Chapter III

Here Comes Trouble

The Force guided Ezra back into the busy streets of the late evening market. People were chatting loudly and scurrying along with arms full of baskets or pulling along some packing animal. The whole scene was completely typical to the average onlooker but to Ezra it was far too loud and distracting. It muffled his connection with the Force as he tried to zone everything else back out.

Many people stared when he suddenly threw himself into the crowded area, surprised by his actions and curious as to what he was up to. The frantic expression on his tanned face as he surveyed the crowd didn't help ease the marketers' suspicions.

"Bast it," he huffed and took a step back to remove himself from being in the way of shoppers.

He could still feel the stranger's presence somewhere inside the city but it was hard to locate their exact location. The booming laughter of men and crooking of small animals made it hard for him to concentrate and concentration was something he seriously needed to practice more on. He thought back to the time he was trying to train with Kanan while Zeb kept teasing him and next thing he knew he was tumbling through the clouds.

Ezra removed himself from the sidelines and started walking at an even pace with the crowds. He knew that he really should be getting back to Sabine and tell her what happened, but he wasn't sure that she would understand. She didn't have the ability like he did with the Force and having to explain himself would be rather tough.

"Specter 6! You better pick up specter 6!"

Ah, what lovely timing…

Ezra picked up his transmitter, ducking his head slightly and holding it a certain way in his hand that it wouldn't be seen.

"Hey there, specter 5. Um, find anything?"

"Find anything? Oh, I sure found something! How about an empty alleyway where I specifically told a certain troublesome kid not to wander away from!?"

Ezra winced at the harsh and obvious anger in her voice. He was seriously going to get it when she found him. He could only hope she didn't tell Kanan about his little departure yet.

"When we regroup I swear to explain myself to you but for now," he paused and tried to refocus on the simmering feeling in the air that he was able to sense because of the Force. "I need to do something."

"The only 'something' that you should be doing is focusing on our mission!" she grunted into the mic and Ezra thought that she must be running and looking for him that very moment.

"Tell me where you're at. I told specter 1 I'd keep an eye on you and I'm not about to get in trouble if you do something stupid!"

Ezra started to feel guilt build in his stomach but brushed it away because he swore he wouldn't let himself get in trouble this time. He wasn't about to go back on his words from earlier.

"Yeah, I know what you told specter 1, but if what I'm feeling turns out to be what I think it is, then maybe we won't have to continue looking for that symbol after all. I don't really know how to explain it well enough to convince you, but you're gunna have to trust me on this." he pleaded and heard nothing but silence and slight static on the other line. He waited and prayed that Sabine would understand.

"Fine…"

Ezra closed his eyes and let out a long breath that he had held in while waiting for her response.

"Thanks. Now if specter 1 calls in,"

"Don't worry about it, kid. I'll cover for you for as long as I can. But I can't guarantee anything if he uses some Jedi trick and finds you wandering all on your own." he could hear the bluntness in her voice and he smiled wryly at it.

"Eh, then lets just hope that he doesn't." he shrugged and continued on walking with a little more ease in his step. "Plus, its not like he's going to be looking for me anyways if I don't get in trouble, which I swore to stay out of."

"Uh-huh."

"Trust me, specter 5, I won't do anything that will-wait." Ezra stopped walking and narrowed his eyes at a scene that was taking place a little ways down the street.

There seemed to be some sort of dispute going on between one of the markets merchants and an Imperial agent with two storm troopers flanking from behind. The merchant seemed in distress and had his hands out like he was trying to explain himself or plead to the uniformed Imperial.

The agent glared down at the shopkeeper looking unimpressed with whatever he was being told. The two storm troopers had their guns out, not to shoot but to obviously intimidate the shopkeeper.

"Specter 6? What's going on?" Sabine tried to ask, but Ezra was too focused on what was going on to respond to her.

The scene he was so engrossed in didn't seem to be deescalating and Ezra felt something run down his spine like a warning something was about to happen.

Skeptically taking small steps closer to try and hear what was being discussed, Ezra crept forward until he was positioned at a booth next to the one he was watching. The owner of the little shop he stood in front of looked up at him questionably.

"Please! I swear that I have no more money to spare!" the old shopkeeper said earnestly. "Sales haven't been very good lately, but I will pay as soon as I can! I beg of you to give me one more week! Just one!"

"If I remember correctly that is the same pathetic excuse that I heard the last time I visited this diminutive booth," The Imperial agent glared at the man with a merciless expression. "I know you earn more than you're letting on. This shop is never without a line," he watched the shopkeepers eyes studiously before a wicked smile formed on his face.

"You're putting profit aside and lying about your revenue for reasons that I care not for. You will give me the market permit tax for this week as well as lasts or else I will remove you and your wooden shack off these streets permanently."

"B-But I don't have the money to pay the tax! I already told you-!"

"I'm done with your excuses." The agent lifted a hand and the two storm troopers moved to take action. "I hear by declare you under arrest for the incompetence of paying taxes to the Empire and for lying to an Imperial agent." The guards walked around the little shop and stood on both sides of its thin owner who flinched away in fear.

"I must warn you that resisting arrest is another felony and I won't hesitate to add it to your record." The agent sneered.

Ezra glared at the Imperial man as he continued to watch from his spot. He desperately wanted to do something to help, but he couldn't risk getting in trouble and breaking his promise. He took a deep breath and started walking forward and was fully set on walking past the stand without a single glance.

He was almost a foot away from passing the scene when he heard the voice of a little kid yell in fear. Ezra spun around and watched just in time as a young boy came running out from under a clothed crate and clung to the shopkeeper's leg that was being arrested.

"Papa!" the kid whined and looked up at his father with eyes full of distress. "Please don't let them take you!"

