The Chronicles of Cordelia Solo

Chapter 1 - Solo

Cordelia paces back and forth in the alley. Her brother was supposed to meet them, and he's running late. She turns to start again when a hand grabs her shoulder.

"He'll be here soon." Qi'ra says. The girl nods, stopping her pacing. Suddenly arms wrap around both of them.

"Han!" Cordelia says, seeing her brother. She smiles, but it turns into a frown when she sees the bruises and cuts on his face. He crouches down so they're level and pulls her into a tight hug.

"Cory. You stayin' out of trouble?" He asks. She rolls her eyes.

"Of course, I am. You cause enough trouble for both of us." She says. Han chuckles and stands again. He kisses Qi'ra and Cordelia looks away, grossed out by her older brother kissing a girl.

"You were gone too long! I knew something must've gone wrong." Qi'ra says as they pull away. She runs her thumb over his lip.

"This is nothing. You should see them." He says.

"Look down here!" A man yells nearby. Han grabs their hands and pulls them behind cover.

"All right, listen. I was in the middle of the exchange, I'm handing over the coaxium and his goons jumped me, but I showed 'em." He explains.

"How?" Qi'ra asks.

"I ran away, then I boosted their speeder." He says. 

"What, are we going somewhere?" She asks.

"Yeah, anywhere we want." He replies, turning to his sister. "How about that, Bug? You wanna get out of here?" He asks. She frowns.

"Yes, but quit callin' me that. You know I don't like it." She says, glaring at him.

"It's not my fault you looked like a bug when you were a baby. Plus, your eyes are green, and bugs are mostly green. Still fits, so I'm still calling you that." Han says. 

"Han, how are we going to leave?" Qi'ra asks, interrupting the siblings. He grins, holding up a vial of coaxium.

"You kept one?" Cordelia asks, stepping closer to look at it as Qi'ra opens it.

"Han's back!" One of the street kids says. Han pulls the two further away.

"This, this is worth-" Qi'ra says.

"Five, six hundred credits. That's more than you said we'd need." He says.

"To buy our way out of the control zone. And off Corellia. Han, this could work." She says.

"Really? We're leaving?" Cordelia asks. Han slings his arm around her shoulders, pulling her into his side.

"This is gonna work." He says, kissing the top of her head. He turns to Qi'ra. "Qi'ra, you always said one day we're gonna get out of here. This is it."

"What are we waiting for?" She asks. He kisses her and Cordelia rolls her eyes.

"Can we go now?" She asks, crossing her arms over her chest. They pull away and Qi'ra stands. Han places his hands on Cordelia's shoulders.

"Bug, I know you can handle yourself, but you need to stay close." He tells her. She scans his face, noticing how serious he looks right now.

"Okay." She agrees. He nods and stands, joining Qi'ra. They leave the alcove and start walking.

"There he is. Hey, you three!" A man yells. They turn the other way and run into Moloch. Qi'ra pulls Cordelia back, so they don't draw attention.

"Moloch. Hi, how are ya? I was just on my way to see Lady Proxima." Han says. He tries to pass, but Moloch sticks his arm out, blocking him.