A/N: Star Wars belongs to Disney/Lucasfilm. Only Arlia is mine.
Arlia creaked into bed, pulling the soft sheets over her tired body. During the school holidays, she'd been replaying the Star Wars movies, mostly as an escapism from the mess that was her life.
How she longed to be whisked away and fight Darth Vader, a comparatively better fate than the dread of returning to her hell-hole of a high school.
Pushing all anxious thoughts out of her mind, she drifted into a blissful sleep, dreaming of lasers and droids and wondering which she liked better, Luke Skywalker or Han Solo.
When she awoke, she felt hot and uncomfortable. Sitting up caused sand to slide off her clothes and in shock, Arlia leaped to her feet and spun around.
All that could be seen until the horizon was desert, a hot, yellow and sandy desert. A few large dunes were visible but every inch of it had the sun beating relentlessly on its yellow grains.
As if to assure herself it was real, she grasped some sand in her hand and let it slide back to the ground. The coarse grains irritated her hands and she could quite understand why Anakin Skywalker hated sand.
Arlia gulped, her throat feeling worryingly dry. Mentally shaking away the nervous butterflies that were trying to escape her stomach, her mind desperately tried to recall the survival books she had read.
For whatever reason, she was in the middle of some God-forsaken desert, with no idea why or how. One fact remained in her brain; a human can survive for up to three days without water.
I can walk pretty far in three days, she thought brightly, forcing a wide grin over her freckled face, having once heard you can improve your mood if you keep smiling.
Randomly picking a route in which to march, she trudged that way, in the opposite direction of the two suns. Wait, what? Dismissing it as a mirage, but not daring to look again, she began her walk, one step after the other.
Looking at her shoes as they made an awful squeak noise every time they squished into the sand, Arlia realised she was wearing a pair of boots she had never seen before in her life.
Not only that but the grey T-shirt and the white padded pants and jacket were completely foreign to her. The only explanation was memory loss, it had to be. That being said, it wasn't a very reassuring thought, it could be the first sign of her losing her mind.
Arlia sung positive songs in her head, knowing not to speak to conserve energy. But still, it was getting dark, there was no sign of civilisation and her limbs were deadening from exhaustion.
Reaching the top of a sand dune, she didn't think she could take another step. Her dodgy knees buckled and she rolled down the other side, tumbling as if in the Princess Bride. Arlia's stomach churned. She'd always suffered from motion sickness and after finally coming to a stop, lying at the bottom of the dune seemed like a nice option.
Remaining there for a few moments, she tore off her jacket and willed herself to stand. Taking a few steps, Arlia thought she could see something that looked like a settlement. Physically unable to drag herself there, she stumbled, this time being caught by someone.
Staring gratefully at their obscured face, she was half-carried, half-dragged to a dome shaped house who's outline was just visible in the fading sunlight.
Dazed, she could only recognise her rescuer as a young man who then handed her over to an older couple that gave her a bed.
Somewhere in her delirium, she could have sworn their voices sounded familiar. One unseen person sounded almost like a butler, perhaps C-3PO...
Arlia trailed off into sleep but was awoken early the next morning by the unmistakable sound of someone dropping something, a clang followed by mild cursing.
"Oh, sorry." said the person, seeing her eyes flicker open.
"Water?" she rasped, turning over to face them but recoiled in utter confusion.
"Here." It was her rescuer from last night who gave her a canteen to sip from.
Her eyes were still widened as she gulped cool water and they examined the boy's appearance. He had the familiar 70's haircut and baggy space clothes that slightly amused Arlia but it was undoubtedly him.
"I'm Luke Skywalker." he said, tasking the canteen back and attaching it to his belt.
Arlia forced herself to speak, trying desperately not to look surprised as she told him her name. All the while, she pinched herself under the covers, hardly daring to believe she was in the midst of a conversation with Luke Skywalker!
"Nice to meet you Arlia." Luke was oblivious to her inner turmoil and gave her a welcoming smile. "I'm sorry but I have to go and track down a missing droid. Only, don't tell my aunt and uncle, they'll be furious."
