Star Wars, The Hutt Gambit

Han Solo, former Imperial officer, sat despondently at a sticky table in a dingy bar on Devaron, sipping an inferior Alderaanian ale and wishing he were alone.  Not that he minded the other denizens of the bar--horned Devish males and furry Devish females, plus a smattering of nonhumans from other worlds.  Han was used to aliens; he'd grown up with them aboard Trader's Luck, a large trading ship that wandered the spacelanes of the galaxy.  By the time he was ten, Han had been able to speak and understand half a dozen nonhuman languages.

No, it wasn't the aliens around him.  It was the alien beside him.  Han took a swig of his ale, grimaced at the sour taste, then glanced sidelong at the cause of all his troubles.  The huge, hairy being gazed back at him with concerned blue eyes.  Han sighed heavily.  If only he'd go home!  But the Wookiee--Chew-something--utterly refused to go home to Kashyyyk, despite Han's repeated urging.  The alien claimed he owed something called a "life debt" to former Imperial Lieutenant Han Solo.

Life debt .  .  .  great.  Just what I need, Han thought bitterly.  A big furry nursemaid trailing after me, giving me advice, fussing over me if I drink too much, telling me he's gonna take care of me.  Great.  Just great.

Han scowled into his ale, and the pale, watery brew reflected his countenance back at him, distorting his features until he appeared nearly as alien as the Wookiee.  What was his name?  Chew-something.  The Wookiee had told him, but Han wasn't good at pronouncing Wookiee, even though he understood it perfectly.

Besides, he didn't want to learn this particular Wookiee's name.  If he learned his name, he'd likely never get rid of his hairy shadow.

Han rubbed a hand over his face blearily, feeling several days'

A.C. Crispin was the author of the bestselling Han Solo Trilogy. Ms. Crispin writes in her own universes, including her seven book StarBridge series and Storms of Destiny. She also created stories in other media universes, including Star Trek, V, and Alien. Crispin was active in Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America and served as the chair of Writer Beware, SFWA’s “scam watchdog” volunteer group. She died in 2013.