Ezra's Gamble is a novel geared towards younger readers. The release date was August 5, 2014. This book, penned by Ryder Windham, unfolds in the time leading up to the Star Wars Rebels animated series.
On the Outer Rim world of Lothal, fourteen-year-old Ezra Bridger exists as a solitary figure. He manages to survive by taking on temporary jobs and tricking unsuspecting Stormtroopers. However, when Arena Day arrives - a clandestine competition where formidable creatures clash until only one remains, drawing gamblers and other shady individuals from across the planet seeking financial gain - Ezra finds himself unexpectedly allied with the formidable bounty hunter Bossk and embroiled in a perilous pursuit against a seemingly endless number of troopers. Ezra is resistant to trusting others, but he soon discovers that survival requires more than just looking out for himself.
Ezra Bridger, an orphan, scrapes by as a thief and scam artist on the planet Lothal. Ferpil Wallaway, a skilled Xexto pickpocket and pawn shop proprietor, serves as Ezra's mentor. Ezra, pretending to be a tour guide for the forthcoming Arena Day gladiatorial contest, deceives a Chagrian Imperial tourist and his Twi'lek entourage into purchasing tickets. Ferpil hands over Ezra's earnings to a mysterious crime lord known as the Commissioner, promising the boy his share after Arena Day. Shortly thereafter, Ezra runs into Moreena Krai, a childhood friend, and her family, who are leaving for Alderaan after losing their farm to Imperial mining operations.
Simultaneously, Bossk, a Trandoshan bounty hunter from the Bounty Hunters' Guild, arrives above Lothal aboard his YV-666 light freighter Hound's Tooth, aiming to collect a bounty on Gronson "Shifty" Takkaro, a Dug gambler and fugitive. Bossk uses a hologram to notify Lieutenant "Herdringer" of the Imperial Security Bureau about his arrival on Lothal. Unbeknownst to Bossk, Jenkes, a corrupt ISB officer, is posing as Herdringer. "Herdringer" reluctantly permits Bossk to pursue his bounty, but only if he refrains from using firepower. Distrustful of "Herdringer," Bossk secretly decides to disregard the order and bring his mortar gun.
Ezra encounters Bossk at Lothal's Capital City spaceport and correctly identifies him as a bounty hunter due to his heavily armed spacecraft. Ezra agrees to guide Bossk to Ake's Tavern in exchange for a thousand credits, with five hundred paid in advance. Unbeknownst to Ezra and Bossk, Lieutenant Jenkes is observing them and dispatches Squad Five, a group of stormtroopers, to follow Bossk. He informs them that Bossk's operation is authorized, provided he captures the target without using firepower. Privately, Jenkes uses his comlink to hire a contact in the underworld to assassinate Bossk, mentioning that Bossk is traveling with a "kid."
Ezra and Bossk travel to Ake's Tavern via speeder bus. Without disclosing the details of his mission, Bossk instructs Ezra to enter the tavern and inquire if someone is waiting for Mister Bossk. Ezra is reluctant to enter an establishment for adults until Bossk gives him another thousand credits. Inside the bar, Ezra encounters Angrigo, a Duros bounty hunter, and two Niktos known as the Kratchell twins. Instead of following Bossk's instructions, Ezra attempts to sell them tickets. Angrigo, Jenkes' underworld contact, recognizes Ezra as the kid traveling with Bossk.
Before the assassins can eliminate Ezra, Bossk storms into the tavern wielding his mortar gun and kills the gangsters. Takkaro also attempts to fight with his vibroblade, but Bossk overpowers and disarms him. Bossk is surprised that a former casino manager can afford to hire professional assassins. Before Bossk can interrogate Takkaro further, stormtroopers arrive and order Bossk to surrender, claiming that his bounty was not approved by Imperial authorities. Following a brief fight with the stormtroopers and scout troopers, Bossk and Ezra flee Ake's Tavern on a stolen speeder bike, but are forced to leave Takkaro behind. Bossk persuades Ezra to stay with him by offering financial incentives.
