The BLTS Archive- Shut Down the Sun
#2: Rear View Mirror
by Quoth (qtheraven@geocities.com)

---

Archive: Yes to ASC. All others please ask.

Paramount owns Star Trek: TNG and all characters mentioned herein,
except Admiral Reshan Elbrun, whom I invented. '1984' is a reference
to George Orwell's book of the same name. 'Ghemon' is a Betazoid
insult I invented.

This is the second story in the "Shut Down the Sun" series, and
contains noneroticized descriptions of rape. If you are underage or
sensitive to this material (I sincerely hope, not through personal
experience,) please save yourself the distress.

---
"But it was long ago and it was far away, oh and it seems so very far,
And if life is just a highway then the soul is just a car,
And objects in the rear view mirror may appear closer than they are,
And objects in the rear view mirror may appear closer than they are."

Meat Loaf, "Objects in the Rear View Mirror May Appear Closer than
They Are"
---

Data sighed deeply as he entered his quarters. It had been a difficult
day. First there had been his regular duties, then had come his
compulsory counselling session with Deanna Troi.

Again.

Still, he had to admit that it was comforting talking to someone who
knew what had happened. For the most part, the crew thought that the
Borg had merely captured him, and attempted unsuccessfully to
assimilate him. Only the captain, the counsellor, Doctor Crusher and
Geordi knew the full extent of what She had done to him, and while he
preferred it that way, it did make things a little difficult for him
when others unnerved him by coming too close or, worse, touching him.

And then, of course, there had been his interview with Admiral Reshan
Elbrun. That had been a most unpleasant experience that had completely
eradicated any sense of comfort Deanna had created within him.

The admiral was a Betazoid, and in fact was the grandfather of extra
powerful telepath Tam Elbrun, whose whereabouts were now unknown. He
had been assigned to the Enterprise in order to investigate the Borg
takeover of the ship. In the case of such a hostile enemy taking
control of the flagship, Starfleet was not content to leave an
investigation in the hands of anyone less. Although Data understood
intellectually the necessity of such an investigation, he was not
happy with the choice of personnel Starfleet had made. Another admiral
-- any other admiral -- would have been preferable. Indeed, Alynna
Nechayev would have been preferable.

Data had seen many leadership types during his long tenure in
Starfleet, and he had experienced the bullying type applied to him
often enough to know it when he saw it. Where his grandson had been
compassionate, if unstable, the admiral revelled in his personal
power.

In the first five seconds after making the admiral's acquaintance,
this was made quite obvious as he told all the senior officers without
preamble when he would interview them. The captain, naturally, had
been first, and as the second officer, Data had been third. He had
recognised signs of extreme hostility and hatred in Elbrun's stance
and tone of voice, which seemed to be directed towards the crew in
general and Data in particular. Data had no idea why, unless it was
because he was an android, but if he had entertained any doubts about
its existence, they were dispelled after his interview with Elbrun.

The admiral had moved around the room, had leaned over his shoulder
and hissed allegations angrily into golden ears, had come back to face
the android and bent right over into Data's face as he demanded
answers to impossible questions. His eyes had bored into Data's as he
asked his questions, and Data began to feel like the lowest lifeform
alive. When the questions had come to exactly how Data had distracted
and tricked the Borg Queen, things had taken a distinctly nasty turn.

In a voice that was not quite steady, he described what he had been
forced by lack of choice to permit the Queen to do to him, not daring
to look at the Admiral's face. Elbrun's razor sharp voice sliced
through his narrative more than once, demanding specifics, not
allowing him to ignore or euphemise any detail, however small. At the
end of the narrative, Data took a deep breath, staring resolutely at
his black leather shoes, feeling Elbrun's sneer on him.

"Why Commander, how *very* brave. The enemy offers you what you have,
according to your files, been striving for all your life, plus some
sexual pleasure. And you, fine, upstanding officer that you are,
reject the idea after *only* 0.68 seconds, and decide to just *endure*
it as best you can. Purely out of loyalty to Starfleet, of course. And
let's face it, that insignificant little Starfleet law that makes
consenting to sleeping with the enemy a criminal offence is *so* old
fashioned. I guess it simply isn't worth considering anymore."

