Hello my friends and thank you for purchasing Uncle Hondo's biography of the Great Rebel Hero Ezra Bridger and the crew of the mighty Ghost!
Now you may be asking, but Uncle Hondo? There is already an account of Erza Bridger - Coruscant Entertainment (CE) made an animated series of his adventures! Did you not know this? Of course Uncle Hondo knows this! But this my dear reader is the TRUE ACCOUNT! Verified by many sources, too many to list! And also? A plot twist from Uncle Hondo!
Not only is this profitable but it is honest!
Uncle Hondo will get many royalties for this exclusive account and while there have been several action-holo talks, in respect to my great friend Ezra and his family I have turned down all.
Uncle Hondo refuses to let his friend's story be tarnished or told with inaccuracies by some CE executive with a social agenda! That is wrong, and also, NOT PROFITABLE!
Well Uncle Hondo, just what are some of the inaccuracies? Uncle Hondo is so glad you asked! For one, Ezra's great love, did you know that she could use the Force too? Yes! A Mandalorian Jedi! This is just one example of CE trying to twist the facts. But that is for later, much later.
To tell this story in its entirety we must travel back in time.
Back before the galaxy knew of things like Death Stars. Before there was a Rebel Alliance. Back before Uncle Hondo was even Uncle Hondo! How can this be? What is Uncle Hondo without Uncle? Wellll just Hondo. After all, I am writing this to prove to my little Mira's mother that her Uncle Hondo is capable of making an honest profit!
So my little Mira and my reader, the true story of Ezra and the spark that began the great Rebellion. And it all begins with an annoying forcer in black who insists on having a bigger helmet than anyone pirate Uncle Hondo has ever seen!
For my niece, my little Mira. The true story of your father: Rebel Hero (and part-time pirate), Ezra Bridger!

Spark of Rebellion Part 1

"A kid's gotta eat..."

A large squadron of Imperial Star Destroyers assemble in deep space, surrounded by the howling of the ever present TIE-Fighters. Though the chances of running into any resistance to such a gathering of Imperial forces this far out was miniscule.

It had been fourteen years since the infamous Order 66 and the end of the Clone Separatists and their battle droids have long been wiped out; and the rapidly aging clones had been phased out to be replaced by non-clone sentients, primarily humans.

The Jedi Order itself is all but a memory. Many beings living under the yoke of the Galactic Empire believed the Jedi had all been eradicated, and if it weren't for the long stand bounty for information leading to the capture of Jedi in hiding there would be little evidence left to refute the order's complete destruction.

For those living in the luxurious core worlds, after ten years the difference between the Republic and the Empire was night and day. For those living in worlds along the far edges of the galaxy like in the Outer Rim it made little difference. Worlds that were ruled by the Hutts during the Republic were still ruled by the Hutts during the ten year old Galactic Empire.

Although there were generally two unspoken realities on many worlds. The first was the ever growing sightings of Imperial Star Destroyers and their smaller cousins the Light Cruisers. Imposing kilometer-long vessels signifying the Empire's might. If it was the Emperor's desire to repress speaking out against the Empire then his strategy had succeeded.

The other rule were the heavy troop presences garrisoned on many worlds. There were two types. The regular army that typically wore fabric uniforms of black and gray that offered little in protection but their helmets (if they had helmets) did not come with a mask. When the civilian populace saw these regular soldiers, they saw actual people with actual voices and many of whom had been born and raised on the planets they were stationed on.

The populaces knew these soldiers. They could see the color of their eyes. They knew their names. Spoke the same language. They were people just like them, there was no cause to fear at their sight. They weren't always locals but these regular army soldiers, or "mudskippers" as they were sometimes referred to as, you could expect some semblance of understanding in day to day life.

But then there was the other type of soldier and the difference between the regular army and the ubiquitous Imperial Stormtroopers was night and day. Like Star Destroyers orbiting above the Stormtrooper divisions clad in all white plastoid armor were another demonstration of Emperor Palpatine's power through projection. Fanatically loyal to the Empire and their Emperor, these men and women were better equipped and better trained than the regular army. Thankfully these fanatics had mostly kept to themselves.

Until now.

As the Emperor passed down increasingly draconian laws and the equally harsh punishments, the populaces throughout many worlds were beginning to think a bit differently about the Empire. But the thought of any organized rebellion was delusional. Despite these setbacks many denizens of the galaxy found the Empire tolerable.

But not all, and on the Command Star Destroyer in the squadron a slim but imposing figure of a haunting gray skin and feverish yellow eyes garbed in some sort of ornamental uniform made his way to the aft-Bridge hologram projection pod. For those educated in the various species of the galaxy they would recognize him as a Pau'an, an alien species native to the planet of Utapau.

This was the Empire's tip of the spear when it came to hunting the remaining Jedi. He was the Grand Inquisitor.

With an air of indifference to the vessel's crew around him, few in the galaxy knew the origins of this individual. Rather all they knew was that the Grand Inquisitor's will was not to be questioned, unless risk losing your head to that strange circular weapon that sprouted twin red blades of energy that were strong enough to cut through anything - a lightsaber.

And the Grand Inquisitor was considered by many to be the most deadly and capable lightsaber wielders known with the exception of one. Once the aft-Bridge Communications Center was cleared of all other personnel, the Grand Inquisitor answered the incoming holocall and kneeled before the hologram projection of his master.

Darth Vader (Also known as the Great Helmet!)

