppl2=Aggrocrabs
|casual1=
|casual2=
}}
The Crab Heist was a mission carried out by Clone Force 99, also called the "Bad Batch," in 1985 during the 11 months after the Attack on Kamino, during which the Batch were assumed dead by the Galactic Empire. Working small-scale jobs after that incident, the Bad Batch took a job to retrieve a package for their employer, Ciddarin Scaleback, from Aynaboni. Despite going over their plan five different times, squad member Wrecker awakened a pod of aggrocrabs. Nevertheless, the Bad Batch succeeded in getting the package off-world, returning it to Cid's Parlor to be picked up by Scaleback's contact Phee Genoa.
==Prelude==
Clone Force 99, nicknamed the "Bad Batch," originated as an irregular squad of clone commandos created to serve in the Grand Army of the Republic by the Kaminoan cloners. The team served in the War of the Ring fought by the Galactic Republic against the Confederacy of Independent Systems until the very end, when the vast majority of clone troopers were forced to execute their Jedi commanding officers through the secret command Order 66. Most of the Bad Batch was immune to the inhibitor chips used to enforce the order, due to either genetic modifications or, in the case of Echo, the squad's newest member, cybernetics he was implanted with as a Separatist prisoner.
The squad quickly fell out with the Galactic Empire formed out of the Republic and deserted, bringing along Omega, an unusual female clone who had been a special project of Kaminoan Chief Medical Scientist Nala Se, but leaving behind their sniper, Crosshair, the only member of the Batch not fully immune to his inhibitor chip. The Bad Batch became fugitives from the Empire, who put them on a wanted list, and eventually began working as mercenaries for the information broker Ciddarin Scaleback, based out of Cid's Parlor in Ord Mantell City.
The team's members developed differences of opinion over what to do about the Empire: leader Hunter was focussed on trying to protect his team, but Echo wanted to do more to oppose the new regime. Rex, another rogue clone who had tracked them down, was actively opposing the Empire, and he eventually asked the Bad Batch to rescue Gregor, a clone who was attempting to desert Imperial service. During the mission, Hunter was separated from the rest of his team and captured. Crosshair, who had developed an obsession with hunting down his former squad, took Hunter back to Kamino in an attempt to lay a trap for the others.
The Empire was undertaking an operation on the planet to seize all cloning technology and scientists for their own benefit before destroying the Kaminoan facilities and cities. Crosshair lost control of the situation he had created as the Batch refused his offer to rejoin the Empire, and Vice Admiral Rampart opened fire on Tipoca City with the clones still inside. They were able to survive the bombardment, but the Bad Batch left Crosshair behind on Kamino after he committed himself to the Empire and refused to rejoin the team. In the aftermath, the Empire listed the Bad Batch as officially dead. For eleven months afterwards, the squad took small-scale mercenary jobs which avoided the Empire's notice. Scaleback eventually sent them on a heist for Phee Genoa, a pirate whom she considered trustworthy, to recover a package.
==The heist==
The package was located on an island on Aynaboni, in proximity to a nest of aggrocrabs. Before beginning the job, the Batch created a plan for the heist, which they went over five times. While Omega and Tech stayed with the team's starship, the Marauder, Hunter, Echo and Wrecker ventured into the jungle on the island in order to locate the package.
The three clones successfully recovered the package, however, Wrecker awakened a pod of the crabs, which were fast, strong, and largely unaffected by blaster fire. Hunter, Echo, and Wrecker were forced to flee back through the jungle, the latter carrying the package. They reached a beach on the island with the crabs in hot pursuit, and Echo, frustrated, snapped at Wrecker about the number of times they had gone over the plan, to which he responded that he had successfully retrieved the package.
