Live, not Survive

Live, not Survive is a Star Trek Online fanfic by Worffan101, part of the Bait and Switch 'verse.

Lieutenant Rachel Connor, illegal supersoldier, finally has her life back on track after capturing the psychopathic cyborg Ellen Shaw. Now, as the Cardassian Union and its Federation allies close in on the insane leader of the evil True Way insurgency, Rachel gets an opportunity to move forward.

Huang Bao, formerly of the Terran Empire, just wants to stay alive. But now, disguised as their own doppelganger from this weird, non-murderous alternate reality, they've finally got the chance to ask some questions of and about themself--if only they can deal with their paranoia and trauma.

Summary

Months after overcoming her fear and brutally defeating the evil ex-MACO cyborg Ellen Shaw, Rachel Connor is back on her feet and back on duty. The starship USS Bajor is in the Minos Korva system for a refit; the Federation is engaged in a campaign against the "Cardassian Third Empire" militant group/rogue state, and needs Starfleet's vessels in peak condition. Rachel is nervous after being informed that MACO division chief Rear Admiral Tamanir Y'Chell has ordered her and her squad to mentor three young MACO officer candidates, and prepares for a romantic Valentine's Day night with her girlfriend, half-Reman/half-Trill science officer Ensign Eleana Valen.

The MACO candidates beam on-board the Bajor; combat engineer Cuauhtemoc Martinez, a Human with a Bajoran grandmother, is nervous about meeting Rachel, who he idolizes; Orion field medic and sniper in training Anh-Le Dantius is quiet but secretly concerned about her colleague Huang Bao. Huang, secretly a refugee from the Terran Empire passing as a Prime Universe Human, is terrified of the new environment, fearing that the Federation is too good to be true. Their assignment to the Bajor will result in their death. Rachel greets the trainees and leads them to their quarters while attempting to cool Martinez's eager nerves; Dantius attempts to convince Rachel in private to investigate Huang, but Rachel interprets Dantius's worry for Huang after Huang's apparent personality shift in 2410 as petty rumor-mongering. However, Rachel does decide to investigate Huang on her own time to discover and deal with possible personal emotional issues.

Rachel puts Huang, who is passing as a woman, through "her" paces, in an evaluation simulation modeling the 22nd century Cold Station 12 raid. Huang, used to the brutal "instruction" of the Terran Empire, is terrified, and interprets Rachel's critiques as a potentially mortal threat, fearing that Rachel will execute them for incompetence and worrying that killing Rachel to protect themself will result in even worse retaliation from the Federation. Rachel, concerned by Huang's obvious anxiety, disarms them while the trainee is frozen by indecision, and orders Huang to attend therapy sessions.

Rachel's attempt at a romantic date with Ensign Valen is interrupted when Huang, already high-strung, encounters half-Klingon Alexandria "Alex" Eriksson, the Prime doppelganger of Huang's mirror universe companion, Alex Smith, and faints from stress and shock. Rachel investigates, and learns from Eriksson that Huang was her boyfriend at Starfleet Academy, having transitioned to male as a young adult and taking the name Huang Shou-Hui. Eriksson and Rachel are confused by Huang's apparent reversion to his assigned-at-birth gender, and Rachel is uncertain of how to proceed. After an attempt at sex with Ensign Valen later that night is derailed by Rachel's lingering trauma from her ordeal at the hands of Ellen Shaw, Rachel lets the matter rest for a couple of days.

Meanwhile, the Federation, its Cardassian Union allies, and an expeditionary force sent by Bajor (while a Federation member state, Bajor has begun to maintain a locally-recruited defense fleet using outdated but refitted Starfleet hulls for regional pride and commerce security reasons after Iconian invasion forces successfully made landfall in the 2410 Iconian War) attack a Cardassian Third Empire base in the Septimus system, successfully inflicting a major strategic defeat on Third Empire leader "Supreme Legate" Kerim Morag, the self-proclaimed "Father-Leader of the Cardassian Race" and an infamous terrorist who murdered three hundred thousand people by orbital bombardment for their religion. CTE forces are left in full retreat, and the Bajor is sent to aid in the final campaign against the extremist group/rogue state.

