#kaidanalenkoappreciationweek

That line Kaidan has about Biotics not going undocumented, but might as well get a paycheck for it, as well as saying he killed Vyrnnus when he was seventeen made me realize he probably didn’t enlist in the Alliance at 18 like Shepard did, also Chakwas said she worked with Anderson for years, and the Normandy shakedown run was the first time she’d worked with Kaidan, so Anderson probably hadn’t been the one to find him, and I thought, why not Hackett himself? I also figured it was after his run in with the vorcha mafia that he joined. Day Two: Nov. 14 – Alliance Training Heshtok had been an adventure, and he was leaving there, with five times as many credits as he’d come with, much to the disapproval of the vorcha mafia who ran the casino, but knowing tech like he did, tampering with the roulette wheel was child’s play; he chuckled quietly to himself as he strolled off the station onto the waiting Alliance frigate, escorted by five officers onto the bridge of the ship. How they’d found him he had no idea, but the migraine lurking behind his eyes due to his L2 amp dulled his curiosity. The man who stood imposingly in front of him had light brown hair streaked with grey, piercing crystal blue eyes, and a scar running from his right cheekbone near his eye to the top of his upper lip—a face that even after his self-imposed exile he knew, the man’s rise in the Alliance from enlisted recruit straight to Admiral was legendary. Steven Hackett was just as impressive in person as he was in the vids. “It’s Kaidan isn’t it?” “Yes sir…I don’t understand, how do you know my name?” “We’ve been looking for you since we got word of your…accomplishments at Biotic Acclimation and Temperance Training. While we didn’t know exactly what Conatix was up to out there, you think we didn’t have the names of all the kids they took out there…but you were a special case, your name coming up a few times, in the hospital records of your birth, the incident with Jason Gunther, and then killing your instructor. The Alliance has need of a man of your particular talents; we have a promising bundle of young biotic recruits and they need a teacher, someone who knows hardship and control. No one can do what biotics can, and the Alliance needs them.” Kaidan rubbed the back of his neck.

I’m late to Kaidan appreciation week, but I was on vacation, and then it was my birthday, and I’m working on it. I chose to explore Kaidan’s biotics and BAaT a little more, and later I may go more in depth, but over 2k words later I had to end it somehow, because I have 6 more days to get to. Art by @jlsdrawings.

Day One: Nov. 13 - Parents/Childhood

Michael and Josephine Alenko had always known Kaidan was a little bit different; he’d been glowing blue when he was born, after all. They figured it had something to do with the transport crash in Singapore, downwind of the construction site of the building she was designing while she was pregnant, maybe something to do with radiation. It didn’t make them love him any less. He was a healthy, happy baby boy who occasionally flared blue when he sneezed, or randomly levitated a toy or snack towards himself…even if he’d gotten in trouble and wasn’t supposed to have said toy or cookie; his own personal superpower despite the headaches that came with it. It wasn’t like he knew any better until he was older.

When he was seven, he wanted to be Superman for Halloween and go trick-or-treating around the neighborhood with a bunch of friends, and even if they were slightly worried, they couldn’t say no to their adorable son who was missing his two front teeth and grinning up at them, begging, whistling slightly every time he said ‘Superman’. He’d been careful not to use his powers too much since they’d begged him not to use them at school, keeping the use of his powers confined to the house where they could keep an eye on him, since no one really understood what exactly they were or why he had them. Everything went fine, until Kaidan decided he really was Superman and took on a kid a couple years older, and twice his size trying to take everyone else’s candy, hurling him so hard he broke his arm in three different places, coming home with a massive migraine that lasted for a week.

