#biotic acclimation and temperance training

[crimsonshield75]

So I've been sitting on this piece for a really long time ... it was actually the first piece of Mass Effect fanfiction I ever wrote. I was keeping it in my library because I wanted to finish more of the greater story before I started posting it, but with how my priorities have shifted, I'm not quite sure I'll ever complete the full series. But I have two stories already written, so I figured, why not post them? At least get them out there, because they're serving me no good just sitting in my folder. So without further ado, here's the first chapter of my interpretation of Kaidan's time at BAaT. I hope you enjoy!

Fandom: Mass Effect Pairing: Kaidan Alenko/Rahna Rating: General Chapters will be updated every Monday!

[idk6123]

Man Of The Past (Kaidan Alenko X Male Reader)

The mission didn’t need to become as drastic as it did. Shepard’s crew just needed to collect some equipment at a human colony. Out of nowhere, some rogue bandits ambushed them and thought they could defeat them. Luckily, Shepard and his allies saved the colony and all of its people. However, it isn’t only Shepard’s crew who saved them, as a third party helped them. The commander notices the biotic man and his abilities and decided to talk with him. Together with his crew, Kaidan and Garrus, they greet the stranger at the side of the town.

“Nice work out there. You live here?”

As the stranger turns around to greet the man, he notices the other man. Both of them locks eyes to each other, recognizing the other person instantly. “Long time not seen.”

“Not long enough.” Kaidan responds back with some snark.

Shepard raises an eyebrow towards his teammate. “You know him?”

“Sadly.” Kaidan says back with some snark.

“Don’t mind him. He’s still salty he lost to me so many times.”

“Do any of you mind giving us some context?” Garrus requests, done with their vagueness rather quick.

“He’s Y/N.” Kaidan introduces him. “We met at Brain Camp.”

“Biotic Acclimation and Temperance Training. BAaT for short.” Y/N says with a smirky smile. “Though after that got shut down thanks to a certain someone.” He looks back at Kaidan, who frowns at him. “I studied with different Asari camps and now I’m known as just a humble merc. Whether it’s for protection, an extra hand or committing war crimes, I’m your guy.”

“Sounds like you got experience.” Shepard is intrigued by the mercenary.

“I wouldn’t get excited.” Kaidan stops his friend. “This is a guy who throws his morality away if he gets money… or just some fun.” He gives a cold gaze at him.

“You say that, but let the guy say his offer.” Y/N looks back at the commander. “I heard of you, ya know? I know your cause, and whatever alignment I have, humanities, as well everyone’s sake, can’t be allowed to cease to exist. And since you need every men, I doubt it can’t hurt to have an experienced biotic soldier join you on the field.”

Shepard thinks about it. Kaidan notices this but doesn’t raise his voice. If anything, how could he give an argument to decline Y/N’s slimy offer.

“Let’s discuss the price.”

-

And so, Shepard’s squad got filled with one more member. With another biotic on the team, their strength greatly increases. He manages to fit well with the team. He often chats with Garrus, EDI and Tali. Workout with Liara and James. And because of his powers, often got picked as a squad member by Shepard. The only person who doesn’t like him is Kaidan, who keeps his distance to him. Being observant as he is, Shepard notices this and decided to confront him about it.

“You alright?” They’re sitting at living area, where Kaidan is eating his lunch.

“Yes.”

“Sure doesn’t seem like it.” Shepard responds. “You’ve been quieter ever since Y/N joined.”

“Does it matter what I think? Whatever I feel towards him, he’s still a valuable ally and a strong squad member. I can’t demand to you he gets kicked out.”

“Kaidan, you know me. You’re free to talk to me.” Shepard assures.

The man sighs. “We’ve been both at Brain Camp. Conatix was quick to notices Y/N’s natural abilities, despite him joining later then me and many others. And so, he got treated favorable. With his quick learning, he manages to beat the rest of us. He was a quiet kid at first. Shy, modest, never having the guts to speak up. We were friends… at first. And then Vyrnnus came. He saw his talent quick to the point he offered some kind of high station where he works at.” He let out a sad chuckle. “I remember how happy he was. He was so proud of himself he managed to get recognition from his work.”

“You two sounded close.” Shepard comments. “How did it all fall apart?”

“My friend Rahna… once disobeyed an order from Vyrnnus. That’s when he tried to break her arm. Things escalate, and I lost control of my power… That’s when BAaT shut down, thanks to me. And so there goes Y/N chance for what he considered a better life. He blamed me for it, and like you can see, he still does.” Although still looking down at Kaidan, he wished things could’ve went different. “I have no regret protecting a friend, Shepard. And he doesn’t have any regrets of wanting to walk the path he wanted.”

Shepard hums. “Sounds like a rough past.”

“You could say that again.” Kaidan frowns, remembering the past all too well. “I won’t let my grudge take a hold on me. You don’t have to worry about that.”

“I won’t.”

-

Seeing his new recruit working out at the hangar, Shepard decided to join him.

“Want a sparring partner?”

Y/N looks up from his sit-ups. “Sure.” He stands up. “Gotta earns some respect from the boss.”

And so, they face each other and spar with each other. While doing so, the commander hopes he can learn a thing or two about him.

“I talked to Kaidan.”

“Did you now? Did he talked about us?”

“Yes.” Shepard responds.

“Figured. Was only a matter of time.” Y/N sounds like he doesn’t care. “Anything else you wanted to know?”

“Not that I think of it.” They continue to talk as they share some punches. “I respect your decisions. I just want to know there won’t be any problem between you two.”

“Nothing unprofessional, no. Personal though, can’t promise. It’s not easy to see your ex.”

“Ex?” Shepard is surprised to hear that. He thought Kaidan was talking about an old friend, not a boyfriend.

“Yeah, ex.” Y/N says. “We two used to be a thing back at BAaT. …Until we didn’t.”

Shepard hums. “Do you miss him?”

“Nope.” Shepard thinks he can hear some doubt in his answer. “He thought I was being ridiculous. I thought he was an asshole from ruining my chances. I doubt we get together any chance soon.”

“If you say so…”

-

“I really think we should stay out of it.”

“Nonsense.” Tali says with a hiccup. “This could be the love story we needed.”

While having a little R&R at the apartment Shepard got, the entire team is relaxing around the place. While at the bar, Shepard is chatting with Tali, Garrus and Liara.

“We only will be involved with business we aren’t even a part of.” Garrus continues sharing his doubt. “Besides, we all enjoy when the two roast each other.”

“Do I?” Liara questions. “I don’t think they have to be a couple, but they can at least bury the hatchet.”

“With looove.” Tali sounds cheery. “We just have them realize their true feelings. Aah, I know! This is the time for a drinking game!”

“Well, I wouldn’t say no to that.” Although still doubting in Tali’s intention, Garrus is more than happy to watch some fools drinking their asses off. “You two in?”

“I think I pass.” Liara respectively declines.

That’s when Garrus looks at Shepard, who can’t help but smirk. “Let’s get those idiots get back together.”

“That’s the spirit!” Tali cheers.

-

“What are we? High schoolers?” James asked, as he and the others sit around the living room. In the middle, there is a bottle.

“I saw this in a human made movie a long time ago.” Tali explains. “Such strange customs… but it seems fun!”

“Who even thought spinning a bottle and kissing someone else is a good idea?” Garrus asks.

“Who thought spinning a bottle and barely having any girls is a good idea?” James notes, as he just sees Tali. “Let’s me get some.” He stands up and walks around.

While waiting, the group chat with each other. Tali, however, who sits next to Shepard, whispers his name. “Shepard… Shepard…”

“Yes?”

“I rigged the bottle.” She shows off her system that is on her arm. “I can make it stop. Don’t tell anyone.”

Shepard chuckles. “I won’t.”

Soon, James came back with EDI, Jack and Miranda.

“Seems familiar, cheerleader?” Jack taunts Miranda.

“This seems more something you’re up to.”

“Girls, girls, chill.” James assures. “Let’s leave the passion for the game.”

Jack frowns. “Can’t we make it to punch each other?”

And so, the crew sit around the living room. It takes some time to until it’s Kaidan’s turn. Meanwhile, the remaining group members spin the bottle, with the one landing on it taking a shot. Tali manages to land on Garrus, though they kiss barely, since the lack of lips and an helmet. Shepard manage to land on Miranda. Jack lands on James, who opted for a punch instead and takes the shot. Then it’s finally Kaidan’s turn, who spins the bottle. Tali, despite really drunk, manage to time it right and lands it on Y/N, who smirks.