"The Jedi Knights are all but destroyed," Vader began after a long drawn out moment filled only with the sounds of his armor's respirator. "And yet your task is not complete, Inquisitor. The Emperor has foreseen a new threat rising against him. The children of the Force, they must not become Jedi."

"Yes, Lord Vader," the Grand Inquisitor responded in a pleasant yet professional tone of voice, as he continued to kneel before the Dark Lord's holoprojection and awaited further commands.

As imposing of a presence the Grand Inquisitor pulled off it was nothing compared to the nightmare inducing visage of Darth Vader, the Emperor's chief enforcer of his decrees. Second only to the infamous Grand Moff Tarkin. But the Grand Inquisitor had long since learned the worst thing you could do in his position was to show fear and weakness before the legendary Darth and his plus-sized helmet.

"Hunt down this new enemy," Vader said. "And if they will not serve the Empire, eliminate them along with any surviving Jedi who will train them. This is my Master's command."

"And so it will be done," the Grand Inquisitor answered as he continued to bow his head low and under no circumstance make eye contact. It was only when Lord Vader ended the holocall and his projection flickered away did the Grand Inquisitor raise his head.

With pale yellow irises encircled by a ring of red the Grand Inquisitor showed sheer determination to carry out his Masters' commands. For him it was not a question of if he would catch these remaining Jedi only a matter of when.

With his commands delivered the pau'an rose from his feet and then set himself toward the Bridge. The Captain and this squadron of destroyers were about to receive new orders.

Half a galaxy away on the sparsely populated backwater planet of Lothal, a lone communications tower stood miles away from the planet's Capital City. Surrounded by a sea of beautiful rolling plains the lone tower had long since fallen into a state of disrepair. With the exception of passing ships on their way to the Capital's space port and those who lived in the City a short speeder hop away, most would hardly realize it was even there. Even fewer would think much of it.

Although for the young orphan Ezra, it was home.

Beautiful, Ezra thought as he stepped out from the tower's circular residential hub. With a smile on his face he approached the guardrail of his tower's balcony observation deck and turned his gaze outward across the plains. Far below he could see Loth-cats chasing each other through the rolling hills and wide flatlands.

The sight caused Ezra's smile to widen just a bit more as his eyes continued to sweep the surrounding landscape. At fourteen years old he didn't have a credit to his name but this, all of this around him, it made him feel like the richest man in the galaxy.

And that's when he felt it again.

That hum.

That calling.

He had been brushing it off all week, believing that it was just the glare of the sun or something playing tricks on him. Or maybe it was something with the tower?

It was a pain in the choobies but he made a point to inspect his tower every now and then. And sure he wasn't a genius engineer who knew all that math and architectural jargon, but he knew enough about nuts and bolts to keep his tower from falling to pieces.

Usually he waited more than a couple of months between inspections but maybe he should just do it anyway? The thought didn't thrill him.

And besides somehow Ezra knew that noise had nothing to do with his tower dwelling or the sun or something else unremarkable . The calling was from something else. And deep down inside of him he felt himself wanting to return its call.

Ezra huffed and shook his head. He had things to do that day and needed to get a move on but maybe just another minute.

Leaning against the railing the boy continued his sweeping of the surroundings. This high up the countryside seemed to go on forever and it could be easy for anybody to miss and overlook something. But he wasn't anybody and he did this nearly everyday and there was absolutely nothing different in sight.

He gave in. Before his brain talked him out of it Ezra chose to follow his instincts and closed his eyes, inhaled a breath, and reached out with his arm.

What am I doing? The logical part of his head asked him but he ignored it, because that hum he had heard of felt all week was beginning to ever so slightly become a little clearer.

Weird.

Taking another breath Ezra spreaded the fingers of his hand and tried to sort of reach out. As crazy as it was to him, closing his eyes was seeming to help. But help with what? What was he accomplishing just standing here with his arm held out?

He didn't have the slightest clue. But that humming, that calling, was slowly becoming louder - only he was still no longer any closer to pinpointing the direction it was coming from.

It sounded like - it felt like - it was coming from all around him. Groaning in frustration Ezra sighed, dropped his arm, and plopped his chin onto the railing and opened his eyes. He was confident he'd figure it out soon enough. Eventually he always did.

He felt his tummy rumble and Ezra groaned again.

Right, food. And the other stuff if he wanted to make it there in time.

Just as he turned to head down the tower Ezra heard a noise, only this time it wasn't a pretty hum but the sound of a large starship traveling overhead. A shadow fell over him and his tower as he looked upward to see an Imperial Star Destroyer overhead. The thing was so massive that it had blocked out the sun!

And it was headed right toward the Capital.

"No, no, no," Ezra groaned but pushed himself off the railing. Grabbing his bag and other equipment from inside the hub, he ran toward the tower's elevator and hit the down button for the lift.

The Empire, predictable as ever, was right on time and instead of being in the City here he was wasting time entertaining imaginary noises in his head!

"Come on, come on," Ezra muttered as the lift slowly took its time to bring him from the top of his tower to the surface.

Not waiting for it to touchdown completely Ezra hopped off from a safe height and in the tower's small makeshift garage. Amongst a bunch of junk and other scrap was one of Ezra's most prized possessions.

With a smile Ezra climbed aboard his speeder bike and flipped on its engine. Feeling the steady thrum of its engine beneath him Ezra felt as the bike's repulsors engaged and lifted the bike off the ground. Ezra remotely triggered the tower's entry door and once it was halfway up gunned the engine once before twisting the throttle and shooting out of the tower and into the plains of his homeworld.

