The alleyway Sabine and Ezra were hiding in was very dark for the fifteen-year-old. He assumed Sabine must have some sort of night-vision feature inside of her helmet, but Ezra could hardly see five feet back into the darkness. The road was perfectly visible, but hopefully people on the road wouldn't see them, or maybe think they were loth-cats or whatever the name of the local Tatooine street animal was. The smell of the garbage bins next to them he was used to, but the heat made the smell more pungent. Ezra's eyes were heavier then they usually were after this type of mission, the stress and heat were making him exhausted.

"I never thought the Depur would care so much about us stealing the schematics." Ezra's slightly sarcastic whisper was hardly louder than a loth-rat's squeak, in case one of the bounty hunters was nearby.

"Well apparently they don't want people figuring out how to get the chips out." Sabine said, sticking her helmet-protected head out from behind the dumpster she was crouched behind, checking the street for Gardulla's 'personal guard.' A robed man peered into the alleyway, causing Ezra to join the shadows even more. He stayed as still as possible, kept his breathing quiet and even, and focused on the man who had not yet noticed him and Sabine. The Force answered the summons, hiding the two in it's embrace. The man moved on.

"So, what's the plan now?"

"Working on one." Sabine's eyes darted around the alleyway.

"When will our missions go according to plan?" Ezra snapped.

"Chi tematta nel uttar nakin." Sabine spoke the language of slaves, Amatakka, a language Ezra was still learning. He mentally translated the words. 'When help from the core arrives.' Basically, 'when a loth-cat grows wings.'

"Bensa ebpali Amattaka?" A high-pitched voice stammered. Sabine and Ezra's heads jolted over to the shadows of the alleyway. A tattered green Twi'lek stood there, eyes widened in surprise. You, person, speak Amatakka?

Ezra's belly filled with fear. Had they been discovered already? His hands felt a bit wetter than they were a few seconds ago.

"Ei!" Sabine exclaimed, to Ezra's surprise. "Ek masa nu Sabine ku." Yes. I am someone with Agency and Choice named Sabine. I am her.

Ezra was silent for a few seconds, before feeling Sabine elbow him a bit. "Ek masa nu Ezra ka?" I am someone with Agency and Choice named Ezra. I am him.

"Ek masa nu Sachi ki." The Twi'lek responded. I am someone with Agency and Choice named Sachi and I am they.

"We need help escaping from Depur," Sabine whispered in basic.

"I might know a place," Sachi replied warily. "Lukka?" Freedom?

"Nasa." Sabine paused, as if she was choosing her next words carefully. "Dusa kran Depur dep co dusa lukka." No. We stole Depur's chain for all people's freedom.

Sachi looked around the alleyway. She beckoned Ezra and Sabine to follow them, before darting deeper into the alleyway.

"Can we trust them?"

"She knows Amattaka. We can't trust anyone more than them." Sabine calms walked

deeper into the shadows. Ezra scurried and followed.

The group walked past several store ways, garbage piles, and several small animals, which scurried into tiny cracks into the walls as the threesome walked past. They stopped at a small opening into a shop.

"Go in here and ask for Akar. Someone will show you a way out of the city, and to your lukka."

"Is there any way we can thank you?" Sabine asked. Sachi smiled, longing and sorrow etched onto their face.

"Remove the dep inside of us all." Sachi pointed to a tiny scar on their arm, where a slave chip would have entered. Ezra remembered seeing that tiny scar on many others, some they could save, many that they couldn't.

If not for luck, that scar would have been on his arm as well.

"We will," Sabine promised. "Dukkra ba dukkra." Freedom or Death. But only one word was used. Dukkra meant both freedom and death. Or the freedom of death. That all slaves died, so all would be free, someday.

"Go. Before Depur arrives." Sachi urged. "I'll hold the hunters off."

The barks and squeals of massiffs echoed in the alleyway. Someone shouted in Huttese, "Kankahnee see wata!" Inside of here.

Sabine and Ezra raced into the doorway. Just before Sachi slammed the door, Ezra swore he heard a small whisper from behind them saying, "Dukkra ba dukkra."

….

