Again, I was fortunate enough to be able to commission the extremely talented @xla-hainex for a couple of art pieces. And look!!! My babies!!!! Kandra and Kaidan Alenko, biotic twins! I’m about to burst, I’m so excited to finally see them together!!! And in time for the last half of Nano and their writing project!!!
A little something for them from that project:
“Kan, stop!” Kaidan shouts as he hurries inside. Their eyes meet and he isn’t at all surprised to see signs of shock in hers. She draws back her arm, preparing another attack; he blocks her movement with his forearm, disrupting the mnemonic. “Kandra,” he barks out sharply, “зупиняти!”
His voice breaks through the haze; she blinks a few times, eyes widening, filling with horror, but they focus on him now. “K?”
He pulls her close for a quick hug of relief. “Yeah, it’s me. Are you alright?”
“I …” She looks over his shoulder before taking a step back from him. “Yeah, better now,” she replies with a forced smile. Her gaze drifts back to his face. From one moment to the next, the shock fades and bewilderment suffuses her features. “зупиняти?” she repeats, her accent slightly thicker than his. “Really?”
Releasing her, he shrugs and uses one hand to ruffle her hair a bit. Not surprisingly, she attempts to duck out of his reach. “Grandpa’d be proud. I got your attention, didn’t it?”
Alenkoats and/or John Michael Shepard for the WIP folder, pretty please?
Alenkoats can be found here.
Hmmmm... something about Michael Shepard and company.... Good heavens, hon, what haven’t I shared yet??? You probably know as much about him and Kaidan, Kandra, and James as anyone! :) *goes digging for a snippet*
Don’t know if I’ve shared this - it’s a snippet from somethng at the end of Halo (which I really need to get back to, but I’ve been a bit stumped on their next chapter). This clip has them just returned to Vancouver after several years ‘on the run’ around the galaxy.
As they head back to the hostel sometime later, side by side as always, Kaidan asks, “So, are you sure this is what you want to do?”
Startled, Kandra missteps and has to catch herself to keep from falling. Kaidan’s hand shoots out and he grabs her arm to keep her upright. “Careful, there!”
Instead of thanking him, she pulls free of his grasp and glares daggers in his direction. “Are you doubting me?” she asks, anger leaving her dark eyes sparking fire. “After all this time?”
A sheepish smile curves his lips as his face flushes. “Not doubting you, no,” he insists. “I just …” He sighs softly and doesn’t look at her while they continue on. “Kan, I’m not sure I’ll stay,” he admits after they cross at the light. “I want to be certain this is what you want. I mean … it’s a heck of an investment for something you might not like …”
They walk another long block in near silence. She’s thankful, grateful even, that he continues to think about her, even when it’s clear he’s already thinking of the day he won’t be around; that they won’t be a ‘whole’ anymore. It’s to be expected, of course. She understands that, is more than happy he’s thinking ahead for himself instead of them for a change. And he is right, it is a huge investment. “I’m sure,” she replies firmly. “I … I think I need this, K.” She slips her arm through his, forgiveness instantaneous. “It’s important.”
He frees his arm and instead wraps it around her shoulders, pulling her close. “That’s all I wanted to be sure of. If it’s important to you, it’s important to me.”
They stop at a coffee shop on the way home to grab a warm drink and something sweet to finish off their dinner. As they exit the building and continue in the direction of the hostel, Kandra says, “I have an idea of what I’d like to do.”
“Oh yeah?” Kaidan sips at the coffee and makes a face. “I hope it involves something better than this,” he mutters. He tosses the drink in a nearby trash receptacle as she laughs.
“That bad?”
“Horrendous.”
She takes a bite of the cookie she purchased, and promptly makes a face. Ignoring his laugh, she drowns it with her tea – that, at least, isn’t too bad – and forces herself to finish the thing. As she wipes her mouth after, she retorts, “K’s Kafe.”
I also kind of headcanon it’s shortly after this they get this picture of the two of them taken. :) (or maybe it’s later, I don’t know for sure, but I just love it!)