Away from the darkness in his tower, Ezra lifted his hand to block out the sunlight as his eyes followed the Destroyer that had now settled overhead of the City.

Just another day on Lothal, Ezra thought as the bike steadily increased in speed and quickly accelerated past 100 kilometers per hour as he cleared the rural plains and hopped onto the paved parkway that dead-ends near his tower but was a straight shot to Capital City.

With his long black-blue hair flying behind him Ezra felt the rush of adrenaline hit him and his excitement growing. Faster and faster he went, climbing past 150 and then 160 and soon 170.

Ezra grinned as he zipped past a landspeeder that had somehow ended up in the ditch next to the road, its driver yelling something at him as he left the poor guy in his dust.

"185 - Come on!" Ezra griped as he kept furtively glancing at the speed. He leaned his body lower in order to lessen the drag of the air against him and the bike. He smiled triumphantly as the speed increased further until finally.

"190!" Ezra cheered.

Not bad for a secondhand bike that could barely do 50 when it first came into his possession. He wasn't some engineering prodigy. But he knew his bikes.

The City was nearing closer and so, quickly, for a few seconds Ezra closed his eyes and just let the feel of the air rush over his face. It was such a great feeling and one he just wanted to bask in. But his instincts kicked in and Ezra opened his eyes just in time to see the traffic going to and from the City.

Easing back on the throttle Ezra joined the flow of traffic, not wanting to draw attention to himself as he and other vehicles entered into the outer City's speed limits. He glanced up and saw that despite his late start the Imperial Star Destroyer looked to just be coming to a stop itself over his City.

Later. After he took care of things here he'd head out to the plains and really enjoy flying his bike across the vast empty landscape.

As for now?

With a look of mischief on his face at its sight, Ezra entered the city on his speeder and began to head to a safe spot he knew of to temporarily stash it. And after that it would be time for the game to begin.

Above the active bustle of the crowded marketplace came the howling scream of two TIE fighters flying overhead. In the marketplace itself was a small patrol of four stormtroopers led by two Imperial officers clad in gray uniforms.

Commander Aresko and Taskmaster Grint had been leading the Imperial garrison on Lothal for years now. Being posted to such a planet in the Outer Rim meant very little but the job wasn't without some perks.

Shaking down the locals for example, now made even easier given the recent set of laws passed by the Imperial Senate in far off Coruscant.

Taskmaster Grint, a heavyset Imperial that towered over the stormtroopers and everyone else around him, tightened his fists and loomed over an older looking alien. Grint's voice boomed out. "Your identification. Now."

The fruit vendor, a non-human, was old and feeble in appearance. With green skin, yellow eyes, three fingers and bushy white beard, the alien held out his arms helplessly above his wicker basket of purple fruit with dark green stems. "I'm just trying to sell a couple of jogans here."

Commander Aresko, in contrast to Grint, looked like he could use some more meat on his bones. With a gaunt face he looked like a scarecrow in an Imperial uniform. He had a very nasal sounding voice that went along well with his holier than thou Imperial accent. "All trade must be registered with the Empire."

The jogan fruit vendor closed his eyes and shook his head and then looked away from the Imperials. His voice turned from helpless to contemptuous.

"I remember what it was like before your ships showed up. Before you Imperials ruined Lothal like the rest of the galaxy."

The vendor turned his head back and glared at Commander Aresko, causing a human woman and a green-skinned rodian bystander to open their eyes in shock at this display of defiance. What was he thinking?

Commander Aresko didn't hesitate. From his belt he plucked his comlink and held it in his black leather officer gloves, after a moment a beep came as the device activated. "This is LRC-01," Aresko said and eyed the alien with disgust. "I'm bringing in a citizen under a charge of treason."

The mechanical sound of a stormtrooper's helmet vocabulation speaker came back over the comlink for all to hear. "Copy that, LRC-01. Dispatch to Cell Block AA-33."

Thrilled with their latest catch Grint and two other stormtroopers wasted no time moving in to seize the fruit vendor's arms. The alien looked around and tried to wrestle his arms away, but it was hopeless. With the stormtroopers gripping the vendor's arms, Grint lazily took the opportunity to pick up the basket of fruit for himself.

"Take him away." Aresko said and the stormtroopers moved on his command.

"You can't do this!" the alien shouted, his eyes darting around him fearfully for an escape. No chance.

While chomping on one of the jogan fruit he had stolen, Taskmaster Grint eyed the alien with contempt. "Oh, yeah? Well, who's gonna stop us?" He looks at the woman and the rodian. "You? You?" They both turn away nervously, unwilling to meet Grint and Aresko's eyes as Grint laughs and jeers.

And then out of nowhere.

"Hey, mister, a spare jogan?"

A boy in a faded yet still bright orange jumpsuit and a roughshod backpack had subtly approached and stepped between Aresko and Grint. With his head bowed low and his hands open for charity the boy drew their attention, and their revulsion. A street rat urchin, hardly better than an alien.

Grint sneered and stared down at the filthy boy, causing the boy to almost back into Aresko as he cowered. "Move along, Loth-rat," Grint said.

The Loth-rat turned about in a slow but smooth circle, still with his head low and hands out. "Sorry, sorry." The boy said as his fingers brushed past Aresko's belt. "Not looking for trouble."

The boy quickly moved away from the intimidating Imperials, glowering after him.

Turned away from them, the boy opened his hand to reveal the comlink he had lifted from Commander Aresko's belt. Nope. Not looking for any trouble at all.

"But it sure has a way of finding me," Ezra said to himself once he was far enough away.