The Halloween incident caused some anxiety and tension to arise surrounding Kaidan, he hadn’t meant to hurt the boy, only tried to do what was right just like they’d always taught him, just like Superman. They hadn’t meant for that night to change things, but they had, and not for the better; he was watched like a hawk at school, even if he and the kid whose arm he’d broken were actually friends now, Jason Gunther had turned over a new leaf when nursing his broken arm…maybe hiding his powers hadn’t been the best idea, but they hadn’t wanted him taken away from them. The teachers knew Kaidan was a good kid, but now they knew he was dangerous as well, a secret they kept hidden from the outside, while doing their best to keep the rest of the kids safe just in case another accident happened, telling everyone to tread carefully when dealing with the Alenko boy. Jason was the only one who dared get close, already knowing some of what Kaidan was capable of.

Michael had started researching in the dark recesses of the extranet, trying to figure out a solution, or a way to train Kaidan to have a little better control; his ‘biotics’ as he found them being called, weren’t unique to just his son, though most parents seemed to feel the same way…speaking only in hypotheticals and encrypting texts as much as they could.

That was how Kaidan had met Dustin McKinney. Josephine and Michael had met Dustin’s parents on the web when the two boys were thirteen and found out they lived close by, it had taken years, and even though they were still unsure why both their sons had these extraordinary powers, but at least they had found a kindred spirit for Kaidan to befriend and share problems with. Jason, Dustin and Kaidan were inseparable, the three boys did everything together until word of the Gunther incident trickled out and when they got home one day, they found two men in white suits waiting to take the two fifteen-year-olds away, much to Jason’s dismay. They’d tried to convince both their parents that the two boys were dangerous, and while they didn’t believe it, all other options had been exhausted—the two boys needed training, training to learn control and discipline, and that was something they couldn’t provide.

Sixteen years and multiple minor incidents, and one large one, had their hands tied; they couldn’t deny Kaidan had never broken Jason’s arm, the two goons from Conatix hauled them away. Biotic Acclimation and Temperance Training may have been far from home and having the implant installed may have hurt like hell, but they’d always wanted to see the final frontier, see what was out there and do some good. They just wished they weren’t isolated out at Gagarin Station, and could call home once in a while, but the rules were strict, and so they made the best of a bleak situation…at least they were among kids just like them and didn’t have to hide their powers anymore, even if there were multiple accounts of broken limbs, because they weren’t being trained properly. No one really understood biotic powers, and didn’t know the first thing about teaching all the teenagers control.

For the first year, not much happened out at Jump Zero, but the kids at Brain Camp had all gotten closer. Kaidan and Dustin had met Rahna, Shelby, Tanya and Beckett, as close a group as friends could be growing mostly around Rahna; she was smart, charming as hell, sweet and determined, but had an air of vulnerability—Kaidan and a couple of the others thought she was beautiful. Every evening before lights out, they’d sneak into Kaidan and Dustin’s room, and play cards or network games, reminisce, and eat snacks they’d stolen from the kitchen; their Biotics made them all hungry, and they ate foods that were horrible for them, when not hauled in to be evaluated at how their powers were progressing. Shelby was tech savvy, always trying to figure out how things worked, had brought her and Kaidan closer, their love of tech bonding them; they could talk about it for hours together and never get bored…she even confided in him that she’d been smuggling parts to her room for months to try and build a transceiver, so they could all call home if they wanted.

But then came the arrival of the turian trainers—called in by Conatix Industries to speed of the examination and evaluation training sessions, it had to be super hush-hush since the First Contact War with the turians had just ended.

“I’m Commander Vyrnnus and I was at the Helm of the dreadnaught that killed your father.”

He paced in front of the line of cadets, hands clasped behind his back mandibles flicking out, daring someone to defy him.

“My father wasn’t in the war.” Kaidan glowered at the turian, drawing a line on the ground with his toe; he wasn’t about to fall in line…he’d had enough of that to last a lifetime. “He’d retired to Vancouver; my family had an inland home that matured to new beachfront.”

That drew a couple snickers from the others, but Vyrnnus wasn’t amused; his brow plates drew together as he brought his face in close, grabbing Kaidan by the collar and hauling him off his feet. “Do you think you’re funny, Cadet?”