With Bossk as a passenger, Ezra rides his speeder bike through a traffic tunnel, narrowly avoiding oncoming vehicles. Two scout troopers pursue them. One collides with a wall, while Bossk uses his mortar rifle to destroy the second scout trooper's bike. After exiting the tunnel, Ezra takes Bossk to a secluded alley and demands the promised thousand credits. Bossk refuses, arguing that Ezra disobeyed his instructions to inform the cantina patrons that Bossk was arriving. However, Ezra retorts that Bossk used him as bait. Bossk replies that Lieutenant "Herdringer" set them up. The injured Bossk convinces Ezra to continue working for him by promising to give him all the money in the strongbox aboard the Hound's Tooth.
Meanwhile, Lieutenant Jenkes receives a briefing from stormtrooper TK-5331 about the skirmish at Ake's Tavern, including the deceased assassins and the Dug criminal. Upon learning that Bossk and his associate have escaped, Jenkes orders their extermination for crimes against the Empire.
Bossk later awakens in Ezra's hideout at the abandoned LothalNet comm tower E-272. Ezra has used supplies from the stolen speeder bike to apply a thick bandage to Bossk's shoulder. Ezra is also salvaging a comlink from a stolen stormtrooper helmet he had recovered at Ake's Tavern. Ezra reveals that he saved Bossk to obtain the money in his strongbox. Bossk is determined to clear his name and remain on Lothal until he is paid for tracking down the three assassins at Ake's Tavern and compensated for the loss of Shifty. To discover how the assassins ended up on Lothal, Bossk also intends to visit the Capital City spaceport to visit a posting agency and access the Imperial Enforcement DataCore. To avoid detection, the two travel to the spaceport on an old Speeder bike.
Simultaneously, Lieutenant Jenkes is informed by an RA-7 protocol droid about civilians gathering at Monad Outpost and the arrival of a freighter from Nyriaan carrying the Houk and Feeorin fighters Borbig Drob and Warjak. Before leaving to meet the fighters, Jenkes instructs RA-7 to notify him if anyone accesses his data on the Imperial Enforcement DataCore.
Elsewhere, Ezra and Bossk infiltrate the Capital City spaceport, with Bossk disguised as Mundokk of Wasskah, a blind Trandoshan. After passing through several stormtrooper sentries, the two proceed to the posting agency, which is staffed by a Sakiyan posting agent. After paying the agent, Bossk checks the Imperial DataCore and discovers that Lieutenant Jenkes is impersonating the deceased Lieutenant Herdringer. Bossk also learns that Jenkes managed a gladiator arena on Nyriaan before joining the Empire and that Shifty Takkaro worked as Jenkes' book-keeper. Meanwhile, Lieutenant Jenkes learns that Bossk has accessed his Imperial files and dispatches Squad Three to hunt down and eliminate the bounty hunter.
Knowing that Jenkes is monitoring the Imperial Enforcement DataCore and has dispatched stormtroopers to arrest him, Bossk creates a diversion by destroying the posting agency's utilities and the approaching stormtroopers. After evading the stormtroopers and a pair of surveillance remotes in an alley, Bossk and Ezra infiltrate the posting agency. Bossk is determined to investigate the upcoming gladiator fight at the arena near Monad Outpost. Inside, Bossk is confronted by two Nimbanel and Ranat bounty hunters, who seek to collect the Imperial bounty that Jenkes has placed on his head. After knocking out the two bounty hunters, Bossk and Ezra escape the stormtroopers, with Bossk stealing the Nimbanel's helmet. Bossk and Ezra suspect that Jenkes is the same person as the Commissioner. Ezra realizes that his friend Ferpil is in danger, and the two decide to steal a landspeeder.
Meanwhile, Lieutenant Jenkes and his RA-7 protocol droid review hologram recordings of the "boy" seen with Bossk. Jenkes realizes that Ezra also works for the Xexto Ferpil Wallaway, who had been selling the tickets for the gladiatorial event. To maintain the secrecy of his criminal activities, Jenkes disintegrates the RA-7 protocol droid with a blaster. He then departs on an armored landspeeder with two stormtroopers.
