Free Fall

In Shantipole's upper atmosphere, Rowan and M-OC engage in a fierce confrontation...

The Freemakers navigate their cramped TIE fighter amidst the debris field above Coruscant, a consequence of the aerial battle during Rowan Freemaker's rescue mission. Zander Freemaker pilots the vessel, while Kordi Freemaker strains to transmit a distress signal to the rebel fleet. Despite sending the message, Kordi believes it will be ignored due to the unauthorized nature of their mission. Rowan expresses his despair, taking responsibility for the situation. Kordi attempts to raise his spirits, saying that it was a team effort. Roger reminds them of their identity as the Freemakers, urging them to persevere despite the damage inflicted upon the Rebel Alliance.

M-OC, the hunter droid, overtakes them in the Arrowhead, unleashing a barrage of fire. Zander voices his concern about their inability to evade M-OC due to the TIE fighter's lack of a hyperdrive. Rowan devises a strategy involving a feigned surrender to commandeer a larger starship. However, M-OC reveals that he has received revised orders: their destruction.

As the Arrowhead gives chase, M-OC mocks their predicament, stating the irony of using their own creation to bring about their end. He then utilizes the Arrowhead's embersteel Blade to sever one of their solar collectors. Zander struggles to maintain control with a single solar collector, but M-OC eliminates the second, sending them spiraling uncontrollably. Before M-OC can deliver the final blow, the StarScavenger appears, rescuing them. The Freemakers are relieved by the arrival of Quarrie, the Mon Calamari ship builder. As he sends the StarScavenger to hyperspace, he tells them to hold on.

Unbeknownst to them, M-OC has attached an XX-23 S-thread tracker, confident in their inescapable fate. While in hyperspace, Zander compliments Quarrie's piloting skills. Quarrie retorts that he is not a pilot. When Rowan inquires about how Quarrie located them, Quarrie reveals that he has been monitoring them since they appropriated the Arrowhead. After intercepting their distress call, he decided that saving Rowan was easier than training a new apprentice.

The StarScavenger emerges from hyperspace within an asteroid field. Alarms blare as Zander reports that the last hit damaged their hyperdrive. Roger then announces M-OC's return. Kordi realizes that M-OC planted a homing beacon on their ship. Rowan decries the unfairness of the situation, but Zander reminds him that M-OC lacks a sense of fair play. Rowan insists they must escape.

As M-OC brandishes the Embersteel Blade, Zander announces that they have enough power for one more jump. Rowan declares that they will make their stand wherever they end up. Quarrie claims to know the perfect location as the Arrowhead slices through one of their engines. Zander jumps to Quarrie's coordinates, transporting the StarScavenger to the planet Shantipole. When Roger inquires about the planet's quality, Quarrie responds negatively. The ship's klaxon sounds as Zander announces that their hyperdrive is stuck.

M-OC quickly follows in the Arrowhead. Quarrie instructs Zander to descend into Shantipole's atmosphere. The Freemakers and Quarrie navigate Shantipole's stormy atmosphere. Zander remarks on the turbulence, while Kordi comments on the weather. Quarrie believes that Shantipole's upper atmosphere will disrupt M-OC's electronics. The storm disables the StarScavenger's engines, causing it to plummet.

Meanwhile, M-OC discovers that the upper atmosphere is interfering with the ship's deflector shields and vows not to jeopardize the Emperor's prize ship. As the powerless StarScavenger falls, Quarrie assures the Freemakers that M-OC is not following them. Zander expresses his fear of being killed by M-OC, while M-OC counters that they don't want to die. When Roger reiterates his masters' requests, Quarre tells them to relax because they will be leaving the upper atmosphere and will getting back control soon.

The StarScavenger barely avoids colliding with a mountain. Quarrie guides them to his shop for landing. The StarScavenger lands roughly, narrowly avoiding a crash. Quarrie comments about young people always screaming.

Upon landing, Zander is excited to find that Quarrie's shop is stocked with a Koro-2 all-environment Exodrive airspeeder chassis, swoop bike engines, and a Nubian 150 hyperdrive core. However, Kordi notes the absence of parts to repair the StarScavenger's damaged comm system. When Zander asks if Quarrie has a transmitter, he replies that he disposed of such items long ago, preferring solitude.

Kordi insists on the need to warn the Rebellion about the Empire's operational Death Star. Roger reminds them about the Arrowhead. Zander offers to fly, but Rowan rejects the idea. Rowan senses the Arrowhead's proximity in the clouds. M-OC pilots the Arrowhead in the upper atmosphere, closing in on the Freemakers' location. Rowan senses M-OC's presence. He is despondent and says that M-OC is waiting for them if they breach the upper atmosphere.

Roger informs Rowan that M-OC is obsessed with him but that he possesses a wide array of interests. Rowan decides to exploit M-OC's obsession. Roger digresses into recreational interests such as interpretative dancing. Kordi endorses Rowan's plan, and Zander recalls seeing an Incom D-93 beam emitter. Quarrie confirms the sighting, while Roger attempts dancing. He is confused when the others leave, assuming they dislike his dancing.

At the second Death Star, Darth Vader observes stormtroopers unloading kyber crystals from Lambda-class shuttles. The Super Star Destroyer Executor, Vader's flagship, and several Imperial Star Destroyers orbit the second Death Star in the Endor system. Vader boasts about having enough kyber crystals to fully activate the station.