“No, sir, I just think you should get your facts straight.”

Kaidan didn’t have a beef with the turians, having not experienced the loss the First Contact War had inflicted on some of the other kids there, all he knew were the aliens were weird and superior, and were trying to tell him what to do—he hated it. Seventeen years of hiding his powers, and trying to keep control so he didn’t hurt anyone like Jason had made him snap. Kaidan didn’t realize he’d just made everything worse, not only for himself but for everyone close to him. Vyrnnus pushed them all so hard, they either came out a superhero or a wreck, and the extended use of their powers were trying on the amps that had been meant to help regulate and control their powers started to degrade and cause severe neurological damage or debilitating migraines to the kids, Dustin included.

With the loss of his best friend, Kaidan was willing to risk everything when Shelby told him she was done with the transmitter—he wanted to go home, and really the only thing stopping him was Rahna…he loved her, they all did, and Vyrnnus’ training was hardest on her, her body not used to the strain. He found her in the mess the night they were all supposed to use the transmitter to send a message home, he’d taken the chance already, wondering why she wasn’t already with Shelby saying hi to her parents, she’d declined the opportunity—it had been two years since they’d all had any contact, the first birthdays he’d had without them. If he thought that was bad, Rahna and her parents had been estranged for longer, the two of them living in constant fear of her powers, even going so far as to send her brother away and not tell her where he’d gone. He sat with her until lights out wondering if the transmitter had actually worked and Shelby had been able to talk to her parents, and if his parents had gotten his message.

The answer came in the morning, when Kaidan, Rahna, Beckett and Tanya were headed to get water on their training break, everyone was rounded up and filed into a different training room then usual—Shelby was tied to a pillar, the tech for her handmade transceiver at her feet and a pile of building blocks…and Kaidan was certain she’d been there all night, deprived of food or drink; the tactic screamed Vyrnnus’ name…that was how he trained them. Make them use their biotics to grab food and drink and pull it towards themselves, starve them until they had no alternative but to use their powers, despite everything that the L2 amp was doing to them. He knew his parents hadn’t sent him away for this—they’d thought they were helping; how was he going to tell Dustin’s parents what had happened? Knowing Shelby was his friend, Kaidan was the first one Vyrnnus decided was guilty, having it out for him since that first day, grabbing the youth by the collar like he always did and hoisting him above the ground, mandibles flicking out in uncontrolled anger, talons pointing towards the destroyed tech on the floor.

“Cadet Alenko, what was Cadet Bullford doing here?” Vyrnnus snarled.

He hoped the turian could read the hate in his brown eyes. “I don’t know, sir.”

“You don’t know? She was your friend and you didn’t know what she was up to?”

“I said I DON’T KNOW!” Kaidan screamed, face red and mottled with rage as he flared blue, he’d be damned if he let the smug turian get a thing out of him.

Vyrnnus threw Kaidan to the ground, stalking up and down the line of cadets, questioning them all in turn, but they were all bonded by their hatred of him, and even though they all knew exactly what Shelby had been up to, they all responded the same way Kaidan had. It didn’t bode well for Shelby, especially when Vyrnnus kept her tied up, beginning their training like she wasn’t even there. He felt the headache throbbing behind his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose to try and shake it off, more focused on Rahna; she was trembling, more afraid of Vyrnnus than anyone, and they all tried to protect her from him as best they could. The turian had a smug smirk on his face, lecturing them all about wasting their education and treating it as a joke, before delving into the lesson for the day.

Holding the blocks in the air for an indefinite period of time. They were already weak from the hours of training he’d put them through earlier, and they’d never gotten their water…Rahna’s block waivered in the air, from her exhaustion; Kaidan ignored the migraine and used his biotics to catch Rahna’s block and keep it from falling as well as continuing to hold his own, feeling the blood trickle from his nose—he should have known it wouldn’t escape Vyrnnus’ notice, seeing as he always watched Kaidan and his friends for failure. Vyrnnus approached her making her eyes bulge wider in fear, the turian holding a glass of water. It was a trap, and everyone knew it, the entire room holding their breath as he taunted the poor girl, biotically holding the glass in the air just out of her reach.