Ezra and Bossk travel to Wallaway's Pawn Shop, but discover that Lieutenant Jenkes has already murdered Ferpil. While Ezra is saddened by the loss of his friend and mentor, Bossk urges him to focus on stopping Jenkes. Ezra believes that Bossk alarmed Jenkes by accessing his records at the posting agency and is planning to flee and steal money from the gladiatorial arena at Monad Outpost. At the gladiatorial arena, spectators, including the visiting Chagrian, place bets on the two competing fighters, Borbig Drob and Warjak, the latter of whom the "Commissioner" has bribed to win. Meanwhile, Jenkes arrives with the stormtroopers. While his true intention is to steal the ticket and gambling proceeds, Jenkes tells the troopers that their plan is to storm the arena's box office and arrest the ringleaders.
While Ezra and Bossk park their landspeeder, Jenkes enters the box office and kills an Ishi Tib book-keeper. He then orders the stormtroopers to confiscate their haul and transport it back to their speeder. Jenkes secretly plans to kill the troopers. Bossk and Ezra intercept the stormtroopers transporting Credits in carts. Bossk uses his mortar gun to eliminate the troopers. During a brief verbal confrontation, Jenkes admits to murdering Herdringer and being the Commissioner. Before Bossk can apprehend him, Jenkes flees down a corridor leading to the gladiatorial arena.
Bossk and Ezra pursue Jenkes, but Jenkes shoots the Trandoshan in the right thigh and steals his mortar rifle. In front of the crowd, Jenkes claims that Bossk is a wanted criminal. However, Ezra activates his stolen comlink, allowing Bossk to demand a trial by combat to clear his name. Bossk challenges and quickly defeats Borbig and Warjak in combat. Having captured the spectators' attention, Bossk exposes Jenkes as the Commissioner and the murderer of Lieutenant Herdringer, the pawnbroker Ferpil, and the Ishi Tib book-keeper. He also reveals Jenkes' attempt to steal the spectators' credits. Jenkes tries to escape, but Ezra disables his repulsorlift platform with an energy slingshot. Shortly thereafter, Imperial forces storm the arena, having been alerted by Ezra's comlink, which has been set on long-range mode.
The following morning, Ezra listens to a HoloNet News broadcast exonerating Bossk and crediting him with exposing an illegal gambling match at Monad Outpost. Honoring their agreement to the letter, Bossk gives Ezra the contents of his strongbox. However, Ezra is disappointed to discover that it contains only 75 credits. Feeling generous, Bossk pays Ezra an additional 15 credits for their collaboration. Before departing Lothal, Bossk takes the corpse of the late Lieutenant Jenkes in a plastoid box.
While returning home to the abandoned tower, Ezra witnesses a dogfight between a TIE fighter and a diamond-shaped freighter. The freighter outmaneuvers the TIE fighter and shoots it down, causing the fighter to crash on Lothal's plains. Ezra approaches the fighter, offering to assist the pilot Valen Rudor. Despite Rudor's refusal, Ezra opens the damaged canopy and steals the pilot's helmet. Enraged, Rudor unleashes the TIE fighter's laser cannons on Ezra, who avoids the blasts. In retaliation, Ezra fires his energy slingshot at Rudor, knocking him unconscious. As Ezra heads home, he contemplates the diamond-shaped freighter he encountered.
An Imperial propaganda recording from the Star Wars radio drama and the script for the Star Wars Rebels prequel short "Property of Ezra Bridger" were adapted into this book. The events of this story would later be referenced in Rebel Journal by Ezra Bridger.
- ISBN 9781484702727 ; August 5 , 2014 ; Disney–Lucasfilm Press ; US paperback [2]
- ISBN 9782014002898 ; 2014; Hachette Jeunesse ; French paperback ( Les aventures d'Ezra )