AN: Hi everyone.
This is something I hope you'll enjoy, I've been working on it for a while and I'm quite pleased what I've managed to put out. It is my typical drama riddled, family centric style.
If you're at all familiar with the Hunger Games series, I think you can guess this wont be fic for the fluff-hearted. Its not so much a Crossover, as hunger game elements in the Rebels universe.

There is going to be a lot of heart break, triggers, pain and hopefully some deep character development.

I value your criticism and input very highly, and I truly appreciate it when you take the time to review. If you enjoy this chapter, and would like to see more or see something changed, the most effective thing you can do is review. I have an awful record of completing fics, and I would very much like to fix that.

Thank you to my Beta's Unfathomablefandoms and Darksaber3434. You poor, wonderful people! I appreciate all the support! Thank you my fellow Trashfans!

Let the drama begin.

The Survival Trials

Chapter 1

Everything had been going so well.

Now that the Ghost crew knew they were one of many factions all fighting for the galactic recovery from the scourge of the Empire- the mission stakes had been raised.

Everyone threw themselves into their roles, fulfilling more than their share of missions and doling out a taste of justice and rebellion everywhere they went.

It was an exhilarating time.

It had been several weeks since Ahsoka Tano- Fulcrums' last direct mission.

The mission itself had ended in a firefight with a fleet of TIE fighters, and they only survived thanks to Hera's brilliant piloting skills- as per the usual. The Ghost, however, had been put out of commission until the Crew could resource all the parts needed for repairs and then they'd been bogged down in running short jobs for Vizargo to pay for it all. After all, they weren't much of a rebel cell without a ship, so missions working towards the Empire's end had been put on hold for the time being.

But now the ship was patched up, pieces replaced or repaired, and her crew was itching to get back to work. So everyone was understandably riled by the Togruta rebel leader's sudden presence on the communications that morning.

Hera called the Crew into the passenger area, surprising everyone when they found Ahsoka Tano was waiting for them on the Holonet.

"I have a mission that requires a light hand."

Ezra had grinned and wiggled his fingers, "Well I've got two, Ahsoka, ma'am."

Kanan nudged him hard with an elbow. "Fuclrum, sir?" Ezra tried, but the Jedi simply rolled his eyes.

"What's the mission?" Kanan asked, business first, as usual.

Ahsoka told them as much as she knew about a Corellian freighter that would be carrying something precious. The only Empire element was that they were to avoid getting the Imperials' involved and they would be stealing directly from black market dealers, so the job required a certain amount of restraint and subtlety.

"Not exactly our specialty," Ezra remarked quietly, earning another nudge from Kanan and a wry smile from Sabine.

"Just one question," Hera put in. "What are we stealing?"

The image flickered and changed into a blue holo model of a cube. It had intricate line work and a definable seam between the pieces.

"Kanan," Ezra began, "Is that-"

"A Holocron." the Jedi answered, awe in his voice.
A Holocron could carry any infinite number of information. It could be empty. It might contain surviving Jedi texts. It might have information on surviving Jedi... could it even be possible?

Ahsoka cleared her throat and gave a hard look over both Master and Padawan. "We cannot be sure of its authenticity until we have an opportunity to study it. But the rumour is it was found deep within the wreckage of a Jedi Temple on Taris of the Ojoster sector. Her eyes flicked over Kanan's again and he nodded, recognizing the planet of the old Jedi tower. "Overlooked by the Empire and picked up by raiders. It's supposedly headed for a collectors auction."

Ezra scowled briefly.

"I know I can trust you all to retrieve it at any cost," Ahsoka pressed, her pretty face was carefully kept bare of any desperation or anxiety, but the urgency in her tone was clear. She paused for a moment to gauge their expressions before continuing."We cannot let even the possibility of a relic like this falling into the wrong hands."

All the Ghost crew heartily agreed. And a plan was set.

The freighter was that was carrying the Holocron was scheduled for one stop over, a refueling station on the planet Balmorra, to one of the largest weapon manufacturing plants in the galaxy.
The refueling station was located at the main planetary spaceport of Sobrik, which was neighbored by Camp Vigil; an Imperial militant stronghold. The crew could not affprd to attract any attention here, for all their sakes.
After Balmorra, the ships destination was unlisted, and any likelihood of catching up the Holocron again would be nil.