The Imperial agent scowled at the child then turned his hateful gaze back on the shopkeeper. "Your father is a crook and a poor excuse as a mentor, child. Move along so we may take him to his rightful place which is inside a cell."

The little boy looked up at the man and scrunched his nose. "You're the crook and horrible person here, mister! You deserve to be in a cell!"

Ezra couldn't believe the words that came out of the boy's mouth and apparently neither could the tax collector.

"Is that so…" he muttered and raised an eyebrow. He looked to the arrested father who was gapping at his son. "Insulting an Imperial agent is also against the law I'll have you know." The way he said his words made Ezra hold his breath, like he already knew what was to come.

"P-Please!" the shopkeeper began to beg. "He is just a boy, he didn't mean it!"

"Perhaps," he shrugged, looking non interested. "but he does deserve to be taught a lesson. Young boys do learn best when still so small and I say we should take advantage of such valuable age." he smirked and nodded his head to the small child who still clung against his father.

"Arrest the boy as well."

"No!" the shopper keeper rammed his body against the storm trooper that reached for the boy at his leg. The trooper stumbled back enough to give the boy a chance to escape. "Run, Ceil!" he desperately urged his son.

The boy looked scared when the other storm trooper ceased his father. "Papa!" he begged but gasped when the other trooper regained his footing and started to advance on him. The boy, Ceil, turned around and started running, only to be stopped short when his right upper arm was caught.

The Imperial agent lifted the boy from the ground and watched him struggle in his grasp. "Maybe what will teach you best is a proper zapping." The agent moved his free hand to his belt and removed a black rod. When he held it in front of the boy, the tip snapped open and sparked to life in sizzling purple static.

"May this be a lesson for you and your fathers insolvencies…" and then he brought it up the young boys face, intent of leaving the boy with a scar on his pale cheek as proof of this event for the rest of his life.

The flickering spark was inches from the boys face when suddenly a small, yellow snapped against the side of the Imperials helmet, startling him enough to halt him in his attack. The agent lowered his rod and turned in the direction of the assault on the side of his head, his cold eyes landing on a boy dressed heavily with uncoordinated colors.

Ezra smirked triumphantly at the direct hit and prepared his wrist sling shot again. "How about you pick on someone your own size?" he announced then let the yellow energy ball fling loose and smack the agents arm, causing him to drop the boy back to the ground.

The now free kid backed up, nervous of what to do next. He looked past the man and to Ezra who nodded his head off to the side, trying to tell him to run while he has the chance.

"You're nearly half my size if not less, boy." The Imperial scoffed and turned his body to fully face Ezra. "Surely you aren't insisting yourself."

"Oh yeah?" he raised a bemused eyebrow and let a few more energy balls fly at the agent who deflected some with his rod but the few that hit him caused him to twitch. "So how many regulations do you think that's going to cost me?"

The man growled and bared his teeth. "Possibly your life." he sneered then swung his rod at him, purple static zipping through the air.

Ezra's eyes widened before he narrowed them and jumped to the side to dodge the attack. The agent swung again and he had to duck down just in time as the rod slashed into a barrel of fruit, spilling the fresh contents around their feet. Ezra grinned when a plan came to mind and he grabbed a handful of toppled fruit and started throwing them at the storm troopers who were holding the shopkeeper.

The first storm trooper lifted his gun in attempt to shot them in the air but didn't have time and the imported fruit smashed and exploded against his white armor. Ezra inwardly laughed and thought how it reminded him of Sabine's armor with her own personal designs and splashes of color.

"Get that boy!" the agent yelled and Ezra didn't stay around long enough to see them react as he spun around and darted down the busy street. He could hear the echoing voice of the agent yelling for him to stop and for somebody to 'catch that boy'. Thankfully none of the market shoppers were fast enough to grab him or that the people seemed to be on his side. He assumed it was the latter.

Ezra zig-zagged in between shoppers and tried his best not to completely run people over. The streets were crowded but thankfully because his size he was able to maneuver through them with not that much difficultly. He couldn't say the same for the agent and the storm troopers though when he heard their shouts become fainter and further away.

As Ezra continued to run down the street and past all the obscure buildings and exotic shops, he felt a tingling sensation in the air like he had in the back alley. His steps faltered and he looked around as if the answer were to just pop out from the crowd.

"Over here!" a deep and commanding voice hollered from somewhere behind his back.

"Ah, man.." Ezra muttered and pushed himself to run faster even when his lungs burned from the chilly air.

He needed to find somewhere to hide and lay low until the guards passed and he could sneak back to Sabine and the others and leave. The storm troopers knew the area while Ezra didn't, already giving them a clear advantage.

Ezra was just about to turn into an open alleyway on his right when he heard a ringing sound come from somewhere up ahead on his left. He didn't think twice about the alleyway and continued to run forward and follow the familiar ringing noise.

The ringing was coming from what appeared to be stables for an animal of some sort. The area around it didn't seem to be as crowded so he was easily able to pick up his speed when he drew near.

He didn't know why he chose to run there but he had a feeling that it was where he needed to be.

Ezra let the Force guide him to the stables and mustered up some strength in his tired legs and leapt over the wooden fence. He closed his eyes and used his arms to shield his head and as he went crashing down into piles of scratchy hay.

He felt himself rolling before coming to an abrupt halt when he collided into something hard. There was a surprised yelp and then a crashing weight fell on top of him.

Alarmed by the sudden weight, Ezra opened his eyes to see what had happened. The world around him was spinning for a bit but when it finally slowed down and he was able to focus, his entire being became rigid in shock.

Staring back down at him was a set of icy blue eyes, wide with surprise just as his own.

"Um, hey." He grinned sheepishly.

The person above him only blinked in response.


Author's Note: Smooth as ever, Ezra.. Thanks for reading!