Lifting his head Ezra brushed his long hair out of his face and eyes. His eyes studied the Imperial Commander's comlink in his hand, and then triumphantly and casually tossed it in his hand then brought it to his lips.

Meanwhile the vendor was still struggling with the two stormtroopers as Commander Aresko and Taskmaster Grint (jogan fruit in hand) look on in amusement when suddenly Grint's comlink activates.

"All officers to the main square! This is a code red emergency."

Grint threw the fruit down in annoyance and Aresko peers at the vendor with disgust.

"It's your lucky day, Lothal scum," Aresko said and looked at the two stormtroopers holding the vendor. "You two, come with us!"

At Aresko's command the two stormtroopers throw the vendor to the ground while Grint lifts up the basket of fruits above his head and tosses it down onto the dirt-pocketed street, the basket and its jogans spilling out every which way. Without a backward glance Aresko led the way as he and the two stormtroopers ran after him. Grint left as well albeit at a much slower and annoyed pace.

The vendor couldn't believe his luck. He had just dodged Treason!

Lying in the street he shook his head as the Imperials left, next to him his overturned basket of fruit. A shadow appeared next to him and looking up the vendor found the same boy in orange standing next to him, holding an Imperial comlink in his hand.

"Stay on alert!"

Ezra continued in his best impression of an Imperial officer.

"Repeat, this is a code red."

Pocketing the comlink, Ezra sat down his backpack next to the vendor and crouched down next to him. He smiled but the vendor tilted his head and frowned.

"You," the fruit vendor said. "I remember you."

"And I remember you," Ezra said.

"I suppose you want more of my fruit," the vendor said. The street rat from last week, he realized. And the week before! Sighing he held out a single piece of jogan to Ezra. "Thank you."

Ezra just smiled and in a tone of feigned politeness as he took the offered fruit from the vendor. "No. Thank you." Ezra said. Without a second glance Ezra had put the fruit in his opened pack - and then began helping himself to more jogans from the basket!

"Wait. Wait!" the jogan vendor said, the beard on the whole of his face as full as ever. "What are you doing!"

"Hey," Ezra said pointedly without an ounce of shame. "A kid's gotta eat."

He then gave the vendor a charming wink as well as a friendly two finger salute. It was nothing personal, just business.

And then without wasting another second Ezra jumped atop another vendor's stand and from there jumped to a bit of metal roofing and then jumped and grabbed hold of a hanging light.

Nimble as a Loth-cat Ezra balanced his way across the lighting and then jumped atop a light fixture from an adjacent building before grabbing hold of the lip of the building's roof and pulling himself up and over. And just like that he was out of sight, clearly having planned out his exit from start to finish.

The vendor looked on and sighed. His thoughts going from the kid to the Imperials. Treason, the vendor thought but then smiled when he saw the woman bystander stoop down to help him place the fruit back in his basket.

The vendor thought about what he would do next time he caught the street rat stealing from him. It was hard to put a price on getting rescued from Treason. And as kind as this woman was now, she wasn't the one who saved him from Imperial imprisonment.

For now at least. Who knew what the Imperials would do next time.

Out of sight Ezra ducked his head low as he crossed the roof, the "borrowed" comlink from Commander Aresko activated and Ezra heard more Imperial stormtrooper helmet chatter.

"Copy that. We have reached the location and we are standing by."

Reaching the far side of the roof, Ezra peered over and down into the square spying several interesting looking crates of Imperial cargo as well as a squad of stormtroopers and combat drivers standing near speeder bikes. The troopers and drivers were standing around idly while Aresko and Grint made their way to the Imperial Officer in charge of the supplies in the square.

"What's the emergency?" Aresko demanded of the lower ranking officer. He wasn't wrong. Ezra's fake distress call brought them to a very quiet looking square, with no sign of urgency present. The Imperial Officer - a Lieutenant - looks at him in confusion.

"Emergency?" The Lieutenant echoed and held out his arms in question.

"You called in a Code Red ," Grint said abruptly, once more using his large physical presence to loom over his subordinate.

"I… I'm not sure what you mean," the Lieutenant said and nervously stepped back.

Ezra held back a chuckle as he eavesdropped.

This was too easy. What a bunch of morons, and those crates being loaded onto speeder bikes were just ripe for the taking. Ezra smiled. He was going to enjoy this and he leaned out over the ledge to focus in on the closest bike that was almost done being loaded. Meanwhile the Lieutenant continued to prattle on.

"My orders are to get these crates to the Imperial Portal."

Commander Aresko's eyes narrowed and then he shook his head with a sigh. He looked at the crates and pointed.

"Well, get them loaded then!"

Ezra chuckled as he continued to eye the nearest bike "Almost feel bad for them." Ezra said as he folded his arms and patiently waited for the clueless Imperials to finish doing the loading work for him. "Almost."

His cavalier attitude takes a back seat when he hears it again.

The call, and never before had it been so clear.

He blinked his eyes. "Okay, weird again…" Ezra said and then whirled around as the call turned into a steady hum coming from somewhere on the other side of the building. And from his perch, standing in the middle of a shadowed street intersection some fifty meters away Ezra could see a man standing alone and in the center of the street. A few people walked by but none paid the standing stranger any attention.

Keeping his head low Ezra peered at the man carefully. He was tall and had a very lean stature from what he could see from this distance. He also had a blaster on his hip.

Ezra continued to watch him closely as the hum became clearer until there was no doubt it was coming from that man. Weird, Ezra wondered and tilted his head as he stared - only to see the man's shoulders tense and just like Ezra tilted his head as well.