“Looks like fate decided for us.”

“And a dreadful one that is.” Kaidan frowns. “Can’t I take the shot?”

“Nooo, you have to kiss him!” Tali pleads.

Kaidan raises an eyebrow. “And Jack didn’t?”

“She gets a pass.” Tali answers.

“Why does she-?”

“C’mon, kiss! Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!” Tali chants by herself, with the rest awkwardly looking at the scene. Kaidan merely frowns, not wanting to do it, causing Y/N to roll his eyes.

“You’re such a pussy.” Y/N stands up to walk towards his ex, causing him to look surprised.

“Wait, you’re seriously-?” That’s when he shuts up when he gets the other man’s lips on his.

“YAY!” Tali cheers. “I did it!”

After kissing, Y/N pulls back. Kaidan, however, looks back at the Quarian. “What did you do?”

“I put you back together.” Tali sounds proud of herself.

Garrus shushed her. “You aren’t supposed to say that.”

“Oh…” Tali then realizes she screwed up. “…Oops.”

“You set us up?” Y/N questions. He then looks at her equipment and then the bottle. “You screwed with the bottle, huh?”

“…Maybe.”

“You got to be kidding me…” Kaidan sighs. He then stands up and walks away.

Y/N, however, doesn’t look upset and merely sit down. Shepard though is the one who follows Kaidan. Once upstairs in the bathroom, the commander sees his friend putting some water on his face.

“You alright?”

“Try kissing your ex after being set up. Then you know the answer.” Kaidan says with some snark.

Shepard leans against the wall. “She had good intentions. We all thought it was good for you two to settle things.”

Kaidan looks back at him. “You knew about it?”

“Yes. Sorry.” Shepard says with honesty. “But we thought it was better you two figure things out, because right now, you aren’t. Despite what you two say to each other, I can tell there is something there. Something that tells me you two care for each other.”

Kaidan let out a sigh. “You think the same applies to Y/N?”

“Yes. He just shows it… more like an asshole.”

Kaidan chuckles. “He sure became one. And for whatever reason, I feel like he’s still the same guy.” He stays quiet for some seconds, thinking off what to do. “I talk to him.”

-

Eventually, Kaidan gets back downstairs. There, he sees Y/N talking with Garrus and Wrex. After requesting they can speak with just them two, and some teasing, they go upstairs and back in the large bedroom.

“So? Whaddaya want?”

“I think it’s time we talk things out.” Kaidan sits down on the side of the bed. “We both grow up and had plenty of time to think about it all.”

Y/N hums. He remains standing, standing against the wall. “What’s there to talk about? We’re both unhappy how things went.”

“Yes, but I’m also unhappy to lost someone I loved.” Kaidan says, with Y/N remaining quiet. “I can respect your decision for wanting to get a better life. You understand what I did and why, right?”

“…Yeah.” Y/N responds. “You wanted to protect a friend… even then at the time, you didn’t realized it was the end of my chances to become one of the upper biotic soldiers.”

“And yet, that chance didn’t end.” Kaidan points out. “Your with Shepard, the guy who will defeat the reapers. Our names will be set in stone as heroes for the rest of entirety.”

Y/N remains quiet. He walks over to Kaidan and sits down next to him. “I guess that makes things alright… It just seems stupid to think about, us breaking up after what happened.”

“You know what it’s even more stupid? Realizing what happened, but stubborn enough to not fix it.” Kaidan comments, with his voice sounding assuring. “But now, we have the chance to fix things.”

“You want us to be together again? After all what happened?”

“Yes.” Kaidan grabs Y/N’s hand. He gives his old lover a smile. “We worked so well years ago. And now we’re alright, we might as well catch up and be together.”

Y/N hums. “You’re such a weirdo.” He then smiles. “Fine then. Let’s be a couple. That way, you always have a boyfriend by your side who’s willing to beat anyone in the way.”

“I didn’t expect anything less.”

[swaps55]

I'm gonna be real here, when you answered that ask about Cadenza and I read the first bit of it...... I knew logically that something had to have happened to the other Kaidan for a new one to fill his place, but seeing "did not survive BAaT" injured me lmao. I say lmao but I need you to know that I'm crying. I read that line and about eight different potential ways that could have happened popped into my head and all I could thing was that poor, scared kid. OUCHIES. and that's not even supposed to be the FOCUS of that AU. that's a background detail. Swaps you hurt me in the best ways <3

Oooh, this was actually a really fascinating hurdle to overcome when I got this idea, and it almost derailed the whole thing. Because to yank Kaidan into a new universe I had deal with what happened to that universe's Kaidan.

If he exists in this universe and is still KAIDAN, that gets awkward. If he took a totally different path, I have options, but given how integral these two are to making each other better people, I couldn't help but think that this universe's Kaidan had a difficult road. Either way, I still have two Kaidans. So what do I do with the second? Does the multiverse!Kaidan facilitate him falling together with Sam and continue on alone? Does he essentially take the place of this universe's Kaidan? Either way, a Kaidan gets the shaft, and I didn't love that.

So I went with what was simplest option that played into the multiverse idea of roads not taken, even though it's really depressing. This universe's Kaidan didn't survive BAaT, so now there's a hole I can slot the multiverse Kaidan into. There's a place he fits. There was a universe where Sam was without Kaidan, and one where Kaidan was without Sam, so the universe fixed it. It's a soulmate story, of sorts. But a soulmate story about choice.

~

“Okay," Shepard says. "Major Alenko. We’ll go with that. When were you born? Where are you from? Give me the rundown.”

Alenko sighs. “Date of birth, February twenty-first, 2151, in Singapore, but I grew up in Vancouver. Parents Marc and Lora Alenko. I manifested as a biotic at age sixteen. The Alliance, in conjunction with Conatix Industries, fitted me with an L2 implant and shipped me off to Jump Zero for Biotic Acclimation and Temperance training.”

Miranda’s eyes widen. This isn’t possible. Shepard exchanges glances with her, but continues his questioning.

“It didn’t go smoothly, did it?”

The look in Alenko’s eyes could burn through the hull, but after a moment, he answers. “My instructor was a turian named Vyrnnus. His training tactics were…unethical. There was an incident.”

“What happened?” Shepard asks softly.

“You know what happened,” Alenko mutters, expression dark.

“Assume I don’t.”

“I killed him,” Alenko snaps. “Broke his neck with a biotic kick.”

“Sam,” Miranda murmurs, clutching the datapad with white knuckles. Either the database is wrong or Alenko is, but Dr. Chakwas verified the information three times, from three different sources.  

Shepard waves her off.  “It was self-defense, wasn’t it?”

“What do you mean?” Alenko asks, guarded.  

“The turian. Vyrnnus. You said you killed him, but it was self-defense.”

The wariness abates a little, replaced by something…almost hopeful. “Yeah.”

“He came at you with a knife,” Shepard prompts. “He was going to kill you. It was you or him, so you defended yourself.”

“More or less.”

“It could have gone either way,” Shepard says, almost to himself now. “But you defended yourself.”

[smalllady]

Maybe I was a romantic in the beginning, but I thought about it after brain camp...uh sorry, Biotic Acclimation and Temperance training. I'm not looking for the dream. I just wanna do some good. See what's out here.

[kaidansalenkos-remade]

✨ GET TO KNOW ME MEME ✨ Favorite Male Characters [5/5] → Kaidan Alenko from Mass Effect Trilogy

"Maybe I was a romantic in the beginning. But I thought about it after Brain Camp – ah, sorry, “Biotic Acclimation and Temperance training.” I’m not looking for “the dream.” I just want to do some good. See what’s out here. Sorry if I get too informal. Protocol wasn’t a big focus in BAaT."

[octerminal]

Avoiding the ME1 LI Romances

...And also what to do if you’ve already triggered them.

This is a post I’ve been wanting to remake forever, and with the remaster around the corner I thought now was a good time to finally get on it.

A few things first: I say “avoiding the ME1 LI romances”, but in reality this is mostly going to be about Kaidan and Ashley. While there are a few ways around Liara’s romance I’ve discovered, I have never been able to find a simple way to avoid triggering it. (I’ll get to that later.)