There would be no room for error, less the Ghost crew wished to take on the planet's entire imperial forces.

Kanan was going to distract the ship captain when he exited at the port, so the ship would be grounded. Hera would be on standby in the Phantom, and Chopper was going to be piloting the Ghost just outside the atmosphere.

Zeb and Sabine would cover as reconnaissance on the ground and back up if needed. Ezra was headed straight in through the ship's vents, finding the cargo, and getting the kriff out of there.

Ezra was given the ship's blueprints to study; an YT Series Light Freighter. He poured over the plans several times a day in the week leading up to the heist, until he was certain he knew the deck-plan as well as he knew the Ghost's.

He would be the only one going into the ship itself, so it was vital he knew exactly what he was up against. Everyone took their role seriously and by the morning of the mission itself, the entire crew felt ready and prepared. They took their positions and waited the ships appearance.

It was edging a little close to noon now and the ship had been scheduled for a quarter to midday.

"No sign of the ship yet?" Hera pressed though her com, she was sitting at the Phantom's helm just outside the spaceport wall.

"Not yet," Ezra answered. He, Sabine and Zeb were laid out flat on the refueling station roof, watching the empty docking bay for activity through a pair of macrobiolulars. He passed the binoculars to Zeb while Sabine scanned the area below them. "They're clearly still waiting for it though."

It was true; the dock staff all looked edgy and ready to begin the refueling process as soon as the ship landed.

"Maybe it's just running a little late," Kanan suggested. He was stationed in the port bar, awaiting the captain. His profile had made it clear that was his usual drop-in the moment he made port. Kanan was going to keep the man busy for as long as it took for the team to get the Holocron off the ship.

As if called down by its mention, a large beaten cargo hauler dropped down out of the cloud level and began to descend towards the docking bay.

"That is not a Corellian freighter," Sabine said with an edge to her voice, quickly scanning the ship as it pulled into the bay and depressurized.

Ezra groaned. "You mean I wasted all that time and I learned the wrong layout?"

A ramp descended and a humanoid man came down the ramp as fast as it would settle. He hurried into the spaceport, throwing one shaky glance over his shoulder.

"It's still a freighter though right?" Zeb demanded. "It'll still be in the boss's office."

"Yeah, but the inside will be laid out all wrong," Ezra insisted, his voice taking on a whining tone. "I did all that studying."

Sabine ignored the two and activated her comlink. "Specter One- our information was all wrong. This ship is entirely different."

"How different?" Kanan demanded. "I'm about to sit down with the Captain, he's just walked in the door. It's the guy from the profile, so it must still be his ship; it's likely still his cargo."

"Well I don't know what tell you," Sabine replied, annoyed. "But that is not the ship and crew we planned for."

Kanan was quietened as he thought through what this meant for the mission. Logic and caution said he should call the plan off before things could swing the wrong way for them, but a smaller voice inside him disagreed. That Holocron was a piece of the past the rebellion was trying to salvage. It was a piece of his past, the one the Empire had done their very best to exterminate. And if everything went well, it might become part of Ezra's future.

If-If- the Holocron was real, it might hold innumerable possibilities, key information that might aid the Rebellion in the war against the Empire.

But was it worth the risk? Kanan hesitated, and then lifted the com to his chin.
"Spectre Six, you're the one going in blind. What do you think? Do you want to abort?"

Ezra gave the ship a hard look. This ship was all hard angles and rusted edges, with two large turbine engines flanking the internal cargo hold. He wouldn't be able to leap onto the top hatch from here like he'd planned, he'd have to drop down the wall and come up under it. It was doable, it would just take longer. Not to mention the ventilation layout was certainly going to be different once he was on board; but when had unfamiliar terrain ever deterred him before?

Somewhere on that burner, was a Holocron, Ezra felt it in his gut.

He grinned, the smile spreading over his face slowly and he turned to Sabine as he raised his com. "Oh, heck no. I'm ready to go to work."

Sabine shook her head at him and smiled under her helmet and Zeb snorted in approval.

"Well, alright then," Kanan said, his voice coming through clear and gratified. "Everyone to their posts, the count starts now."