He continued to mirror Ezra's movements perfectly even though his back was turned to him.

No way, Ezra thought and saw the man begin to look from left to right - searching the streets. Reflexively Ezra ducked down out of sight just before the man looked to exactly where Ezra had been standing a second before.

Moments passed and Ezra waited until he felt his trusty instincts tell him he was in the clear. And then slowly he edged his head back over the ledge of the roof and peered down again at the street below him. Now the man he had spotted was walking his way and passing by some big purple looking alien under a doorway.

A hairy one too. Not a wookie, that is unless wookies came in purple with bald patches. Closer now Ezra could see the man had long hair but tied into a tail. He paused in the middle of the street, and calmly slapped the side of his leg twice - garnering the alien's attention before he continued moving on with the alien falling into step a few feet behind him.

And they were headed in the direction of the square and those cargo crates, Ezra realized as a sinking suspicion began to grow in his mind.

Their focus clearly elsewhere Ezra watched unobtrusively as the man came gradually closer to the partition of street below Ezra's rooftop and nearer the square. He then paused again when he neared someone wearing a very decorative and stylish set of bright armor and a pair of blasters on her hips.

"Whoa," Ezra admired her unique splash of color from his perch.

The man's eyes were searching the streets, and Ezra could tell he was trying to see if there was anyone paying him any attention. But he never looked up. The woman (girl?) stood up from some pots she was looking at but made no move to look at the man.

He turned his back to her and continued eyeing the streets. If someone glanced their way they would see nothing out of the ordinary. But then there it was again, two loud pats to his leg.

And almost immediately after the girl in the artful armor and equally artful helmet, patted her leg too.

A signal.

The man went in one direction while the girl turned and headed toward the square.

"Interesting," Ezra smiled brightly as he watched her pass by directly under him.

Three of them, so far, Ezra thought and grinned as he had a suspicion of what they were up to.

They were also professional. The only giveaway they weren't around here was their weapons and just how clean their clothes and armor were. Not that that would cause any attention from those hapless Imperial idiots.

Still three bikes loaded with crates and three of them. Ezra could see where this was headed and quickly shifted his position - paralleling the girl from his rooftop as he watched her casually pass by a speeder bike with a driver next to it standing guard.

"Now what are you up to, Colorful?" Ezra wondered as kept his eyes on this walking painting in armor. Ezra furrowed his brow.

Walking painting in armor? Hmm. Bit wordy, but I can work with that.

No crates on this speeder bike - it was an escort - and he watched as she very subtly tossed a small object onto it and then continued walking around a corner and out of sight.

Tracker? Ezra wondered as he began to hear some beeping coming from the bike. So did the Imperial driver as he turned around and saw the girl walking away. Suspicious he began to walk after her only to stop and stare at whatever it was she threw on his bike.

The explosion was the last thing that guy saw as he was thrown back and the bike went up in fiery flames. Ezra hadn't realized just how close he was and lifted his arm up to shield his face from the heat and any shrapnel.

Kriff my ears!

Noted. Little woman - big explosions! Oh I know! Paintbomb!

Aside from the Imperials no one else had been in the square and as the Imperials ran to investigate. The Lieutenant who was in charge of the area began shouting orders at the combat drivers standing near the loaded speeders.

"Get those crates out of here!" the Lieutenant shouted for all the good it did. "Keep them secure at all costs!"

The bells were still ringing in his head from that explosion but Ezra could still make out the orders, particularly that last part.

"All costs, huh?" Ezra wondered and smiled as his eyes widened in eagerness as a driver jumped onto a loaded bike and began to back out. "I like the sound of that." Noting where the direction the Imperial were taking and knowing where the Imperial Portal was, Ezra darted across the rooftops and quickly deduced the route the cargo speeders would be taking.

And where his "competition" would strike. As he ran he reached for an innocuous looking handheld device on his belt. A small cylinder that fitted neatly in his grip.

Sure enough after one more jump Ezra landed on the roof next to another walled off intersection and smiled as he saw the man - their leader he supposed - backed a dingy red landspeeder into the middle of the intersection. He had completely blocked their route and caused the speeder bikes, loaded with two crates each, to stop.

Ezra thinks he heard the guy say something wiseass and snarky but he paid it no attention. He found the crates first and he wasn't about to let the competition skate by with all of the loot.

He just needed to pick his moment, and his instincts were telling him to wait.

So that's what Ezra did. Rolling the handheld cylinder in his hand he waited and watched and saw the guy leap out and kick one of the drivers off his bike, then pulled his blaster and shot another one.

No bystanders around, just like the square, Ezra realized right as two more Imperials - stormtroopers - quickly arrived to reinforce the drivers. Four against one now, it wasn't looking good for the Wiseass but sure enough that big purple alien swung out from the shadows with his fists and began knocking down one Imperial after another.

Guess stormtrooper armor doesn't protect from big, hairy, and probably needs a shower or two. Still the guy worked fast and between the two of them all three drivers and two stormtroopers were down on the ground either unconscious or dead.

Having observed them this long, Ezra was pretty confident they weren't about to hurt a poor little kid - even if he does end up making them eat his dust. And as the alien dusted off his big hands triumphantly Ezra quickly hopped down onto a couple of struts on the side of the building and then leapt to a pole that connected this building to the one opposite across the street and conveniently right over one of the speeder bikes.

Knowing he had eyes on him Ezra dropped down to the bike and gave their wiseass leader a cocky salute.