Data's head jerked up at that, but Elbrun gave him no chance to
protest. "This interview is over. I will draw my own conclusions from
it and present the said conclusions to Starfleet Command. Dismissed."

Data had stood from his chair and left the room without a word. Now he
understood why both the captain and Commander Riker had left their
interviews with faces like thunderclouds. Geordi, Doctor Crusher and
Counsellor Troi were still to be interviewed. Each of them taken one
look at his face and tried to talk with him, but a roar from the
admiral's quarters as he summoned Geordi into the room informed them
that interviewees were not to talk with those already interviewed.
Deanna had flashed him a look and informed him that they would talk
tomorrow, then he had quickly left for his quarters, badly shaken.

On the way, he had encountered Commander Riker, who seemed to be as
furious as Data was distressed. Catching the tight, drawn look on the
android's face, the first officer had concernedly called him over for
a short word of encouragement.

"From the looks of you, I take it he used the '1984' approach on you
as well?" At Data's silent nod, Will sighed. "Don't let him get to
you, Data, although I'm sure you caught it worse than I did. And I
know I caught it pretty badly, though not as badly as the captain."

Data raised a quizzical eyebrow. Riker humphed in exasperation. "Oh,
apparently I endangered history by helping Cochrane to make his
flight." He rolled his eyes. "Commander," and his voice took on a
surprisingly good imitation of the admiral's barbed sarcasm, "did you
even stop to consider the damage you have now caused history by
becoming Cochrane's assistant on the first warp run instead of
Professor Lily Sloane?" The first officer shook his head. "Yes, I
thought of it, Data! I also thought about the fact that there wouldn't
have been a future to go back to if Geordi and I hadn't done something
about Cochrane! The man was going to give up on warp entirely!"

"The admiral is certainly not an ideal investigator for this case,"
Data commented wryly. "He seems to have already come to a decision on
our guilt, and if the facts are inconvenient, he simply ignores them."

"You're not kidding. Well, he's going to bring us to court-martial,
that much is a safe bet. I sure hope he slips up, like Admiral Satie
did. Then maybe the brass will see reason, rather than just his point
of view."

And with that, Riker strode impatiently down the corridor, trying to
work off his bad mood.

Once Data finally entered his quarters, he fed Spot, then sat on the
couch. He did not object when Spot leapt upon his lap and demanded to
be petted. Smiling, he stroked his pet, finding a measure of comfort
in the deep purr emerging from a ginger throat. Eventually, Spot was
lulled asleep by the repetitive strokes, and Data leaned back on the
couch, letting his eyes drift closed as he activated his dream
program. A calm vision of a cool autumn evening on Naren III took him,
and all unpleasantness was forgotten.

---

He was jerked roughly out of his peaceful dream a few hours later by
the insistent signalling of the door.

"Commander, let me in!" a harsh voice demanded.

What did the Admiral want here? Data quickly sat up as he called,
"Enter". Spot yowled angrily at being spilled off her comfortable
sleeping place and streaked huffily into the next room as the Admiral
entered, a sour look on his face. Apprehension flooded Data's neural
pathways.

"What is it, Admiral? Can I help you?" he asked carefully.

Elbrun snorted, and a smile tinged with anticipation and malice
flickered at the corner of his lips. Something inside Data sickened
upon seeing that smile. It reminded him too much of -- no, do not
think of that...

"Perhaps the more important question, Commander, is "can *I* help
*you*?" And I can, if you can convince me to."

"What do you mean?" Data shifted his weight from one foot to the other
uneasily. Elbrun's gaze was moving appraisingly over him in a manner
that terrified him, yet he could not bring himself to protest. 

"Commander, are you aware that my grandson was on this ship's
predecessor some years ago?"

Data nodded. "Tam. Yes, sir."

"Are you also aware," and the razor sarcasm in his voice made Data
shudder involuntarily, "that my grandson went on a first contact
mission from this ship and never came back?" A chuckle forced its way
out of Elbrun's throat. "Why, of course you would, how foolish of me.
I'd forgotten that you had accompanied him on that mission. Tell me,
Commander, why is it that you returned and he did not? I read the
report, but I found it quite... lacking in detail."