Huang, Martinez, and Dantius bond over breakfast, Dantius relating an amusing anecdote of her childhood in Vietnam. Still emotionally unstable, Huang suffers a public breakdown when confronted by Eriksson, drawing Rachel's attention. Rachel attempts to protect Huang by ordering rubbernecking bystanders to find "something better to do", and takes the trainee to a turbolift for privacy. Huang, certain that they are about to be murdered for treason against the Terran Empire, admits everything in a blind panic; forcibly taken as a "comfort woman" after their father's "liquidation" by the Terrans' "Optimal Hierarchy Assurance Bureau" (a secret police unit), Huang murdered their first "customer", and was granted the man's "Better of Humanity, third-class" citizenship by their ship's amused Captain. Huang then killed several other Terrans for survival and promotion, eventually acquiring the privilege of private quarters and taking Eriksson's Mirror doppelganger, a fellow "comfort woman", as their personal property; while the relationship apparently never quite became romantic and Huang never took advantage of their companion out of what they considered to be a sense of class loyalty, protecting Mirror Alex defined much of Huang's motivation for years. However, Mirror Alex was killed by OHAB Commissar Spencer after Spencer caught Huang attempting to send classified information to the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance in an attempt to buy safe passage for Huang and Mirror Alex during their intended defection; Mirror Alex was murdered by Spencer and died in Huang's arms. Enraged, Huang brutally killed Spencer and mutilated her corpse, pinning parts of her body outside of their quarters as a warning. Soon after, Huang was "swapped" with their Prime doppelganger in a transporter accident, mere weeks before the breakout of the Iconian War.

Incensed that she wasn't informed of Huang's origins and mental health issues, Rachel contacts Starfleet Intelligence second in command Alvatrassi zh'Zoarhi and MACO chief Tamanir Y'Chell, demanding answers. Zh'Zoarhi's explanation and revelation that the Prime universe Huang likely died in the Mirror Universe only enrages Rachel further, and she curses at and insults the Admiral in outrage. Fortunately, Y'Chell, who also was unaware of Huang's nature due to a paperwork error, is also outraged, and zh'Zoarhi tolerates Rachel's insults due to personal approval of Rachel's record of effectiveness and underlying political motivations. After barely holding her tongue in response to zh'Zoarhi's implied order to summarily execute Huang if they should turn on the Federation, Rachel resolves to find a way to break through Huang's walls and help them, with the approval of Captain Kanril Eleya.

Huang confesses to their fellow trainees after being drugged into a stupor to calm them down; Martinez and Dantius are supportive and sympathetic to Huang's trauma. Rachel decides to take a huge risk; she volunteers knowledge of her genetic augmentation to Huang, despite this giving Huang the theoretical ability to get Rachel discharged from Starfleet for being an illegal augment. The complete honesty manages to break through Huang's trust issues during a game of tlhInSa' (Klingon chess), and Huang finally allows themself to relax and opens up to Rachel. At Rachel's suggestion, Huang agrees to let Rachel and Ensign Valen help Huang dress in masculine clothing and wear a breast binder; Rachel suspects that Huang is a deeply closeted transgender man despite outwardly presenting as female. Although nervous, Huang enjoys the new presentation, and hugs Rachel, who realizes that despite her reservations she's actually enjoying acting like a supportive parent.

Huang talks with Eriksson, revealing that he is a Terran refugee. Eriksson, horrified at Huang's description of life in the Terran Empire and disconcerted by the news of her Mirror doppelganger and the Prime universe Huang's deaths, breaks down in Huang's arms, then "breaks up" with Huang, saying that he deserves more than she can give him and she can't be with him in her current emotional state. Huang is devastated by the rejection of the doppelganger of his former companion, but Martinez and Dantius take him to the holodeck to cheer up in a Captain Proton program.

The coalition forces close in on Morag, whose base is located on the disused space station Setok Nor on the fringes of Cardassian space. Starfleet believes that capturing Morag and taking this last stronghold will defeat the CTE for good, and so a task force of Cardassians, Starfleet vessels, and Bajoran militia ships is assembled, nominally under Legate Kerani Ocett of the Cardassian Civil Defense Forces. Rear Admiral Ezri Dax commands the Federation complement, with General Ayra Edon and Captain Kanril Eleya commanding separate wings of the complement. The Detapa Council and First Minister of Bajor are eager for a swift victory; the Cardassians to reinforce the legitimacy of the democratic government in the face of the fascist death cult rebellion of the CTE, and the Bajorans to silence Federation-skeptic Bajoran nationalists and separatists while eliminating the fanatically anti-Bajoran CTE.

The initial assault is an overwhelming success, even with some of the coalition forces holding back in the system's Oort cloud, but shortly after boarding parties (including Rachel's squad and the trainees) are beamed to Setok Nor, a force of Miradorn and Breen vessels running blank IFF codes and equipped with powerful communications jamming equipment ambushes and flanks the coalition ships, forcing a fighting retreat towards the Oort cloud that leaves the boarding parties stranded.