Sabine scanned the ship one last time, checking for any additional changes to the situation, the refueling attendants have gotten well under way now and the ship was truly locked down.
"Ok, kid," Sabine said, turning her helmet to face Ezra. "Time to do your thing."

He gave her a grin, and stood to his feet. "Will you miss me?" he asked in a playful tone.

"Yes- like a hole in the head," Zeb answered for her, giving the boys knees a shove towards the edge of the roof. "Now, go."

"See you soon," Ezra said, and with a wave of his hand he mock saluted them both, rolled his legs over the wall and disappeared.

"He needs some new material," Zeb snorted, going back to scouting the port.

"He needs a new brain if he thinks it's working," Sabine shot back.

When Zeb didn't immediately agree she glanced beside her and saw the Lasat was giving her a flat look.

"What?" she demanded and his brow incline got a little more intense. The unspoken accusation clears in the air. Sabine gasped. "Are you mad? It's Ezra! Of course it's not working."

"Whatever you say, Lass." He shrugged and replaced his macrobinoculars.

Sabine huffed, but returned her attention to the busy spaceport.

They watched Ezra's figure skulking his way towards the docking bay. He ducked behind a shipping crate to avoid a pair of Troopers marching the perimeter. He vanished at one point behind a wall, and reappeared from an exhaust grate under the ship's access ramp a moment later.

Zeb huffed a smile. "The kids getting pretty good at skulking around." he admitted, his tone suggesting this was as high a praise as Ezra was likely to ever get from the Guard.

Sabine frowned and barley humm'd a reply in agreement, keeping her scanners on the dock staff, ready to alert Ezra to trouble.

They watched him scale the port wall and vanished up the ramp into the ship when the refuelling attendees had their back turned.

Zeb and Sabine waited in silence, six and a half minutes ticking away on the Mandalorian's chronometer. The sun was beating down on the exposed rooftop and Zeb wiped a sheen of sweat out of his eyes.

A tall, well-dressed Zygerrian suddenly appeared at the entrance to the port. He stood with his hands behind his back, looking up to the freighter appraisingly, and then began to march up the ramp.

Sabine jolted, watching the refuelling attendants uncapping the hull and packing the fuel hose away. She quickly lifted her hand to her comlink, "Specter Two…we have company."

"What kind of company?" Hera demanded.

"The kind that's boarding the ship and getting ready to take off in it."

"But their captain is sitting at the bar!" Hera argued.

Zeb growled, the draw plank drew up into the ship. "Well…they're leaving without him!"

Hera groaned and they hear her gritting her teeth. "Frang it all! Get Specter Six out of there. I'm collecting Specter One."

"Specter Six?" Sabine commend, there was no immediate answer, and Sabine and Zeb saw the engines engage.

Sabine reached for her comlink again. "Specter Six, abort the mission. I repeat, abort the mission."

There was only a dead silence on the radio and Sabine thumped her fist into the roof. "Blast it, Specter Six, unmute your com!"

Ezra didn't answer, and Sabine got to her feet. "Come on," she told Zeb, "we gotta slow that ship down." and they took off for the airstrip.

Kanan muted his comm and lurched into action; if lurching meant to slowly meander his way about the busy bar, collecting an unwatched drink to fit in with the other patrons and approaching the bar at his own pace.

The captain had just entered the port, and predictably made a beeline for the bar. He sat himself at the counter and ordered a drink with a wave of his hand. The bartender took his time, but clearly didn't need to be told what the man was drinking. The captain was looking a little frazzled, but that was not unexpected since he was hauling high risk goods across the galaxy.

Kanan watched him receive his drink and then walked right up to the man slumped against the bar.

"I know you," he told the captain with a slight slur to words and mannerisms. He let one eyebrow incline a little lower than the other- giving him an uneven squint.

"No you don't," the captain replied sharply. "I ain't seen your face before."

"Your ship," Kanna said, pointing a thumb towards the docking bay. "I know it. You did a job for my buddy once, I was hoping we could chat about a job offer I have. I'd like to keep it quiet and I know you have a solid reputation."

"Well…that ain't my ship, mister." The captain huffed, swilling his drink around the glass mournfully before taking a sip.

Kanan froze. "What'd you mean?" he pressed.