Graballa informs Vader that the planet was rich with kyber crystals and believes there would be enough for a couple of Death Stars. Vader commends Graballa's efforts. Graballa attempts to persuade Vader to invest in his Beachside Resort and Buffet. Yeppau, the Toydarian, presents holographic images of the resort. However, Vader throws Graballa against the wall, leading the Hutt to say that Vader will think about it. As well as leaving him a brochure.

Back at the Shantipole landing field, the Freemakers and Quarrie collaborate to install a tractor beam projector on the StarScavenger. Kordi suggests attacking M-OC and the Arrowhead with a turbolaser, but Rowan deems it insufficient. Zander concurs, stating that they need a more substantial attack to ensure success.

Later, as M-OC circles the upper atmosphere, he sees the StarScavenger approaching and believes Rowan's escape attempt is futile. Roger contacts M-CO and offers to surrender. M-OC suspects a trick. After M-OC takes the bait, the Freemakers decide to deploy their D-93 beam emitter. Quarrie activates the tractor beam, pulling the Arrowhead.

While Zander mocks M-OC about the weather, the droid protests. The storm disrupts the tractor beam. Zander urges them to continue. Both ships lose power as they descend. Quarrie thinks everything is going according to plan but the tractor beam is struck by lightning and lost. Quarrie is left handing to the StarScavenger with a rope. While Kordi puts the fire on the controls out, Zander tells Rowan and Roger, who are aboard the Mini Scavenger, that is all on Rowan.

Rowan leaps onto the Arrowhead and attempts to use the Force to remove the kyber crystal powering the ship. However, M-OC has protected the object with a Force field. M-OC says that he cannot allow him to take that. Rowan insists that the crystal belongs to him and ignites his lightsaber. M-OC ignites his lightsabers and the two engage in combat as the Arrowhead plummets. Rowan loses his balance and drops his lightsaber. Meanwhile, Zander changes his minds about their plan but Kordi tells him they have gone too far.

Aboard the Arrowhead, Rowan uses the Force to levitate his lightsaber back to him and resumes his duel with M-OC. M-OC appears to falter, eliciting cheers from the Freemakers. However, he clings to the Arrowhead's underside. Rowan deactivates the force field and levitates the kyber crystal. M-OC attempts to ambush him, but Quarries warns Rowan. The two fight and Rowan falls but he manages to cling on.

M-OC approaches him but Rowan uses the Force to dislodge a loose panel, causing M-OC to lose balance and fall. Rowan removes the kyber crystal, but M-OC clings on with a grappling hook. Rowan jumps with the kyber crystal and calls for Roger to catch him . Roger intercepts them with the Mini Scavenger. The StarScavenger descends further and Rowan says it is top. M-OC struggles to cling on. The Freemakers abandon the StarScavenger and send the ship crashing into the Arrowhead.

Both ships are destroyed in the explosion. The other Freemakers and Quarrie are picked by Rowan and Roger. Quarrie jokes that is why he doesn't like to fly. The Freemakers land on Shantipole's surface amidst the wreckage of the StarScavenger and the Arrowhead. Zander is distraught over the destruction of his "baby," but Kordi assures him it was necessary to stop the Arrowhead. She promises to rebuild the StarScavenger better than ever, to which Rowan agrees. Rowan says he needs a moment.

Kordi allows Rowan a moment of solitude but reminds him of the need to warn the rebel fleet about the second Death Star. Zander believes they have shaken off M-OC, but Kordi cautions against tempting fate. Holding M-OC's appendage, Zander thinks he was blown to billions of pieces. However, M-OC emerges from the wreckage and tells Rowan he has programming directives he must fulfill: namely his demise.

Rowan challenges M-OC to a lightsaber duel and the two draw their blades. However, Rowan changes his mind and lowers his lightsaber. When M-OC asks why he has lowered his defenses, Rowan tells him he is getting tired of this. M-OC says that droids don't tire. Drawing a circle on the sand, Rowan says that their encounters of fight and flight are becoming repetitive. M-OC agrees and Rowan says that he is getting tired of the "pointless" cycle of fighting and asks if he was programmed to be pointless.

M-OC recognizes the validity of Rowan's reasoning, suspecting a flaw in his programming. He then withdraws his weapons. M-OC deduces that the flaw in his programming came from his creator, the Emperor. Roger adds that it is always the humans and tells him to let it all out. M-OC reasons that if the Emperor could make such a miscalculation, he could do it again. Roger reinforces M-OC's thinking as well.

M-OC then concludes that the Emperor's plan to destroy the rebels with a second Death Star must also be flawed. M-OC resolves to return and warn the Emperor of the second Death Star's flaw. Rowan is surprised that his plan has not turned out the way he wanted and tells M-OC that he wanted him to give up chasing him. Rowan attempts to provoke M-OC into fighting, but the hunter droid is determined to save his Emperor.

He hastily constructs an arachnid ship incorporating the Arrowhead's kyber crystal. Before departing, M-OC thanks Rowan for guiding him. Rowan pleads with M-OC to come back. Roger sighs that he thought M-OC was buying into it but laments that this is not the case.