This post will be split into three sections: Kaidan, Ashley, and Liara. Kaidan and Ashley’s sections specifically will go over how to avoid triggering their romances entirely, and then the dialogue choices you need to take if you want to end the romance if it’s already been triggered. I have also included a few bonus things for the both of them, such as avoiding the flirting during the scenic view cutscene in the Citadel Wards. For Kaidan specifically, I have also included content about his mechanics in ME3.

Please note that most of these have been accomplished on console. I have gotten several PC users who do attest that, at the very least, Kaidan’s portion works for them. But on the off-chance that platform influences other parts of Kaidan’s, or Ashley and Liara’s, I thought it was worth mentioning. It should also be said that, obviously, these are all using the original games as a basis, though I am not expecting MELE to change any of this.

I will also be using both my Kaidan transcript and Ashley transcript as reference for their dialogue. I recommend following along there if you find Tumblr’s formatting confusing.

Final note before we begin: this post is not an open invitation to hate on any of these characters. ME1 is turning 14 this year and ME3 recently turned 9. Anything you have to say about these characters and their romance mechanics has already been beaten to death, brought back to life, and beaten to death again. No one wants to hear it, least of all me. Please keep your comments to yourself and be civil.

KAIDAN

“I WANT TO AVOID TRIGGERING IT ENTIRELY, WHAT DO I DO?”

Kaidan’s romance can be triggered after the first main mission has been completed. For many players, I imagine this is Therum, but it really doesn’t matter which mission it is.

Kaidan will prompt the conversation, as he will for every other post-main mission conversation so long as his romance remains active. This conversation will be about his time at Brain Camp. You can read the conversation in his transcript if you find it easier to follow along, though I have done my best to format this post as cleanly as possible.

KAIDAN: Commander, do you have a minute?

SHEPARD: (You can choose whatever dialogue option you want. It makes no difference yet.)

KAIDAN: Off the record, I think there’s something wrong here. This Saren is looking for records on some kind of galactic extinction, but we can’t get backup from the Council? Sorry, Commander. There’s writing on the wall here, but someone isn’t reading it.

SHEPARD: (Again, you may choose whatever dialogue option you want. It still makes no difference yet.)

>FIRST CHANCE TO AVOID THE ROMANCE<

KAIDAN: I hear ya. It - It just seems like a group that’s been around as long as the Council should see this coming. It’s funny. We finally get out here and the final frontier was already settled. And the residents don’t even seem impressed by the view...or the dangers.

SHEPARD (Renegade - Zip it, Lieutenant.): I’m sure your letters home are very poignant. Just keep this kind of sentimentality out of the CIC.

KAIDAN: Yes, ma’am. Sorry to have wasted your time. I’m right about the mission, though. I know it. (The conversation will end here and his romance will not trigger.)

>SECOND CHANCE TO AVOID THE ROMANCE<

SHEPARD (Paragon - Cute way to look at it./Neutral - An old-fashioned view.): Well, well. You’re a romantic. Did you sign on “for the dream,” Alenko? Secure man’s future in space?

KAIDAN: Heh, yeah, I read a lot of those books when I was a kid. Where the hero goes to space to prove himself worthy of a woman he loves. Or, you know. For justice. Maybe I was a romantic in the beginning. But I thought about it after Brain Camp - ah, sorry, “Biotic Acclimation and Temperance training.” I’m not looking for “the dream.” I just want to do some good. See what’s out here. Sorry if I got too informal. Protocol wasn’t a big focus back in BAaT.

SHEPARD (Renegade - Just be ready.): I trust you won’t have any questions when whatever’s coming hits the fan?

KAIDAN: None. I’m not questioning the mission. I’m just concerned. Sorry to have wasted your time, ma’am. It won’t happen again. (The conversation will end here and his romance will not trigger.)

The final chance to cut off Kaidan’s romance before it triggers happens after Shepard asks him about Brain Camp. This opens up a lot of investigation options and you may exhaust all of them. If you want to avoid hearing Kaidan imply that he thinks your Shepard is attractive, avoid the “Time to talk, then./Time to “get physical,” then.” investigation options. Once Kaidan is done speaking about Brain Camp, you will get one final chance to avoid his romance.

>THIRD CHANCE TO AVOID THE ROMANCE<

KAIDAN: Anyway. This was supposed to be a casual debrief, not a bull session about stuff that happened years ago.

SHEPARD (Renegade - You’re right.): I pretty much gave up waiting for the good part.

KAIDAN: Bad habit, ma’am. I do tend to run off at the mouth. I will work on it for my next review. Sorry to have wasted your time, ma’am. It won’t happen again. (The conversation ends and his romance does not trigger.)

You will notice all of these are renegade options. There is literally no way around this if you want to avoid triggering Kaidan’s romance. You don’t get any renegade points from them, and Kaidan does not treat you negatively in the ensuing post-main mission talks.

Here is an easy way to tell if Kaidan’s romance remains active. Conversations between him and Shepard will end like this:

SHEPARD: We’ll talk later, Kaidan.

KAIDAN: I’d like that.

“I’VE ALREADY TRIGGERED IT, HOW DO I GET OUT OF THIS?”

The good news is that getting out of the romance is fairly simple. The game gives you a lot of opportunities before it triggers the love triangle with Liara (assuming her romance has also been triggered, anyway).

If Kaidan’s romance was triggered, you will have an opportunity at the beginning of his second and third post-main mission talks. These are a bit more complex to transcribe, so I really recommend just reading them in my transcription if you need the exact dialogue options to understand.

But the gist: You can’t go wrong with choosing the renegade dialogue options. This is always the dialogue option that will end his romance. You are almost never going to end his romance with a paragon or neutral dialogue option. He will always prompt this conversation by wondering if he’s gotten his signals mixed up, if there’s someone else you’d rather spend time with, if he’s being too casual, etc. Once he does this, just shoot him down with a renegade dialogue option.

Again: you get no renegade points from this. He will not treat you negatively in the ensuing post-main mission talks.

Here is an example. This one occurs in his second post-main mission talk if Liara’s romance hasn’t been triggered:

KAIDAN: I’m just saying...try to leave yourself a way out. I’ve seen what cutting corners can do and I’d hate to have that happen to you, Shepard. Commander.

SHEPARD (Renegade - I don’t need approval.): I’m your commanding officer, Alenko. Are you questioning the way I handle things?

KAIDAN: No, Commander. Just concerned about the reception of the brass if things go sour. I apologize for bringing it up. I know we’re getting the job done.

SHEPARD: (You can choose whatever response you like; they all lead to the romance ending.)

If you have repeatedly not broken off the romance with Kaidan after a certain point and Liara’s romance is also active, it will trigger the love triangle scene. This is one of the last points you have to break off Kaidan’s romance, but it will lock you into Liara’s romance instead. If you are wanting a no-romance run, I recommend choosing one of the other options instead.

There is also a separate way to end the romance outside these three opportunities. In the third post-main mission talk, you must pick the dialogue option that triggers the argument that can “renegade” Kaidan’s opinion on the Council. You must not choose the charm or intimidate option here, and you must then pick the renegade dialogue options. The conversation should go like this:

KAIDAN: So yeah, I hated that turian. But he wasn’t “a turian” to me. He was Vyrnnus.

SHEPARD (Renegade - All turians are the same.): You can’t deny the turians are imperialists. And the asari, the salarians - they’re manipulators.

KAIDAN: Shepard, I outgrew the blame game years ago. If the Alliance is missing its chance, it’s because of men like Udina. Not the rest of the galaxy holding it back.

SHEPARD (Renegade - I’m not so sure.): When anyone out here listens to us, the Council starts up with their treaties and heel-dragging. We can only rely on ourselves.

KAIDAN: We’re not doing the galaxy any favors if we try to force our way into a seat at the grown-up table. They aren’t - malicious. They’re just slow to change. My story doesn’t get any better if Vyrnnus is a good guy.

SHEPARD (Renegade - Whose side are you on?): I don’t need you kissing the Council’s asses, too.

KAIDAN: Look, Shepard. You’re in command, and we’ll all follow your lead. But don’t ream me out for having an opinion. I thought we respected each other more than that.

SHEPARD (Renegade - I can’t respect this.): I can’t believe you’d side with aliens over your own kind. I think we’re done here.

KAIDAN: Yeah, I think we are. It’s--It’s too bad we...It’s just too bad, Commander.

This argument will end his romance. He will also not be renegaded. This is obviously a much more convoluted way to end his romance, but I’m throwing the option out there because it’s 1) hilarious, and 2) way more dramatic, if you want to roleplay ending the romance for whatever reason.