“Go on. Take it.” His whisper was menacing.

“Don’t fall for it!” Kaidan hissed.

Her arm reached out for the glass; all she wanted was a drink without getting a nosebleed, and with a sneer Vyrnnus grabbed it and bent it out of shape, the sound of cracking bones filled the air, making her let out a shrill scream and fall to the ground holding her arm. Something inside Kaidan snapped. He felt the electrical charge pulsing through each individual eezo nodule in his body, the all too familiar tingle of his biotics washing over him, as he directed all the energy towards the target of his hate: Commander Vyrnnus. A large blue ball surged from him, headed directly towards him, and he turned, feeling the air crackle with biotic energy, a power he’d been trying to unleash for a year. Kaidan watched the turian’s head go back, further then it should have, and realized in an instant he’d gone too far.

“Someone get help! We can save him if we just get him help!” He cried, approaching Rahna.

The only movement in the room was Rahna shying away from him, her blonde hair everywhere, and blue eyes brimming with tears; she didn’t let him touch her…he was the monster now, not Vyrnnus…

He stood on the balcony of his parents’ house staring out across the landscape—it wasn’t the same as it had been all those years ago, playing with Jason and Dustin, before he’d been shipped off to Biotic Acclimation and Temperance Training out on Jump Zero; Kaidan had killed someone. He was eighteen years old, a month out of BAaT, and completely changed. It had been an accident, but he still couldn’t bring himself to explain to his parents why he spent so much time just staring outwards off the balcony; his mother, Josephine stood watching him from the doorway, a frown creasing her brow—her son had never been this quiet it all the years she’d known him. ‘Brain Camp’, as he called it, had broken her son.

She wiped her hands on her apron, and retreated inside.

“Michael?” She called softly. “Kaidan’s out on the balcony again.”

Sighing, Michael nodded to his wife and opened the refrigerator pulling out two bottles of his favorite lager. “I’ll talk to him.”

Something cold touched Kaidan’s arm, and he looked to his right, to see his father offering him a bottle of beer as he leaned against the railing next to him, he scrunched up his nose and picked the bottle up off the railing. For a moment, the two of them didn’t say anything—the only sound was the occasional swallow as they drank in silence; Michael knew Kaidan would talk to him when he was ready, and when he was, he’d lend an ear. Kaidan eyed the bottle suspiciously.

“I killed someone, Dad—I didn’t mean to…it just kind of happened. My instructor broke someone’s arm: a girl I liked, and I lost it, I let loose a full biotic kick and snapped his neck.” He admitted.

“Kaidan, you shouldn’t be too hard on yourself for doing what you thought was right…even right choices have consequences…what’s the phrase? No good deed goes unpunished.” Michael consoled, placing his hand gently on his son’s arm. “You’re still the man we raised.”

Kaidan wasn’t entirely comforted by that, but he did feel slightly better that his dad accepted him even after the fact…there may not be a next time for him after screwing up at brain camp with Conatix being investigated after Vyrnnus’ death, but just the fact that his father had so much faith in him finding a purpose, a bigger and better purpose, made Kaidan smile. He watched as a ship landed over in the distance beyond the English Bay with renewed hope he would start again.

“We’ll always be there for you, sweetie.” Josephine stepped forward and embraced her baby boy. “Whatever you choose and wherever you go—your father and I will always be cheering you on.”

“Thanks, Mom—I’ll try to make you proud.”