On the Marauder, Omega was sitting on the ship's ramp studying starships of the Imperial Navy while inspecting a line she had dropped into the water to see if they could catch anything. Tech caught her resting, disapproving of her study break, before the argument was interrupted by Hunter calling them for a pickup. Tech correctly guessed that Wrecker had awoken the pod, as Hunter and Echo opened fire on the crabs pursuing them. Omega was distracted by a bite on the line, but Tech's attempt to take off was halted by three crabs that climbed atop the ship. The bite on the line was another crab, and Omega fell off of the ship, hanging onto the line. Tech was unable to repel the crabs on the Marauder and was further distracted by Omega's predicament. The girl opted to slide down the line, landing on the beach below, before using her energy bow to blast away the crabs on the ship.
Tech flew the Marauder around as Omega fled from more crabs approaching her position, before calling her to tell her to grab the line. Omega shot one crab, causing it to crouch and shield itself, before using the creature as a ramp with which to reach the line. As she was lifted away, Omega clipped herself onto the line and continued shooting at the crabs.
On the beach, Hunter, Echo, and Wrecker continued to run when they saw another horde of crabs coming towards them, causing them to stop and ready their weapons. The Marauder arrived just in time, and Hunter, surprised to see Omega hanging from the ship, called Tech and demanded to know why. Reaching the shuttle's ramp, Omega unclipped herself and sent the line back down while continuing to fire on crabs. When the line reached Wrecker, he clipped it onto the package. He, Hunter, and Echo climbed on to the crate and held on as the crabs closed in and they were pulled upwards and away from the pod. Once everyone and the package was onboard, Tech flew the Marauder away. Hunter thanked Omega for her assistance, but suggested she try to stay inside the ship next time.
==Aftermath==
The Bad Batch returned to Ord Mantell later than expected, learning from the droid AZI-3 that Scaleback was irritated, which Echo retorted was normal. Upon entering Scaleback's office, she greeted the clones by making sarcastic comments about the "space slugs'" return. Genoa was present and expressed her interest about finally meeting the "top team" of rogue clones on the run from the Empire. Hunter was irritated that Scaleback had told Genoa about them, but she brushed him off, explaining that Genoa was the most trustworthy pirate she knew. Echo was highly skeptical of the endorsement. Genoa commented on the clones' physical differences and attempted to flirt with Tech before ordering Wrecker to carry her package for her. As she departed, Genoa mentioned intel she had given Scaleback and said she expected a cut of the next haul if the Bad Batch pulled it off.
In response to the squad's questions, Scaleback explained that the pirate referred to their next mission, before pulling up a hologram of a building Tech identified as Castle Serenno, the former home of the late Separatist leader Saruman the White. Scaleback explained that the Empire was moving to secure Saruman's war chest, a vast collection of riches, and she wanted the team to steal some of it. Knowing that Serenno was an Imperial hotbed, Hunter flatly refused. However, Scaleback was able to talk the other adult clones into going along with the job, pointing out that even a small amount of Saruman's wealth would be enough to grant them financial security and freedom. When Hunter rejoined the conversation and heard of the vote the others had taken, he was initially skeptical, responding to Scaleback's comments about freedom by saying that his team was already free. Scaleback retorted that he had not been paying attention to what the Empire was doing to the galaxy and that her operation would be shut down if the Empire moved in. Hunter was swayed to agree to the job when Scalebackpointed out that they could use the money to buy themselves a future, thinking of Omega.
The mission was ultimately unsuccessful; due to the efforts of Clone Captain Wilco and his company, the Bad Batch was forced to flee Serenno empty-handed. The failed raid also led the Batch's survival to come to the attention of Vice Admiral Rampart, the officer who had led the Empire's wrap-up operation on Tipoca City. Rampart's career had benefited since then, and he feared if his superior, Governor Wilhuff Tarkin, learned of the Batch's survival, he would be punished. Travelling to Serenno, Rampart attempted to order Wilco to falsify his report to leave out the rogue clones; when Wilco refused, Rampart murdered him and vowed to write a new report himself.
==Appearances==
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==Notes and references==
Category:Missions of Clone Force 99