THE EIGHTH [han solo]

[1.11]

"We want to thank you for your services to the rebellion." Octavia's hands flew to her mouth, tears pricking in her eyes. They'd recreated The Thunder, from head to toe, every last detail.
"How did you-?" She said, trailing her hands across the cool metal of the ship. "I'm naming her Lightning, and if you ever need any help from me, you'll find me in the midst of some sort of trouble."
"You're leaving?" Leia asked.
"I gotta, I can't be tied down." Octavia said, shrugging sadly. "I'll smuggle things to you, supplies and stuff that the rebellion needs, real cheap too." Octavia suggested, with a tiny smirk playing on her lips. "Does that seem like a deal?"
"Of corse. You're being a lot more reasonable than bird-brain over there." Leia pointed to another part of the tarmac where Luke and Han seemed to be arguing.
"I should probably go and say goodbye to him too." Octavia said, hugging Leia once more, and walking over to where Luke had just left.
"Han?" Octavia asked
"Princess, how are you?" He smiled at her.
"I'm good, finally get to leave now, I've got my own ship."
"Ah, Captain Nightshade." He grinned. "What's your ships name this time?"
"Lighting, if you ever need her, or me, you can always call for us." Octavia grinned, and Han looked down on her, smiling one of his stunning, genuine smiles. "You're making this really difficult."
"Making what difficult, princess?"
"Saying goodbye." Octavia let out a long breath, pushing back a stray strand of hair, out of her eyes. Han just looked at her in shock.
"Saying goodbye?" He repeated, his mouth slightly agape.
"Yes, well, the rebels have gifted me with a new ship for all the help I've given them, and, smuggling calls back to me, you know I don't like being tied down to anything." She spoke softly, a compete change in tone from her normal voice. Her eyebrows were furrowed, wondering what he'd say. "I did just give you all this information."
"But you're actually leaving?" He asked. "Like, no longer crew on my ship?"
"Yep, I'm leaving, you said it yourself, the rebellion ain't a place for a girl like me. I need to be up there, in the stars." She placed a hand on his shoulder, he made her look like a tiny elf when he was around, towering over her, but she was the furthest thing from dainty that he'd seen, she was so strong, and she was leaving.
"I guess this is goodbye then princess."
"I guess this is goodbye." She nodded. The mood was dragging her down, she had to let go, pretend she didn't care. "I'll see you around Solo." She smirked and nudged him.
"We'll see, Nightshade." She grinned, pecking him on the cheek and almost skipping off to the hangar.

[COCKPIT
THE LIGHTNING]

Octavia instantly flew away, now she was somewhere distant, sat in her chair, slowly stroking each button and lever and toggle on the brand new dashboard of her brand new ship. It was the best thing she could've ever wished for. There was even a built in Hologram Transmitter. She looked at the dash, it seemed rather empty and bleak. She quickly remembered the picture they'd taken on the Millennium Falcon, they were all high on endorphins after escaping The Death Star and Luke brought out a camera, Maker only knows where he got it from, and took a picture of all of them. She stuck it in the corner of her dash, smiling fondly. As she took off, something told her that she'd see them again, very soon.

It was later that same hour that her peaceful flying changed quickly. As she flew over another moon, she caught a glimpse of something in the mirror.
"Ben?!" Octavia yelled, seeing the old man in the co-pilots chair.
"My name is actually Obi-Wan, you should call me that."
"What are you doing here?"
"I came to talk to you about your mother."
"My- my mother?" Octavia was simultaneously confused and outraged. "What do you want to talk about my mother for? She's dead and gone and it's all over with! Let sleeping dogs lay." She almost yelled, she hadn't thought about her mother and being abandoned since she was 14.
"Her name was Aurelia, and she was a clever, brave woman, just like you, and she was the most excellent Grey Jedi." He said.
"Grey Jedi?"
"Do you remember ever learning or hearing about the Jedi and the Sith?"
"Yes, the Jedi were good, they kept order in the Galaxy, the Sith were bad. They killed." Octavia said.
"Yes, my Padawan, turned to the dark side, and killed almost all the Jedi, only 7 Jedi remained." Obi-Wan explained. "Aurelia was one of them, but she classed as a Grey Jedi, a mixture of dark and light. Her, two others and I, along with two babies, Luke and his sister, and you, survived the mass killings. She sent you away so you'd be safe, no one could kill you. She planned on coming back, but she was killed." Octavia thought she should be sad about this, but really it only confirmed what she already knew. Her mother was dead. She felt no remorse or sadness.
"What was she like?" Octavia asked.
"She was beautiful, I knew her for a very long time. She was cunning and brave and never gave up, a lot of her spirit remains in you." He said, speaking fondly of her. Octavia nodded.
"You died. How are you here?"
"I am a force ghost. Jedi of the light have a chance to stay on until the force accepts their death. I didn't only come to speak about your mother. You're also force-sensitive. That's why you're lucky, it's not luck, it's the force. You're an incredible fighter, and pilot."
"I'm, force-sensitive. I'm- no. I don't think so, you've got the wrong girl."
"No, I know I've got the right one, but I'll have to talk to you another time, because your friends are in trouble." He glanced at the picture on her dash.
"Trouble? What do you mean?" Octavia asked.
"They're destroying the Death Star and they need your help."
"Luke?" Octavia asked, worried.
"And Han." Octavia's eyes widened.
"I need to help them. I'm going back." Octavia shifted her ship into reverse, swirling around and shooting back in the other direction. She looked to her co-pilot seat, but Obi-Wan was gone, replaced by the small black kitten with the green eyes.
"Thunder, that man has a great deal of nerve, coming in here, talking to me about my mother and my friends and disappearing." Thunder meowed in response, as if she understood what Octavia was saying.
"Making the jump into hyperspace." Octavia mumbled, concentrating.