The captain shrugged. "I'm done with the game. My run got bought out. It's not worth the risks working with the Zygerrians." He took another heavy swig of his drink, turning away.

Zygerrians? Kanan cursed himself. Now that was a problem.

He lay a hand on the captain's shoulder and gave him a distracted pat good-bye. "I just realised you were right, I don't know you." And melted into the crowd.

Kanan was just heading for the door when Hera entered the bar, eyes searching for him.

"We have a problem," she told him.

"I know."
They left for the Phantom in a hurry.

Ezra was halfway between the second and first floor ventilation shafts, right above the galley when he heard footsteps under his vent, but what caught his attention was the humanoid voice that spoke in basic.

"Are we prepared to reach the Invisible Market?"

Ezra jolted.

The voice that answered the speaker hissed in a hard unfamiliar tongue, it sounded like it was berating him.

The first voice replied, sounding apologetic, but Ezra couldn't get sure because it simply melted into a bunch of noises and hacking to his ears now.

It was clear nothing else would be spoken in a language he understood, so he moved on quietly.

Everyone had heard of the Invisible Market, a whole new level of criminal presence. It changed location every other week, making that much harder to find if you weren't invited. It dealt only in the worst the seedy underbelly of the galexy could offer.
But that was the end of what anyone outside the circle knew.

Ezra had of course never been to the Invisible market, and he had no desire too either. But if the Holocron was headed there, there would be no telling what nasty end might befall the Jedi artifact.

Ezra thought hard, his resolve firming. He had to get the Holocron out of here, at any cost.

That was when he felt the walls begin to hum.

Ezra moved double time, sliding down vents and grabbing corners to change trajectory. He pulled his communicator off his belt and switched it off mute

"Can someone please explain why this ship is moving?" he demanded.

"Specter Six-abort the mission. Get off that ship!" Kanan answered quickly.

Ezra huffed and scrambled on his knees, throwing himself down another vent. "I would if I'd had the right blueprints!" he hissed back into the commlink.

"Spectre Six…you better make an appearance out here soon, the ship has left the docking bay. We're headed for the security station to slow it down." Sabine's voice cut in, not panicked yet but clearly imploring him to be anxious. "They'll be doing a life signature scan any minute now. Get out."

Ezra could feel the walls of the ship humming contently; he could hear the speed of the ships accentuation. He didn't have long. He cursed furiously. "I'm gonna grab the Holocron and meet you topside. You better freaking catch me if I fall off!"

"No, forget the Holocron!" Kanan answered in a hard voice.

"What!?" Ezra was truly surprised. "We went to all this trouble-"

"Leave it-just get out of there!"

"But what about the mission?! Fulcrum is counting on us!"

"Get off that ship-Now, Ezra!"

Ezra felt the argument slipping away at the use of his name and grit his teeth in frustration. "Alright! Fine. Give me a minute."

"The Phantom's on it way," Hera's voice answered.

Ezra could hear the small engine firing up in the background and grinned despite his dissatisfaction. He knew he could count on them to come find him.

Ezra scrambled upwards and reached the fourth floor, but could not travel up this vent any further. He moved along until he reached a cross ways, his instincts and lay out memory told him he should move right if he wanted to come out along the upper walkways and find a hatch door to the outside of the ship. He moved forwards in that direction- but something, something put claws into his mind and jerked his attention to the left.

Ezra hesitated, he'd always trusted his instincts before. Closing his eyes, he looked inwards and felt his awareness spread outwards.
There was something pulling him that direction, the route would take him over the main cabin, deeper into the ship and closer to- The Holocron. That had to be it. It had to be real! What else would glow that bright in a place this dark?

Kanan had already stressed to him, the very real possibility; that even if this artifact was the real deal- it could very well be blank. Or worse then blank, it might be encrypted with a detailed and comprehensive report on something trivial that was no longer relevant in this galaxy.

But it might also hold the key to Ezra's training as a Jedi, or possibly the intel the rebellion needed. No one would know for sure until it was opened- and it could only be opened by a Force user.

What kind of Force user would find it at the Invisible Market?

Ezra opened his eyes and he was truly torn for a moment. The Holocron was so close, it was almost begging him to take it away. Calling to him. It shouldn't be here- it should be in the hands of Ahsoka or Kanan. It should be the in hands of a Jedi, and Ezra was going to get it to them.