(art commision by @xla-hainex of Kaidan and Kandra Alenko)
Because I had something else I wanted to share today! lol
So, yesterday I was inspired to dig out Kaidan and Kandra - my twin Alenkos - because I haven’t really done much writing on them since November’s Nano, and this sort of evolved out of two prompts: “it’s okay I was already awake” and “one more chapter”. This now may become a ‘thing’ for their entire series ...
HUGE thanks to @shadoedseptmbr who helped bat around some ideas that resulted in the books mentioned below!
Setting: approximately 2171, the twins are about 20 years old and living on Benning (this is part of an eventual chapter in their story, Halo)
~~~~
“What story?”
“J&J and the Mayhem on Mars,” [Kandra] murmurs.
Kaidan chuckles softly as he pokes at his omni-tool. “It’s been years since we read that series. That one was always your favorite. Sure you don’t want The Turian Twist or The Lunar Loophole?”
She nods. “I like the one on Mars - when they break into the Archives to stop Dr. Kandyba from erasing the artifacts.”
“I figured you’d like the subterranean prothean ruins more,” he muses. “Not so?”
She shrugs and turns to look up at him. “I do like that part, but if you and I were John and Jane, I wouldn’t be able to take you with me in there, would I?”
He blinks, startled, lips parting to protest, but they both know it’s the truth. “Probably not,” he agrees quietly after a moment.
Reaching up, Kandra slips her hand in his and squeezes it. “Can’t go investigating without you watching my back, right?” She pulls her hand back to cover a yawn before settling down again. “Okay, ready when you are.”
Kaidan begins reading, his voice soft, relaxed, occasionally fluctuating with character voices or to emphasize the action of the story. As she listens, Kandra’s eyes flutter shut. She remains alert enough to follow the story, but with eyes closed, she is able to picture the teenaged John and Jane as they chase clues from Lowell City out through the prothean ruins near the Deseado Crater, and eventually following them back to the Mars Archives themselves. They are just entering the Archives when Kaidan stops, his voice fading off into the night.
Kandra knows it is late – too late – and she is certainly on the edge of falling asleep now, but she glances up at him, eyes opening slowly. They so rarely have times like this anymore together; she doesn’t want it to end. “One more chapter? Please?”
He looks tired, too, but the smile he directs at her is enough of an answer. “You know what happens,” he chides gently.
Her lips curve as she settles back into her previous position. “I like hearing you read it.”
Affecting a thick accent somewhat similar to their grandfather, Kaidan continues in the voice of Dr. Kandyba, “You are too late! Did you really think two meddling kids could stop me from my mission …?”
6. What’s your favourite piece of dialogue you wrote this year?
Oooooooo, I was hoping for this one!!!!! I have so many to choose from! Thank you so much!!! Also, going on the assumption that this also includes dialogue that hasn’t been published yet! lol
Okay, putting this under cut because it’s a bit of a long one. It’s from my Nano story, Vanguard of Your Destruction, and Kaidan and Kandra are having a heart to heart right before they embark on the ‘big journey’ to fight the war. As I look back on it, I’ll probably tweak it some before it ever gets posted, but OMG I love how this turned out between them! While they’ve always been close to one another, this conversation shows just how deep that closeness extends.
“Dad isn’t in charge of this mission, remember? Shepard is.”
She sighs heavily, head dropping until her chin touches the fabric of her shirt. “Are you so sure he’ll still want me along? I mean, Dad’s a trained Alliance officer, even if he is retired, and –.”
His hand tightens. “We’re going to need everyone we can get. Shepard won’t be that picky, especially where you are concerned.”
Looking over at him, their eyes meet. It’s almost like looking in a mirror, he thinks. Almost. Kandra pushes a few dark curls back out of her eyes, tucking them around her ear. “Because of … you?”
Now it’s his turn to look out across the fields, the land to the south, to keep an eye on things should their circumstances change. “Maybe a little,” he allows after a time; it’s not in him to lie to her, of all people, “but mostly because of you, I should think.”
She huffs softly and loops her arm through his before resting her head on his shoulder. “Somehow, I doubt that … but I do hope you are right. I … I don’t want to stay here, K. I want to help, to be useful. I may not be Alliance trained, but I can still –.”
