Chapter Text
"We have to stand up to the oppression of the Empire!" Ezra heard his dad, Ephraim Bridger, say as he finished his weekly broadcast from their secret, basement room. His dad had converted the bunker into a broadcasting station a few months ago. Ezra liked listening to his dad talk with such passion though a seven year old couldn’t really grasp the full weight of the message in his father’s announcements.
Ezra Bridger was sitting at the kitchen table working on his letters while his mom, Mira, worked on dinner. She was floating around the kitchen like she usually did at this time of the evening stirring pots, checking whatever was in the oven, and occasionally looking over at Ezra's work. "Very good sweet heart," she said as she placed a kiss on his head. His father climbed the ladder to the main floor and closed the secret hatch over the opening.
Mira looked over to her husband then back to her son, "why don't you put that away and set the table," she said, "dinner's almost done."
“Ok, Mom,” Ezra got up from the table, gathered his books, and headed to his room. He walked to his desk and was just about to put his books down when he heard a huge bang coming from the front door. He heard people with heavy boots moving around in the main living area of the house.
"Ephraim and Mira Bridger, you are under arrest for treason and propaganda against the empire!" He heard in a loud, demanding voice.
Ezra drew in a quick breath and ran to the main room where a man and six storm troopers had his parents on their knees with their hands above their heads.
"Mom!" Ezra screamed as he ran forward into his mom's embrace, his Papa begging the storm troopers not to shoot the boy as he sought the comfort of his parents.
"Ezra, you have to be brave for me, ok?" His mom told him, "we have to go away for a while, but I don't want you to be afraid."
Ezra looked up at her with tears in his eyes, "why do you have to go?" Before his mom could answer a hand grabbed the back of his shirt and almost threw him across the room onto the floor. He looked up and saw one of the troopers hit his dad as he protested the rough treatment of his son and both his parents were put in handcuffs.
"Mom! Dad! Don't go!" He yelled as they were led out of the house. Ezra got up and followed them as fast as he could. "Please, don't leave me!" He followed them out of the house and tried to run up to them again but something hit the side of his head and he was forced off his feet. He landed hard on the ground and tried to stand up, but he was too dizzy. The last thing he saw was his mom and dad being loaded into a transport vehicle before everything went black.
When Ezra woke up it was dark. His head hurt and he wanted his mom. He started to cry as he walked up to his house and tried to open the door, but the storm troopers had locked it. Ezra sat down in the doorway and drew his knees up to his chest, wrapping his arms around his legs and cried for a long time. His mom said he should be brave, but they were gone and he was alone. How would he get his stuff from the house? What about dinner? Where should he go? What was he going to do?