But, wasn't his crew waiting for him to come back to them? It was Kanan's direct order. But who knew what the Holocron might have hidden inside it? 'Forget' the Holocron, indeed!

Ezra grit his teeth. "Ugh- Kanan's going to kill me," he whispered to himself. He used the cross vent corner to kick off and took off to the left.

Sabine was having a hard time slowing down the security barriers communication.

As soon as it was clear the ship would break atmosphere before Ezra could get out, the next and last point of escape for the boy would be the small Imperial security station where they might be able to dock for a moment and get away before anyone could react.

Zeb had taken out a solitary TIE fighter pilot and shoved his limp body behind a crate while they borrowed the ship. They headed straight for the satellite com center and Zeb dropped her off, staying in the TIE, ready to dock with the freighter or act as a distraction if necessary.

Only two troopers were on station and four clerks. They were all left stunned on the floor and Sabine got to work. The freighter ship was fourth ship away from the barrier and Sabine immediately began hacking into the protocol system. Causing havoc and slowing down the progress of ships' ascension was being approved.

She caused a block on the ship in line before the freighter and began working on the communicator log, causing traffic in the lines so the mainframe had a harder time working around her havoc. It was buying her seconds. Minutes at most.

"Spectre Six- you got less than a minute," she ordered though the com.

When he didn't immediately answer she tried again. "Spectre Six-"

"Yeah I heard you. I'm kind of busy!" he hissed back.

"You should be busy escaping!" she hissed back and cursed as an approval for the ship blocking the freighter processed. "Karablast."

She heard Ezra huff in amusement on the other line and couldn't help the smallest smile herself.

"Get moving, Spectre Six," Kanan demanded on the other end.

"Yeah- I'm working on it!" Ezra replied in low frustrated voice.

Kanan dropped the active com and put his face into his hands. "Hera-" he began.

"I know! I know!" she shot back. She was focusing on piloting the Phantom through the spaceport traffic. Not enough to slow her down, but enough to make her need to think as she rocketed between them.

Kanan lifted the com with a groan. "Spectre Six-what's taking so long?"

"Have you ever navigated a ship from inside the walls?" Ezra shot back furiously. "I'm working as fast and as quietly as I can. Maybe if you would stop shouting-"

"Do it faster," Kanan shot back. "Spectre Six, you need to get off that ship! Now!"

Ezra grit his teeth and withheld the frustrated groan. He was never going to get off the ship if he couldn't concentrate.

Ezra muted his com and pulling out his multi-tool, unscrewed the grate bolts and dropped into the main office cabin. It was a wide room with a single large desk set in far end and one long thin portal window that ran the back wall.

He was surprised it was empty but glad of it, and put away his blaster saber. A drop attack would really have been his only option at this point- but he was happy to avoid one.
He moved straight for the safe in the corner, hearing the inaudible ringing grow louder. Some part of him told him he'd made the right decision and it put a little of his anxiety to rest.

He pulled out his picks and got to work. He was working on a different countdown to the rest of the crew and this felt more important. At least if there was one thing the mission informant got right- it was the type of safe the Holocron was likely to be kept in, and it was luckily one that Ezra had worked on before. He knew this manufactures major faults, and the predicable alignment of the pistons.

The safe offered little opposition to his skill, even while his fingertips hummed with anticipation. There was three small clicks, and ezra quietly wrenched the door open. The ringing in his ears ceased.

The Holocron was pushed to the back, and Ezra reached in and quickly packed it safely away inside his suit. His chest felt less tight the moment it settled against him and he let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. He closed the safe, and readjusted the lock, cleaning the residue from his hands with a rag and leaving the safe as he'd found it. With any luck, it would be days before it was opened again, and by then he planned to be long gone.

Now, Ezra thought, let's see how bad the situation is.

He dove for the small thin window at the back of the room. Outside he could see the hazy orange aura of Balmorra, glowing amongst the stars, and then a security station slipped past the view port.

The freighter ship was now officially in orbit.

"Oh Huttspit!" Ezra cursed, and vaulted onto the desk, and jumped back up into the vent, leaving the room as he found it.