Kaidan had left the next morning with no clear plan in mind, he just wanted to do some good in the world; to leave his mark; to atone. He didn’t know where he was going to go, but the universe was a big place, so he hopped a shuttle and let it take him off planet to an unknown, backwater place full of eezo so he could study it and get in control of himself where no one knew his name or his past or anything about him other than the fact that wherever he went got a little bit brighter before he left.

I decided today was a day to expand on the line Kaidan has in the Citadel DLC. “Did I ever tell you about my casino run in with the vorcha mafia? Five thousand credits and a bottle of whiskey? Actually, never mind.” I always thought he really should tell Shepard that story after bringing it up, but didn’t tell it because it had a chance to change the way they looked at him, because he wasn’t always as straight-laced as the Kaidan they knew and loved. Day Five: Nov. 17 – Memories While studying the effects of eezo and helping other human biotics had been a worthwhile goal after leaving BAaT, Kaidan had gotten slightly bored being isolated for so long—at least he had learned control, over himself and his biotics, had even helped a couple kids learn similar control, but the colony was small and there was only so much he could do there. The death blow he’d hit Vyrnnus with made him cautious, keeping his biotics on a tight leash, even when helping the kids tap into their full potential, but maybe him killing Vyrnnus was inevitable, teaching him a valuable life lesson. Vyrnnus may have been awful, his methods brutal and sadistic, but he had helped; with his death, Kaidan had vowed not to ever let himself lose control like that ever again, no matter how many lives he’d saved that day by removing him from the picture. One year after Vyrnnus’ demise, Conatix had folded under the investigation of bringing the turians on in the first place even though they’d done their best to hide what had happened out at Jump Zero, and four years later, he’d finally come to terms with the fact that even if he didn’t mean to kill him, Vyrnnus’ death had been a necessary evil, and if someone had tried hard enough the turian menace—who’d made two years, and then the next four of coping with what he’d done a living hell—could’ve been saved. Returning from the edge of the galaxy, he’d found himself planet hopping, finding passage on any ship that didn’t mind having a biotic on board, even if he kept to himself most of the time, was hard enough, and that was before he’d been accidentally left behind on the space station orbiting the planet Heshtok. It had been a simple supply drop for the Vorcha home world, and he’d wandered off the ship to stretch his legs while they refueled and restocked the ship as best they could with the limited supplies the Vorcha had to offer; they didn’t like dealing with the outside world, but with so few resources they didn’t have much choice. His footsteps made a metallic clanging sound as he walked. Neon lights flashed, giving him a headache, but he followed the lights and sounds, finding the closest bar inside a casino and immediately ordering a bottle of whiskey as he glanced around…the casino was dingy and crowded—obviously a tourist trap the vorcha had installed to funnel credits from ordinary and unsuspecting victims, their entire culture built around combat. But Kaidan was anything but ordinary.

Intimacy

@leysendris sparked the last day of KaidanWeek2017 asking

for a non-sexual act of intimacy, playing with the others hair with Shenko. And

I really wanted to make the most of a happy domestic moment between Kaidan and

Shepard, before their relationship begins. Kaidan has a migraine, and when Shepard

helps him back to the ship, he asks her something he shouldn’t, completely

taken off guard by her response, as is she.

Day Seven: Nov. 19 – Creator’s

Choice

She cocked her head to the side,

whispering words of comfort into his ear, dimming the lights because of his

headache, which didn’t happen near as often…as they used to, maybe it was all

the practice he’d been able to get with the geth and Thorian creepers they’d

been fighting. The last mission had been draining, though, and he’d had to be

helped back to the ship, worry etched all over Shepard’s beautiful face. He’d

caused that worry and he hated it, but she didn’t say a thing, just looped his

arm around her shoulders and dragged him into the medbay, Dr. Chakwas bringing

him a glass of water, a bottle of aspirin, an extra pillow and a blanket as

Shepard helped him up onto the bio bed. After covering him with the blanket and

putting the bottle on the table she gently lifted Kaidan’s head and slipped the

pillow underneath his head making him groan quietly and turn over, Alyss

running her fingers through his hair. His left arm reached out and wrapped

around her waist holding her there, and inhaling deeply. Alyss smiled and

rubbing his temples. She would do everything in her power to help him feel

better—whatever he needed be it aspirin, his temples rubbed, or a soft, dark

place to nap, she was prepared to do anything he wanted her to do.