Data took a deep breath. Elbrun's gaze was burning into his as he
replied unsteadily. "Tam chose to remain with the Gomtuu entity, sir.
The entity sent me back to the Enterprise once the star collapsed, but
it did not return Tam. I believe your grandson was quite happy with
the outcome."

"Really?" The soft whisper echoed in Data's ears. "Well, I was not
very happy with the outcome, Commander. I was not happy that a
Starfleet officer returned from a mission that a civilian consultant
did not. But then, you and the rest of this bridge crew are accustomed
to performing unsatisfactorily, are you not?"    

Data looked bewildered. Elbrun smirked and began to elaborate.

"Commander, I have gone over the interviews given to me by the various
bridge crew members, and I must say that I, personally, find them
extremely unsatisfactory, and indicative of conduct far unbecoming to
a Starfleet officer. How disappointing." He frowned insincerely, and
began to stride possessively around the room, casually studying the
paintings on the walls and easel, picking up the occasional small
knickknack and casting a critical eye over them.

"Unsatisfactory?" Data turned to keep watch on this man. His danger
programs were screaming warnings at him, but he somehow knew that to
run would make things much worse.

"Yes. The captain, for instance. I am truly disappointed in his
performance, as will be Starfleet when I present my report. Despite
the situation, he refused constantly to destroy the ship. When a ship
is taken over by a hostile in such a manner, destruct sequences are
standard procedure, yet Captain Picard failed to initiate such
measures, preferring instead to use battle tactics which cost several
crewmembers their lives through assimilation. For a man of his rank
and experience, this is most unexpected and disappointing behaviour.
Not to mention the fact that he revealed future technology to a twenty
first century woman, Professor Sloane."

"Admiral--"

"And then there is the almost criminal irresponsibility of Chief
Engineer LaForge. His behaviour during this crisis was completely
unacceptable, and his liability is not only due to his interference
with Cochrane's flight. Despite irregularities in the ship's systems
first presenting themselves in Main Engineering, LaForge chose to
accompany the away team down to the planet, leaving Engineering in the
hands of less experienced officers. If he had been where he belonged
during this whole mess, a difference may well have been made in the
eventual outcome."

Data was stunned. Surely the Admiral could not be serious... but
Elbrun had already resumed talking.

"Commander Riker, along with Lieutenant Commander LaForge, knowingly
interfered with Cochrane's flight, and informed Cochrane of the
future. Commander Troi acted with extremely unprofessional conduct by
allowing herself to become intoxicated and recommending the violation
of the Prime Directive. Doctor Crusher was lax in allowing Professor
Sloane to slip away from the sickbay group and wander around the
twenty fourth century technology of the ship. All in all, Commander,
your crewmates have, by their own admission, displayed conduct
blatantly unsuitable for Starfleet officers. And, of course, there are
your own... indiscretions." The admiral laced that one word with such
broad innuendo that Data winced.

"To sum up, Commander, Starfleet is not going to cast a favourable eye
on this situation. Not if I give the facts as they now stand, however.
The question is, will I give those facts?" He started to walk towards
Data, a slow, measured stride that had Data backing off, his words
calculated and deliberate. "I *could* be convinced to forget these
facts for the sake of your crewmates' careers, if certain --
persuasions -- were applied..."

Data gasped and flinched as the unspoken message struck home.
"Admiral, I--"

"Oh, come now." The dangerously soft tone never changed as Elbrun
started to back Data towards the wall. The android hit the wall and
looked frantically around for an escape... but there was none and
still the admiral continued, planting his hands calmly on Data's
shoulders and pushing him further back into the bulkhead. "I would not
have expected such selfishness, not from such a noble officer. After
all," and the sweet slice of the razor returned to Elbrun's voice, "by
your own testimony, you have only recently sacrificed your virtue once
already, for the sake of your crewmates' lives. I would not have
thought you would have baulked at saving their careers, not to mention
your own."

Data turned his head and closed his eyes, his whole body shaking with
fear. This could not be happening, not again, not so soon--

"But, if you don't mind the thought of seeing your captain and your
friends all get busted in rank down to ensign, if not dishonourably
discharged, knowing all the time that you could have stopped it just
by not disagreeing with your superior officer, well," Elbrun said
silkily, "then that's just the way things are. There's nothing more to
be said. Of course, I imagine LaForge will take the loss of his
upcoming promotion quite hard, but then, such is life."

