Beating Heart ♔ Rey

nine

Chapter Nine;

There was so much more to be asked, so much more to tell and discover after Han had confirmed that yes, he did know Luke - but that was all interrupted when a death gang boarded Han's ship.

Han had also revealed that he had three Rathtars on board. Three. Hester gazed at Han and wondered how he was still alive.

"Get below and don't come out until I say so," Han said, once they reached a trapdoor that would take Hester, Rey, and Finn below the floors of the ship. "And don't even think about taking the Falcon."

"What about BB-8?" Rey demanded.

"He stays with me until I get rid of the gang, then you can have him back and be on your way."

Hester folded her arms and frowned. 

"What about the Rathtars, where are you keeping them?" Finn asked urgently.

Something large and heavy threw itself against the door behind them. Hester and Rey screamed and jumped back, to see a large eye staring at them from a window in the door. Hester's heart hammered as she stared at it.

"As long as you stay on that side of the door, I don't have a problem against you being here," Hester muttered at it. She still took a small step back - the eye was unnerving her. Rathtars made her squirm.

"What are you going to do?" Rey was now asking Han.

"The same thing I always do, talk my way out of it," Han said in an off-hand manner. "Now get below."

Finn and Rey hastened to do as he said, but Hester didn't follow straight away. "Han, I could help you," she began, drawing out her lightsaber, but Han rested a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry, kid, I can deal with this. But if things get messy, I know I count on you."

Hester hesitated but, after seeing the look in Han's eye, she nodded and disappeared underneath the floor with her two friends. Han closed the cover on top of them, and just in time - the door opened mere seconds later.

Hester was forced to remain on all fours; there wasn't even room to kneel. She hardly dared to breathe as she listened to what was going on above them.

"Han Solo. You're a dead man," a loud voice threatened.

"Bala-Tik! What's the problem?" Han barked.

"The problem is you borrowed fifty thousand for this job."

It was just one person speaking, though it was doubtful he was alone. Hester couldn't tell how many were with him. She tried looking above but couldn't spot a single one of them. "Do you see them?"

"No," Rey breathed back.

Above them, Han and Bala-Tik continued to argue. The three shuffled to a position underneath the gang so they could get a clear view of what Han was against.

What they did see made Hester's stomach churn.

"They have blasters," Rey hissed.

"A lot of them," Finn added.

Hester swallowed. Han was definitely outgunned. He wouldn't survive if this came to a firefight - and if they didn't do anything, he was most definitely going to be captured.

Just after, another door opened and new voices joined the conversation. They spoke a language that Hester didn't understand.

"Great," Hester muttered. "More company. Did they misread the you're not welcome invitation?"