AN: Due to people not knowing what an ascension class looks like, amongst a number of other reasons, I decided to change the body type of the ship to a Prometheus class. Only it's much bigger then the 415 meters in cannon. The ships details will be explained in the story, but not until chapter 14. To see what the ship looks like Google images 'star trek Promethus class'. It's the ship with the 4 nacells.

Chapter 04

"What do you mean, you bought an island?" Buffy asked.

They were just entering the library, three days after their face-off with Spike, and were about to beam up to the ship, to watch the rest of the holo-drama series. They had spent the morning with Angel in the library, waiting for Eyghon, who finally sowed up in a body none of them recognized. Angel quickly strangled the corpse, until the demon jumped into him, only to be defeated by Angel's inner monster.

"I mean, I bought an island." Xander admitted, "It's fourteen acres, in the San Francisco Bay. Artificial. It's where I'm going to have the Starfleet Academy built."

"You realize that we can't call it Starfleet." Willow pointed out, "People will think we're just Star Trek nuts, and probably get sued by... whoever owns Star Trek. We'll have to call it 'The Air and Space Academy', or something."

"We'll come up with a good name." Xander reassured her. "Hey, Giles, any luck?"

Cordelia and Oz were sitting at the table with piles of books in front of them.

"None, I'm afraid. We've gone through every magic book I have access to, and there's no way I can see to reverse the spell. Perhaps If I had Ethan here, then he could work out what he did, and fix it." He turned to Cordelia and Oz, "I'm sorry."

"It's cool." Oz said, calm as always.

"You know what, it's alright." Cordelia added, "I've gotten used to these powers. Having Emma Frost in my head has changed me, I feel more mature, more serious."

"I um... I have noticed a change, Miss Chase." Giles commented.

"You aren't the only one." Xander commented, "I feel a lot more mature, as well. I've got the mind of a Starfleet captain in my head."

"I have noticed that you haven't called me by that infernal nickname since Halloween." Giles commented.

"G-man?" Xander clarified, "I used to use it just to annoy you. Now I just think it's disrespectful. You know, I should be bothered by that, the changes in me, but I just can't seem to be."

"Looking back, I know that I used to be a California girl... and kind of a ditz." Buffy added, "But not anymore."

They looked to Willow who grinned, "I was already mature."

Xander blew a raspbery at her, before turning to Cordelia,

"So Cordy, you going to take my job offer?"

"To be the ships councilor?" She seemed to think about it for a minute, "Alright."

"Good, I can use your gifts if we end up meeting any other races out there. As for you Oz, I'm thinking Science officer, or maybe Engineer, what with your knowledge of technology."

"Cool." Oz said, nodding.

"We're still in need of a Chief of Navigation, and a Chief Tactical Officer, but they will hold out until we get more people trained."

Suddenly a voice came from his com-badge. "Data to Captain Harris."

Xander tapped his badge. "Go ahead, Data."

"Sir, I caught Petty officer Mears removing parts from the auxiliary transporter on deck twenty one."

Xander sighed heavily, before turning to the cheerleader in the room. "Cordy, you mind coming up with me, and scan his mind to see what Mears was doing?"

"Sure, I guess it is my job, isn't it." She replied. She stood and joined them in the open area of the library, past the table.

Xander tapped his com-badge. "Phoenix, four to beam up."

A moment later they were on the ship. Data was waiting for them by the transporter pad on deck nine.

"Report Commander." Xander ordered as he stepped off the pad.

"I was doing routine scans of the ship, when I noticed someone in transporter room four. With such minimal numbers aboard the ship, it stood out. I decided to check it out in person. When I arrived, I noticed Chief Petty Officer Mears slipping parts from the transporter into his pocket. I asked him what he was doing. He denied any wrong doing, so I stunned him with my phaser, and transported him to the brig, then contacted you."

"Thank you, Mister Data, well done." They rode the Hypertrain to the aft of the ship. They were soon on the deck with the brig, deck 33. Upon entering, Xander noticed that Warren Mears was pacing inside the cell, looking very angry. He spun when he noticed them enter.

"Xander, what the hell? That bucket of bolts shot me, and locked me up! For no reason."

Xander looked to Cordelia. "Cordy?"

She stared at Mears for a moment. "He stole parts to copyright and sell."

"Fine, Mister Data, your sidearm?"

Data passed it over to him. He adjusted the settings so it stunned for a longer amount of time, before dropping the force field on the brig cell.

"Hey, what are you-" Warren began, before Xander fired, hitting him, dropping him unconscious.

"Thank you, Data." Xander said, handing the phaser back. "Please take Mister Mears to sickbay, and instruct the EMH to adjust his memory engrams to erase all knowledge of this ship."

"Aye sir."

"Are you sure about this?" Buffy asked.

"I have to be. I'm in charge, and I have to make the tough decisions."

Data picked up Warren and walked away. Xander left his friends to go to the holodeck, and headed for the bridge. He needed to know if Mears had snuck any other technology off the ship.

Soon, Data rejoined him on the bridge. "Mister Data, I need you to run a comprehensive scan of Sunnydale, and any other location that Mister Mears has beamed to, for any Federation technology that he may have removed from this ship."

"Yes sir." Data replied, taking up the Ops station near the rear of the bridge. "I'll need to check the transport logs, for any locations that he might have gone to."

He tapped on the console for a moment before speaking again. "It will take three hours, fourteen minutes."

"Thank you, Commander." Xander said.

He tapped his com-badge, "Harris to Ensigns Wells and Levinson."

"We're here, Captain."

"I'd like to meet with both of you in my ready room."

"We'll be right there, sir."

Xander entered the ready room, off the bridge. A minute later, the two boys joined him.