MISCELLANEOUS

Depending on the dialogue options you take for the scenic view on the Citadel, Kaidan will always flirt with you. This does not lock you into, or even trigger, his romance. It is entirely possible to not have him flirt with you at all in this scene, and still initiate the romance later. But if you do not want him to flirt with you, simply do this:

[image ID: ME1’s subtitles showing Ashley saying “Or maybe they just don’t like humans.” with the dialogue wheel below it giving the following dialogue choices, starting from the top: “What’s not to like?”, “Let’s move out.”, and “That’s enough, you two.” end ID]

When you get to this part of the scenic view cutscene, choose any dialogue option but the top “What’s not to like?” one.

Also, even if you’ve already avoided or shut down Kaidan’s romance, Liara will still ask if there’s something between the two of you if her romance is active. Tell her that there isn’t (because there isn’t). Her saying this does not re-trigger Kaidan’s romance.

Congratulations, you have now survived ME1’s romance mechanics. Enjoy experiencing unromanced Kaidan for the rest of the game.

ME3 BONUS: “OKAY, WHAT ABOUT HIM FLIRTING WITH ME IN THE HOSPITAL THOUGH?”

I have tested both of these personally multiple times and they have always worked for me, but again: see my warning about different platforms at the beginning of this post. If it doesn’t work for you, please let me know.

If you have not romanced Kaidan previously: don’t buy him the alcohol as a present. That’s it.

If you have romanced Kaidan previously: on Mars, tell him your relationship is over. It is a renegade dialogue option, but it is necessary to avoid the flirtation in the hospital. This route also means that you can buy him the alcohol and he will still not flirt with you.

Please note that going renegade on Mars does not lock you out of his romance. It merely prevents him from assuming you’re interested during your hospital visit.

ME3 BONUS: “OKAY, WHAT ABOUT HIS APOLLO’S PROPOSITION THOUGH?”

This only happens if you have not locked in your romance with your preferred love interest first. For Garrus, this is the bottle shooting date. For Tali and Traynor, it’s inviting her up to your cabin. For Liara and Miranda, it’s her Presidium date. So on and so forth.

This means there is no way around it if you romanced Jacob or Thane and do not want to pursue a different romance after them. If you do get this scene: again, just turn him down. It is never brought up again. He does not act like he’s in love with you going forth. You will get his unromanced date in the Citadel DLC, as well as his unromanced London goodbye.

ASHLEY

“I WANT TO AVOID TRIGGERING IT ENTIRELY, WHAT DO I DO?”

Ashley’s romance can be triggered after the first main mission has been completed. For many players, I imagine this is Therum, but it really doesn’t matter which mission it is.

Ashley will prompt the conversation, as she will for every other post-main mission conversation so long as her romance remains active. This conversation will be about her concerns about the aliens aboard the Normandy.

Note: Ashley has one less opportunity to avoid triggering her romance in the first post-main mission talk compared to Kaidan. You may also read the conversation in her transcript if you find it easier to follow along, though I have done my best to format this post as cleanly as possible.

ASHLEY: Commander. You have a minute to talk?

SHEPARD: (You can choose whatever dialogue option you want. It makes no difference yet.)

ASHLEY: I know things are different aboard the Normandy, but - I'm concerned about the aliens. Vakarian and Wrex. With all due respect, Commander, should they have full access to the ship?

SHEPARD: (Again, you can choose whatever dialogue option you want. It still makes no difference yet.)

>FIRST CHANCE TO AVOID THE ROMANCE<

ASHLEY: This is the most advanced ship in the Alliance Navy. I don't think we should give them free reign to poke around the vital systems. Engines. Sensors. Weapons.

SHEPARD (Side - You're out of line!): That's enough, Chief. You always second-guess your superiors?

ASHLEY: Sir! No, sir! I'm sorry. I was out of line. I'll get back to my duties, Commander. (The conversation will end and her romance will not trigger.)

If you do not pick the above option, Ashley will elaborate her stance further until you get to the dialogue wheel with the second (and final) chance to avoid her romance.

>SECOND CHANCE TO AVOID THE ROMANCE<

ASHLEY: My family's defended the Alliance since it was founded. My father, my grandfather, my great-grandmother - they all picked up a rifle and swore the Oath of Service. I guess we just tend to think of Earth's interests as our own.

SHEPARD (Renegade - Just shut up.): I expect you to keep your family politics to yourself, Chief. The mission will be difficult enough without you picking fights with aliens.

ASHLEY: Aye, aye, Commander. (The conversation will end and her romance will not trigger.)

Note: You can still pick the investigation dialogue options that discusses her service and family history. You just have to pick the renegade dialogue option outlined above afterward, instead of any other option.

Like with Kaidan, you do not get any renegade points for picking this option and Ashley does not treat you negatively in the ensuing post-main mission talks.

Here is an easy way to tell if Ashley’s romance remains active. Conversations between her and Shepard will end with the following:

SHEPARD: We'll talk later, Williams.

ASHLEY: Looking forward to it, sir.

“I’VE ALREADY TRIGGERED IT, HOW DO I GET OUT OF THIS?”

Admittedly, you have fewer easy opportunities to end Ashley’s romance than you do Kaidan’s, and most of the early game ones require Liara’s romance also being active. You are still offered multiple different opportunities out before the game ends, however.

If Ashley and Liara’s romances are both triggered, you will have an opportunity at the beginning of Ashley’s second and third post-main mission talks to end the romance. The gist is the same as Kaidan’s: You can’t go wrong with choosing the renegade dialogue options. This is always the dialogue option that will end her romance. You are almost never going to end her romance with a paragon or neutral dialogue option. She will always prompt this conversation by bringing up your relationship with Liara. Once she does this, just shoot her down.

Again: you get no renegade points from this. She will not treat you negatively in the ensuing post-main mission talks.

In both the second and third post-main mission talks, the conversation will go something like:

ASHLEY: Surprised to see you here, sir. Thought you’d be chatting up what’s-her-name. T’Soni.

SHEPARD: (Pick the neutral or renegade dialogue option here; they both lead to the same dialogue branch.)

ASHLEY: Scuttlebutt says you’ve got a bit of a thing for her. I could understand why. The crew’s off-limits, with the regs against fraternization. And at least she looks like a woman.

SHEPARD: (Pick the neutral or renegade dialogue option here. They both end the romance.)

One of the easier exceptions to this that doesn't require Liara’s romance being active is in the second post-main mission talk when Ashley gets Sarah’s vid-mail. It will go like this:

SARAH: - Oh, before I go. You said you’re serving with Commander Shepard now? We saw him on the news here. He’s cute! Later, sis.

ASHLEY: Tell me you didn’t hear that.

SHEPARD (Renegade - That’s unprofessional.): I don’t need to tell you it’s inappropriate to gossip about how “cute” your commanding officer is.

ASHLEY: No, sir. You don’t. Sorry about that. It won’t happen again. (Conversation and romance ends.)

Please note, however, that this will lock you out of the remainder of the conversation and you will not learn about Ashley’s family.

If you have repeatedly not broken off the romance with Ashley after a certain point and Liara’s romance is also active, it will trigger the love triangle scene. This is one of the last points you have to break off Ashley’s romance, but it will lock you into Liara’s romance instead. If you are wanting a no-romance run, I recommend choosing one of the other options instead.

There is also a separate way to end the romance outside these three opportunities. In the third post-main mission talk, you must pick the dialogue option that triggers the argument that can “paragon” Ashley’s opinion on the Council. You must not choose the charm or intimidate option here, and you must then pick the renegade dialogue options. The conversation should go something like this:

ASHLEY: But hey, once we save the galaxy, maybe the Alliance will get its act together. Start acting like an actual government.

SHEPARD (Paragon - The Alliance is all right.): The Alliance isn’t perfect, but it does well enough.

ASHLEY: Have to disagree with you there, skipper. Giving aliens the run of our most advanced ship? Kowtowing to the Council?

SHEPARD (Paragon - It’s not like that.): The Alliance should be able to stand on is own. We can’t. Yet. Why not learn from the races that have been standing for the last thousand years?

ASHLEY: How can you say that, given everything we’ve seen out here? They’re already acting like Saren is our problem. Already siccing us on the bear. The Council races will always think of themselves first. It’s - human nature. We can’t afford to trust them. Not if the survival of humanity is on the line.

