The Havoc Marauder heads back to Ord Mantell City, they land at their docking bay, and Hunter exits with the rest of the Bad Batch remarking that they should be paid extra by Cid. Echo notes that she left out the gundarks on the mission. The missing missions should be picked up in a comic book or novel. They are eyed by guards in dark armor (not identified) as the Bad Batch returns to Cid’s Parlor. The same guards wander through the bar checking on citizens. One of the guards tries to stop them from entering Cid’s office, he gets a nice sleep thrown against the wall by Hunter. They enter the office, a Devaronian (Tom Taylorson) is there at Cid’s desk and dark guards draw their blasters. Devanorians are devilish, aliens with red skin and horns (females do not have horns) that were first seen in at the cantina in Star Wars. Cid later identifies him as Roland, “a former client.” Clone Force 99 also have out their blasters. Omega notices that Ruby, the strange lizard creature they rescued in "Battle Scars", is with the Devaronian. This is his pet and he notes that Cid is “out” and taken over her business. Hunter doesn’t want missions from the Devaronian and they leave.
At the hangar, Omega wants to help Cid, she is in fact at the hatch of the Havoc Marauder! Roland noticed that Cid’s place was at a key part of hyperspace and started working with the Pykes. Cid wants to get back her place. She explains that Roland has a shipment of spice at her office. Tech goes on to say that without the spice, the Pykes will want to collect from Roland. Cid takes them to a hatch activated by her staff. Underground, there are “old mining tunnels” running under the city. There are some carts that they will use to carry out the spice. Cid divides the group with “Tiny” (Omega) and “Goggles” (Tech), her nicknames are always fun. She pumps the handle moving the mine cart on an overhead rail as the others follow. Shades of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom! Cid has them reach a door that she says once they go past it, there is the danger of something infesting the tunnels. She has “Big Guy” (Wrecker) open the door.
It is dark as they move through the cavern, they use glowrods to try to look about the darkness, Big Guy drops his glowrod! This is kinda a Fellowship of the Rings Moria situation. There is some skittering noises, but this dies down and they continue until reaching below Cid’s office. A ladder leads up to the office. She activates a signal device sending Ketch to walk past Ruby and drop some of his Mantell Mix. It’s a trail that leads outside and a cage is dropped on her. Roland has his guards find Ruby. Ketch and Bolo run away with Ruby in the cage. Bolo gives Cid the “all clear.” Tech opens the hatch to Cid’s office. Tech has scanned the six crates of spice. Wrecker carries down the crate to be loaded by Cid and Omega. Bolo tries to feed Ruby a Mantell Mix and she bites his finger causing him to drop her cage. Ruby is happy to be reunited with Roland and he sends the guards after her captors.
The last two crates are handed down as Echo goes to seal the door. Roland takes Ruby to the office, but Echo’s scomp link has locked the door. The others rush out of the office. Roland is impatient at the guards trying to open the door and blasts the control. He finds the spice is missing and also the hatch hidden under the rug. Guards see the smugglers leave in the carts. They board carts and activate the engines. Wrecker fires back at the guards. The guards blast at them. The Bad Batch cart is suddenly stopped and Hunter leaps to the guard cart sending it in reverse! It crashes into the rear guard cart sending them down the cavern. The stopped carts collide with the last guard cart and they all fall down. Omega hears the skittering sound getting louder. A swarm of creatures, Cid calls them the Hive, rises upwards and Cid has everyone use the carts’ engines. More guard carts are taken by the insectoid creatures called Irlings. The Bad Batch use their blasters on them until Tech realizes that they are repelled by the light of the glowrod. Cid worries about the spice lost to the Irlings disrupting the cart.
There are a vast number of the Irlings that I have to wonder what they eat to sustain their colony. Hunter wants Wrecker to seal off the cavern. He is able to close the door splattering some of the Irlings. At the office, Roland holds his necklace, when he asks Bolo and Ketch about Cid. He wants the spice. Then, the Pykes enter, they run the Pyke Syndicate and first appeared in the Clone Wars episode, “Eminence” (2013). Pykes are lanky and wear strange, trapezoid helmets. The leader has a reverberated voice provided by Liam O’Brien who also voices Bolo. Roland tries to explain that the shipment was stolen. The Pyke leader threatens Roland’s family. Cid leads the others to her parlor and they see the scattered bodies of Roland’s guards. The Pykes bring in Roland and he points out Cid. She says they don’t have the spice so the leader wants everyone killed! Hunter points out that they know the location of the spice. The leader says that they should get the spice and hold Omega until they return it. Cid’s plan is to go to the cavern with “Muscles” and lift up the spice crates. Omega talks with Roland while they are captive. The latest episode of #BadBatch has some fun moments with Cid, a twist with Roland, but the threats are really toothless, more of a complication than a danger. The emphasis on Cid is good, but the episode doesn't really move the narrative of the Bad Batch, the situation with the clone troopers, and the Empire.
Four Vibro Knives out of Five!
#BadBatch, #Infested, #Roland, #TomTaylorson
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