THE EIGHTH [han solo]

[1.03]

Han Solo had no reason to take this girl with him. She'd robbed him, and tried to kill him twice. Han Solo wasn't normally a compassionate person, he had never before in his life looked at someone lying unconscious on the floor and thought to himself 'maybe I should help her.' It had never crossed his mind before, but there, seeing the strong, quick-thinking and even quicker tongued girl laying in the sand.
"Chewie, pick her up." He ordered his longest standing, and only, friend. The Wookie picked her up, cradling her in his arms. He whined.
"I know, she's hurt. She saved me. Yeah I know, I'm not saying I trust her, I owe her one, well, she owes me one less." He rolled his eyes, gathering anything worth it from the dead or unconscious Bounty Hunters, then exiting with Chewbacca.

[THE MILLENNIUM FALCON
DOCKING BAY 31]

They walked back to their ship without an incident, and Octavia was placed on the Medbay bed and Han pulled off her jacket, hopefully there was no blood on it, she seemed to be attached to it. He used his scissors to cut the bloodied tee shirt away.
"Holy shit." He murmured. Her stomach had been attacked by the blaster bolt. When I had shot Zia she must've taken it, but I'd seen her use Zia as a human shield, how did- unless it went though Zia and still had enough power to hit her. It seemed like the most probable situation.
"Is there anything I can do?" Chewie asked.
"No, not really. It's already cauterised from the heat of the bolt, all we can do is wait."

"Get to work! The lot of you!" The alien man yelled, hitting the small blonde child across the face. She bit back tears. The man exited and the assorted band of children began to work in the smouldering kitchen. It was the blonde's third job this month. She'd been shipped from Cantina to Kitchen to barmaid to back street worker. She could taste the familiar metallic taste of blood in her mouth.
"Tavi, are you okay?" One of the older employees asked, a Twi'lek girl with a temper to rival the blonde's.
"I'm fine. I just want to get out of here." She stood weakly, against the wall, trying to keep her anger on the inside. Her boss hated her, paid her under the minimum and made her serve the creeps to get a laugh.
"It's closing time, but Jabba is still getting drunk, you could swipe his keys, you're the best out of all of us." Jinx said, brushing a strand of hair out of the blondes eyes. "Flirt, make him feel at home, then swipe his keys and run. I'm sure I'll catch up with you." Jinx said.
"Together?" The blonde asked, only 14, so naive to think that it was love.
"Together." Jinx replied, kissing her gently on the lips. "Now go, you can do it." The blonde was pushed out of the door gently. The noise of it swinging shut could be heard throughout the Cantina, as it was silent.
"Ex-excuse me?" The blonde acted timid, but knew exactly what she was doing. "May I get you another drink?" Jabba spoke back in his native language, nodding, and so she took it as a yes. When back in the now deserted kitchen, she took the vial that Jinx gave her in case of emergency, yes, that one. She took that out of her boot and dropped a bit into Jabba's drink. She walked back out and smiled as she served it to him. He spoke to her again.
"What's your name?" His translator said.
"Octavia."
"He wants you to sit and have a drink with him." She shuddered slightly, but sat down anyway.
"I can't drink, I'm on the job." She said.
"He says its on him, and I highly advise you take it." Octavia nodded, sipping the putrid drink he'd been on the whole night. He beckoned to her, and she reluctantly moved closer. They kept conversing, through the translator, until he was almost passed out drunk. The terrified and young girl reached for his keys, her heart pounding in her chest. She was 14 years old, had been treated like dirt for her entire life, and finally had a chance to escape. She took it, grasping the keys and making a run for it, back into the kitchen and out of the back door, grabbing Jinx's hand. She had been waiting on the floor outside with her head in her hands, they made a brake for it, Jabba's men shooting at them from behind. Jinx had a wild smile on her face. Octavia pushed a button and the lights of a ship lit up. They shared a grin, and sprinted to it. The gunshots got louder as they approached. Suddenly, Jinx was no longer holding onto Octavia's hand. Three blaster bolts had sliced through her chest and she was lying on the floor.
"Jinx!" Octavia yelled. There was no response, the blonde's first love was dead on the ground right outside of their escape ship. "Jinx!" She cried, her voice strangled and hoarse. She shot up, the same girl, the same tears in her eyes and the same name, Jinx, on her lips, it tastes bitter and metallic, like blood. She hated that memory, she always hid it away and lied about it. She hated remembering Jinx and her face as she slowly slipped away. She would not cry. She was Octavia. She wouldn't cry.
"Good. You're awake." Her target walked in, ignoring the tears on the verge of spilling. She tipped her head back, trying to absorb them back into her eyes. "Talk."
"About what?"
"You took a blaster bolt from me."
"Yes, I didn't have much choice, given you shot at me." She said, sitting up in the bed.
"But you tried to kill me."
"You have a large bounty on your head. It would've saved my skin, not gonna do me much good seen as I have an even larger one on my head."
"I have a proposal." He said, sitting on the spare seat.
"What's that?" Octavia asked, trying to remain strong even though she was physically weak. If he wanted her dead, he would've killed her already.
"We work together. Han Solo, Captain of the Millennium Falcon."
"Octavia, Captain of The Thunder."