Hera finally broke the atmosphere and pulled up a way from the security station. If Zeb had trouble pulling up alongside the freighter in the TIE, she would distract the dealer pilot with a little friendly fire.

The freighter did not outgun them, but it certainly won out in shield density. A battle between them would really only go one way, and it would certainly draw the attention of the entire Imperial security force, camped out just underneath them.

But she was willing to take the chance if it meant they could get their youngest Specter the time to get out.

They waited in silence as the freighter pulled up to the security station. Her hands tightened on the yoke, eyes narrowing, ready to leap into action the moment she was given the all clear.

Kanan raised his com. "Ok, Spectre Six, are you in position?"

There was no answer. Kanan forced himself to wait two whole heart beats before trying again.

"Spectre Six?" he demanded voice louder.

The com remained silent and Hera set him an anxious glance.

The freighter drew even with the station.

"Come on, kid!" Zeb hissed as he gritted his teeth. "I'm waiting for you!"

The freighter continued to breeze under the TIE.

"Ezra!" Kanana shouted. "Get out of the blastin' ship!"

Sabine felt her heart drop out of her throat and down into her boots as the freighter glided past the security station without a hitch. The life signature scanner would certainly tell the pilot if there was an extra life form on board now.

"Spectre Six-" she began, joining the four other voices on the com link currently shouting out demands to take his communicator off mute.

Ezra crawled as fast as he could through the walls and around to the side ventilation. If he was right he would find the drop right about-

In his haste, Ezra found empty space under his elbows and slid face first down the chute. He put out his gloves and heels and slowed his descent down into the bowels of the ship.

He saw a flat-bed coming up to meet him and was careful to land on in a crouch to soften to noise of his fall.

He felt around and smelled, yes, garbage. His heart gave a happy jerk, as he'd found exactly what he wanted. He might not be completely sunk yet.

He located a cleaning grate and double checked that the room was empty before kicking it open. He fell through and landed on a pile of protein cans and an old crate. It made a little noise and Ezra lay waiting for a guard to come bursting in the door. None did.

Well not all landings are perfect, He thought, climbing to his feet. He pulled out the com and removed the mute.

"If you don't answer us right now-"

"Whoa, I'm here," Ezra cut though Hera's words before she could finish the threat. "Relax…I needed to have a little quiet to concentrate, okay!"

"You were supposed to concentrate on getting off the ship!" Hera bellowed. Ezra winced at the frayed tone in her voice, he hated to be the one to upset her.

"They've scanned you, Ezra! They'll know you're on board," Sabine broke in.

"You were supposed to meet me on topside!" Zeb growled.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Kanan demanded.

"My job," Ezra answered swiftly, trying to get a word in. "Right now I'm finding a good place to hide." Ezra looked around himself. The bay was a standard disposal hold, but there was no ship parts here, not even a pressurizer. So much for building his own escape pod.

"You shouldn't be on that ship anymore! What happened?" Hera's voice cut in.

"I got ...turned around."

Chopper those that moment interject a series of low tones, insinuating Ezra was less than capable.

"Unfair, Chopper! I was working under duress!"

"Enough." Kanan snapped. "We need to get you off that ship before they make the jump."

Ezra turned back to the disposal door bay and igniting his saber, put it through the key panels. Locking himself inside and hopefully locking out the rest of the ship.

"Well I can't exactly jump ship right now! Unless anyone packed me a breathing tube or a pressure suit I didn't know about." Ezra ripped open a crate to explore the inside, searching for something he might be able to use or that would spark his imagination.

"Where are you?" Kanan demanded.

"The disposal bay. I've got maybe five or seven minutes," Ezra replied, his eyes fell out a small emergency disposal chute. "There's a jettison chute -and before you ask, there's no way I can fit myself in there."

"Did you try?" Zeb's demanded, frustrated.

"Even I'm not that good."

His eyes fell onto two halves of an old lockbox and despite the fear in him, there was a wash of relief.

"Sabine?" he asked suddenly.

"What?"

"Will you be able to find my com's location if I leave the frequency active?"

There was a minute's pause as she thought though what he was asking. "As long as you can do it before that ship goes into hyper-space. Otherwise it'll go too far out of range before the power dies," she answered.

