Kaidan Alenko

**Kaidan Alenko** is a human Sentinel and a Systems Alliance Marine. While serving aboard the SSV Normandy, he is a Staff Lieutenant and head of the ship's Marine detail. He's also an initial member of Commander Shepard's squad. Kaidan is a biotic wired with the controversial L2 implants, which are known to cause severe neurological damage to the user. However, he is fortunate enough to only suffer from occasional severe migraines.

## Mass Effect: Foundation

A teenaged Kaidan Alenko was mulling over Jump Zero's isolation from the rest of the Sol system when his friend Rahna came up to him one day in 2168. The two developed a close bond during their stay at "Brain Camp" so when one of their mutual friends arrived bearing news about a transmitter for sending messages to Earth both of them went to check it out, reminiscing all the while. It had been at least half a year since both of them talked to their families as outside communication was prohibited, and Kaidan mused the reason for BAaT's distance from Earth was to prevent biotics like them from getting beat up by more normal folk.

The next day, Kaidan and Rahna were on the queue for water rations at meal break and discussing the events of the previous night. Kaidan sent a message to his parents with the makeshift transmitter, though he noticed that Rahna didn't and asked her why. Rahna claimed her parents would just turn them in and that she didn't know where her brother was, making communication pointless. Kaidan comforted her by opining the transmitter doesn't really work, though at that moment Commander Vyrnnus, one of their teachers, started ordering the cadets to assemble at the training room ASAP. As Rahna was terrified of the turian, Kaidan made more attempts to comfort her before going.

At the training room the students found a pile of building blocks on the floor and the transmitter's maker, Shelby, tied to a post. Vyrnnus lectured the cadets on how they were allegedly wasting their education, rhetorically asked if they thought it was a joke, and faced Kaidan in particular for an answer. Kaidan answered in the negative, as did the rest when the turian pressed them. Vyrnnus asked around if anyone knew what Shelby was doing the previous night, and when no one stepped forward, began establishing the rules of the biotic exercise involving the blocks at their feet.

Rahna was close to dropping from exhaustion several hours of continued biotic exercise later, though Kaidan managed to save her piece from falling. Vyrnnus noticed the gesture and moved towards the pair, where he praised Kaidan for the catch but began taunting Rahna with a glass of water biotically floated next to her. Kaidan and Rahna never got their water rations beforehand and she was sorely tempted to grab the glass, and Kaidan warned her not to. The warning came too late as Rahna already used her hand to reach the glass, and the turian biotically broke her arm for the "pathetic" gesture. This sent Kaidan into a biotic rage that knocked the turian backwards.

Vyrnnus engaged Kaidan in a biotic duel when he recovered from the initial blast, and Kaidan chose to employ defensive measures. When Vyrnnus drew a knife and sliced Kaidan in his right side, the human retaliated by blasting the turian again and jumpkicking Vyrnnus' head while he's down.

In the immediate aftermath a furious Kaidan looked over his shoulder and found the other students terrified at what he just did. Kaidan's mood swung from anger to horror when he saw that Vyrnnus has been killed. He tried to approach Rahna and ask if she's okay, though she was scared too and refused to let him near her.

At the day of Kaidan's departure from BAaT, he begged his guards in vain for a moment to bid Rahna goodbye, who weren't about to let him until Rahna showed up. Kaidan tried apologizing for his actions and Rahna understood the principle, but she maintained killing the turian didn't make things right. Kaidan angrily replied that Vyrnnus deserved it: even the administrators agreed he went too far with Shelby and her. Rahna would have none of it, though she apologized for being too scared of him. The guards tried to hustle Kaidan along saying time's up, though his temper and biotics flared as he was not yet finished talking to her. He returned his attention to his friend, only to see her waving goodbye and walking away.

One month later on Earth, Kaidan's father approached his son on the balcony of a high-rise offering beer and advice. Kaidan took the beer and listened to his father's words: he shouldn't be too hard on himself for doing what he thought was right, though even right choices have consequences. Not comforted by the words, Kaidan reflects there may not be a next time for him as he screwed up the BAaT opportunity, though his father professed faith in him finding one, bigger than anticipated. Kaidan stared at an incoming ship in the sky, and with a smile hoped his father was right.

## Mass Effect

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."

Finally, the inevitable happened and Vyrnnus went too far. Rahna reached for a glass of water instead of moving it biotically. Vyrnnus punished Rahna by breaking her arm and Kaidan tried to defend her, only to receive a beating from Vyrnnus. When the turian pulled a knife, Kaidan lost control and hit him with a full biotic kick, breaking Vyrnnus' neck. After Vyrnnus' death, BAaT was shut down and the records were sealed to hide the Alliance's mistakes. Though Rahna was safe from Vyrnnus, she was afraid of Kaidan after that and the two parted ways.

Kaidan dropped off the radar for a while to figure things out, feeling lost and paralyzed after Jump Zero, but eventually came back to the Alliance in 2173 — on his terms this time — because he wanted to serve. Refusing further biotic training or an implant retrofit, he enlisted in the Alliance Navy and worked his way up to Lieutenant, gaining several special commendations in the process despite the health problems he suffered with his L2 implants; these manifested as intense migraines that left him sensitive to bright lights and noise. Finally Kaidan was transferred to the SSV Normandy under Captain Anderson, where he later worked alongside Commander Shepard.

