Happy Valentine's Day everyone! I got so much love on the two oneshots I wrote that I decided to write a longer story for you all. I'm not sure how this will go, but I had a lot of fun writing it, so without further ado, let's begin!
Genevene, a small town on a small moon, was bustling to the point where it was impossible to have personal space.
Ezra Bridger checked his market list as he entered town square before looking up.
"Why are there so many people?" he mumbled.
Ezra pushed his way into the market, only to find it void of shopkeepers. A man stood next to him and shook his head. "No use boy. Markets are closed today and for a good reason too."
Shouting erupted from the crowd and Ezra felt the Force whisper warnings. "Best get home boy," the man added. "Ain't safe here."
Ezra nodded. "T-thanks." As he left he shook his head. "So much for a supply run..." he thought. "Better get back to the Ghost. Something's about to happen."
Ezra made his way back towards the square.
The shouts got louder and louder. Stormtroopers began attempting to wrangle up the crowd, but to no avail. Ezra moved faster. He was nearly at the center when the riot began.
"Sir!" One of the officers at Genevene's Imperial Complex snapped to attention upon seeing his superior, Admiral Frieda Longheart.
"What is it?" Longhear asked.
"Genevene is at it again," the officer replied.
"Wonderful," Longheart muttered sarcastically. "Tarkin told me to use the measure if this happened again, and this is the fifth time this month. Are all the officers and officials inoculated?"
"Yes sir."
"Deploy the bombs."
Ezra struggled to push his way out of the rioting crowd. The Force seemed to shout a warning as blaster fired erupted. Ezra ducked down, trying to avoid the shots in case he was recognized. He looked up to see three large cylinders thrown into the air.
"CRAP!"
Ezra pushed faster. Unfortunately for him, everyone else did too once they realized what the Stormtroopers had gifted them.
The bombs exploded, releasing a torrent of red powder onto the air and turning anyone close by into a human projectile. Ezra was one of those human projectiles.
Time seemed to slow down as Ezra was sent flying through the air. He landed hard on the dirt ground, knocking the wind out of him. Ezra began coughing, trying to breathe through the thick red powder that was overpowering. It smelled like spice and smoke, and the cloud was so thick that Ezra could barely see. The powder was making him feel lightheaded. "Keep moving, Bridger. Keep moving."
Ezra closed his eyes and tapped into the Force, letting it guide him out of the mess. A few minutes later, the sweet morning air raced into Ezra's lungs. After a few minutes blinded by red, the light was a bit bright, but Ezra had made it.
"I really need to get back to the Ghost. Kanan will want to know what happened."
Ezra ran towards the Ghost. He was halfway there when his comlink went off.
"Ezra! I heard there was a riot in town. Are you alright?"
Ezra slowed to a stop and answered his comlink with a shaky hand. "Y-yeah... I'm okay. Everything was closed, Kanan. I couldn't get any supplies."
"That's alright. Were you anywhere near those explosions."
"Yeah, but I'm alright. Just a bit shaken." Thought the comlink, Ezra could hear Kanan sigh in relief. "Just get back to the Ghost. We should probably get out of here."
"Not a bad idea. See you in a few."
The connection cut and Ezra took off once again, ignoring the waves of dizziness washing over him.
When Ezra finally made it back to the Ghost, he was met with four worried face plus a droid.
"Are you sure you're alright?"
Ezra looked up at Hera, the pilot of the Ghost, and nodded. "A bit dizzy, but being caught in an explosion and being thrown through the air will do that to you."
"You were what?" Sabine's jaw dropped at Ezra's nonchalant attitude.
"Calm down, Sabine. It could have been worse."
"What's this about an explosion?" Zeb asked.
"Give him some space," Kanan said, placing his arm in between Ezra and the rest of the crew. "We need to get ready to leave. Ezra, you should probably go get cleaned up. You look like you were in a riot."
"You don't say?" Ezra muttered sarcastically as he entered the Ghost.
Ezra walked into the men's fresher on the Ghost. He was about to get in the shower when the world began to spin. With a gasp, Ezra collapsed against the wall.
Dark corners appeared at the edge of Ezra's vision as he tried to breathe through it. A wave of nausea washed over him as he gasped for breath. "Okay..." Ezra breathed as it passed. "Okay... Okay..."
"Shower, then nap time. I'll have someone wake me when we meet up with the fleet. I'm just a little shaken up, and maybe I landed harder that I thought. Who knows?"
After cleaning up, Ezra felt extremely tired, even more so than usual. After making sure someone would wake him, Ezra staggered over to the cabin he shared with Zeb. The padawan didn't have the energy to climb to his bunk, and he was really hot. The cold durasteel floor looked very confortable...
Ezra shook his head at himself and forced his tired muscles to move up the ladder.
He was asleep before he hit the pillow, the smell of spice and smoke still lingering in his nostrils.
And that's the end of chapter one! I hope you all enjoyed. If you did, constructive criticism and kind comments are welcome in the reviews. Your kind words always make me smile! Until next time!