Rule #1

Shoppers Always Lose

By the time Ezra returned to town the market was in full swing.  Shop keepers were standing in the safety of their stalls as they shouted prices and deals.  Ezra ignored them all and mentally recited the list Hera had given him.  Nutrition bars, a replacement data chip for Chopper, a bundle of wires, deathsticks . . .

Ezra shook his head.  No deathsticks.  That had come from a cloaked Rodian who was mumbling as he pushed his was up the street.  Besides, if Ezra brought back deathsticks then Hera would probably ground him for life.  He was almost tempted to do it, just so he could see her reaction, but money was tight as it was.

"Kid like you looks like he's up to no good," a gravelly voice said.  Ezra turned his head.  A creature he had never seen before was standing in the shadow of a scrap metal stall.  The shop keeper, an old man, looked like he was trying to pretend the creature wasn't there, which was difficult to do in such a small space.  There was only so many times he could straighten the piles of scrap.

"Just shopping," Ezra replied, approaching the stall.  "Hey, do you have any data chips?"

The shop keeper nodded with an incredibly grateful look on his face.  He pulled out a basket from beneath the counter.  The basket held dozens of chips, all of them either cracked or burned.

As Ezra pawed through the chips he watched the creature out of the corner of his eye.  He was humanoid, only an inch or two taller than Kanan.  His skin was blue and his face looked almost like a skull.  He had some sort of tube attached to either side of his face, right where his cheekbones should have been.  His eyes were red, no pupils or irises.  He wore a wide brimmed hat and a heavy trench coat.

"Do you have any that aren't damaged?" Ezra asked.  The shop keeper frowned and gestured at the basket again.  Ezra turned away.  There was no way he could get Chopper a damaged data chip.

"I know a place you could get a real data chip," the blue creature offered.

"No thanks," Ezra replied.  "I'll manage on my own."

"You don't have to go anywhere you don't want to," the creature clarified.  "Just down the street to a different stall."

"Yes, you and the Duros can go find a different stall to shop at," the shop keeper agreed.

"Where's the stall?" Ezra asked.  The Duros raised his hand, pointing a finger at a stall farther down the street.  Ezra could see a Rodian behind the counter, handing a shopper gleaming chips.

Hesitating for only a moment, Ezra crossed the street to the new stall.  The Duros followed behind him.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"You first," Ezra replied.

"The name's Bane.  Cad Bane."

"Jabba."

"What kind of parents name their kid after that slime ball?"

Ezra shrugged, turning his attention away as he reached the stall.

"Got any data chips?" he asked.  The Rodian nodded and turned, rummaging through his cases.

Cad Bane grabbed Ezra's shoulder.  Ezra glared at him, slowly reaching for his energy slingshot.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Cad Bane warned.  "I already disabled it.  Same with your toy here."

He held up Ezra's lightsaber, turning it over between his fingers.

"Where'd you get this?" he demanded.

"It's mine, give it back!" Ezra protested.

"I didn't ask if it was yours.  I asked where you got it."

"I'll call the imperials!"

"No, you wouldn't.  You've gotten your face on the wanted list, boy.  And me?  I've got an alibi and a job to do."

The Rodian behind the counter turned and nearly dropped the case he was holding.  Cad Bane glanced at him and reached into his coat, throwing some money onto the counter.

"You didn't see anything," he growled.  The Rodian nodded and backed away.

"Sellout," Ezra growled.  "You guys never learn."

He ducked and twisted, slipping out of Cad Bane's grip.  After taking back his lightsaber he darted into the street, running as fast as he could.  People shouted and dove out of the way as he ran past.

"I hate it when they run," Ezra heard Cad Bane growl.  Something snapped behind him and Ezra felt a sharp prick on his shoulder blade.  Then the air cackled with electricity and he tumbled to the ground.  He heard more than saw Cad Bane's approach.

"Move along," Cad Bane called.  "Just a criminal capture."

Cad Bane knelt beside Ezra, holding up Ezra's lightsaber so he could see it.

"And as for you," Cad Bane said, lowering his voice, "you're coming with me."

Ezra's last conscious thought was a vague hope that somehow the rest of the crew would hear what happened.