SHEPARD (Renegade - I’ve heard enough.): Whatever feelings I might have for you, we have to work with the Council. I can’t let you second-guess our superiors.

ASHLEY: Shepard, I’m a soldier. You’re my commander. If you give me an order, I’ll follow it. I don’t expect you to treat me differently from anyone else under your command. And if you have been - quit it. I thought you knew me better than that.

SHEPARD (Renegade - Do I?): Seems like every time we run up against aliens, you whip out the “Earth first” card. I can’t have my authority undermined.

ASHLEY: I never intended to “undermine” you, Shepard. I believe in you. I wish you’d believe in anyone but yourself. With your permission, sir, I’ll return to my duties.

This argument will end her romance. She will also not be paragoned. This is obviously a much more convoluted way to end her romance, but I’m throwing the option out there because it’s 1) hilarious (that final line, oof), and 2) way more dramatic, if you want to roleplay ending the romance for whatever reason.

MISCELLANEOUS

Like with Kaidan, depending on the dialogue options you take for the scenic view on the Citadel, Ashley will always flirt with you. This does not lock you into, or even trigger, her romance. It is entirely possible to not have her flirt with you at all in this scene, and still initiate the romance later. But if you do not want her to flirt with you, simply do this:

[image ID: ME1’s subtitles showing Ashley saying “Or maybe they just don’t like humans.” with the dialogue wheel below it giving the following dialogue choices, starting from the top: “What’s not to like?”, “Let’s move out.”, and “That’s enough, you two.” end ID]

When you get to this part of the scenic view cutscene, choose any dialogue option but the top “What’s not to like?” one.

Also like with Kaidan, even if you’ve already avoided or shut down Ashley’s romance, Liara will still ask if there’s something between the two of you if her romance is active. Tell her that there isn’t (because there isn’t). Her saying this does not re-trigger Ashley’s romance.

Congratulations, you have now survived ME1’s romance mechanics. Enjoy experiencing unromanced Ashley for the rest of the game.

LIARA

“I WANT TO AVOID TRIGGERING IT ENTIRELY, WHAT DO I DO?”

As I mentioned in the beginning of this post, I have found no easy way around Liara’s romance. If anyone else has, I genuinely mean it when I say I would absolutely be open to you telling me, because I would love to know.

The only way to avoid triggering Liara’s romance that I have found are the following:

Simply not talking to her for most of the game (not ideal)

Completing Therum only after you’ve done at least two main missions (also not ideal since it will require Noveria being completed without her)

Completing Therum only after all the other main missions have been completed (again not ideal, though every player should at least do this once if only for the unique content you get from it)

Okay, so what if you want to complete Therum first but still avoid Liara’s romance? I have found one way to accomplish this, but it requires you to be in a romance with Kaidan (or presumably Ashley, but I have only tested this with Kaidan).

After you recruit Liara, you may check up on her in the med-bay but do not initiate conversation after that. If she prompts you by saying, “I get the feeling you want to ask me something, Commander,” do not pick the yellowed dialogue option:

[image ID: ME1′s subtitles showing Liara saying, “I get the feeling you want to ask me something, Commander.” with the dialogue wheel showing the following options: “Investigate”, a yellowed option above “Investigate” labeled “I’d like to talk about you.”, and “Goodbye.” end ID.]

After you complete another main mission, you can check back in with Liara and speak to her normally. This conversation should be the one you’d normally get after Therum, where you learn about why she likes archaeology and how she finds Shepard fascinating.

After you complete another main mission, you must talk to Kaidan or Ashley first. To clarify: at this point you should be at the post-third main mission mark. For Kaidan, you will be getting the “Vyrnnus and Rahna” talk that you can read in his transcript; for Ashley, you will be getting the “Williams Curse” talk that you can read in her transcript.

After you speak with Kaidan or Ashley, you may speak with Liara as normal. This conversation should be picking up on where you left off last time. Liara will talk about how she’s looked into Shepard’s history and Shepard can press her for why she’s so interested in them. Liara should then say something like the following lines:

LIARA: I admit, your connection to the Protheans had something to do with my initial interest. But it has grown beyond that. My interest in you, however, is strictly professional. I want to make that clear. It is obvious you and Lt. Alenko already have some type of relationship. I would not want to come between you.

Her romance will not trigger for the rest of the game.

Please note: Again, I have only tested this with Kaidan. But it should, in theory, work the exact same for Ashley considering many of hers and Kaidan’s other romance mechanics are identical.

“THAT’S NICE, BUT HOW DO I END HER ROMANCE IF IT’S ALREADY TRIGGERED?”

You will follow the same steps as in Kaidan and Ashley’s portions. When she prompts you with whether or not there’s anything between the two of you, you must turn her down. You can never go wrong with the renegade dialogue options here. Again: you get no renegade points for it, and Liara treats you no differently going forth.

She will also usually bring up Kaidan or Ashley depending on what Shepard you are playing, and mention that it seems like there’s something between the two of you even when you do not have their romance active. If you aren’t romancing the VS, just tell her that she’s got it wrong, because...she does. It does not re-trigger either of their romances.

YES I AM ALMOST DONE TALKING

The game really does give you ample opportunities to avoid or end the romances (which is only fair considering how easy they are to trip), so hopefully I have outlined at least one you are comfortable taking.

There are other ways to end both Kaidan and Ashley’s romance that I did not mention (such as during the locker scene, or if you try to un-paragon/renegade) - the point of no return you mainly have to worry about is en route to Ilos. I imagine most players will have their romances sorted out by then, though, so I’m not sure it’s worth mentioning unless you’re wanting to do it purely for roleplay reasons. (In which case: you may read those in their respective transcripts if you’re curious.)

I cannot say I have tested every single romance cut-off, but I have tested most of the important ones players are most likely to take. I am assuming the romances are cut off based on the fact Shepard and the VS’ farewells will change depending on their romanced status (as I outlined in their respective sections), which I do feel is a safe bet. But if you try one of these and find that it did not end the romance: I’m sorry, and please do let me know (and also what platform you play on).

If you read all of this: thank you for your time, and I hope you find this guide useful!

[writtenjewels]

Risk

Shepard had been approached with some very strange requests over the years. Being asked to help the asari Consort, mediate between a grieving widow and her brother-in-law, convince an uncertain asari to give her poetry-spewing krogan boyfriend another chance, find out if there were fish in the Presidium lake, look for batarian religious texts. But even with all that, EDI asking him for relationship device was pretty high up there.

He understood her logic that she needed someone to act as her moral advisor, but this? What was he supposed to say here? He glanced over to where Joker was sitting. The guy complained about EDI from the beginning but even before she got a body, their banter on the ship sounded a hell of a lot like flirting to Shepard. With EDI unshackled it was a lot more obvious. Now she was in a platform that was very visually appealing. So yeah, Shepard wasn't too surprised it escalated to this point.

But he had no idea what to say to EDI. It was easy to give advice to strangers-- he didn't know them and was unlikely to ever see them again. He could make a quick judgment and be on his way. But EDI and Joker were his friends. Shepard glanced over to Joker once again. He saw the light in the pilot's eyes when he looked at EDI, the smile on his face whenever they talked. Yes, he decided. EDI should respond positively to that.

“Shepard,” EDI spoke up, “when you are sexually interested in another, what sort of advances do you make?”

“Well...” Shit, he didn't know. He hadn't thought about that in years. Too busy with Saren, the geth, Sovereign, the Collectors, Harbinger, being confined by the Alliance. He hunted around for anything he could say. “There's, ah... intimate talks...”

“Biotic Acclimation and Temperance Training” never made it past the airlock. To the kids they hauled in, it was Brain Camp. Maybe my motivations were noble, but I lost control. I killed him, Shepard. I've served for years but never lost someone under my command. Not to hostile action, anyway. Biotics, we're... we're different. Freaks, even. The medical gibberish was a bit more impressive, but that's what I got out of it: “rattled”.

“Thoughtful gifts,” Shepard listed next.

A bottle of TM88 Peruvian whiskey. The “perfect gift”, according to the shop. Endorsed by the medical board on Sur'Kesh, known for having a calming effect and stimulating blood flow. Just the thing to give someone recovering in the hospital.

“Joking around,” Shepard finished.

You were always stubborn. Me? Hey, Shepard, you just missed snack time. Actually, maybe that's a good thing.

Shit, how had he not realized? Putting it all together like that made it so obvious. He forced his mind to focus back on EDI. “Start with something you both like. For example, you both like humor.”