"Thanks for doing the heavy lifting!" Ezra called and gunned the bike in reverse before the big guy managed to take a swipe at him. He saw what that guy did to those stormtroopers, he wasn't about to take one of those furry fists to the head.

As he continued to drive in reverse Ezra waved at the man and the hair purple guy and - just as he figured - no following blaster fire. Not that he couldn't say the same for the stormtroopers coming up behind him!

Keeping his head low, Ezra avoided the baster fire and when he was close enough used the crates in the back to smash into a few of the stormtroopers and sent a fourth one sprawling!

"That's what you call a rock and a hard place," Ezra punned and spun the speeder around as he thought over his own exit route - dodging a grab by that same Imperial Lieutenant who was supposed to be in charge of security around here.

This won't look good on his report card, Ezra grinned but heard more blaster fire. Peeking over his shoulder he saw Mister Wiseass and big and scary had grabbed the other two speeders and followed his example: running over Imperials. Then the pair turned and looked like they planned on heading after him.

Crew of three, Ezra reminded himself as he hit the throttle down a straightaway of streets. Not about to shoot a kid though.

It was only at the last second did Ezra swerve to the right as an Imperial on speeder bike nearly T-boned him. Coming along a straightaway Ezra watched the Imp, with no cargo on his bike, come up alongside him. At first Ezra figured the guy would try to run him into one of the many buildings but instead he saw reach for a blaster.

So it was like that huh?

Before the Imp could point his blaster, the cylinder in Ezra's hand extended out into a stun baton! The arm's length baton crackled with electricity and before the rider knew what was happening Ezra had whipped the Imp with his baton and shocked him. A moment later the Imp dropped off his bike. Grinning to himself Ezra was about to collapse the shock baton back into its small handheld cylinder shape when the unexpected happened.

Ezra felt a bounce from the back of his crates and realized he wasn't riding alone anymore. Whipping his baton around he was about to strike but paused when he saw the girl - Paintbomb! - and she nearly fell off the crates as she jumped on.

"Pretty gutsy move, kid!" the girl acknowledged though Ezra could hear the underlying sarcasm in her voice. And then in the blink of an eye had her blaster in her hand, aimed at him! "Now do the smart thing and pull on over."

"I don't think so, Paintbomb!" Ezra replied as he held his baton defensively.

He watched as Paintbomb tilted her helmet and he imagined she was looking at him like he was nuts, and waved her blaster at him.

"Blaster beats stick!" she said, though at this point they both knew she wasn't about to shoot him. "Haar'chak! Get down!"

Sensing the danger Ezra kept his head and shoulders down as Paintbomb unleashed a barrage of blaster bolts. Peeking from the side of the speeder he saw a trio of stormtrooper bucketheads that had been lining up shots only to get gunned down. But there were still two more with fingers on their E-11s and Ezra knew they had mere seconds.

"Hang on!" Ezra yelled back and then swerved left at the last second, the stormtrooper's blaster fire missing the girl by a hair. Despite his warning the girl lost her footing and nearly lost her blaster as she hung on.

Slowing down the bike a bit to try and figure out which new street he was on and where to head he noticed that his little stowaway had regained her balance and was back to riding on the second crate. He heard blaster fire coming from the street and he just knew the Wiseass and Big and Scary were still on his heels.

"You know there is such a thing as finders keepers!" Ezra said as he increased speed, having figured out which roads to take next to reach his hideout.

"Finders keepers?!" the girl shot back, her voice incredulous.

"Yeah!" Ezra said as he gunned the engine and began to pick up speed. As the speed increased he had to be extra careful not to hit any bystanders - something that the girl realized. "And honor among thieves too!" Ezra added. "You saved my neck, I saved yours!"

"You do know blaster still beats stick!" Paintbomb said, unwilling to back down from their earlier banter but also unable to hide the amusement in her voice.

"And yours is very stylish, Paintbomb!" Ezra said and with his long hair blowing wildly in the air he flashed the girl a roguishly charming smile that he just knew had won her over.

"Paintbomb, huh?" the girl repeated and gave a moment's pause before coming to a decision. If only Ezra knew how well that described her. "Honor it is! But if the big guy catches you," she said before pointing the blaster down in between the two crates and shooting. "He'll end you."

The joiner connecting the two crates was destroyed and now with only the one crate attached to his speeder bike, Ezra looked backward and realized that the girl had just outsmarted him by managing to steal his second crate.

"Good luck!" she waved to him, in much the same tone of voice he would use himself.

He may have just lost half his take, but Ezra still couldn't help but grin at her daring. Somehow he didn't think jumping from rooftops onto a racing speeder bike had been in any of her team's contingency plans.

"She's earned it," Ezra laughed and then suddenly saw that the other two members of her team raced past her and were back on him! Whatever was in these crates must be valuable if they're still on him, and they all needed to get out before the Imperials began locking down the exits.

Now with the lighter load Ezra knew it was in his best interest to get on a straightaway and just outrun them. Doing some more calculations on where he was he made a long sweeping turn to the right and in a moment was back on one of the main roads heading toward the direction of his stash.

But then Ezra looked up ahead only to see four stormtroopers run out to block off the next intersection - all with rifles aimed at him. His reflexes kicked in and he moved to dodge only for four blaster bolts to go flying past him and neatly dropping all four stormtroopers before any had had a chance to get a shot off.

Taking a sharp left Ezra went by the bodies of all four Imperials and shook his head at amazement. No one could shoot that good, and as he glanced over his shoulder he saw Wiseass back there with his blaster out. Well except for him maybe. The near death experience shook Ezra for a moment but he got his head back in the game when he saw Wiseass and the "Big Guy" were beginning to gain.

