Chapter 2: Ghost Ship - Part 1

Buffy heard her door chime clearly, but she didn't respond to it. Lights played across her face. She sat at the desk in her quarters, watching a hologram simulate a three-dimension image of an old military vessel on a patch of blue ocean water. She barely recognized the ship that had plagued her dreams. She noticed a simple description of the vessel; Lenin Class, Soviet Aircraft Carrier.

Outside Angel stood as the door to Buffy's quarters chimed again. His ship the U.S.S. Sunnydale had received a priority distress call from one of his section's teams on a nearby planet. He remained on the Enterprise and sent his ship answer the distress call. He held in his hand a scythe, the same scythe that Faith had found centuries before, just before the final battle with the First Evil where Faith had given her life to save the world. Faith's final words to Angel as she died had been to make sure Buffy got the scythe.

"Computer," Angel said. "Security override, Summers, Admiral, Nine, Five, Alpha."

The doors swished open and Angel stepped into Buffy's quarters. "Buffy?" he said before he saw her sitting at the desk.

"Angel?" Buffy said as she looked up.

"I was worried about you," he said. He settled into the chair opposite her. "I didn't know you were a history buff." He nodded at the hologram. "Soviet, hmm that would place it about a little over ten years before your time jump."

Buffy tilted her head. "I've never seen this ship before."

"Dream?" Angel asked simply and Buffy nodded. He reached up and tapped his commbadge. "Angel to Dawn, report to Buffy's quarters."

"On my way," Dawn replied.

"Tell me about this dream," Angel said.

Buffy could tell that a change had just come over her old friend. Something she had noticed of Picard and Riker, the look of someone in command. She had to remember that she had jumped three hundred years into the future and that Angel in that time had to change with the times. "You know that Dawn and …"

"Are descended from the Tkon," Angel replied. "I read Captain Picard's report."

"I could hear their thoughts, but I couldn't make out what they were saying," Buffy said. "The names, I assume it was names, were none that I've ever heard."

"What names?" Angel asked.

Buffy drew the memory up. "There was Vasska, Arkady, Gork ... Gorsha ... I don't know. And I don't understand why I would hear names.."

"Have you asked the computer to trace the names?" Angel asked.

Buffy looked at the hologram and sighed. "Computer off," she said and the hologram disappeared. "You know how much I hate research."

Angel nodded; he did know. It had been in part why he had named Dawn as Buffy's watcher. He knew Dawn would be able to do the research for her sister. "Dawn will check then," he said.

Outside Dawn braked hard as she spotted someone in front of her. She would have sworn the corridor had been empty just moments before.

The man was big, he looked to be possible at least twice her age if not older. His eyes met hers, they didn't flicker away, but remained steadily focused. She saw that he wore a dark blue uniform and had a uniform cap tucked under his arm. The man's pale lips separated without moisture. His face worked as though to speak, but there was an invisible wall between them. There was no sound, no sensation of warmth-in fact there was now a distinct chill in the corridor. He lifted a hand toward Dawn, beckoning. Or perhaps asking-a gesture of entreaty-but then his handsome face crumpled, his brow knitting tightly, brackets of frustration forming on either side of his mouth. Then the man's form slowly turned gauzy, thinned, and disappeared.

Dawn stepped up to the door to Buffy's quarters. When the door chimed, she heard Angel's voice signaling for her to come in. As the doors parted for her she stepped inside. "I assume what I just saw in the corridor is why I'm here," she said as Buffy and Angel looked at her perplexed. "I saw a man outside in the corridor that disappeared a moment later."

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

The turboliift at the front of the bridge opened and Angel, Buffy and Dawn stepped out. Angel moved towards Picard, who could tell that Angel's face was troubled. "Admiral," he said.

"Captain," Angel said. "may we have a word with you?"

A second later Picard along with Angel, Buffy and Dawn were in Picard's ready room. They were telling Picard about Buffy's dream and what Dawn herself had seen in the corridor outside Buffy's quarters.

"Can you describe your perceptions more specifically?" Picard asked.

Buffy nodded once. "From what I am seeing is a historical period, possibly from around the time when I was a kid. It also seems that the Tkon telepathy that Dawn and I have acquired is expanding. I could sense some apprehension ... urgency ... resistance. I also get glimpses of violent destruction."

"Are we in danger?" Angel asked.

"That's what confuses me," Buffy said steadily. "While I see images of destruction, there seems to be no intent behind it, even though it's definitely the product of a mind and not natural phenomena. "

"That's reassuring, at least," Picard said. "Tell me what you're feeling in one word." He then realized that Buffy had very little experience with her burgeoning telepathy, she might not know how to articulate how this all felt.

Buffy didn't answer immediately as if proving Picard right. "Misery."

"Misery can be many things, Buffy," Picard said to Buffy.

Buffy nodded. "Yes," she agreed.

"Captain," Angel said, "Maybe we should see about this ship." Picard nodded and led them around his desk. "Computer, show me various military vessels from-when did you say?"

"Late eighties," Buffy replied.

"Nineteen-eighties," Angel elaborated. "Search for Soviet Union vessels."

On the screen, almost instantly, a 2-D image of the ship Buffy had been looking at earlier appeared.

Picard asked, "Is this the right ship?"

"Maybe," Buffy said.

"Cross check the following; Vasska or Gorsha, complete word unknown," Dawn said.

"This will take some time," Angel said. "Buffy, why don't you return to your quarters for now and get some rest. We'll let you know when we might find a match."

Buffy sighed and nodded as she left the ready room.

Just a week before Picard would have found this whole situation unbelievable, but since Angel's arrival he had to quickly come to believe it all. "Tell me again what you saw in the corridor," he said as he looked at Dawn.

"I wish I knew," Dawn said. "It looked as solid to me as you do now-he did, rather. He reached out to me with the strangest expression. "

"Captain, Dawn," Angel said. "Looks like we may have found it."

Dawn tapped her commbadge, "Dawn to Buffy, I know you probably just got back to your quarters. Will you come back. Looks like we found your phantom ship."

"On my way, Dawn," came Buffy's reply.