Data's eyes snapped open at that, and he stared blankly off into
space, a sick feeling churning within him. He knew at that moment that
he would give in, that he would allow the admiral to do as he wanted.
He could not permit his friends to be unjustly punished by this
powerful yet unbalanced man.

Admiral Elbrun sensed the despair and resignation in the android's
mind, and he congratulated himself inwardly. He had chosen his prey
and tactics well, and after seven years his grandson would be avenged.
Not all at once, of course, but in large part tonight...

"Now, what will it be, Commander?" he said cheerfully, pretending he
did not know which decision had been made.

Data reluctantly brought his eyes back to Elbrun's face, and shuddered
helplessly at the maniacal gleam in the Betazoid's eyes. Elbrun
smiled, his face taking on an unearthly triumph. "Good boy. Now, strip
off."

Data stood paralysed for a moment, frozen with terror. After a second,
his trembling hands slowly reached up for the closure of his uniform
top. The admiral looked on impassively as Data removed his clothes,
burning bright gold with humiliation. Finally naked, he stared down at
the floor, unable to bear Elbrun's appraising, malicious gaze.

"On your knees." Data bit his lip, but obeyed the command, kneeling in
front of the Betazoid admiral. The admiral released the closure of his
trousers and let them fall to his ankles.

"I assume you know what to do. Do it." The admiral nearly laughed out
loud as Data swallowed and took a deep breath before leaning slightly
forward and beginning as instructed. He had known that finally meting
out the penalty Tam's disappearance deserved would be pleasant, but
he'd had no idea how truly intoxicating it would be. He'd have to make
sure his shields were strong enough to keep the half-breed Troi girl
from noticing.

He grabbed a fistful of Data's hair and forced himself further down
the soft throat, ignoring the choke that followed. Androids don't need
to breathe, after all, he reminded himself, and he needn't practice
restraint. The android would survive for the second part of his
punishment for abandoning Tam.

He saw no need to drag this out, so when his body demanded release, he
finished himself off and shoved the android away.

Data choked convulsively as Elbrun's semen filled his mouth. His body
wracked with silent coughs, he turned his head to the side to spit it
out, but found the admiral's hand gripping his chin, yanking his face
up and forward.

"Swallow it." Not daring to disobey, Data forced himself to swallow
the thick liquid, though he would rather have done anything else. This
was just a small extra touch of humiliation in itself, but it somehow
made this whole nightmare so much worse...

The admiral stroked himself with satisfaction, chuckling and hardening
up again at the defeated, distressed look on the android's face. He
had seen it often enough on Tam's face, when the little boy would give
up the attempt to raise his shields after hours of trying, and
resigned himself to yet another day of hearing everybody's thoughts.
It had been a heartbreaking thing to sense. And now he was sensing the
exact same emotions now in Tam's deserter. Sometimes delayed justice,
he reflected, is the sweetest. The disgraceful conduct of the
Enterprise command crew during this whole Borg disaster had
unexpectedly dropped the chance for punishing them directly into his
lap.

He caught hold of Data's upper arm in a vicelike grip and shoved him
onto the carpet, facedown. Roughly pushing the slender golden legs
apart, he forced his way inside the android's passage and began to
thrust hard, making no attempt to ease his actions in any way.

Data wanted desperately to activate his dream program, anything to
block his awareness of what was happening, but he dared not. The
admiral may demand something of him while he was unconscious, and he
could not risk that. It would do his friends a great deal of harm and
would make all this pointless.

It seemed at one stage it would continue forever, but eventually it
ended. With a grunt, the admiral expelled himself into Data, then
stood, pulling his trousers back on. Data lay there for a moment, then
pushed himself to his hands and knees, looking dazed and numb.

"Excellent, Commander. You may very well have changed my mind
regarding the culpability of your crewmates. We will see at the
court-martial, shan't we?" And, gracing Data with a beatific smile, he
left the android's Spartan quarters.

Data remained very still after the admiral had left, until his
sensitive android hearing could no longer detect the receding muffled
footfalls. Then he leapt up and sprinted desperately for the shower.
Triggering the streams of water, he scrubbed his body hard, washing
himself over and over, wide eyed in silent distress.