Ugh!

"Who are these guys?" Ezra couldn't help but wonder and then turned to look back ahead only to gasp in horror.

A crowd! Bystanders! Innocent bystanders! Kriff!

He gunned the engine and as it let out a loud howl Ezra shifted his weight to dangerously fly the bike and his cargo up the side of a building but also safely keeping the crowd out of harm's way. Once clear Ezra quickly dropped his weight downward to bring the bike back on the street.

Okay let's not have to do that again! And shoot! He missed the turn to his stash! And with these two still on him there was only one option left. Having nearly lost his grip on his stun baton, with a flick of the wrist Ezra collapsed it and then secured it to his belt.

Plan B it is, Ezra thought and veered left and made tracks to get out of the City.

Thankfully his exit was right ahead and with a quick right he was once more on the freeway that would lead him back to his tower. He glanced back and bit back a groan when he saw that the two guys were still on him and as determined as ever.

What the hell is in this crate?

Two more loud howls followed by rapid blaster fire, signaling that more speeders had joined in the pursuit. Only this time Ezra knew that the Imperials piloting those speeders would have no problems with shooting at him! Or all of them rather, he realized when he saw that his two "friends" were also getting shot at.

Did these buckethead Imperial idiots not realize that shooting at them meant also hitting their own cargo? A blaster bolt found its way to hit the rear of Ezra's bike, causing some smoke to flume and the repulsor to vibrate dangerously.

"That's never good!" Ezra said as he fought to keep control over the bike, but at this speed it was like riding a Loth-bull.

As much fun as this had been he was running out of road and time. He had to lose them!

Gritting his teeth Ezra gunned the engine again and directed the energy to maximize the bike's vertical repulsors. He couldn't say how high exactly he had gotten in the air but he was pretty certain he just barely missed one of the towering highway poles that lit up the road at night. The landing was nearly as dangerous as Ezra came down on the other side of the freeway - his bike bucking dangerously.

And then there was the oncoming traffic…

Trusting his reflexes Ezra stayed focused as he weaved back and forth, dodging the incoming traffic at high speeds. Some big. Some small. Some big cargo trucks taking up nearly half the road! He didn't know how fast his bike was going. Not top speed given the blaster fire and extra weight he was pulling, but it was taking all his concentration not to end up in a fiery wreck on the freeway.

A loud explosion came from behind somewhere and Ezra wasn't hearing any more blaster fire so he hoped that meant that the Imperials were the ones that got taken out. Not that he cared about his competition or anything. He'd just had enough of getting almost shot today was all.

The road ahead cleared and Ezra could finally chance a look back to see indeed the Imperials were gone but the Big Guy and Wiseass were still on him - not that that would do them any good.

The girl had done him a favor earlier, taking that second crate from him. The city streets were one thing but on the straightaway with only one crate? It was only a matter of time until he lost them, he just needed to pick his exit. No one knew this patch of Lothal better than him.

There, Ezra thought at an upcoming rise on his left. Do another repulsor jump. Clear the barrier. And just take the long Lothal scenic route back to - Whoa!

Ezra had to swerve his bike when suddenly Wiseass hopped over to his side of the road, just like he had. The guy shot Ezra with a knowing smirk and it was then Ezra saw not only was he back on the same road as him but he had also dropped his crates so there was no way Ezra could outrun him now.

Ezra knew this and apparently so did he because he increased speed enough until he had enough of a lead to swerve his speeder bike into a stop and block Ezra from getting any further. With no choice Ezra quickly did likewise and when he came to a stop the two of them were sitting right beside each other.

A standoff. Great.

Ezra hit his fist on the bike in frustration and shook his head. But the look on the man's face was clear. He wasn't budging.

"Who are you?" Ezra asked at last.

Mister Wiseass rolled his eyes and pointed to himself with his thumb, "I'm the guy who was stealing that crate."

So it was like that then.

"Hey, like I told Paintbomb," Ezra began, and gestured with his arms to his own crate. "I stole this stuff, whatever it is, fair and square." Ezra crossed his arms, refusing to budge on the matter.

The man gave what Ezra supposed was a look of respect from one thief to another.

"And you made it pretty far," he said, but with all his attention on Ezra he wasn't picking up on what was slowly but certainly making its way right at them from up in the air. "But I've got plans for that crate, so today is not your day."

Ezra smiled and shifted his eyes to the left, causing the other man to frown when he realized that somehow Ezra had another card to play.

"Mmm, day's not over." Ezra hinted - pointed to the sky - and then quickly gunned his bikes and engine and hit its repulsorlift to clear the barrier and fly out onto the grasslands and away from the incoming TIE fighter.

It was a few more seconds before Ezra heard the unmistakable sound of the cannon fire from the TIE followed quickly by an explosion. Shifting on his bike he jumped the barrier again - back on the road - and looked over the fiery wreck of his new pal's ride.

Unsurprisingly the guy had managed to jump clear of his bike just in time. Ezra smiled and waved at him. "Have a good one!" Ezra called as he gunned the engine and began to put as much distance with his bike and that guy as possible.

By now Ezra knew Wiseass and his team could handle whatever it is the Imperials could throw at them. But he himself had to think fast! That TIE was still up there and driving here in the middle of the road he was target practice for that thing.

But then he saw it - the end of the freeway and the wide expanse of Lothal's plains. If he could just get far enough before the TIE saw… him.