Zeb frowned, the suspicion thick in his voice"What are you two planning?"

Ezra smiled. He had a feeling Sabine already knew what he was asking for. He lunged for the lockbox and snapped into action; dismantling the rusted lock with ease and realigning the skewed hinges.

"Ezra-" Kanan demanded on the comlink, he wasn't hearing anything he wanted to hear.

"Great! Okay here's the plan," Ezra said brightly, into his communicator, juggling the lock box in his arms. "I'm going to jettison a lockbox with my com active on the inside. Make sure you pick that up before following this burner." He pulled a wire cutter out of his pocket and snipped out a corroded section. He began stripping the coating off and reattaching the two ends.

"What? No-" Kanan began and then cut himself off with a jerk of realisation, and the com went silent as the last puzzle piece slid into place. "You went back for the Holocron?!" he shouted, outrage and fury, thick in his voice.

Ezra winced on his end but forced a shrug into his voice. "Fulcrum was counting on it. What was I supposed to do?"

Kanan roared into the comlink. "Leave it! Like I ordered you too!"

Ezra finished rewiring the pressure lock back together and opened and closed the box experimentally, pleased with the results. "Yeah…well…I'm sorry, but I couldn't just let it get away. Who knows what's on this!" Ezra reached into his suit and pulled out the Holocron and placed it carefully, reverently, inside the box. He unclipped his saber, and slid the slingshot off his arm, and added them to the pile. Though he knew they barely weighed much at all, he immediately felt the absence of his weapons, and it put him off balance. He frowned into the box, and after a moment, he pulled a burnt holodisk from the inner lining of his sleeve. He held it to his chest once, squeezed it tight and then dropped that in too."I heard the shippers talking about heading straight to the Invisible Market. It wasn't going to fall into good hands there."

He could almost hear the sudden worry in Kanan's voice, beaten out only by his anger. "The Invisible Market?! And what about you, Ezra? What do you expect to happen once you're found? You won't be safe- not once they realize what you stole!"

"Stole? I don't know what you're talking about. I'm just a dirty Imperial brat that's run off from the local academy."

"That's an awful lie," Sabine cut in worriedly.

Ezra huffed. "That's what makes it work. It's so plain it can't not be true."

"These aren't Imperials, Ezra!" Kanan snapped. "They won't arrest you, they might kill you! Did you even think of that?"

Ezra felt his gut clench in distress, but he already knew this. He'd known it before he got on the ship and he known the risk when he made the wrong turn on purpose. The crew wouldn't be able to save him if he was shot on sight, but it was a risk he'd decided to take. He shook his head to clear the terror fog. "Yes, Kanan, I did." he shot back indignantly, "And I decided I'll just have to convince them not too."

"This is no time for jokes!" Hera shouted, there was a clear ring of distress in her voice and Ezra felt guilt creep into his chest.

"I'm not joking!" Ezra replied, trying to instil peace in their last few moments in contact, "These are Black-Market dealers yeah? I may not speak their language; but maybe they speak mine! Money and status. If have neither, I'm not worth the time. Trust me."

"Ezra-"

"Look, Kanan. It's too late, I'm already stuck on here. I'm going to send you the Holocron and then you'll come find me at the Invisible Market. There's no point arguing about it now-

"And what if they decide you aren't worth the trouble of keeping alive until then?" Kanan hissed.

"They will, I'll make sure of it."

"Specter Three and Four- get to your turrets," Hera ordered suddenly, "We're going to blow the ship's engine out before it can go anywhere."

"Already waiting," Zeb answered quickly, followed but Chopper's agreement.

"Bua bu babau!"

"With the entire Empire right underneath us!" Ezra shot back. "No Hera! Nothing is worth all of that coming down on us right now!"

The com went quiet for just a blip.

"You are, Ezra," Hera answered first. "And we're coming to get you now!"

Ezra felt his heart swell and his chest suddenly felt very as tight as his cheeks from the grin, but it was quickly swallowed by worry.

"No…Hera!" he said, firmly and suddenly very serious. "This ship will outlast the Phantom alone! You gotta focus on picking up the Holocron. Complete the mission. For Fulcrum, for the Rebellion; then come find me. I'll be alright. I know you'll find me. You're only a hyper jump away."

