Rachel

Rachel is a Star Trek Online fanfic by Worffan101, set in the Bait and Switch 'verse. The finale of a trilogy, it follows Subject 87 and Rock Bottom.

Months after her torture and rape at the hands of Section 31 operative Ellen Shaw, Augment commando Lieutenant Rachel Connor is making uneven progress in her quest to recover emotionally from her ordeal. Meanwhile, Shaw's mental state decays further as Starfleet Intelligence closes in on Shaw and her Section 31 allies.

Summary:

Three days after Ellen Shaw's escape from a Starfleet ambush on Europa Nova (see Rock Bottom), Rachel Connor attempts to brute-force her recovery through repeated deliberate exposure to a holographic recreation of Shaw. Rachel believes that this is the best way to recover despite severe doubts from her squad and her girlfriend, Ensign Eleana Valen.

Rachel's MACO squad hijacks her would-be therapeutic fight by turning it into a more conventional therapy session, and help Rachel confront some of her internalized prejudices and insecurities by confessing their own insecurities, biases, and even potentially controversial political positions. Meanwhile, Captain Kanril Eleya is briefed on Ellen Shaw's escape and organizes an attempt to track Shaw's cybernetic implants and/or Section 31's likely attempt to copy Rachel to find Shaw, who will likely be on hand as her cybernetics make her a rare person able to take on Rachel one-on-one.

Ensign Valen coaxes Rachel to try an edited holo-simulation of the 22nd century starship Enterprise (inspired by Reimagined Enterprise; in Bait and Switch, the "canon" ENT was a notoriously inaccurate historical drama, due to Worffan101 and StarSword's distaste for the show's writing), designed to help Rachel confront her internal issues. Rachel is forced to confront her deep-seated fear of her augmentations affecting her behavior, and the fact that this simply isn't the case, and breaks down in her girlfriend's arms.

Meanwhile, Shaw receives a new cybernetic leg, to replace the one damaged by Petty Officer Luiz in Rock Bottom, and clashes with Section 31 Deputy Director (now Director) Jin Buhui, as well as Ferengi Section 31 operative Grell. Angered by personal clashes with Jin and (somewhat hypocritical) distaste for Jin's ruthless use and discarding of agents, Shaw begins to question her loyalties.

After two months of investigation, and therapy for Rachel, Starfleet Intelligence finally gets a solid lead on Shaw and the Section 31 base. Eleya organizes a raid with Captains Ghaz char Makal, Samara Ocett, and Pratal Mox, hoping that Rachel will recover soon due to tight time constraints and limited resources.

Rachel has, after months of work and support, finally made significant progress, and confronts her insecurities, rejecting them in an emotional dream sequence. Finally ending a therapy session without begging to be allowed back on duty, Rachel is approved for combat. She and her squad meet and bond with MACO unit 64, and its commander, Kimara t'Sehalien.

The Starfleet raid is completely unexpected and initially successful; Section 31 defenses collapse and Rachel, her squad, Unit 64, and regular boarding forces all land to raid the base and capture Shaw. However, Shaw organizes a response after incapacitating Director Jin in an argument gone physical, planning to escape the base and figure out a new job from there. The cyborg brutally and sadistically slaughters MACO unit 64, mocking several of the commandos and mutilating Xindi Petty Officer Ch'chrk Shresht by destroying his eyes, before killing them. Shaw's hubris bites her in the back, though, as t'Sehalien, maimed by having her legs destroyed and burned off by Shaw, sets off a high-yield neutronic bomb, killing Shaw's troops, seriously damaging the base, and severely disorienting Shaw, whose phaser and armor are rendered useless.

Shaw, the lone Section 31 operative left alive in her vicinity, attempts to leave for evacuation, while Rachel is separated from her squad, her own armor and phaser useless from damage. The two encounter each other in a damaged corridor, and Shaw attacks, attempting but only partially succeeding in triggering Rachel's pathological fear of her. Shaw still initially gains the upper hand, but Rachel falls back on her knowledge of her support network, and her augmentations allow her to turn the tide as she refuses to let Shaw's taunts affect her, dislocating Shaw's arms and severely damaging one of her legs, before ramming the cyborg's face into a damaged plasma conduit. Half of Shaw's face is instantly incinerated, and Rachel hauls her towards the evacuation point. Rachel is recovered by Starfleet forces and returns to the USS Bajor.

Rachel and Eleya both confront Shaw in the Brig; Eleya attempts to understand how Shaw fell from grace, but Shaw is unrepentantly selfish, arrogant, and hateful, leading the Bajoran to turn away in disgust. Rachel confronts her rapist, and quietly but firmly refuses to allow Shaw a moment's more power over her, threatening to kill Shaw on live broadcast if Shaw outs her as an augment. As Shaw shouts and fumes impotently in her cell, Rachel leaves, finally feeling free. Though she may suffer lingering trauma, she knows that this is a war that she has won.

Memorable quotes:

"“My mother named me Legolas,” Luiz rumbles.

“Eh, that’s not so…”

“Legolas Mary-Sue Moonchild.”

“…Alright, you win.” We all share a chuckle. "

— Petty Officer Jose Luiz (MACO 131) and Petty Officer Shakuntala Chunapregadda (MACO 64)

"Shaw’s scream is inhuman as the entire left side of her face, eye included, is burned away instantly. The skull seems to hold, but my hand’s beginning to crisp even with the chitin covering it, so I pull her back and throw her across the corridor. Shaw tries to rise with no good arms and her entire body consumed by pain, but fails, and she slumps to the ground with a groan.

“I’m not your fucking victim, you treacherous rapist bitch,” I snarl, and all she can offer in return is a weak whine as the little charred remains of the left side of her face smoke gently. "

— Rachel Connor, final confrontation with Ellen Shaw

"“Some people just want to watch it all burn,” I rasp. But it doesn’t make sense. That’s what augs want, right? Raving monsters that love to kill, love the blood and piss and screaming. They want to see people broken and bloody like I want to see Shaw, right? Superior ability, superior ambition.

“Some do,” Eleana allows. “Maybe one in ten thousand. That doesn’t justify blanket discrimination.” She reaches out gently, and the computer has the hologram let her touch it. “You were taught to hate and fear for more than a decade in your most vulnerable years. Khan was trained to kill. That can be overcome. How many baseline Humans, baseline people of any species have been born with mental health issues? How many people with mental health issues ever become dangers to society? So Khan-grade augments are predisposed to aggression. That’s one facet of a personality, a couple of loci in a genome with tens of thousands.”

She pats the hologram gently on the shoulder. “You’re not a monster. You shouldn’t fear yourself. All you need is to know yourself; everybody’s got a weakness, but we’re thinking creatures, we can work through our weaknesses.” She turns towards me as she says it, and it’s not just the hologram she’s talking to.

I open my mouth, but nothing comes out. My vision’s going blurry. Fuck. I don’t know what to say. "

— Ensign Eleana Valen and Lieutenant Rachel Connor

"“Just…” She bites her lip. “Be safe out there?”

“I can’t promise that,” I confess. “Not for my boys, not for the Fleet, not for you.”

“I don’t want you to be safe for me. I want you to be safe for you.” Her finger pokes me center-chest, her eyes hard and unflinching.

“I…” I lick my lips. “I’ll try.” It spills out before I can come up with something witty. "

— Eleana Valen and Rachel Connor

External links:

Rachel on Archive Of Our Own.