"I won't." She shook her head vigorously as Luke silently exited leaving Arlia to process everything. Of course she was exited but also confused, nervous and a little homesick especially as she recognised none of the objects in the room.
I'm in Star Wars! She screamed in her head. But why? The force? Maybe. Anything could happen and from the short interchange between her and Luke, she knew what would happen next.
The many questions that ricocheted around her brain made her think her head might explode but they disappeared when the older woman from last night poked her head inside the room.
"You're awake!" the woman exclaimed and held out a glass with a blue liquid inside, very likely the milk from 'A New Hope.' Taking small sips, she could taste the vague milky flavour that she disliked and drank only out of politeness. Once again, Arlia introduced herself and when the woman said to call her Aunt Beru, she couldn't have been less surprised.
"Where did you come from my dear?"
"I don't remember." she croaked, her throat still recovering from the day before. It was easier to lie, especially to this woman she realised wouldn't live much longer. Arlia was rendered slightly sad, especially when she recalled Luke.
"Amnesia." Aunt Beru said knowledgeably. "Tell me, have you seen Luke?"
Arlia remembered the farm boy's words. "No," she fibbed before continuing. "Some stormtroopers might come and you could die, I..." Her voice died away as Aunt Beru looked strangely at her.
"What on earth are you talking about?"
"Um."
"It's probably heat stroke my dear. Just rest. Call me if you need anything." She exited the room and left Arlia to her own devices.
"Darn." It was an impossible situation to be in. Damned if she does and damned if she doesn't. Arlia could save Luke's Aunt and Uncle but there she thought of another repercussion. Luke might not go to Alderaan. What should I do?
The girl crept out of bed and had a closer look at some of the strange objects in the room.
She didn't know how long she stood there, fiddling with some unknown mechanism by the door but was interrupted by a shout.
"Come out with your hands up!" yelled a mechanical voice. With a jolt of panic, Arlia realised it was the stormtroopers. She scrambled to put on her jacket and ran downstairs, scared, to Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru.
"You can't go up there."
They looked at her and it was with guilt, she could see there was no way of explaining this.
"It's dangerous and you might die. Please don't." How can I ever explain to Luke I knew and could have stopped their deaths, had I tried harder to warn them?
The stormtrooper repeated his instruction.
"Wait here." Uncle Owen told her and both marched up to their inevitable doom.
"Is there anyone else?" one of the stormtroopers asked menacingly as the group held their blasters, ready to fire.
"No." Aunt Beru protected the girl as Arlia watched on, just out of sight. A short exchange to do with droids ensued and before her very naïve eyes, two innocent people were blasted with laser fire. The smoke cleared and there was nothing where the pair had been standing but two skeletons. Arlia couldn't help but gasp filled with remorse at her actions and anger over their deaths.
"Search the house." came the command and she knew they were bound to find and kill her. She scampered, terrified, back to the room she'd shared with Luke.
Arlia considered her options as her panic levels steadily increased. Locking the door wasn't good enough, she'd seen enough Star Wars to know that. She couldn't fight them off, they had blasters. Her only chance would be to somehow disarm one of them and she lacked confidence in her combat abilities, rather, the lack of them. There was no likelihood of there being a blaster in the house and as she gazed desperately around the room for a weapon, she ran out of time.
A stormtrooper, armed and ready, scoured the rooms nearby. It wasn't long before he was upon her and in despair, she threw herself behind a cupboard as he entered. The stromtrooper had only entered a few feet before a swift but feeble kick to the back of his legs made him stumble, though not sending him to the ground.
As he turned around to fire, she gripped his wrist and held the blaster away from her face, whilst trying to wrestle it out of his hands. Experienced at doing the same sort of thing to her younger brother, she knocked it away, aware she wouldn't have long to figure out how to fire it.
Then, using all her strength, Arlia delivered the most powerful punch she could muster to his face, shaking off the pain it caused her own fist.
"Ow!" It didn't knock him out like it might in the movies, only sprawling him on the ground, stunned.
Arlia pulled what she assumed was the trigger of the E-11 Blaster Rifle she knew was used by the Imperial Stormtroopers. She could even tell you the previous model this particular blaster was based on but the fact it fired was, from her perspective, pure luck.