“Correct. I will see if there are any humorous pieces of entertainment currently playing on the Citadel.” It took her about two seconds to find something.

“The important thing is for you to be together,” Shepard assured her. “If you're having a good time, then so will he.”

Thanks, Shepard, that's really great. Say, when I get out of here we should crack this open and celebrate.

Maybe he was the one who needed the relationship advice. He hadn't even realized what was happening.

“The result is an unknown quantity,” EDI summarized, “but you are suggesting I pursue it anyway.”

Again he thought of Kaidan. The pain of seeing him lying unconscious, the worry as they rushed him to the hospital, the relief when he got an email from Kaidan. Things between them were still strained but were slowly being pieced back together.

“No one ever fell in love without taking a risk,” Shepard said. He felt like the words were for himself just as much as for EDI.

[breadedsinner]

I don’t yet have a firm reason why Raph joined the Alliance after Mindoir. His dreams do not involve the military or violence. Violence just picked him.

Likely a couple factors. Most, perhaps all, of his family was on the colony. It canonically happens when Shepard is a teenager, I think? So he can’t be on his own yet.

BUT then there’s the biotics. I think he just missed Biotic Acclimation and Temperance Training, but the Alliance that rescued him probably made note of this and he had to have some sort of training.

Not sure what that training would look like, maybe something affiliated with aliens that helped him break out of his shell. I’d have to give it more thought. But I think ultimately he would feel compelled to get “proper” training. Maybe he could save lives, the way he failed to before.

Still he didn’t really want to be part of it, so he trained more in terms of rescue and being a combat medic. But his biotics, the Alliance decided, were too valuable.

[nosastrra]

𝑰 𝑲𝑬𝑬𝑷 𝑨 𝑹𝑬𝑪𝑶𝑹𝑫 𝑶𝑭 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑾𝑹𝑬𝑪𝑲𝑨𝑮𝑬 𝑶𝑭 𝑴𝒀 𝑳𝑰𝑭𝑬.

aurora jett [ subject delta/the mercenary ] | twenty-six

human biotics were an enigma, and after the failure of biotic acclimation and temperance training program, and the subsequent bankruptcy of conatix afterwards, the future of biotics research was publicly left within the hands of the alliance systems. the numbers of accidentals dwindled but the flow of children inflicted with element zero remained steady. it was not hard to make the conclusion that the systems alliance was not the only entity interested in studying human biotics, not the only entity willing to go as far as exposing expectant mothers to element zero intentionally to harvest subjects ripe for the picking. 

born to a mother who was barely an adult herself, aurora was part of the original screening effort for biotics conducted by cerebrus. dubbed subject delta, the pioneer for change in human biotics, aurora grew up very much like a zoo animal, observed and watched in a controlled, padded room for most of her childhood. some would say she lived in ideal conditions, provided with immaculate control before they began introducing the variables. it was then aurora began to realize that the humans she was surrounded by could not be trusted. she learned and understood pain at a very young age.

during an eclipse raid on the cerberus facility, a brilliant display of an all-powerful L2 biotic flare raised the eyebrows of the asari gang. they saw a tactical advantage in adding and training a human with such powerful biotics and innocuous optics to their fold as human biotics were still a rare currency at the time, and so the sixteen year old was brought to omega and presented to jona sederis like the spoils of war. the commando groomed the young human biotic into one of her most efficient operatives, and thus aurora became one of the most proficient members of the eclipse mercenary operation. 

aurora is my main writing muse & oc, and this my main mass effect verse for her. 

she will have various verses along the timelines of the games. 

her faceclaim is lucy hale. 

aurora is an L2 biotic and recently, a tech specialist thanks to being a member of eclipse. she predates the culmination of subject zero experiments by two years, essentially - she was the expendable version of jack to cerberus. they were screening experiments with her before exporting them to jack’s facility.

headcanons can be found here. 

[ j.nova shepard | kaidan alenko | b.jenkins | rahna ozdemir ]

[bagog]

Kaidan Appreciation Week 2017, Day 2 - Alliance Training

Yeah yeah, I know. I wrote these last November, I just never posted them because I felt the over-arching... tHiNg wouldn’t land, but here we go. Thanks @estalfaed for the encouragement in getting these out there.

Day 1 - Childhood Day 2 - Alliance Training Day 3 - Friendship Day 4 - Shore Leave Day 5 - Memories Day 6 - Love Interest Day 7 - Author’s Choice

++

“I tell you Shepard, you must be the stupidest son of a bitch I ever met!” Kaminsky shook his head, half patting, half slapping Shepard on the back.

“He’s a softie, what could go wrong?” Shepard teased, trying to divert the conversation.

“End of the day, we’re all soldiers. But when you’ve got a rabid dog on your team, you point him at the enemy.” The other marine shook his head, expression serious for a moment. “But you shouldn’t prod the freak, Shepard.”

Shepard ground his molars together.

“See you later, Kaminsky.”

~~

You could count the number of biotics in the Systems Alliance Navy on fingers and toes, and big as Camp Alenko was, there was only one biotic in any of the training flights. The brass knew they wanted him trained, but it wasn’t as if anybody knew how to effectively train a biotic—even for those who didn’t think he was going to get a headache and accidentally (or purposely) flay them while they slept.

So they buried him in tech work. Medical classes. Decryption. And they insisted he train his biotics, though not a single one of them were brave enough to be in the room with him when it was time to train.

So Kaidan Alenko stood alone on the training floor, holding a squat rack in the air in a glowing blue flare, waiting for the only man who would volunteer to spar with him.

“Alenko!” Shepard declared, cracking his knuckles when he stepped out of the locker-room doors. “You’re looking sweaty already. Did you start without me?”

“Had training to do, Shep,” Kaidan shot back with a smirk. “Decided if you were going to take your time prettying yourself up just to spar with little ol’ me, I might as well get started with some weights.”

“’Prettying myself up,’ so you did notice.”

Kaidan let the weight drop—just a half meter—then caught it. Another half-meter—caught it. All the way down to the floor, like it was a familiar exercise.

“Hope you wore that cologne I like,” Kaidan huffed, wiped the sweat from his brow. “Gonna be wearing it on my fists once I’m done mopping the floor with you, you cocky lil’ shit.”

“Well if that’s what you want, you gotta warm me up with some toys or something and I’m gonna need to go back to my room for some poppers.”

Kaidan blushed and stammered, and Shepard howled with laughter.

“Sh-I mean. Shouldn’t I… Feels like I should buy you dinner first or something, at least, right?” Kaidan tried to recover.

“You already owe me dinner for volunteering to be your biotic test dummy.” Shepard laughed, slapping Kaidan’s shoulder and shaking the cramp out of his legs.

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll give you my beer tonight or something.”

“Nah, I’m looking forward to this.” Shepard squinted at him, “Actually, you look like you could use some food right now. You okay?”

“Biotics. They burn a lot of calories. I need to be getting more each day, but the Sergeant won’t approve a larger ration.”

He really did look bad, and Shepard had already resolved to give him part of his supper when they were done.

“So that’s why you’ve been avoiding training?”

“Sorta…” Kaidan looked away.

“Hm. Okay, how do we get started here?”

Kaidan scratched his head.

“That’s the problem. I… other than having you shoot at me… I mean, at BAaT we never sparred with opponents who weren’t biotic. I… I haven’t really used my biotics on a living thing since… since…”

“What’s BAaT?”

Kaidan blanched.

“…Biotics Acclimation and Temperance training.”

“That where they taught you how to use your powers?”

“They tried, yeah.” He rubbed the back of his neck and Shepard could tell a migraine was brewing. “I really… I don’t want to do this. And I don’t really know what I’m doing, honestly. Sorry.”

Shepard looked over at the squat rack—at least 2300 kg lifted up in the air like it weighed nothing. Caught with Alenko’s brain. He gulped.

“Well, I guess, just come at me like I was biotic and… I’ll figure it out. We’ll figure it out together.”

Kaidan looked up, eyes set and smile determined. He nodded firmly.

“…thanks for training with me, Shepard.”

“Any time. I’m your man.”