“You smell good.” Kaidan mumbled,

his migraine-muddled mind not paying attention to the bad and inappropriate

thing that was happening. “Stay with me?”

She needed to say no, stop this

before they went too far, but her mouth was ten steps ahead of her brain.

“Okay.”

Alyss nodded, making no move to

disentangle herself. He smiled weakly before curling away from her, as she

settled onto the bio bed, her legs dangling over the edge of the bed, Kaidan

resting his head on her lap, a sense of vulnerability surrounding him, and she

couldn’t bring herself to leave him, pulling the covers up over him with her

right hand while rubbing his temples with her left. Kaidan relaxed under her

touch, eyes closing against the harsh light. She alternated between rubbing his

temples and running her fingers through his hair, and knew immediately when

he’d fallen asleep, his breathing deep and even as she smiled slightly to

herself and reached out to pick up her datapad from where it lay undisturbed on

the medical table. She commed Ashley to bring him some food for when he woke,

he’d need to get his strength back. If Joker was watching this display, he

didn’t say anything but neither of them was ever going to live this down. Kaidan’s

last thought before slumber was how glad he was she didn’t let everyone get

this close—he was special, and he smiled happily at that thought, despite the

throbbing behind his closed eyelids.

Alyss ran her hand through his black

hair as Kaidan slumbered with his head in her lap watching as the locks curled

around her fingers before the static build-up from his L2 amp snapped it back

into place, a datapad in her hand as she read through the report Pressly had

given her. She giggled, distracted, her hand flaring bluish-purple with her

biotics and humming in unison with his—she loved that. Kaidan turned onto his

side, facing away from her, her attention riveted to the hair at the base of

his neck, they were peppered with grey and she found it dashing and distinguished,

the datapad forgotten on the pillow of the bio bed, a slow smile spreading

across her face as she watched him, her other hand resting delicately on his

pectoral. She should have said no to his request, but the strain in his eyes

had softened her. An obstinate curl had fallen into his forehead, her fingers

caressing his face softly, barely touching him as she pushed it gently out of

his face, his eyelids fluttering open at the sensation. It was still dark in

the medbay when Kaidan blinked awake, having taken a migraine-induced nap after

suspended use of his biotics on the last away mission they’d taken; he vaguely

remembered catching Shepard’s hand in his and asking her to stay with him,

after she’d helped him to lie down. It took a moment, but he smiled when he

noticed the strange, but pleasant scent in his nostrils—coconut he realized;

her shampoo, and soft fingers playing with his hair…she’d actually stayed, and

that did something to his heart.

“How long was I out?”

“A couple hours. Feeling better?”

“Yeah…”

His cheeks were on fire, she’d sat

on the bio bed with his head in her lap for a couple hours? Asking her to stay

had been a disastrous idea, but he felt safe around her, able to let his guard

down—plus the scent of her shampoo had been so comforting, that the question

had just slipped out…and she’d said okay. He chuckled as he nodded slowly.

Waking up with her was an amazing feeling, and seeing her face first thing when

he woke up was something he could definitely get used to and he would be the

first to admit it, her finger absently drawing little circles on his temples.

She smoothed his hair out of his face, her touch lingering longer than was

proper…except nothing about their current situation was proper, and he should

really move before something happened or someone found them like that. He sat

up slowly. She couldn’t stop looking at him; his black hair was rumpled from

sleep, and had her wondering if he looked that same way the morning after, tan

skin making him look like he was glowing…and immediately cursed her over active

imagination.