---

"All rise," announced Admiral Nechayev.

Those currently in the court stood. The bridge crew of the Enterprise,
along with a newly-arrived Worf from Deep Space Nine, were standing in
the dock, while a panel of Admirals from Starfleet Command had
previously been seated at a long, slim table, not unlike that in the
Enterprise's conference lounge.

"Admiral Nechayev, would you please read the charges laid against
these officers and the verdicts of this court, please," ordered
Marshal Yeht'raevin, the Chief in Command of Starfleet, as all present
sat back down. The Federation took charges of this magnitude against
the bridge crew of the flagship very seriously.

Data shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Deanna shot a sharp glance his
way. She had been seriously concerned about his state of mind the last
few days. He had become evasive and withdrawn very suddenly, after his
interview with that *ghemon* Admiral Elbrun. While he had attacked
them all on their conduct, more or less, the admiral had seemed to
have an especial dislike for Data. Perhaps he saw Data as a traitor
rather than as a victim of sexual assault. In any case, something he
must have said had thrown Data's recovery off, and badly. Geordi, Will
and Beverly had all noticed it as well, but their concerned questions
had received no better results then her own.

Admiral Nechayev cleared her throat and began to read from her PADD,
keeping her voice level and unemotional.

"Captain Jean-Luc Picard. On the charge of breaking the Prime
Directive as related to Professor Lily Sloane, this court finds you
innocent due to extenuating circumstances. No punishment. On the
charge of reckless endangerment of Starfleet personnel and property,
this court finds you not responsible, since your actions resulted in
the eventual safety and recovery of the Enterprise. No punishment."

Picard shifted uncomfortably in his seat. [Data had more to do with
that than I,] he thought. [What was it Deanna was saying yesterday
about Data? Something about not coping well... I'll have to talk with
him about that. Assimilation is something no one can understand, not
even Deanna, unless it's happened to them...]

"Commander William T. Riker. On the charge of knowingly breaking the
Prime Directive, this court finds you innocent due to extenuating
circumstances. No punishment." Will showed no outward sign of emotion,
but inwardly he was surprised and relieved. [Seems like they saw what
a crank that Elbrun is after all.]

"Lieutenant Commander LaForge, on the same charge, this court finds
you innocent due to extenuating circumstances. No punishment. On the
charge of neglect of duty, this court finds you not guilty." Geordi
sighed softly in relief. He hadn't exactly worried about the prospect
of losing his promotion, but it *was* nice to know that he wasn't
going to lose it after all.

"Commander Deanna Troi. On the charge of conduct unbecoming an
officer, this court finds you not guilty." Deanna inclined her head
gracefully.

"Commander Beverly Crusher. On the charge of allowing a human under
the Prime Directive to have access to modern technology, the court
finds you innocent due to extenuating circumstance." Beverly tossed
her head slightly. She thought this whole damn court case was
absolutely ridiculous.

Data sighed in relief. Elbrun had kept his promise after all-- Data
had seriously doubted it over the past few days.

"Lieutenant Commander Data. On the charge of consenting to sexual
activity with the enemy, this court finds you guilty." A stunned
silence reigned in the dock for one second, then pandemonium ensued as
the entire bridge crew, with the exception of Data, broke into
outraged exclamation as Elbrun sat and smirked with satisfaction.

"SILENCE! You are out of order!" yelled Nechayev at the top of her
surprisingly strong lungs. When the bridge crew were finally
quietened, she continued. "This offence is generally punishable by
dishonourable discharge. Given your record, this court had originally
decided to be lenient, and alter this to demotion to the rank of
Ensign. However, added to this is the charge of deliberate obstruction
of a Starfleet investigation. According to the testimony of Admiral
Elbrun, you consistently refused to answer his questions and otherwise
actively attempted to hamper his investigation. Any inclination the
court had to be lenient was waived. The punishment is dishonourable
discharge."

"Lieutenant Commander Worf--"

But the shouting from the docks had again drowned her out. "Your
Honour," called Picard angrily, "As Commander Data's superior officer
I immediately lodge an appeal on his behalf."