His experiences at BAaT and his long service make Kaidan politically savvy, but very conservative, cautious and self controlled. Originally, Kaidan was hesitant to use his abilities on living targets, but he changes his mind after seeing the destruction on Eden Prime. During the mission on Eden Prime, Kaidan is deeply affected by seeing his comrade and friend Richard L. Jenkins gunned down, his first friend lost in combat. Though he is a biotic, Kaidan's loyalty is to the Alliance and he has no sympathies for biotic extremists. He doesn't bear any ill-will toward alien races, not even turians, but says Vyrnnus made him see how "human" aliens are: that they're "jerks and saints," just like humans.

Kaidan also believes humans, as newcomers to the galactic community, shouldn't have a Council seat until they're ready for one, and that Ambassador Udina is doing more harm than good by pushing too hard. Shepard can discuss this with him and (if female) can even persuade Kaidan into becoming much more xenophobic and pro-humanity.

If asked, Kaidan can give feedback on recent missions, discuss the commander's decisions and give some insight into the crew's state of mind. Knowing they're going to be faced with difficult choices without reinforcements, Kaidan urges Shepard not to cut corners as Vyrnnus did, and always leave a way out to ensure nobody gets hurt further down the line. However, as the mission progresses Kaidan becomes concerned about the lack of backup from the Citadel Council. The evidence Shepard is gathering about Saren Arterius and the threat of the Reapers seems too much to ignore, but the Council just doesn't want to believe anything's wrong — proving 'human nature' carries across species. Eventually though, after multiple successes on their overarching mission, Kaidan confidently speaks for the crew when he tells Shepard they can count on everyone to do their duty.

Following the incidents on Noveria, Kaidan's surprised Shepard has time for him given that there are numerous reports to file on Administrator Anoleis and the rachni. He notes most aliens in the galaxy are too wrapped up in their own problems to notice the looming Reaper threat. Should Shepard accuse him of being pro-alien at humanity's expense, Kaidan argues that if one bad example (referring to Vyrnnus) is enough to judge a whole race then he should hate humans too. He didn't sign up with the Alliance on a whim; he has faith his superiors know to identify actual enemies from people who merely had dissenting views. Ultimately though, he defers to Shepard's authority.

After the death of Matriarch Benezia, Kaidan believes it would've set back Saren's plans for a bit. He empathizes with Liara T'Soni's situation though, particularly if she was on the mission to kill her own mother. He thinks they should have left the decision regarding the Rachni Queen to the Council, since humanity had no involvement in the Rachni Wars.

After the Thorian's destruction on Feros, Kaidan's glad there aren't many aliens as grotesque as the creature, figuring he doesn't think his stomach could handle it. If Shepard worked out a deal with Ethan Jeong to save Zhu's Hope, Kaidan jokes he wants the Commander to be his advocate if he ever gets a speeding ticket. If ExoGeni Corporation abandoned the colony, Kaidan's thinking of contacting a cousin who works in agribusiness to send some shipments to Zhu's Hope in an attempt to help the colony.

On the Virmire mission, Kaidan is in command of a nuclear bomb that must be placed on Virmire. Kaidan manages to get the nuke set up across the facility only to get a call that the salarians are being attacked and are taking heavy losses. Shepard takes a group to help them but as they leave, the geth start attacking the nuke site and Shepard was put in a conflict: both Kaidan and Ashley are in trouble and there's no time to save both. Halfway there Shepard had to make a difficult decision, Williams and the STG team was getting demolished by geth, but the geth were now also assaulting the bomb site. After having to listen to a drawn out fight over the comms between Williams and Alenko, Shepard had to choose and he could only save one. Knowing that Alenko was the only survivor by the bomb site, and that he would die to see the bomb detonate, Shepard headed towards Williams, hoping he still had time to save her and the salarian team. Shepard brings reinforcements, only to be confronted by Saren. He tries to make the commander join his cause but Shepard refuses and fights Saren off. Saren gets away and the team board the *Normandy*, escaping Virmire as the nuke destroys the facility, leaving Kaidan behind to die in the explosion.

## Summary of service

### Dates of rank

* 2173: Private 2nd Class
* 2174: Private 1st Class
* 2175: Corporal
* 2176: Service Chief
* 2177: Gunnery Chief
* 2178: Operations Chief
* 2179: 2nd Lieutenant
* 2181: 1st Lieutenant
* 2183: Staff Lieutenant

### Assignments

* 2173: Systems Alliance enlisted service
* 2174: Crewman, SSV Agincourt, Fifth Fleet
* 2174: Skyllian Blitz Reinforcement
* 2178: Participant, Theshaca Raids
* 2183: Crewman, SSV Normandy, Fifth Fleet

## **Medals & Awards**

* Alliance Military Decorations
* Alliance Unit Awards
* Alliance Campaign & Service Awards
* Service and Training Awards
* Badges
* Interspecies honors

* Star of Terra (1) - Virmire
* Bronze Star (1) (V) Theshaca Raids
* Purple Heart (1) - Virmire
* Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (2) (C)
* Combat Action Ribbon (2)

- Navy Unit Commendation (2)

- Navy "E" Ribbon (1)

- Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal (1)

- Galactic Defense Service Medal (1)

- Armed Forces Service Medal (1)

- Geth Conflict Campaign (1)

- Space Service Deployment Ribbon (1)

- Fleet Marine Force

- Biotic Insignia

- Marine Corps Pistol Sharpshoter Badge

- Marine Corps Rifle Marksmanship Badge

- 3 Service stripes

- Silver Dagger (1) - Virmire

- Nova Cluster (1) - Virmire