She smiled at him briefly, grabbing

the plate of food Ashley had brought for when he woke up, saying nothing about

seeing the two of them in such an intimate position, and for that, Shepard was

exceedingly grateful; Kaidan didn’t eat when he had a migraine—everyone in the

crew knew that by now, the pain making him nauseous, and he’d been asleep for a

couple hours on top of that—it was the little things she did for him that made

his heart flip-flop around inside his chest. Alyss gently touched his face,

checking him over carefully as he nuzzled her hand with his cheek, absently; he

needed to move, but couldn’t bring himself to scoot away from her, not noticing

the hitch in her breath at his touch.

“Did you know you have a couple grey

hairs at the base of your skull?” She asked, hopping down off the bio bed.

Kaidan blushed a deeper shade of

pink as he swallowed a bite of his sandwich. “All the Alenko men start getting

grey hairs around thirty. I had hoped I was the exception.”

“I like it.”

With that she was gone, Kaidan left

I always felt that after BAaT Kaidan had a hard time making friends, bouncing from one assignment to another and then he was assigned to the Normandy for it’s shakedown run with Captain Anderson, Doctor Chakwas, Joker, Jenkins, and subsequently Commander Shepard and the rest of the crew she brings together. He gets a vid letter home, a piece of his past and someone who knew him before BAaT and someone who he wasn’t sure would accept the man he’d become after killing Vyrnnus.

Day Three: Nov. 15 - Friendships

Kaidan,

What the Hell? We used to be best friends—you broke my arm for Christ’s sake, and then after BAaT, and two years without a word, you come home for a month and don’t even say hello? I thought you were dead, like Dustin! Then I hear from your parents that you stopped in and that you killed one of your instructors, then got in some trouble with the VORCHA MAFIA? That’s a story I should have heard from you! I saw you in a news vid standing next to Commander Shepard when she became the first human Spectre; you’re a military man now?!? Fourteen years changes everything doesn’t it? Don’t forget the little people. If you need me, Kaidan, I’m always here for you—even if you’ve ignored me for years, we’ll always be best friends.

-Jason

P.S. Shepard is REALLY sexy on TV, you going to go for it? I would.

Kaidan let out a low chuckle when he read Jason’s post script—going for it was exactly what he wanted to do, catching all the signals Alyss had been throwing out, but regulations were holding them both back. After BAaT he’d avoided getting close to people, but receiving this letter, a blast from his past from someone who knew him before shit had hit the fan, was humbling and a wake up call for how isolated he’d let himself become; he wondered if his best friend would recognize the man he was now. When Rahna spurned him, he’d withdrawn into a shell, but now he was opening up little by little, and he had a feeling Shepard was partially responsible for his new attitude, she had a way of bringing out the best in him. His arm glowed orange as he started to type out a response—telling Jason about his crush on his CO, knowing his friend wouldn’t judge him for it. Tali fell into the seat across from him, eyeing his omni tool.

“Ugh, still using the Logic Arrest model?” She laughed.

“I told you, it has the best long-term performance on the market. The Nexus can’t compare—it’s only good for short term.” Kaidan argued.

“Not if you overclock the mainframe.”

They kept having this argument trying to sway the other to their side of thinking. As a quarian, give her a circuit board and a scrap of metal and she could have it doing precision jumps within fifteen minutes, and she was perfectly willing to tinker with his omni-tool for him, but the Logic Arrest was his tried and true model, he’d been using various versions of it through the years, thanks to Shelby Bullford showing him the benefits of it and he didn’t want to change; using the Logic Arrest filled him with a sense of nostalgia, and he always thought of Shelby when he used it. Garrus sat next to Tali his mandibles flicking out, a present from Alyss clutched tightly in his talons, and Kaidan couldn’t remember when he’d ever felt happier; here he was surrounded by some of the smartest, sweetest, most badass characters in the universe; Shepard certainly knew how to assemble a team, and it was nice to be part of it and accepted.

He was quite possibly the luckiest man ever.