[thestrongandthelonely]

Kaden Alenko

Age: Early thirties

Gender: Male

Sexuality: Bisexual

Kaidan was born in 2151 into a family already familiar with space: his father served in the Alliance military. After his mother was downwind of a transport crash in Singapore, Kaidan was exposed in utero to element zero and beat the odds, gaining biotic potential instead of terminal brain cancer. At the time little was known about human biotics, but when the possibilities became better understood, a company called Conatix Industries was set up to track accidental eezo exposures. Children who showed enough potential to be worth augmenting with implants were 'encouraged' to attend BAaT (Biotic Acclimation and Temperance Training) which was conducted at Gagarin Station and nicknamed 'Brain Camp' by its attendees. As Kaidan tells Shepard, "[b]unch of guys in suits show up at your door after school. Next thing you know, you're out on Jump Zero."

At BAaT, Kaidan developed a close relationship with a girl named Rahna, though they never consummated it. Along with several other teenagers, Kaidan began his training, but things went bad almost from the start. Conatix wanted to speed the work along and brought in an ex-military turian, Commander Vyrnnus, who was an expert in biotics but also a veteran of the First Contact War who disliked humans. Vyrnnus introduced himself by saying "I was at the helm of the dreadnought that killed your father", and Kaidan retorted that his father hadn't even been in the war. Vyrnnus had it in for Kaidan after that, and began pushing the teenagers very hard. Kaidan recalls: "You either came out a superman or a wreck. A lot of kids snapped. A few died."

[alyssalenko]

Paycheck

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.

The rank of admiral was well earned—he made the tough choices no one else wanted to, including bringing a biotic aboard, one who had accidentally killed his instructor and broken a boy’s arm all those years ago. Who knew, maybe being part of the Alliance military was exactly what Kaidan needed to finally feel like he belonged and like he was wanted. His parents loved him, but they didn’t understand exactly what he was going through—he’d never asked for his powers, and they’d brought both him and his parents nothing but trouble for eighteen years; maybe it would be nice to get a paycheck for using his biotics, plus Hackett was offering him a chance to do what he’d wanted to when he’d left his parent’s place in Vancouver, a chance to do what Vyrnnus had been trying to do all along but with better methods that didn’t end in death for either the kids or the teacher. That was a worthy cause.

“I’d be happy to help, Sir.” “Of course, We’ll have to do this through official channels, and enroll you in the Alliance Military and set you up for official training…I hope you’re up for a little paperwork.” Hackett chuckled. He nodded, shaking Hackett’s hand vigorously—after Vyrnnus, he hadn’t expected to be given a chance…the turian had cut corners, been brutal and sadistic, but Kaidan realized with a start, he’d done something right, and for the first time in five years, Kaidan thanked him. It was weird seeing so stoic and menacing a figure laughing; in all the vids he was always so serious, but now it was nice to know he was still human under all the pomp and circumstance. A little paperwork didn’t scare him, someone had to do it. Hackett gave the signal and his pilot pulled them away from the station, which was probably for the best because he didn’t want to be stuck there…not after the Vorcha Mafia, the ones who were running the casino, wanted his head after beating their cheating roulette wheel, and quasar machines, which had been funneling credits to the owners, so even if you won you lost. So what if he’d used his biotics to even the playing field? The vorcha running the joint hadn’t taken kindly to that or the fact that he’d used them to cheat them out of their credit funneling, and had called for his head, a mob of vorcha descending him. He’d fought them off easily, but they’d just kept coming, and that was when the Alliance soldiers had stepped in, dragging him out under armed guard…suffice it to say, he probably wouldn’t be welcome on Heshtok again anytime soon. Maybe that was for the best. He stood up straight, saluting Admiral Hackett and with a nod, was guided to his quarters for the duration of his stay…they were cozier than his and Dustin’s room at BAaT, that was for sure.

Once the paperwork was signed the real training began, including resocialization. Aside from his L2 implant causing migraines with extended use of his biotics, he passed Medical with flying colors—but the headaches were noted in his file; physically…well, a gaggle of recruits were constantly eyeing him up and down. Emotionally was the problem, especially when they asked if he’d ever killed anyone. Kaidan had looked away; even though the answer was yes, he still regretted his loss of control that day—it was something that would haunt him quite possibly for the rest of his life. Not a pleasant feeling. But they cleared him in that field too, fully ready to raise him up from civilian status.

Compared to the hell Vyrnnus had put him through, the Alliance military training was a walk in the park.

He took to the pistol all too well, loving the range; it could either be long with the proper scope, mid, or close range and then he tended to fall back on his biotics, pushing, pulling, and throwing his targets right where he needed them. For someone who’d never had physical, tangible weapon training, and for someone who’d never been part of a team before, Kaidan took to his military education quickly…he’d read all the manuals. It was nice to know someone had his back no matter what. It might’ve been the first time his biotics were coveted, and he tried his hardest to belong; ex-military man Michael Alenko was ridiculously proud when he found out. He’d finally found a place where he felt he belonged.

[niennaful-blog]

MASS EFFECT TIMELINE in relation to Nienna’s life

(a timeline with some notes of what’s going on in the official Mass Effect timeline simultaneously, as points of reference, with the bolded parts being mentions of Nienna. this does not by far cover all the events of Mass Effect, simply the bits and pieces that somehow affect Nienna as she is or was or that put things into perspective.)

2151

Nienna’s mother is among a large group of field investigators to get exposed to Element Zero.

To defend its expanding territory, humanity begins constructing a massive military fleet and space station at Arcturus, the nexus of several key mass relays, even though they have yet to encounter another intelligent spacefaring race.

An accident at Singapore International Spaceport exposes hundreds of humans to dust-form element zero. Roughly 30% of the children born in Singapore after element zero exposure suffer from cancerous growths. After his mother is exposed during the accident, Kaidan Alenko is born with biotic abilities.

October 17th Nienna Tikvah Musta is born showing biotic abilities.

2152 CE (Nienna: age 1)

The Delta Pavonis Foundation, a major consortium based on Earth, begins settlement of humanity's first extra-solar colony world, the planet Demeter. Later that year, additional colonies are founded on Eden Prime and Terra Nova.

Nienna’s mother is diagnosed with terminal cancer. The cause is determined to be exposure to Element Zero.

Thane Krios is submitted for training as an assassin under the hanar.

2157 CE  (Nienna: age 6)

David Anderson graduates from Officer Candidate School with the rank of Second Lieutenant.

The First Contact War begins.

Nienna’s father gets called upon to fight in the First Contact War.

Humanity makes violent first contact with another space faring race: the turians. The turians observe human explorers attempting to activate a dormant mass relay, a practice forbidden by galactic law after the Rachni Wars, and attack. Over the next three months, a brief but tense conflict known by humans as the First Contact War and by turians as the Relay 314 Incident ensues.

An anonymous extranet manifesto is published following the end of the First Contact War. The manifesto calls for an army, a "Cerberus", to be established to defend humanity against inevitable alien attacks. Derided as "survivalist rhetoric written by an illusive man", the manifesto is quickly forgotten by the media.

2158 CE  (Nienna: age 7)

Humans learn the potential of biotics. An international effort to track element zero exposures begins. Roughly 10% of recorded exposed children show indications of biotic ability.

Nienna is among those children and her father begins looking into training her.

April 14: Ashley Williams is born.

2159 CE  (Nienna: age 8)

Saren Arterius becomes the youngest turian to be inducted into the Spectres.

The Systems Alliance purchases Gagarin Station for a fraction of its construction cost, and converts the facility into a biotic research and training facility.

2160 CE  (Nienna: age 9)

The Systems Alliance Parliament is formed.

With the existence of human biotics firmly established, the Biotic Acclimation and Temperance Training (BAaT) program is set up on Gagarin Station to train potential candidates and develop biotic implants.

The biotic drug red sand is first used.

Kasumi Goto is born.

Nienna’s father looks into all of his contacts in hopes of training Nienna’s biotic abilities. Nienna’s mother gets increasingly sicker as time goes by. Her father is busy fighting for the Alliance and hence, Nienna is often alone with her mother or with family.

2163 CE  (Nienna: age 12)

The first experimental L1 biotic implants are used in humans.

A series of starship drive failures are orchestrated over populated areas on human colony worlds, causing widespread exposures to element zero. This results in a second generation of humans born with biotic potential.

Alec Ryder's twin children are born.

Towards the end of the year, Nienna’s mother dies of cancer after a long battle.

2165 CE  (Nienna: age 14)

Nienna’s father is asked to join N7 due to his achievements in the First Contact War. He accepts and the two move to Vancouver, where Nienna largely stays with friends and family.