He turns to her, grasps her shoulders and gently shakes her. “Kan, I know. You don’t have to seell it to me. Despite what Dad or Vega say, you are an asset in your own way; you bring things to the table none of the rest of us do. The final decision is up to Shepard – you know that – but I think you also know he can see you the way I do. He isn’t one to waste resources.”
“Okay.”
Wrapping his arm around her shoulders again, he leans back against the fence. “Though, I will suggest something.”
She tenses just a little under his arm, but then relaxes again. “What’s that?”
“You and I are going to start training together daily. With the biotics, I mean. I know you’ve been practicing on your own, but I want us to be as in sync as possible for what’s to come.” He looks over at her, meets the question in her eyes with a determined one of his own. “Like at BAaT.”
She draws in a sharp breath, eyes widening as she pales. “I … Kaidan …?” She stops for a minute to swallow. “How … how long have you known?”
He pulls her into a tight hug so she can’t see his face. The memories that come back, they aren’t all of fear and pain and disappointment; they’re also of pride and respect, and the emotions that go with that. “That your warp caused the explosion that threw Vyrnnus into the wall and broke his neck? Since the moment it happened.” He releases her so he can frame her face with his hands, looking her straight in the eyes. “It all happened so fast, no one else caught on, but I knew. You know how we can feel each other’s biotic signature?” She nods. “I felt yours as it hit.” Giving her his most sincere, appreciative look, he adds, “It’s okay, Kan. It’s absolutely okay.”
Her head shakes back and forth in protest. “But, K, you were blamed for that! They nearly pressed charges! If you’d been – !”
“But I wasn’t. And yeah, I took the blame. I made the conscious decision to take the fall because I didn’t want you to have to deal with the consequences. You saved my life, Kan. What else could I do?”
Tears trickle from the corner of her eyes, but she doesn’t pull away. He’s glad for that, too. This is the first time he’s been able to acknowledge to her that he knows, and how much that meant to him back then. She sniffs softly, her lips form a tremulous smile. “But what about … Rahna …?”
Touching his forehead to hers, he hugs her again. “I liked her, sure,” he admits quietly, “but she isn’t my sister, my other half. You are.” He withdraws and presses a gentle kiss to her forehead. “Vyrnnus would have killed me; we both know that.”
“But you were better than he was! Stronger!” Kandra insists. “You would have –!”
He shakes his head. “I was good, yeah, but he was better, and he was wearing me down. It was only a matter of time before he –. ”
“No!”
Chuckling softly, he pats her cheek. “Kan, it’s okay, I recognized the truth back then, that’s all that matters. And honestly, it didn’t take long for me to close that gap after we left Vancouver.” He sighs softly and hugs her again. “Thank you. I’ve needed to tell you that for so long, but it never felt like the right moment …”
She throws her arms around him, hugging tight as she sobs against his shoulder for several minutes, and all Kaidan can do is hold her. But that’s fine by him. They’ve always been there for each other, and if he has anything to say about it, they always will. He’s just thankful he finally has the opportunity to let her know.
When she pulls back and wipes her eyes with her sleeve, she whispers, “Who else knows?” There is a hint of wariness in her eyes as she looks at him. “Does Michael?”
Nano may be over, but I’m still thinking about Michael Shepard & Co. ... Here’s a bit from some of the last chapters I wrote. (a few more than six though)
~~~
“I flared,” [Kandra] murmurs, “like I’ve never flared before.” A wry smile twists her lips. “I wish you could have seen it. Remember how Vyrnnus said I’d never amount to much because I couldn’t draw enough energy?”
“I remember.” [Kaidan] doesn’t look away. “That was his mistake, you know, and he paid for it.”
She snorts softly. “Yeah, with his life.” Pushing herself upright, she runs her hands over her face. “So, now I’ve not only killed our biotic instructor, but the girl you wanted to date.” Her lips press into a thin line. “Some might think I’m a bit hazardous to your life, you know that?”
Because THIS just happened and OMG I love these two so much! Gotta share!
