Manhunt on the Wheel


Between 3 ABY and 4 ABY, an Imperial manhunt for Princess Leia Organa and Luke Skywalker took place on The Wheel. With the help of the Freemakers, Princess Leia and Luke evaded Lieutenant Estoc's forces and returned to the Rebel Alliance.

Prelude


During the Galactic Civil War, the Freemakers remained neutral and tried to make a living as scavengers who built and repaired starships. However, the Freemakers would soon cross paths with members of the Rebel Alliance. At some point following the Battle of Hoth, Princess Leia Organa and Luke Skywalker were part of a convoy of rebel starfighters that were pursued by TIE fighters. While flying through a pinnacle planetoid, their A-wing escorts were destroyed. The two rebels managed to destroy their TIE pursuers. However, their Y-wing was damaged, and the two traveled to the Wheel space station to seek repairs.

Leia and Luke sought repairs at Freemaker Salvage and Repair, the Wheel's garage shop. The Freemakers were facing financial strains and struggling to pay their rent. The youngest, Rowan Freemaker, had also begun his Jedi training under Naare, who was actually a Sith agent. Rowan was involved in a quest to find the pieces of the Kyber Saber crystal and was told by Naare not to reveal his powers to anyone else outside their circle.

Seeking to make money, Kordi agreed to repair Leia and Luke's Y-wing. She sent Rowan aboard their ship StarScavenger to fetch an . The local Imperial authorities led by Lieutenant Estoc soon learned about the presence of the rebels and issued a wanted alert. Kordi almost evicted Leia from her stall until the Princess offered to pay five times the normal price. Kordi managed to hide Leia just before Estoc and several stormtroopers entered the Freemaker Garage to search it. Meanwhile, the startled B1-series battle droid Roger accidentally took the StarScavenger along with Rowan and Luke for an accidental trip to Felucia.

The Manhunt


Lieutenant Estoc and her stormtroopers found no sign of Leia or Luke. Kordi explained the StarScavengers unscheduled departure by claiming it was doing a salvage run. Leia hid in a trash bin, and the Freemakers tried to smuggle her out. However, Estoc noticed that they had walked past the trash incinerator. To avoid arousing her suspicion, Kordi and Zander tipped the bind inside the incinerator. This satisfied Estoc and her stormtroopers. Kordi and Zander then headed down a turbolift and rescued Leia from being burnt by the incinerator.

However, the Freemakers and Leia were spotted by stormtroopers and forced to flee. Zander separated from Kordi and Leia so that they could escape. He then used a probe droid to fling canisters at the stormtroopers, knocking them out. Meanwhile, Kordi and Leia took the lift up to the Upper Ring, which was inhabited by the rich and Imperials. Leia then confirmed that she was indeed a member of the Rebellion. In the Upper Ring, Leia and a disguised Kordi hid by posing as cleaners at the rich Wick Cooper's penthouse. Leia blew their cover when she assaulted Cooper after he made a bad joke about the destruction of Alderaan.

With stormtroopers after them, Leia and Kordi fled down the turbolift to the Middle Ring, where the Freemakers lived. The two hid in a diner but were followed by Lieutenant Estoc and her stormtroopers. Leia hid among the hair of an alien customer, but Kordi was discovered hiding inside a pot. Before Estoc could arrest Kordi and send her to a prison world, Leia resurfaced and knocked out the Imperials with plates. Estoc was sucked up by a garbage truck. After being picked up by Zander's speeder bike, the three returned to the Freemaker Garage.

The Freemakers managed to trick the Imperials into believing that Leia and Luke were dead after sending out their Y-wing as a decoy. While Lieutenant Estoc did not believe the Freemakers' account that they had been forced to assist the rebels, Estoc was jubilant that she would get a promotion for killing two major rebels. Shortly, Luke returned with Rowan and Roger aboard the StarScavenger.

Aftermath


Due to their encounters with Princess Leia and Luke Skywalker, the Freemakers developed a greater appreciation and respect for the two rebels. They also came to regard the Rebel Alliance as a force for good. Out of respect for the Rebellion, Kordi sold a Z-wing to Leia and Luke at a steep discount. After destroying the Kyber Saber to keep it out of the Emperor's hands, the Freemakers joined the Rebel Alliance.

Behind the scenes


The Manhunt on the Wheel forms one of the two main plots of the LEGO Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures Season One episode "Crossing Paths," which premiered on July 11, 2016

Appearances

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