Disclaimer: Star Wars does not belong to me. It belongs it's respective owners, namely Disney.
Parrnul, Parrnul System, Outer Rim Territories, the Galaxy.
5 BBY.
Sixteen year old Jyn Erso looked over her shoulder.
Something that she had been constantly doing ever since Saw Gerrera left her on Tamsye Prime, and she fled onto a world whose name she did not know, as she only went to that world's spaceport, and chose Parrnul as her destination.
At first, it seemed like a totally good idea. Parrnul was a bit out of the way, a perfect place to hang her head until she could figure out something. And she had gotten herself a job as a mechanic in a speeder garage, which even though the pay was totally rubbish, did give her a few credits to get by. Plus, it helped that the owner of the garage and his other workers, minded their own business and asked no questions in regards to her.
But now?
Not such a good idea after all.
Two and a half months after arriving on Parrnul, her trouble started with an encounter with a Bothan thug, who belonged to a gang known as the Two Red Lekkus. She had a few drinks down in a bar, and the Bothan had been loitering the bar, looking for trouble and pestering anyone he didn't like the look of (actions which the bartender couldn't stop due to owning protection money to the Two Red Lekkus, as the Bothan was keen to remind him whenever the bartender took a disgruntled look at his actions), when the Bothan's next target was her specifically.
Big mistake for him, as his pestering really got under her skin, and Jyn's anger erupted.
Soon enough, she smashed a nearby tray full of food and drink on his head, knocking him out cold, much to the shock of everyone present.
Afterwards, she had left the scene, but when she had returned to the apartment where she was staying, Jyn found that she was in great danger, as the Two Red Lekkus were soon in the apartment complex, looking for her.
Packing her bags and leaving abruptly, Jyn managed to get into various alleyways, in the hope of merging herself into the background, with the population of Parrnul, and evading retribution from the Two Red Lekkus.
Back to the present, Jyn had looked over her shoulder, to find that a member of the Two Red Lekkus, a Abednedo, was a few meters behind her, eyes ever alert, as if looking for something.
Or someone.
Well, so much for that idea, Jyn thought, as she knew that the Abednedo was looking for her.
Picking up the pace as she continued onwards, and hoping to blend herself in before he could see her and pursue her, Jyn soon collided with someone really big, and before she knew it, she was on the floor.
As she lay down on the floor in pain, Jyn found herself being picked up off the floor by some really large hands, which belonged to a Besalisk, also a member of the Two Red Lekkus, who was staring down at her like she was some insignificant bug not worth his time.
With one of his lower hands holding a tight grip around her right arm, making her slightly wince, Jyn's resistance fell as the Abednedo caught up with her and around 2 more thugs from the Two Red Lekkus, a Aqualish and a Kyuzo, arrived.
The Besalisk then said gruffly, "it's 'bout time you showed up. What kept you idiots?"
The thugs were mumbling excuses, but the Besalisk was having absolutely none of it, and soon looked down at Jyn, whose right arm was still grasped in one of his lower arms.
"You're coming with me".
Before the Besalisk could drag her off to someone in the Two Red Lekkus who would make her day very, very bad, Jyn immediately kicked out towards the knee of the Besalisk's right leg, causing something to make a loud crack, something Jyn usually heard whenever she had broken the necks of Stormtroopers while with Saw, and thus she knew that she broke something, when the Besalisk yelled in pain and let go, grasping his right set of arms towards the leg that was giving him antagonising pain.
And before the Abednedo, the Aqualish and the Kyuzo could do anything, Jyn was sprinting like mad, merging herself into the masses of the crowds of the alleyways of Parrnul, where she managed to lose them.
But Jyn knew for certain that she could not stay on Parrnul any longer.
So she headed off to the planet's only spaceport, intending on catching a flight off world to anywhere but Parrnul.
At Spaceport A-2934, Jyn checked her bags for the amount of currency that she had, so that she could get onto a commuter shuttle to anywhere off world.
Satisfied with the amount that she had, Jyn then headed for the departure desk, where a Rodian was behind the counter.
"Name?"
Knowing that Jyn Erso was not a safe name to carry around here in this galaxy anymore, Jyn thought of a name, one that she had not thought of for a long time ever since her time with Saw Gerrera...