(post Alchera)
~~~~~~
A soft sound from the direction of the bedroom pulls her from her thoughts, and Kandra glances over again to find Kaidan exit the room. He heads to the kitchen and she follows. “Morning,” she murmurs, leaning over to press a light kiss to his cheek. “Sleep better?”
He shrugs. “Same.”
That doesn’t bode well, but she lets it slide for now. Some things, no matter how much she wants to help, he has to do for himself, and if he won’t share the details of what happened out there, she can’t make him. “I was thinking,” she says, starting down a path she’d been debating about for days now.
His lips twitch at the corner, but no smile appears as he pours coffee. Once he has his mug, he turns and leans his hips back against the counter, his eyes focused on her. “Don’t hurt yourself.”
A smirk curls along her face. “So you are still in there. Good to know,” she crows softly. Again his lips twitch, but the smile is elusive. Ah, well. “Anyway, I was thinking – why don’t you come down to the café with me? You could work in the kitchen like you used to, give you a bit of a distraction for a change?” It’s better than staying shut up in your room 24/7, she doesn’t say aloud, but she can see in his eyes that he knows.
He takes a cautious sip of the coffee and shrugs. “Maybe,” he allows.
Kandra sighs and shakes her head, the only outward sign of her disapproval. There’s no … spirit in his voice, no enthusiasm. No, that’s not quite right. If anything he sounds just as dead as Shepard is. Not a good sign at all. She considers other possible ways to stir him up – he needs to let it out, to start healing, but he’s stubborn; all the Alenkos are stubborn. Genetic trait. No other explanation needed. “Have you spoken to Mom and Dad yet?”
His eyes darken like the thunderclouds outside. “No.”
She simply arches one brow at him in response. Well, that’s something, at least. She didn’t expect a positive reply, not after the visit he and Shepard made, but she’d hoped maybe something good might come out of all of this. “Have they contacted you?” she asked, covering all bases.
“No.”
Finishing her drink, she set the mug into the sink before facing him again. “You know, K, I have an idea.”
He sighs and starts to walk past her, but she shifts just enough to block his path. “Kan, I’m not really interested in –.”
“Why don’t we go down to the beach tonight,” she continues as if he didn’t interrupt. “We’ll grab a bottle of the good stuff, get some candles, do like we did for Gram and Gradpa when they died.” Her voice softens and she smiles up at him, allowing him to see her pain too. “You have to say goodbye, you know. He wouldn’t want you to cling like this.”
She sees the first signs of cracking as his face tightens. Quick tears form, trickle down his cheeks. Immediately, she opens her arms, and he’s there, head on her shoulder, silent sobs shaking him unlike any other time in their lives. They’re nearly the same height, but his weight feels like lead against her shoulder as he just … melts into her. Tightening her arms, she sings softly near his ear, soothing words and notes, something hopeful in the end.
Ahhhh, this I’m still prepping for Nano next month! One of my three mShenko pairs. And yeah, I know you want some Kandra tossed in! :D Lemme see what I have ... Here’s a background piece I need to finish and get posted in the next couple of weeks.
The idea of Chinese sky lanterns is something she fell in love with as a child; of lighting the way for the spirit of a loved one to assist them to the heavens. When their grandparents passed, shortly before they were sent off to Gagarin Station, Kandra made a lantern for each, pouring all of her creativity into the process. Kaidan found her in tears as she worked, but she explained to him that they were simply the tears of letting go. Of healing. As he watched, she wrote a few words on a slip of paper for each – a goodbye note of sorts – which she tucked into the framework of the lantern so it could make the journey.
Now, as she lays the pieces out for another, she hands a small notepad and a pen over to Kaidan. Their eyes meet and she sees dread building in his. She doesn’t force the issue, and she plans to write her own short note. She hadn’t known him well, but what she does remember brings a smile. As for Kaidan, it’s his decision, and she sets the pad and pen on the blanket between them, then focuses her attention to creating the lantern.
It takes a short while, and half the bottle of whiskey disappears in the process, but she finishes before the sun is completely set. Affixing the candle to the small platform that holds it, she looks over at her twin. “Are you ready?”
