Chapter Text
When the empire came to take Ezra’s parents away, they were ready for it. They had received contact from Tseebo that something was wrong, and they had precautions set ahead of time. There was an escape route, there were long talks, there was basic survival training.
Despite all the preparations, Ezra hadn’t been ready. He was seven, for Lothal’s sake! He had barely paid heed to their lectures, as distractible as he was. He never thought they were necessary. His parents were indestructible. He was safe. There was no doubt in his mind that he would be perfectly taken care of.
Until the Empire had stormed in.
He was hidden in their secret communications port underneath the little ottoman, peeking through the small lookout crevice as his parents were marched out.
There were no goodbyes. No closure. His perfect little happy home was shattered, and all security was ripped out of his grasp.
“Where’s the kid?” a slightly tinny voice demanded.
He could hear his mom proudly say, “You’ll never find him.”
The voice sighed. “Detain the prisoners. We’ll get him.”
Ezra heard the whirring of what he supposed was the prisoner transport vehicle he’d seen on the news from time to time.
He had to go, before the same thing happened to him. He didn't want to end up like the people on the news- publicly executed. He didn't understand much as a seven year old, but he understood death enough to be scared of it.
He slowly crept out of his little hiding place, slipping into the shadows. Which might have worked if not for the fact that he was wearing orange. Not exactly stealth material.
Ezra yelped as he was grabbed roughly by the arm and pulled out. “Got him!”
“No!” he heard his parents protest, panic edging their voices. He couldn’t see them. They must be on the other side of the transport, or in it. “Run, Ezra! Run!”
So many guns, so many of the weird looking white-clad men. The urge to run was already kicking in. Them telling him to go was the last straw.
He went boneless, making the mean white soldier who’d grabbed him give an exclamation of surprise and loosen his hold. He then pulled out of his grip and scrambled away as fast as his little feet could go, not even sparing his parents a second glance.
“Get him!”
His heart pounded as he dodged the troopers in the market, disappearing into the waves of people.
“Divide and conquer. We’ll find the little brat.”
Ezra’s breath caught in his throat. He didn't want to be found.
His eyes searched wildly for a more suitable place to hide. They caught on a familiar looking Rodian. That was it!
He crawled through the crowds carefully, trying his best to avoid attention. Finally he reached his destination: behind a little crate next to another Rodian fruit seller.
“Tseebo!” Ezra hissed. “Help!”
“Ezra?” Tseebo said, alarmed, then lowered his voice. “What are you doing here? You were supposed to hide in-”
“I know! But they caught me.” Ezra wasn’t going to say why. In his eyes, it had been inevitable. They’d have found the hiding place anyway. “And now I don’t know what to do!”
Two of the white metal men walked by. The Rodian looked deep in thought, pretending to be considering what fruit to purchase.
As soon as they were gone, he took Ezra by the arm and dragged him into an alley. “There are tunnels underground. That hatch right there-” He pointed at a hole in the ground, “leads to those tunnels. I can open it for you, but you’ll have to go on by yourself from here on out. Do you understand me?”
“By myself?” Ezra asked fearfully. He’d never been by himself. Ever. “Why can’t I stay with you?”
Tseebo avoided eye contact, clicking buttons to open the hatch. “There. They’re open. Now you’d better run along. Be careful. Remember what your parents taught you.”
Ezra peered hesitantly through the hatch, wrinkling his nose at the smell. “It smells gross. Are you sure it’s safe?”
There was no answer. Ezra turned to look, only to find that Tseebo was gone.
Ezra huffed and climbed into the tunnel, wincing when his hands met the slimy texture of the ladder.
“There he is!”
Panic shot through Ezra as two of the metal men came racing toward him. His eyes scanned the area around him. How was he supposed to shut the stupid thing?
They landed on a panel next to the ladder, full of buttons Ezra didn't know how to use. Why was there so many buttons for something that’s only function was to open and close?
“Got him!” A hand wrapped around Ezra’s arm and yanked on it.
“Get off!” Ezra yelped and promptly bit him.
The stormtrooper shrieked in shock and let go to cradle his arm. “Just stun the brat and get this over with!”
No! Ezra slammed his fist into the controls and slid down the ladder, effectively pressing every button as he did.
Luckily, the hatch closed.
Ezra sat at the bottom, trying to catch his breath.
“What do we do now?” Ezra heard one of the men demand. “The kid did something, messed it up. Won’t kriffing open!”
“Eh, just forget it. Our job was really to get the parents anyway. What’s the kid going to do? Track us down and bite us?”
The voices started to fade, but Ezra heard a faint, “I hope not. Force, that hurt.”
“Yeah, I bet. Maybe you should get that checked out. For all we know, the brat could have had rabies or something.”
Then the voices were gone, and all Ezra could hear was the sounds of the city.
Ezra stood up shakily, the adrenaline still pulsing throughout his body. Even though the troopers were gone, he still felt the need to run. But where? He had nowhere to go.
Parents gone. Tseebo gone. Safety gone.
Tears welled up in his eyes. He was alone. Completely and utterly alone.
Then, even as he despaired, he felt a warmth settle in his bones, like the sun itself was wrapping around him. A resolve to survive struck his mind like a slap to the face.
Tseebo was right.
He’d have to figure out how to live by himself from here on out. He’d continue running for the rest of his life, because his parents taught him to, and because he wanted to live. And he would.
Even if that meant he’d always be alone.