"Juno. Juno Sallik".
"Destination?"
Looking at the board, the newly named 'Juno Sallik' looked at the various worlds to travel to, which included Alderaan, Fondor, Vardos, Corellia, Kuat, Naboo and Boz Pity, none of those she was particularly interested in going to.
But then, as she continued scanning the departure board, one world in particular, did catch her eye.
Lothal. A world that was out of the way and where nothing really interesting happened, despite the rapid industrialisation and expansion that the Empire was conducting on that planet.
Perfect, was the thought going through her mind as she listed Lothal as her destination to the Rodian, who simply asked for some credits for a ticket.
Complying, 'Juno' now had a ticket in her hand and was on a commuter shuttle straight to Lothal.
2 Days later...
Within the streets of the Capital City, on Lothal, fourteen year old Ezra Bridger blended into the background amongst all the people doing their daily business, even as the Empire continued to make life absolutely difficult for those trying to make a living, with their restrictions and rules, and their stormtroopers making themselves known throughout the streets.
He slipped in between the people making their way through the streets before stopping by a street corner near some stalls of some market traders, where he intended on awaiting for the opportune moment to pickpocket an unsuspecting someone for anything with value, that he could use to trade on the black market.
But then, came that tingling feeling.
Turning his head to the right, he could see an Imperial officer with two Stormtroopers flanking him on both sides.
Ezra knew that if they saw him, he could be in a whole world of trouble, so he moved off, heading away, blending into the crowd and hoping to not catch their attention.
Moving through the streets, Ezra was within the vicinity of the spaceport, when, that tingling feeling was back again. And once he noticed that it was in a certain direction, Ezra inclined his head over to that direction, and seeing where the tingling was originating.
And once he saw where it was coming from, Ezra's curiosity peaked, as he stopped by a wall and leaned on it, before looking upon where the tingling was coming from.
Well, well, well. What do we have here?
It was a someone, leaving the spaceport, maybe an arriving passenger on a commuter shuttle. Dressed in a worker's tunic, with a engineer's vest worn over it, and wearing brown fingerless gloves, she was also wearing a grey hood over her head. Quite simple, but functional.
But however, Ezra's focus was on a necklace, that she was wearing on her neck.
To many people from a considerable distance away as he was, they probably would not have been able to notice it.
But Ezra was able to notice it as it was the origin of the tingling feeling that he had sensed.
Oddly enough, the necklace seemed almost as if it was singing.
Shaking his head, Ezra continued to keep an eye on her, as she slowed her pace and started looking around.
Perfect target, Ezra thought.
He then began his approach, continuing to blend in and be unnoticed, as he got ready to swipe her necklace.
Ezra didn't take any pride in stealing (unless it was for those who truly deserved it), it was just a matter of surviving, looking out for number one, like it had been since he was seven.
He got close to a family of four, along with a Rodian and a Gotal, who were passing in close proximity to his target.
As his target, whom he found on closer examination was a girl at around sixteen years of age, tried her utmost to get past the family, as well as the Rodian and the Gotal, Ezra swiftly got in close vicinity, and swiped the necklace off.
Luckily for him, the girl was too distracted and preoccupied to notice.
Ezra broke off from the large group and the girl, feeling very triumphant as he grasped the necklace tightly in his right hand.
As he walked to a nearby street corner, Ezra opened his hand to examine it, only for his triumphant face to fall.
It actually didn't seem that much.
Just a crystal, with some Aurebesh writing on it.
Well, so much for that idea, Ezra thought.
But still, it might be worth at least something, and credits were credits.
And just as he was pondering on who to sell it to, in order to get some credits in exchange, a harsh female voice snapped right at him.
"Oi, you!"
Without thinking, Ezra snapped his head over, to find that it was the girl whom he snatched the necklace from.
Upon seeing her furious look, Ezra Bridger only had one thought swimming around his head.
Uh oh...
Immediately, he shot off, only for the girl to immediately run in pursuit after him.
And boy, was she fast!
Oh, and just to be clear, this is well before Ezra meets the Spectres and joins them. Say like a few months before.
Anyways, don't forget to leave a review whenever you can!