The door had led into a private restroom, one clearly designed for humanoid species. A small, open-doored closet contained cloaks and several changes of clothes. Sabine slipped a cloak over her beskar. Ezra followed in a tan robe, hiding his bright orange clothing from view. His long blue hair was still in view, but Sabine couldn't complain, seeing as she wasn't going to take her helmet off. But that was why she had some temporary paint. Sabine spread the red muck all over, disguising the bright colors for a more bounty hunter look.

The duo walked calmly out of the restroom, emerging in a packed cantina. Dust and sand billowed among the aliens and humans drinking and laughing. A band of Geonosians were playing the latest popular Huttese song. Sabine and Ezra quietly slipped through the cantina. Sabine walked up to the bar. A dark-haired human was serving drinks to a school of drunk Quarren.

"'Scuse me," she asked in a gruff sounding voice, "but 'ave you 'eard of some fella called Akar?"

"Possibly." The human glanced around, before muttering in a small voice, "Why do you ask?"

"Depur is chasing us. We need to get out of the city." Sabine made her voice sound quiet and desperate. Sabine had always been good at manipulating things like that. The human's eyes narrowed.

"Hm. "The human turned back, and served a male twi'lek next to Ezra. "I could help you."

"Please." Ezra begged. The human looked at Ezra. Sabine's helmet covered her emotions quite well, but Ezra was wearing his heart on his face. Not a bad thing for the moment.

The human paused. "Tomorrow, at six turns, Tatooine time. The south gate won't be checked. Leave then."

"Thanks," Sabine said.

"Until then, go to the slave quarters. Ask for the grandmother. She will hide you until then. Now get out of my bar." The last bit was said with a growl.

Sabine and Ezra hurried out of the main entrance. The dusty Tatooine streets were filled with speeders, dewbacks, and many people walking on foot.

"Any idea where the slave quarters are?" Ezra asked Sabine.

"Yes. Follow the starving people." Sabine looked at a mother and a young boy walking. They had poor clothes and looked like it had been a while since they had a full meal. Sabine's innermost instincts told her to be disgusted at it. To be superior over lowly slaves. Sabine buried those feelings deep down. She wasn't holden to her old feelings anymore. Sabine had risen above her past, like a phoenix. She wasn't a Depur, she was free, like everyone should be. And if people weren't free, she had to help them, somehow.

Sabine led Ezra a healthy distance behind the two people. They soon turned into a much more decayed road. People there noticed them. They hid inside of their houses and gave them angry stares. Sabine and Ezra were outsiders. Or at least, appeared to be. Sabine whispered to Ezra, "This is it."

"Who should we talk to?" Ezra asked. Sabine noticed an older woman. She was staring them down, unafraid.

"Her. Speak in Amatakka."

Ezra nodded.

….

Ezra walked up to the old woman. Her hair was gray, her teeth as yellow as the sand. Her clothes were tattered rags, covered in stains and grit. Her skin was deep with wrinkles, telling of old age and hard work. But her eyes held the fierceness of Tatooine's twin suns, challenging him. She reminded Ezra of a character in a story Hera had told him once. An old legend of Tena the Unfettered, with one eye the black of freedom, and the other eye white with rage. And her skin was like a dragon.

"Am-Amu?" Ezra whispered. The women's eyebrows arched in surprise. "Ek masa nu Ezra ku. Dusa nuka Depur lukep." Grandmother? I am someone with Agency and Choice named Ezra. I am him. We need to hide from Depur.

"Vikka. Ek lukep emasu." The grandmother smiled a toothy grin. Child, I will hide you persons.

"Atesan." Ezra replied. Thank you.

The grandmother led Sabine and Ezra to a small hut. "Hide in here. Depur never thinks slaves can hide. How long?"

"Tomorrow. At six turns. We need to be at the South Gate," Sabine answered.

"We also need to contact our captain," Ezra reminded Sabine.

"That should be fine," The grandmother said, "just be quiet."

"Thank you Am-amu," Sabine said.

The grandmother padded out of the house, a small limp to her step. She wouldn't be useful for much longer. The grandmother shut the door, pulling back the rock which usually blocked the entrance.

Depur always made many mistakes.

Thank you to Fialleril, for the language of Amatakka, and thank you to Kyber13 for being a beta reader for this story!