Aleckina Tadeef

Memories

Kanan lay awake on his bunk, unable to sleep. He opened his holocron and attempted to meditate, but he couldn't stop thinking about Aleckina. They would attempt - no - be rescuing her in the morning.

Focus was impossible. The events of ten years earlier played on repeat in his mind.

...
"Caleb!" screamed a small voice, calling the fourteen year old Jedi Padawan by his birth name.

Caleb Dume, now known as the infamous Kanan Jarrus, immediately ran towards the sound of the voice. He had recognized the scream as Aleckina, his proclaimed 'sister'. Neither of them had any living family, so when Master Depa Bilaba took in the small girl, they became like brother and sister in every sense other than blood.

He quickly found the barefoot, dark-haired young girl crouched on the floor, crying. A clone trooper stood over her, gun aimed toward her head. Caleb ran forward, raising his recently earned lightsaber and killing the clone. He pushed the dead clone aside and rushed to the side of the tiny four year old.

"Kina, are you alright?" he asked hurriedly. Then he noticed where she had been shot in the leg, probably the only way she had even been caught. She was small but fast. He would know, having played tag with her countless times.

Aleckina shook her head. "Caleb, h-he was g-gonna kill me," she cried. "I-I'm scared!"

"I know," Caleb wispered soothingly. "I'm scared, too, but don't worry. I'll protect you. Now, will you let me see your leg?"

Beginning to calm down, Aleckina agreed and Caleb wrapped her left leg, just below the knee, in a loose cloth he had found lying nearby. He knew her injury would keep her from being able to run.

"I'm going to have to carry you, ok," he told her.

"But what if more clones come?" Aleckina asked. "Won't you need to fight them?"

Caleb sighed. She was right, but he couldn't leave her behind. He would never forgive himself. He had already had to leave their master's side, and she had died. He hadn't seen her death, but he had felt it, and he knew Aleckina had felt it too.

"I'll carry you on my back," he resolved, trying to sound confident. "That way, I can still use my saber if I need to."

"You will need to," Aleckina confirmed, using her Miralukan abilities. "Are you sure you can do it?"

"Of course. You're tiny," Caleb joked, trying to help the girl feel better. Using her abilities often made the girl feel sick because her human half had let her retain her eyesight.

Finally, Aleckina gave in and climbed on Caleb's back. Caleb ran as fast as he could through the halls of the temple. It wasn't long, however, before they ran into more clone troopers. Caleb deflected most of their blaster shots, but one slipped through his defence, hitting his right shoulder. He gasped and fell to his knees, but held in a scream, trying not to alarm Aleckina. The clones began to advance on the pair.

"LEAVE US ALONE!" Aleckina screamed, putting out her tiny hands. To Caleb's surprise, the clones flew back, hitting a wall and falling unconcious. "C- Caleb," Aleckina wispered, "Did I do that?"

"Yes," Caleb answered. He stood up again, trying to keep steady, and began running again. Aleckina had only had very basic training in the force. He felt her lay her head down on his uninjured shoulder. 'Of course she's tired,' he thought. 'She's not ready to be using the force like that.'

Luckily for them, their adolescent size and agility gave them more options for escape routes, and they were able to make it out of the temple alive. They were tired, but stopping was not yet an option.
...

It had been ten years, and Kanan was still running from the Empire. He never recieved intell about anyone else escaping the temple they were from. He had gone into hiding, but he had known better than to take Aleckina with him. His path would be too dangerous for someone so young. In only a few weeks, he had found a kind, older couple from Coruscant's Underground Sector who took her in. They offered to take him in, too, but he refused, despite Aleckina's pleading. He couldn't put her in danger. No more than she already was in, at least. He stayed until she fell asleep, then left under the cover of night, promising to come back for her when the danger had subsided.

It had been ten years since since that night. Kanan had never seen a time fit for their reunion. If fact, now being a part of the rebels, he was in more danger than ever. He knew his crew wouldn't mind her tagging along, but he was afraid that he couldn't protect her. Then again, he had left her in the safest place he could find, and she had been found and captured by Imperials.

Kanan rolled onto his side, trying to block out the thoughts of the horrid things they could have done to her in the Imperial Academy. If he was going to save her tomorrow, then he needed to get some rest.