There was silence and a settling sense defeat from all sides of the communicator. At that moment Ezra heard movement on the floor above him. He ducked a little out of habit and immediately lowered his voice and muffled the communicator's speaker in his palm. "Okay…we're running out of time. I'll meet you at market?"

"Don't you know anything else about it? Co-ordinates? A location marker?" Kanan stressed, finally audibly breathing on his end of the line again.

"Nope." Ezra answered shortly.

"Just how are we supposed to find this place, Kid?" Zeb demanded.

Ezra chewed his bottom lip, worrying I between his teeth and tightening his hold on the lockbox "I guess you'll just have to look extra hard."

"It could be days!" Sabine argued, her voice strained, but holding together. "Do you really expect us to believe you wont draw attention to yourself?"

"I'll behave."

"Just like when you listen when I give direct orders?" Kanan asked tightly.

Ezra smiled despite himself. "Don't worry guys- I'm not gonna try using the Force or breaking myself out if I can help it. I'll sit tight and wait for you. You'll find me, I know you will."

The angry tone on their end of the communicators was suddenly no longer palpable outrage that he'd put himself in this situation, but now just incredibly anxious.

"And what if your stupid cover doesn't work?" Sabine cut in. "What if they don't believe you?"

"I'll make them believe me. You worry too much," Ezra whispered, trying to keep an ear cocked for movement on his floor but smiling at the concern in her voice. "I've been playing this game before I fell in with you lot. Don't worry about me."

"Ezra-" Kanan began.

"I'll stay alive. I promise."

Kanan winced. "Ezra…that's not something you can promise-"

Another hatch opened and shut on the floor above, and Ezra heard a faint set of boots marching purposefully along a grated walkway.

"I have to go guys. I'm going to jettison the Holocron with my things. You better pick my stuff up, because I don't want the market getting their hands on my saber!"

Hera swallowed hard, unwilling to accept the situation but knowing time with the boy was running short. Forget the lightsaber- she didn't want the market getting their hands on him! Her heart was aching. She glanced to Kanan still frozen in place by her side. His jaw was tight and his hands were clenched on his knees. His eyes were glued to the freighters ship in the distance as it lifted ever higher into space and further out of their reach.

"We will find you Ezra," Hera breathed. It wasn't a promise, it was a fact.

Ezra smiled, he already knew this, but a piece of him still jumped, thrilled to hear them say it. "You better, because I'm counting on it." He moved quietly towards the disposal chute and balanced the open lockbox in one arm.

There was another hatch hiss and Ezra knew it was on his level this time. They'd combed the ship and now his floor was all that was left.
"Time's up guys."

"Just stay alive," Hera ordered firmly.

"And in one piece!" Sabine added quickly.

Zeb voice rumbled in unease before he spoke, "Don't get dead, kid."

Chopper trilled three short beeps in the background. Beerp-bwap bwap.

Despite himself, Ezra laughed a little. "That's a big list. I'll do my best guys. I'll be waiting for you."

There was half a beat of tense silence and Ezra found he couldn't drop the connection. Even though the market dealers would be right outside his door any moment-

"May the Force be with you, Padawan."

Ezra straightened and sighed, suddenly all the worry in his bones eased. It wasn't gone, but it was soothed.

"And with you, Master." He replied, surprised at the serious tenor of his own voice. It was time.

Before he could lose his nerve, Ezra dropped the communicator into the lockbox without waiting another second. He slammed it closed and ran two fingers over the combination key panel, and the box seams gave a gentle hiss as the inside pressurized.

Ezra slipped the box into the chute. "I'll miss you guys," he said quietly, then slid the inner panel down and lay his hand against the keypad and ignited the drop.

The lockbox sat for half a second- and then it was sucked away from him all at once into the vacuum of space, and disappeared into the blackness. The ship hummed under his feet and against his fingers on the walls. The stars outside the port hole began to move in one direction, faster than light and became a blue streaked blur.

The freighter ship had entered hyperspace.

Ezra swallowed down on the panicked fluttering in his gut. "Come get me soon," he said quietly, mostly to calm himself.

There was a hard thump on the disposal holds door.

Ezra had been found.

R&R for more Chapters! This is not going to end well...