Chapter 2

Together but apart

An: Incase I didn't say it before I don't own rebels, because if I did we would know what's up with the Space Whales and Ezra in the next episode, any way read on.

Ezra's pov

"Put them into the holding pens. Children under sixteen in one and the older ones in another, keep an eye on the ones that could cause trouble in both groups, they might run, fight again or both and I don't want valuable stock to get damaged before I have had a chance to sell it to the highest bidder" said Dale

We were soon shoved into different areas, most of the children were humans or humanoid very few were alien. All were terrified including me, we were all so crammed together so tightly that most could sit, we had to stand. I couldn't see Kanan anymore in his pen, from what I could see most of the people in there were a little older than Kanan was, the oldest with withered figures of someone who has been out in the sun too long,whose face showed no fear only dignity but it was the uncertainty in their eyes showed who they really were.

even if I couldn't see Kanan, I could still feel him and made this place a little bit more like I could stand it. Don't get me wrong I was still scared but knowing he was nearby helped me control those fears. At least I hoped it was, I didn't want to have an other brush with the dark side of the force like I did on the asteroid.

"Nor will you have to Ezra...I will always be here to help you, even if you can't see me" said Kanan to my mind.

It feel good to hear his voice but the last part of his message confused me though, what did he mean "if you can't see me". Does that mean he is going away from me, that we were not going escape this hellhole, if he wasn't close by I didn't think I could take it. I sighed, my fate I knew was something I couldn't get away from without him.

"What you do mean by that?" I asked him now I thought that through, my force signature bond grabbing on to his and his grabbing on to mine.

"What I mean is we might be separated by anything now or in the future. We might be sold to different masters if we don't escape from here, the future is a slippery thing who knows what is on the horizon but know that if that happens and aren't together, believe that someone will come for you. Just trust the force and trust in me Ezra" Kanan said his force signature warming my own.

And we stayed like that for a while, our connection warming, disappearing the fears that we held within us. I could feel Kanan working through a plan to get us away, even as more captives were thrown into our pens making it even harder to move. The daylight was getting lower, the suns were setting if Kanan didn't think of something soon it was going to be too late.

Kanan had told me once that if innocent lives were threatened no matter what species they be, whether they are human, humanoid, alien or even some kind of animal. It was the Jedi who was there would figure out what to do, even if it was a no win situation. So all we had to do was to find a way but the problem was that with us penned like this and the access to the pen doors all but blocked, maybe the only way to get away is to try to escape when they come to sell us.

"That might work padawan but it might not. I should think that when they come for us the guards will be higher in number than when we were put in here" said Kanan, I could still feel him thinking over what I had said.

"So what do we do?" I asked.

"We wait until they sell us and once we are in their care, before they take us away from here, we make our escape as the guards will not be as high in number. Once away from there Ezra make your way to your tower, I will meet you there or at least one of us will be able to get hold of the crew and will be able to save the missing one" he replied.

I thought about it, about what Kanan just said and I realized that it might work, if I ran the right way or if Kanan was able to get away first then we would be able escape and get to my tower but what if it doesn't work? what if...

"Ezra don't start with the "what if's" thoughts. It will work but if it doesn't we aren't alone in this, Hera and the others will have found the message that I left and will do the best they can do to find us. Trust me" Kanan told me.

"I do trust you" I said as I noticed they were starting to crowd around the pens.

I backed away from the slavers, the memory of the last time I was sold still fresh in my mind, but this time Dale was the boss, the seller, not the one who was buying, still the memory weighted heavily on me. I could feel Kanan sending calming waves of comfort through the force, but it wasn't helping. I sighed in relief when they left but then my heart rate picked up us I realized that mean't that they were going to sell us soon.

I was so distracted that I had forgotten Kanan was there, I couldn't even feel him right now, then suddenly the doors opened,I hadn't even noticed where the time had gone. I panicked when they came for me, but as Kanan reminded me before that I couldn't use the force on them. As a Jedi in training I was in danger of being sold on to the empire once my slave owner knew what he had, this didn't stop me from thinking about it though.

I was lead past the adult pen where Kanan was and finally I could see him. He was pushing his way through the captives as he followed me. I don't know what made me do it but I escaped my guards and ran to him as he got close to the fence as he could.

"D...Dad I...I" I tried and failed to get the words out that I wanted to say before I was dragged away from him again, just like I was when we got here, Kanan knew what I meant to say any way because once I broke away again to get to him he replied "I know son, I do too" he got out before the guards came for me again this time making sure their grip on me was bruising.

I stood on stage as the seller starts the bidding. I was so afraid but I had a feeling while I was there that I could cope because it almost felt like Kanan was standing there with me, so didn't even notice when the bidding had stopped but I did feel the guards pushing me along, not back to the pens, somewhere else and even as I tried to do what Kanan asked of me I knew at once that I wasn't going to get away.

Kanan's pov

I say this place was bad was like saying the inquisitor was a Jedi. This place was a nightmare within a nightmare that I was going to make sure that Ezra and I were going to wake up from. I hadn't seen Ezra since they put us in separate pens, so that when I connected with him and we talked. I could feel his fear and pain about being here, I needed to get him away soon because it was not only these things that might stop his escape, it was his weakening body that was still recovering from the crystal snake bite.

So that when I saw him again as he was marched past, I had to get to the front. I feel him pushing up against the bars as he got to me once he escaped his guards.

"D...Dad I...I" he was trying to tell me something before he was dragged away again, he fight and got away then came to me. It was only then I could feel the words he was trying to say, so I replied to him "I know son, I do too" and I did, I care for him deeply.

I made sure that I stayed with Ezra for as long as I could from when he was dragged away from me, to when they forced him onto the stage. I could feel his fear as he stood on the stage, so much so that I sent out as much of my force signature to him to help him bare it. It was almost like I was standing on the stage with him.

I could feel his fear dying down as he felt me with him, only to have it return when he was lead off the stage and away from me. I was so distracted by this that I didn't even feel them come for me. The only thing I was worried about was getting away and getting to Ezra before the distance became to great for even force mind talk.

"Now that the young slaves are out of the way, lets start the bidding of the sixteen to thirty adult section today" said Dale, his voice cutting through for a moment.

I could hear them calling out prices for me but I was trying to and kind of failing to see where Ezra was. I knew he hadn't been past the holding pens but did that mean that he was still a captive or was he free now and had found somewhere to hide until it was safe for him to come out and make his way to his tower but then I spot him and I realize even if he was well there was no escape from those that held him.

"I am sorry Kanan I couldn't get free and I heard from the people that are in here with me that we are just about to leave the planet. I am scared Da...I mean Kanan I don't know if I can survive alone again. I told the guide at the temple I could but I don't think I can" Ezra sent.

"It's going to be okay Ezra my son" I sent letting him know again that I thought of him as my son and that wouldn't change then I continued " I will find a way to get to you, no matter where they take you, I am coming" I finished feeling the guards pushing me along.

I must have been sold, and after another fight trying to escape again, I was forced to my knees. I looked up once I saw a pair of boots standing in front of me. it was Dale and by the look on his face I must have been sold to someone he knew. I closed my eyes and connected with my padawan son again, this time I felt a little hope coming from the boy.

"I believe in you master and I will wait for you" he sent sounding hopeful and full of light.

"That's right my padawan, for no matter how dark things seem, never give up hope" I sent before the connection was lost. I would have to escape on my own and find him, I would never give up hope that I would see him again no matter how long that was.