Zander's Joyride

When Zander takes a classic starfighter out for a joyride, he winds up in the clutches of Darth Vader...

At Freemaker Salvage and Repair, Rowan and Roger try to keep Zander from a N-1 starfighter, the same type used by the Naboo Royal Space Fighter Corps. Knowing Zander's passion for piloting, Kordi has instructed Rowan not to let Zander anywhere near the starfighter since it is owned by one of their customers, the wealthy Wick Cooper. Despite trying to distract Zander with various tricks, his older brother is still able to smell the N-1 starfighter's chromium.

Meanwhile, Kordi is dealing with Mr. Cooper, who wants the engines of his N-1 starfighter double-steamed, his astromech droid re-calibrated, and the heat sinks flushed with pure Kamino water. Despite the Freemakers' reputation as peerless vintage mechanics, he is skeptical of their quality due to their distance from the Core. Kordi then slips out to stop a scuffle between Zander and Rowan. Kordi warns Zander not to take the ship out for a ride since the starfighter is worth more than their entire shop and Mr Cooper has been their latest customer for a long time.

When Mr Cooper rings the buzzer to announce another list of "excessive demands," Zander takes the opportunity to slip away in the N-1 starfighter. Knowing Zander's poor impulse control, Kordi is frustrated with Rowan for not stopping Zander. Zander takes the ship on a joyride around the Wheel. When Mr Cooper enters the garage, Kordi and Rowan claim that his ship is "in the back." They then take him back to the reception and distract him by offering to pay extra attention to his ship and to give it a "wax-cleaning." After Kordi and Rowan reenter the garage, Cooper sighs and wishes he had gone to Theed Hangar instead.

Outside, Zander's takes the N-1 starfighter on a joy ride through a nearby asteroid belt. Despite sustaining a few scratches, Zander ignores the astromech droid's demands to fly back and takes the ship on another loop. Back at the garage, Kordi tries to reassure Cooper that his ship is being well taken care off. Rowan then bangs a crate that Roger is holding to stimulate some "gunked-out" ionization valves. Rowan suggests that they need to take a while longer to address several faults.

Back in space, Zander follows a squadron of A-wing starfighters and is subsequently caught up in a dogfight with TIE fighters. Before Zander can join in the fight, his N-1 starfighter is caught in the Tractor beam of a Star Destroyer called the Vendetta. Zander is subsequently charged with subversive acts against the Galactic Empire as The Imperial March plays.

Mr. Cooper grows impatient for his starfighter, and Kordi uses Roger to distract him with entertainment. Much to the poor man's frustration, Roger reads Cooper his uninteresting autobiography From Trenches to Wrenches: The Roger Story. Kordi and Rowan get a call from Zander, who explains his "crime" for interfering with Imperial business and calls out for help just before he is taken away by a pair of stormtroopers, ending the call. After ruling out hiring bounty hunters, they decide to rescue him with the help of Naare.

Naare receives a call from Darth Vader, who demands the crystals since his master is growing impatient. But before he can continue with an extensive list of similar words, she is called by Rowan to join them in the mission to rescue Zander. Naare is initially reluctant to help and suggests that losing Zander would mean one less extra help to feed. While Kordi is shocked, Rowan sees it as a test for becoming a Jedi. They use a modified Class-D cargo container fitted with TIE solar panels to sneak their way aboard the Vendetta. However, Naare elects to fly her own ship, the Eclipse Fighter.

Meanwhile, Darth Vader is seemingly Force-choking an Imperial officer, but in reality, the officer choked himself by swallowing a chicken drumstick without chewing, and Vader helps him out, before Force-choking the officer for real for letting the rebels escape. Another Imperial officer then enters to inform Vader of Zander's capture. Outside the Vendetta, the Freemakers and Naare use a faulty transponder to obtain permission to land. Using the Force, Rowan manages to fix the transponder and gain permission to land. Upon entering, the Freemakers sneak past two stormtroopers including TK-429 Junior, who is reputed to be a better shooter than his predecessor. After entering a corridor, the two are cornered by more stormtroopers but Naare slices open the floor with her lightsaber and knocks them out.

When Rowan asks Naare how she got past the Vendettas sensors, Naare claims she used a cloaking device. Kordi is skeptical but Naare tells them they have to rescue Zander. Meanwhile, Zander is prepared to face torture from an interrogation droid, as Vader demands information about the Rebellion. While the droid tortures him, Zander spills out trivial details about his life. Elsewhere, Naare gets pass two Imperial officers, who recognized her and walk past. When Rowan and Kordi asks, she claims that she played a mind trick on them.

Back at the Wheel, Roger regales a visibly bored Cooper with an account of fighting Wookiees on Kashyyyk. When Coopers asks for a cup of caf, Roger offers him a cup of motor oil; which he enjoys but Cooper finds bitter. Meanwhile, Vader deduces that Zander is either highly trained to resist interrogation or is a complete "imbecile." Naare unlocks the controls to Zander's cell and the Freemakers reunite with their brother. Kordi then reminds her brother that she has come to get back Mr. Cooper's N-1 starfighter safely.

Traveling back to the hangar bay, the Freemakers and Naare are cornered by Darth Vader and his stormtroopers. Naare slips out through the garbage chute, leaving the Freemakers to face Vader, who believes that Zander has brought more spies. The Freemakers try to convince Vader that they are ship repairs but the Sith Lord is unconvinced until Zander mentions that he has an N-1 starfighter. Upon seeing the starfighter, Vader experiences flashbacks of being a nine-year-old boy called Anakin Skywalker who destroyed the Trade Federation's Droid Control Ship during the Battle of Naboo. And just like Zander before him, he too takes it out for a joyride until the Vendettas tractor beam catches him.

Before the Freemakers can find a way to get back the N-1 starfighter, Naare arrives in the hangar and orders several TIE fighter pilots to pursue the fleeing N-1; claiming that the rebels have fled on that ship. Vader's N-1 is soon pursued and attacked by the TIEs. However, Vader uses his combat skills and Force powers to destroy several in return. While the battle rages, Kordi confronts Zander over his actions. Rowan then uses a comlink to order the tractor beam projector to catch the N-1 starfighter. The starfighter is brought back to the hangar but is almost wrecked. Vader is greeted by several stormtroopers, whom he tosses aside with the Force.

With the rebels distracted, the Freemakers and Naare escape with the N-1, the disguised D-class cargo ship and Eclipse fighter back to the Wheel. Meanwhile, Roger regales a frustrated Mr Cooper with tales about his injuries during the Clone Wars. When Cooper asks Roger whether he shuts up, the droid asks why didn't you ask me so; prompting Cooper to reply that he had told him 26 chapters ago. After the Freemakers arrive home, Mr Cooper is furious at the damage done to his ship. Zander apologizes and claims that the N-1 was stolen by Imperials during a test flight. Kordi tries to reassure Cooper the ship is allright only to have it collapse into pieces.

As compensation, the Freemakers offer Mr Cooper their other ships. Mr Cooper settles for Zander's prized Blazemaker as surety; insisting it is personal and not business. Shortly later, the Blazemaker explodes and Zander remarks that he forgot to fix the fusion tubes. Zander vows to address that problem for the Blazemaker Mark II. Cooper survives the explosion and insists the Freemakers will be hearing from his lawyers.