Hello! This is just a two-shot fic that I thought of. I have been really busy lately because of testing, but I am finally free! This gives me more time for writing. And to all you Bully readers, the next chapter will be coming out next week. I hope you enjoy!
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Chapter 1 – Terror
Kanan knew it was a risk, walking down the streets of Lothal. They had just recovered from their last mission, and the wounds were still fresh. Kanan had recovered quicker than expected, but Ezra's scars seemed content on staying. However, they desperately needed the supplies and were unable to wait. It was not being recognized that he was so worried about, it was more about the fact that his padawan had demanded to come along. Ever persistent, Kanan was somehow looped into taking him.
Ezra walked along happily, excited to be off the cramped courters of the Ghost. Kanan noticed a slight bounce in his step, but why Ezra was so excited he had no idea. They were just going to get some food and medical supplies from the market. Yet Ezra acted as if they were going on some sort of adventure.
Kanan shook his head at his padawan's antics. There was still so much that he did not know about him.
"You seem excited," Kanan said, hoping to get some answers. Ezra shrugged.
"Glad to be back." Kanan raised an eyebrow.
"Glad? I thought you hated this planet." Again, Ezra merely shrugged.
"I guess after seeing the depth of space, Lothal seems more familiar. Safer." Kanan nodded.
"We still need to keep a lookout. We don't want to be-"
Charging footsteps stopped Kanan and Ezra in their tracks. Moving quickly, they rushed behind the corner of the closest alley. The hid their outlines in the shadow of the building and watched as three troopers rushed by. Their guns were raised.
Exchanging glances, Ezra and Kanan knew that something was up. They crept down the alley to the other side, and Kanan peered around the corner.
A crowd had gathered around an Imperial building, their cries of anger drowning out the trooper's shouts. But as Kanan examined the people closer, with their fists raised and their angry chants, he realized that it was not just a crowd; it was a mob.
"What are they protesting?" Kanan looked down to see Ezra peering over the corner below him. Kanan retreated and pulled Ezra back with him. "Hey!"
"Ezra, we can't be seen. Anyone in the crowd could recognize us!" Ezra rolled his bright blue eyes.
"Kanan, no one's going to recognize us. They're too busy rioting! I just wonder what they're rioting about…" Ezra stuck his head out from the corner, trying to get a good look, only for Kanan to pull him back again.
"We can't take that chance. We're heading back."
"What's got under your skin?" Ezra asked.
"Maybe the fact that the Empire is hunting us down!"
"They've always been hunting us. I don't see what's different." Kanan looked away, his mind filled with thoughts that he could not explain to his padawan. He had been captured by the Empire, and he did not want that pain to be felt by anyone on the crew, especially Ezra. He was still a kid, after all. And even worse, he was a force sensitive kid. His mind could be shifted with great ease, unlike Kanan's.
"You go back – I'm going to check it out."
"Ezra, wait!" Kanan tried to latch on to his reckless padawan, but he had avoided his grasp. Kanan, cursing, ran after him.
They entered the back of the crowd, watching the events unfold. Kanan caught up to Ezra, but before he could lecture him on being careless, warning bells went off in his head. Ezra must have felt the same way, for Kanan saw him stiffen. They looked up to the steps of the building as Kallus stepped out of the doors, looking into the crowd.
"Ezra…" He reached out for his padawan, hoping that they could still leave before Kallus spotted them. But his hand was met with empty air. Kanan looked over; Ezra was no longer next to him. Frantically searching, his padawan was no longer in sight. He realized that the mob had grown larger, and he was no longer in the back; he was in the middle. The mob was growing angrier, their shouts louder and their fists pounding in the air. Smoke filled the air as someone had set fire to the building nearby.
Things were spiraling out of control.
Kanan looked back up at Kallus, who nodded to the troopers beside him. A few put away their standard blasters and pulled out a larger gun. They began loading it with large canisters. Kanan recognized it immediately.
"Tear gas," he whispered, his voice drowned out by the chanting crowd. It was time to go. "Ezra!" he shouted, hoping that somehow his padawan had heard him. "Ezra!"
A shot fired into the crowd, the gas leaving a trail from the stairs. The mob's chants shifted into screams as a second canister was fired.
Troopers jumped into the crowd, their guns raised. People sprinted away, realizing the danger they were now in. The Troopers began beating whoever they could reach, and Kanan had no doubt that they were grinning underneath their helmets.
What turned out to be a protest had quickly turned into a riot.
And Ezra was lost in the terror.
Ezra knew that he should not have joined the protest, but it was his home planet. He could not resist.
He had been right next to Kanan, but someone had shoved him deeper into the crowd. They were growing restless, and he knew that it was seconds away from turning into chaos. But unable to see around the crowd of people, he could not located Kanan. If only he was a few inches taller he might have been able to see. Cursing his height, Ezra turned his attention back to the Troopers, who were loading their weapons.
They fired right towards where Ezra was standing.
But it was not a blaster shot. Instead, it was some sort of gas. And Ezra quickly found out that it was not much better. The canister fell to the ground in front of his feet, and he covered his mouth and nose with his orange sleeve. His lungs burned as each cough shook his body. He heard screams of terror through the smoke that blinded him.
Someone ran into his shoulder, throwing him off balance and on to the ground. He tried to shuffle away, attempting to crawl, but people continued to kick and trip over him. His eyes watered as he choked on the smoke. Feet passed by him, but none of them were Kanan's. He wanted to find him; he always knew what to do. And at the moment, Ezra was completely clueless. He heard more canisters being fired as people fled from the scene.
A hand grabbed onto his shoulder and flipped him onto his back. Through his blurred vision, he recognized the white helmet of a Stormtrooper. He raised his black blaster, not pointing the barrel at him. Instead, it came down and his Ezra's cheek, whipping his head onto the pavement. His face stung as he felt blood gushing down his face.
Another pair of hands grabbed onto his shirt collar, yanking him up to his feet. The arms looped under his armpits, forcing him back into the chest of his captor. The first Stormtrooper smacked his gun into his forehead, connecting with his temple.
Ezra's head was again whipped to the side, his blood splattering onto the ground. He bit his lip as the world began to tilt and as his vision became less clear than it had already been. He felt the second trooper bind his hands together in the unquestionable metal cuffs, the coldness seeping into his wrists.
He looked up at his attacker once more, as the final blow was delivered.
Kanan ran through the frantic crowd, searching for any sign of his padawan; a flash of his blue hair, or of his orange jumpsuit. Yet the smoke clouded his vision as he ran right into it. He spotted a canister, the white smoke still pouring out of it. Using the force, he raised it and chucked it back at the firing troopers. Unfortunately, their helmets were able to prevent the gas from affecting them. Fortunately, Kallus's mask did no such thing.
Kallus doubled over and ran into the building.
By now, the crowd had died down as everyone who had not been arrested had fled. The smoke did not begin to clear, but Kanan had found a way out of the smoke. He looked around, still hoping that he would find his padawan. It was possible that he had made it out of the mob before the tear gas was shot, but Kanan knew that this was a stretch.
Tired of the smoke blocking his sight, he used the force to clear the street. But what he saw shocked him. Three canisters of tear gas had been shot, and they were still emitting smoke. However, the blood that covered the ground scared him. Somehow, everyone had dispersed from the scene with great speed; the troopers were nowhere to be seen, and neither were any pedestrians. They had all fled the scene quickly, pedestrians hiding in their homes and troopers taking whoever they had caught.
As quickly as the riot had started, it was over.
And Ezra was gone.
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