"Gentlemen. Chief Petty Officer Mears was caught stealing technology from the ship in an attempt to sell it on the surface below. I am having the doctor erase his memory engrams so he doesn't remember the ship or it's crew. You two however are his friends, so I am offering you the choice to stay aboard, or leave the crew and join Mister Mears on the surface. What is it you wish to do?"

Andrew looked at Johnathan, and they both nodded before replying. "We'd like to stay aboard."

"This is the first place I've felt like I had a purpose." Johnathan said.

"And besides," Andrew continued, "He's kind of a dick."

"He treats us like crap, and orders us around." Johnathan added.

"Yeah, we want to stay aboard, and explore the stars once we have a capable crew. How's that going, anyway, sir?" Andrew asked.

"The academy is under construction. I purchased a private island in San Francisco, where I'm having it built."

"Nice."

"How's your transporter training coming along, Mister Levinson. It appears that we'll need you at that station after all."

"It's coming along well, sir. I'm working hard." Johnathan answered.

"Alright, gentlemen, you are dismissed." The two ensigns left, and Xander leaned back in his chair, deep in thought. Minutes later, his com-badge activated, "Willow calling Xander, come in please."

Xander tapped his badge, "Xander here."

"Xander, Giles and Oz are here at holodeck two, we just need you, then we can watch the Holo-drama episodes."

"Alright Wills, I'll be right there. Harris out." He entered the turbolift. "Deck Ten."

Minutes later, he joined his friends in Holodeck two. The next episode they watched was a two-parter, it involved a second slayer, named Kendra, and Spike trying to heal Drusilla.

"We've already changed this," Giles commented, "We prevented Spike from getting the book."

"Either way, I should warn Angel that they might try to kidnap him." Buffy said.

After that, they watched the episode titled, 'Ted' about a serial killer robot.

"We should capture him, put him in the brig." Willow commented, "I'd like to compare his workings to those of Commander Data."

Next was 'Bad Eggs.' "Mind controlling creatures. Hmm..." Xander commented, "Gotta start checking the basement for it."

"EMH to Captain Harris."

Xander tapped his com-badge, "Harris here."

"The synaptic reconstruction is complete. He's ready to be returned to the surface."

"Thank you, Doctor. We'll be right there. I have an idea."

Xander and Buffy headed for Sickbay, where they found Warren Mears still unconscious, strapped to a hover bed. The Doctor handed them a hypospray that would wake him up. Following Xander's idea, they pushed him to holodeck one, where Xander gave instructions to the computer, creating a holographic interior of a flying saucer, complete with little gray men. Buffy unstrapped him from the bed, then pressed the hypospray to his neck. One hiss later, and they hurried out of the holodeck leaving Warren inside. They gave him about thirty seconds to panic, then Xander tapped his com-badge.

"Transporter room, lock onto ex-petty officer Warren Mears in holodeck two, and beam him to an empty alley in Sunnydale."

"Aye sir." The holographic crewman said. A few seconds later, they reentered the holodeck, to find Warren gone.

"Computer, end program."

Xander tapped his com-badge. "Captain Harris to Commander Data."

"Data here, sir." He replied.

"Data, results on your search?"

"I have located a small cash of Federation technology in a shipping crate on the docks in Sunnydale California."

"Alright, Mister Data, I am with Lieutenant Summers, the two of us will meet you in transporter room one."

"Yes sir."

"Harris out." Xander tapped his badge, closing the connection. He was soon in the transporter room with Data and Buffy. Data entered the coordinates on the console, then joined his fellow officers on the transport pad.

Xander gave the command, "Energize."

They appeared in a shipping yard, surrounded by steel crates. Data pulled out his tricorder and began scanning, then pointed. "That way."

The two humans followed the android as he led. They were soon standing in front of a steel shipping crate with a large padlock on it.

"Well lookie what we have here." Came a voice from behind them. As one, they turned to see five vampires, game faces on, moving to surround them. "Dinner."

"Great, this just had to happen now." Buffy grumbled, while she pulled a stake out from the back of her Starfleet uniform. "You really don't know who I am, do you?"

"Yeah, you're our supper." One of the vamps declared.

"Supper." one of the others repeated, stupidly.

"Shut up, Steve." The leaded snapped.

"The vampire named Steve?" Xander asked. He pulled out his type-2 phaser, and adjusted it from the stun setting, to a kill setting. "I think level ten should do, Mister Data."

"You're toys won't work on us." The leader stated.

"Wanna find out?" Xander asked. The leader lunged at him, but Xander's trigger finger was faster, firing the phaser at him.

The vamp landed on his feet, looked down at the steaming hole in his chest, said 'Damn', before turning to dust. The others stared at what remained of the nameless leader.

"You killed Griffin." Cried one of the vampires. Okay, nameless no longer.

Buffy rolled her eyes, then lunged forward, punching the vampire that had spoken, while Data opened fire on the group of undead, killing two in the time that Xander fired once. Buffy staked the last vampire, and they were done, but then sudden movement made Xander turn and fire his phaser, before realizing what the movement was.

Warren Mears had stepped out from between two shipping crates during the fight, and Xander's phaser beam flew straight and true, hitting Warren in the chest. Before Xander could even react, the teenage tech thief fell over dead. Xander froze, realizing what he'd done. He'd killed a human being: he may have been a thief, but he was still an innocent human and Xander had killed him.

He hurriedly slapped his com-badge, dropping to his knees next to Mears' body. "Medical emergency!"

"I'm sorry, Xander, but he's dead." Buffy said, putting a hand on his shoulder. There was an obvious hole in his chest, where his heart was supposed to be.

A sob ripped it's way out of Xander's chest. Buffy hugged him tightly. "It was an accident."

She looked to Data. "Commander, please retrieve what we came here to get. I'm taking our Captain back to the ship."

She tapped her com-badge. "Two to beam up."