Terrorists steal antimatter from the Alliance cruiser SSV Geneva. The sole figure arrested names his sponsor "Cerberus". This is the first such incident of sabotage connected to the Cerberus organization.

Jack is abducted by Cerberus agents on Eden Prime. They fake her death and take her to the Teltin Facility on Pragia as part of a project intended to improve biotic potential in humans.

2166 CE  (Nienna: age 15)

Commander Vyrnnus, a turian mercenary, is hired to oversee the training of human biotics at BAaT.

2167 CE  (Nienna: age 16)

L2 biotic implants are first developed and used in humans. Kaidan Alenko is among the first to receive the new implants.

Nienna receivers her biotic implant the same time Kaidan does.

This is where she meets Kaidan Alenko. ( becomes romantically involved with Kaidan only in the verse with @allianceofficer )

2168 CE  (Nienna: age 17)

Nienna and Kaidan leave to train in Jump Zero.

Kaidan Alenko accidentally kills Commander Vyrnnus after being provoked. The diplomatic fallout with the turians results in BAaT being shut down a year later.

2169 CE (Nienna: age 18)

Nienna enlists in Alliance, simultaneously continuing to work on her degree in Biology with slow progress.

Nienna’s and Kaidan’s path take them separate ways.

2170 CE  (Nienna: age 19)

L3 biotic implants are developed after L2 implants prove to be dangerous.

2173 CE  (Nienna: age 22) 

Kaidan Alenko enlists in the Alliance military.

Nienna and Kaidan briefly reunite in the Alliance and continue where they left off.

2174 CE (Nienna: age 23)

Ashley Williams enlists in the Alliance military.

Nienna gets promoted to the leader of her own squad with much apparent success.

2175 CE  (Nienna: age 24)

N7 asks Nienna to join their ranks. With reluctance and much convincing, Nienna eventually agrees.

Kaidan and Nienna go separate ways yet again, this time seemingly for good.

2176 CE  (Nienna: age 25)

Nienna arrives at the Interplanetary Combatives Academy in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for N7 training.

The Jon Grissom Academy is commissioned over Elysium, and becomes home to the Alliance's new biotic training program, the Ascension Project.

James Vega enlists in the Alliance military.

Nienna begins excruciating training with N7 to become an N7 Fury Adept, largely losing her contact with the outside world beyond her squad mates.

The Andromeda Initiative, a privately-funded multi-species endeavor created to explore and colonize the Andromeda Galaxy, is founded.

2182 CE (Nienna: age 31)

Nienna is promoted as the leader of a squad, running high offence missions for N7.

Admiral Kahoku of the Systems Alliance begins investigating suspected Cerberus activities.

2183 CE  (Nienna: age 32)

February 1st Nienna Musta shatters her left leg, hip and a part of her arm on a mission and is rendered crippled. Re-construction of her body begins.

Humans and turians collaborate on an engineering project co-sponsored by the Citadel Council: an experimental frigate with a prototype stealth system, the SSV Normandy. David Anderson is given command of the ship, and Commander Shepard is assigned as executive officer.

The events of Mass Effect occur.

By October, Nienna Musta is learning to walk again.

The events of Mass Effect 2 begin. One month after the Battle of the Citadel, the SSV Normandy is attacked and destroyed by an unidentified assailant, resulting in the death of Commander Shepard. Later, the Systems Alliance officially declares Shepard "killed in action".

L4 biotic implants are developed.

2184 CE  (Nienna: age 33)

Nienna makes the decision not to return to N7, much to her father’s disagreement. She returns to working with Biology, through contacts ans colleagues she’d known through her mother since she was a child.

The Eden Prime War comes to a close.

A clone of Commander Shepard, developed by Cerberus for testing purposes alongside the original's under reconstruction body, is stolen by the deserter Rasa from the Lazarus Research Station.

L5 biotic implants are developed.

A colleague asks Nienna to join them on the Andromeda Initiative. Nienna shows signs of reluctance at first.

Nienna’s father, Juho Musta, dies in March running a mission for N7, reportedly due to Collector activity. This causes Nienna to change her mind and agree to join the Andromeda Initiative.

July 25: The Andromeda Initiative orientation briefing is shown to prospective candidates.

2185 CE  (Nienna: age 34)

Nienna and a collection of her specimen (both flora and fauna) go to cryo aboard the Nexus.

The Andromeda Initiative begins its journey to the Andromeda galaxy, with the first wave, made up of the Nexus, Ark Hyperion, Ark Leusinia, Ark Natanus, and Ark Paarchero, launching into dark space. A second wave comprised of Ark Keelah Si'yah is expected to launch not long after.

2818 (Nienna: age 34 + 633)

The events of Mass Effect: Nexus Uprising occur. The Nexus arrives in the Heleus Cluster of the Andromeda galaxy after a 633 year journey through dark space.

Nienna Musta gets woken up out of cryo.

2819 CE  (Nienna: age 35 + 633)

Ark Leusinia, Ark Natanus, and Ark Paarchero arrive in the Heleus Cluster separately. They are either attacked by the kett or damaged by the Scourge, preventing them from rendezvousing with the Nexus.

The events of Mass Effect: Andromeda begin. Ark Hyperion arrives in the Andromeda galaxy 14 months after the Nexus.

Upon settling the outpost Prodromos on Eos, Nienna Musta moves there to further help re-establishing Milky Way species in Andromeda’s conditions.

[lieutenantseivarden-tomove]

“The Kaidan Alenko Memorial Scholarship has begun sending gifted human biotics to the Ascension Project for care and training. Alenko, a graduate of the controversial Biotic Acclimation and Temperance Training Project, sacrificed his life to help stop Saren on Virmire.”

come on, bioware, you don’t need to rub it in

[graveaura-blog]

ME: Andromeda Verse Different Beginning

The year is 2185. The Andromeda Initiative, founded in 2176, is launched and a handful of each of the Citadel races venture out on a 600-year-long journey to the galaxy of Andromeda. Their goal: to expand and settle in a new world.

Before his involvement with the initiative, Graves, whose family is involved with American politics, was the acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from the years 2179-2184 under UNAS president Christopher Huerta. He was a highly skilled biotic, having been exposed to element zero at the age of nine in 2149 when an eezo refinery nearby blew, and later attended the Biotic Acclimation and Temperance Training (BAaT), a sort of biotic school and the first of its kind in human history before its closing. It was there that he was fitted with L2 implants. 

He excelled.

An incredibly powerful human biotic, Graves had served for almost two years in the Alliance Navy, seeing various action until his leave. Immediately after, much like his forefathers before him, he joined the ranks of the DHS’ Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) as a federal agent. He quickly proved to be a stellar asset and built up a shining record that earned him the spot of secretary of the DHS. All this time, he was persistent in his biotic training as well, though he refused to be refitted with upgraded implants due to the operation’s high risk of death. He was responsible for overseeing and training many biotic agents during his time. 

Before Huerta’s stroke and the completion of his term, Graves was instructed by the president to partake in the Andromeda Initiative to reinforce the laws of Citadel space in Andromeda and safeguard those who will need it most on their voyage to a new world. After he could no longer perform as the secretary of the DHS, he did just that. Due to complications with his L2 implants after he was taken out of cryostasis, Graves remained hospitalized and closely monitored, not just his physical health but also his mental stability. He was finally declared fit for duty after Sloane Kelly’s departure, and currently operates as head of investigations within Nexus Security. He also leads a specialized biotic security unit and is responsible for their training. 

ABILITIES AND LOADOUT

Graves operates more as an Adept class, but his abilities include:

Warp

Throw

Pull

Singularity

Biotic charge

Nova

Reave

Although Graves primarily relies on an onslaught of biotic abilities to do damage, he has experience with firearms. He wields the M-5 Phalanx heavy pistol.

OTHERS

Much like most others fitted with L2 implants, Graves suffers from its side effects, mostly the susceptibility to migraines. L2 implants are infamous for eventually causing mental instability and intense pain. 

[greatfulxdays-blog]

Does anyone have an good idea about what age Kaidan was when he got carted off to BAaT? 

His foundation comic (which I usually ignore) takes place in 2168, he was born in 2151, which would make him either 16 or 17 at the time. According to the codex and wiki, BAaT was set up in 2160, Vyrnnus was hired in 2166, and L2 implants were first implemented in 2167. 

It’s for a piece I’m writing for Kaidan appreciation week. The perfectionist in me wants to make it as realistic as possible and I like to get fan consensus on these kind of things.