It was set to lethal and scorched the walls, not coming close to hitting the target.
"Hell!"she cursed, fumbling to hit the disarmed soldier before attracting the attention of his comrades.
Several blasts later, it hit him in the chest, ripping a fleshy hole in his armour that stopped the stormtrooper in his tracks.
Arlia was puffing but couldn't stop. The other stormtroopers came running, firing at her. She warded them off with her newly acquired blaster, taking shelter behind a wall.
She even managed to hit some of them when a searing pain stung her shoulder as a red laser hit her. Adrenaline kept her going but, only just, as varying shots ranging from flukes to well-aimed killed the others.
Dead. The word hit her like a tonne of bricks. She had just killed several people, evil ones, but people nonetheless. The body of one stormtrooper lay in one room, the others at the end of a corridor.
Arlia was at a loss at what to do next. She could still feel the dull throb of pain in her shoulder and took a closer look. The blaster fire had torn through her padded jacket and shirt, tearing away several layers of skin. It left a red, exposed and very painful bit of flesh that Arlia knew had to be dealt with but she had no idea how to approach it.
She was aware of something to do with healing called bacta but where to find it or how to use it was beyond her knowledge. Even finding somewhere for medical attention was impossible. Glancing back at the stormtroopers, she didn't want them to be scattered about the house as evidence of a battle so, one-handed, dragged them into a pile and shoved them in a room. Locking the door she heard a person calling out.
"Uncle Owen! Aunt Beru!" It was Luke. He would soon discover their bodies and her heart ached with empathy. Arlia grabbed a blaster and clambered up the stairs, dodging the bodies that Luke was gazing dismally at.
"I'm so sorry Luke." Whenever she watched 'A New Hope', it never occurred to her to be sad about these largely insignificant people who were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Being here had changed that, now she could see the sacrifice they made. She couldn't save them, not without ruining things. And now she had to carry that burden with her forever.
Luke finally acknowledged Arlia. "What happened?" he swallowed, preparing himself.
"Some stormtroopers came. They did this. It was something about two droids. Why did they do this?" she asked, knowing full well the answer.
"They were looking for two droids named C-3PO and R2-D2," he said slowly, testing if he could trust her. "They are carrying important information that the Empire doesn't want passed on to the Rebellion."
"The Rebellion!" she feigned surprise. It was easy as she knew how the story would go.
"Yes." he paused. "I'm going to Alderaan to deliver them to the Rebel Alliance." Arlia was relieved. She'd forgotten that her unexpected presence could change how events transpired and it was good to know Luke was still going to Alderaan with Obi-Wan.
"Your arm!" Luke noticed the massive hole and quickly bandaged it until they could find somewhere to get it treated. He was impressed with her handiwork, taking out all the stormtroopers was, in his mind, a great feat for someone who seemed so out of place and unused to the things around her. I mean, he thought, she had no idea how to take care of a blaster wound.
It was almost as if he could feel how uncomfortable she was and how she wished to be able to say something commiserating about his loss. Climbing in the speeder on the way to Obi-Wan was a new and exciting experience and she discretely had a look at their shadow as they hovered at high speed.
"I really am sorry Luke." Arlia felt obliged to say when he shed a few tears.
"It wasn't your fault." He used his sleeve to wipe away the salty liquid that ran down his face.
"They died heroes."she said quietly.
"What?" Luke turned his head quickly.
"The stormtroopers said to come out with your hands up. Your aunt and uncle said to stay put. They didn't tell them I was there, even when asked. They saved my life." Arlia spoke disjointedly and awkwardly. She was always like that with people she wasn't comfortable with. Overthinking conversations to avoid being judged was her lot in life.
The only people she could truly be herself with were her family. So Arlia was often silent, too scared to say anything and often mistaken for being shy. It frustrated her that even in Star Wars, she couldn't come out of her shell more and be herself.
It was strange, Luke could have sworn he was hearing her thoughts in his head for they weren't his own. Who was this mysterious Arlia? He thought.
A/N: Thanks to ChocolateTeapot for the review and helping me fix some errors. The plot detail of trying to warn Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru was her idea.