"No way!" shouted Geordi at the same time. "Data had no choice--"

"This is completely unfair!" stormed Beverly. "You cannot possibly--"

"Commander Data conducted himself with great courage," snarled Worf,
"sacrificing his honour to save his shipmates. I will not allow you to
punish such bravery--"

"Admiral," Deanna snapped indignantly, "I believe that this court
should consider that Data is emotionally fragile at the moment and
vulnerable to aggressive styles of questioning such as that used by
Admiral Elbrun--"

"ENOUGH!" shouted Yeht'raevin. "This sentence has been passed given
the testimonies of Commander Data himself and Admiral Elbrun--"

"With all due respect, sir, Admiral Elbrun is an idiot!" yelled Riker.

During all the racket, Data had not moved one centimetre. His gaze was
locked on the ground, and he was mildly surprised to realise that he
felt nothing.

Nothing at all.

---

He heard the door signal just as he was packing away his final lot of
belongings. "Enter," he called.

The doors hissed open to admit Geordi. Data managed to conjure up a
smile. "Hello, Geordi. How are you?"

Geordi sighed. "I'm fine, Data. But I'll be a whole lot better when we
get this all sorted out." Noticing what Data was doing, and the plain
civilian clothes he wore, the engineer quickly said, "You don't need
to do that. The captain's contesting Admiral Elbrun as we speak. We'll
get you reinstated. It's just a matter of time."

Data couldn't prevent a wry smile from lifting a corner of his mouth.
"I doubt that the captain will be able to do much about this, Geordi.
Do not worry about it. I will find somewhere to go."

"But it isn't fair. Elbrun singled you out for some reason. Why you?
Why didn't he go after the rest of us?"

Data swallowed. "Perhaps he intended to," he said, and try as he
might, he could not stop his voice from shaking a little. "Perhaps he
just-- changed his mind." Inwardly he cursed-- he had tried to sound
dismissive, but instead he had made the possibility sound too
plausible.

Geordi was quick to pick up on the unsteadiness. "What the-- Data, are
you saying that he went after us all, and you convinced him to make
you the scapegoat?"

Data kept his face absolutely still. "I said nothing of the sort. And
neither will you say anything to the captain. Understood?"

"Data--"

"Geordi," Data said desperately, "please, do not say anything. You
must not."

"Why?" demanded Geordi stubbornly. "You're hiding something. What is
it? I mean, anyone with half a brain could tell it's upsetting you.
You can tell me. It's something to do with Elbrun and the
court-martial, right?"

"Yes," Data admitted. That much was painfully obvious anyway, he knew.


"So what is it?" Geordi insisted. He was starting to really worry.
What was wrong? [I don't know what's happening, but I'm going to find
out. He needs help. I have to help him.]

Data stood rooted to the spot for a moment, undecided. Inside him was
a mixture of guilt, disgust, self-hatred, anger, a sense of betrayal,
and a sense of duty.

Would his friends understand, as they had with Her, or would they be
disgusted with him this time?

Could he risk admitting the truth, even now that his friends were safe
from Elbrun?

Would Elbrun try this again on someone else too cowed to refuse? That
thought alone made his decision for him.

Geordi came up to Data slowly. He was worried sick about Data's recent
behaviour. Far from recovering from his experience with the Borg, he
had recently gotten much worse. He'd become a virtual recluse, seeing
no one he didn't absolutely have to. According to the water usage
monitors in Supplies, he'd suddenly become a shower freak in the past
week. And now, he seemed almost in a trance.

Carefully, watching Data for any signs of a bad reaction, Geordi
touched Data on the arm.

Data gasped and jumped, coming out of his reverie. Geordi immediately
backed off and apologised as Data's eyes focussed again.

"I'm sorry, Data, I just wasn't sure if you were okay," Geordi said
gently. "You blanked out for a second. I know you don't like people
touching you unexpectedly, because of... well, you know... what she
did, but--"

"Not... just... Her." Data forced the words out. He knew that in
accusing Admiral Elbrun of this, things would become very ugly, very
quickly.

"Huh?" Geordi looked at him confusedly.

Data took a deep breath. "You had better sit down, Geordi," he said
quietly, pressing his hands to his face. "This is not going to be
pleasant for you to hear."

---

The End