On Setok Nor, Rachel makes short work of CTE defenders but is surprised by a squad of Tzenkethi commandos led by Warram Tzen-Gravu when communications suddenly go down. Rachel and her squad are incapacitated and captured, while Huang leads the trainees to Setok Nor's infirmary, which they fortify. Trapped on the station with no retreat, Huang attempts to rescue Rachel while Martinez hacks station systems; Huang successfully incapacitates several Tzenkethi before being overpowered by Tzen-Gravu. Fortunately for Huang, Rachel is released from an anti-gravity column by Martinez, and the augment rescues Huang, brutally incapacitating and shooting Tzen-Gravu. Stripped of her armor and injured in the process of fighting the Tzenkethi, Rachel undergoes traumatic ecdysis (one of her many abilities derived from genetic augmentation) in front of a terrified Huang, and gives Huang a Tzenkethi rifle to replace Huang's broken phaser.

Anxious to rescue her squad from Morag and his Tzenkethi backers before the insane terrorist can kill one of them, Rachel leads Huang in a hasty raid on Morag's position in Setok Nor's brig. However, Morag already has Petty Officer Aarno Kallio at gunpoint, and pontificates about his ultranationalist ideology while Rachel attempts to negotiate. Huang, used to dealing with psychopathic fascists, realizes that Morag is about to kill Kallio, and shoots Morag in the head with his salvaged Tzenkethi rifle, killing him instantly. Morag's Tzenkethi guards attack and incapacitate Huang, but Rachel incapacitates them and contacts the coalition fleet as soon as communications return, announcing Morag's death.

With their leader dead, the CTE forces collapse, and the coalition achieves a total victory over the extremists and their Tzenkethi backers. Rachel, still covered in chitin from her augmented "reactive adaptation", is debriefed by Starfleet Command; while frustrated by Starfleet Intelligence chief Admiral Chakotay's criticism of Huang's conduct, Rachel controls herself, and Admiral Y'Chell and head of Starfleet Fleet Admiral Amnell Kree agree that Huang's killing of Morag was acceptable, even though Morag was wanted alive.

Rachel, still displaying the visible chitin that is a clear sign of her augmentation, tells Huang the good news and reveals that the Cardassian government considers Huang a hero for killing Morag. Huang, amazed by his turn of fortune, isn't quite sure what to think, and notifies Rachel that he plans to transition formally and will (with the permission of Eriksson) adopt the name of his Prime doppelganger, Huang Shou-Hui. Rachel is supportive and informs Huang of Starfleet regulations pertaining to gender transition and reassignment surgery. Huang thanks her, glad that he's finally found something resembling stability.

Rachel, exhausted and slowly re-growing her skin, settles down for bed with Ensign Valen. She realizes that she hasn't just recovered from hitting rock bottom, she's actually growing as a person, an officer, and a leader, which makes her hopeful for the future.

Memorable quotes

"“You will not take us, Federation puppet!” Morag’s one good eye is bloodshot, and he looks pale and thin. “Ten thousand heroes of ages past will march alongside every patriot of the true Cardassian Empire who gives his life for State and Race! Any harm you do to us will be revisited a thousandfold upon you, your children, and your children’s children! The Federation will rue the day they attempted to subjugate the will of Cardassia. We will ask for no quarter. We will never surrender. Even if you make us all martyrs today, we will leave your corpses to freeze in the cold depths of space, and our never-ending sacrifice will inspire a hundred generations to rise up against the pathetic puppetry of Earth. Death to the enemies of the Cardassian State! Death to the enemies of the Cardassian Race!” "

— "Supreme Legate" Kerim Morag

"“Fucking Command political bullshit, let me tell you,” I grouse to the boys over my bowl of gagh. K’tar grimaces as I take a bite; he hates the stuff, born and raised on kale chips, the poor bastard. “I’ve got half a mind to hop on a shuttle back to Earth, find Admiral Chakotay, and ram his culturally-appropriating medicine bundle up his hippie asshole.”

“Pretty sure that’s worth a court-martial,” Lamont notes dryly.

“Yeah, well, they let Kirk off for stealing the Enterprise, didn’t they?”

“They demoted his cowboy ass for that,” Luiz reminds me. "

— Rachel Connor, Andrew Lamont, and Jose Luiz

"Dantius snorts at Martinez’s comment. “Yeah, well, it’s a bit ridiculous. Mom was on this ‘baby osmosis’ kick, it’s this pop-psych thing where they say if you go do stuff while pregnant the fetus’ll pick it up. So she was visiting Angkor Wat to try to pre-educate me in cultural stuff, then her water broke in the refreshments line. I came out while the medics were trying to figure out if she could be safely transported for medevac.” "

— Anh-Le Dantius, relating the tale of her unusual birth.

External links

Live, not Survive at Archive Of Our Own.