Oh kriff, Ezra thought when he saw the TIE lazily begin to pace him going so far as to take a few shots at him in particular so as not to damage the bike or the cargo.

"Whatever's in these crates must really be worth it!" he exclaimed and then ducked to avoid another blast of TIE's cannon.

"Better be worth it!" he groaned as he realized that he was quickly reaching the end of his rope.

A couple moments later he heard the cannons and then a loud explosion as with surgical precision the TIE pilot hit the back of Ezra's speeder, causing it to lose power to the cargo connector and then a few moments later to explode.

Thankfully in those last few moments Ezra had been aware enough to jump clear of the speeder before the explosion took him along with it.

Groaning from the hard landing he took when getting clear of the speeder, Ezra slowly pulled himself up and looked around the grassland. The golden grass came up to his waist and Ezra checked himself over. Bruised but nothing broken. The speeder bike was gone and he, thankfully, was not. And it looked like the crate was in good condition too! Even still had its repulsorlift.

There was just one problem and Ezra groaned when he heard the howling TIE fighter turn around to make another, and most likely, final strafing run at him.

As Ezra watched how the TIE swept in with its cannons locked on, a cold realization hit him.

Shocked to the core, all Ezra could think was that this was it. That this was how it ended.

Damn.

The cannons fired only not from the TIE! The TIE fighter exploded in mid air and debris began falling all around him with how close the explosion had been! For the second time that day Ezra lifted his arm up to shield his face from an explosion, and once again the bells in his head were ringing!

How he wondered but with the TIE gone and the explosion's effect wearing off, Ezra began to hear the sound of a ship behind him. As he turned around he looked to his disbelief and saw a ship the likes he had never seen before hovering behind him with its loading ramp lowered and Mister Wiseass himself standing tall and proud from its extended ramp.

"Thanks," Ezra whispered as it dawned on him they had just saved his life. Then frowned when he realized what had actually happened. And the real reason why they did what they did.

Doesn't matter, that crate is still mine!

"You want a ride?" Wiseass called down to him. Ezra was about to tell him where to stick it, but then he saw them. At first only a shimmer of light and a blur in the distance, it didn't take long for Ezra to hear the howling already as more TIEs were entering the area.

Ezra hesitated and tried to see a way out of this.

"Kid! You have a better option!" Wiseass shouted and judging by how the ship was beginning to move its pilot was getting antsy.

"Come on!" The guy called and this time Ezra knew he had no choice.

He hurried to the crate and quickly grabbed hold of it.

"Leave the crate," he shouted. "You'll never make it!"

Yeah? We'll see about that!

Ezra hit the button on the crate to release it from the wrecked speeder's cargo repulsor and generated its own free floating repulsors. Now able to run with the thing, Ezra dug deep and ran faster than he had ever run before.

He'd made this kind of jump before. He knew he could make it!

The swish of the grass between his feet as he ran. The howl of the incoming fighters. His body held tight to the crate as he jumped higher and further than ever, an impossible jump, as he and the crate both managed to barely catch the edge of the ship's loading ramp.

Ugh. Okay, so the crate managed to stick the landing. He sort of just dangled and hung onto the crate with his legs dangling in free air. Using all of his upper body strength Ezra shuffled around the crate and then shifted his hold to the ramp.

Almost there, just one more pull.

Gritting his teeth Ezra harnessed his remaining energy and pulled himself over the lip of the ramp. He let out a sigh of relief and looked up to see his competitor looking at him in astonishment.

Won't make it, Wiseass had said. Showed him.

His victory lasted only a moment before the both of them quickly grabbed the crate and got it inside. Wiseass hit a big button on a wall panel and the ramp immediately folded up and closed in behind them. Safely inside Ezra took a knee to try and shake off the last sixty seconds only to look up and see Wiseass, Big and Scary, and that colorfully armored exploding Paintbomb all staring at him.

Wiseass was still wearing that same look of disbelief, the girl looked frustrated - well maybe - hard to tell with her helmet, and the "Big Guy" she warned about looked like he wanted to just throw him right back out of the ship. And come to think of it, up close he didn't look that scary. But none of that was important right now.

What was important was that Big and Scary! He has his fury three fingered hands on my crate!

That's it. Big and Scary, you're demoted. You are now Furball!

Ah such great creativity by the young Ezra, Uncle Hondo loves the nicknames! And the romance of honor among thieves! A beautiful thing!
And the prized crate? Well the Ghost did just save Ezra from a likely death. Or did it? No matter. You see my dear Mira, in Uncle Hondo's eyes that would be a fair exchange!
Some of my readers now may have noticed many similarities between this account and the first episodes of Coruscant Entertainment's animated series and, well, Uncle Hondo never claimed that the series was entirely inaccurate. Only that over time the inaccuracies become more and more prevalent and… Annoying? Frustrating? Where did Uncle leave his Thesaurus!
Well Uncle Hondo will end the first chapter here as it is getting a little long - or so Mando Girl says. He will take the advice from his Editor, the lovely Mando Girl who insists there are no over the top embellishments of her cyar'ika Ezra. Uncle Hondo shares her concerns and is happy to have her spell check his work before publishing.
Next chapter! More adventure! More drama! The seeds of romance! And Ezra's first flight in space! Oh how Uncle Hondo wishes he could've seen such a beautiful moment. But perhaps most important of all! What is in Ezra's crate? No Mando Girl! Uncle Hondo is not embellishing! For that crate leads to the events of Ezra becoming a Spectre and sparking a rebellion that will reshape the galaxy forever! And most important of all will lead to making Hondo - Uncle Hondo!