5.
U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701
Pike entered his office with La'an and Una in tow, both still shaken from their experience in the turbolift. As they came through the door he saw Doctor Summers, Doctor M'benga, Nurse Chapel, and a sour looking Captain Summers. As soon as the door closed behind the trio Dawn looked up, "Computer, security override; seal the doors and disengage all monitoring of this room. Authorization Summers 8-7 IWC Delta."
"Room sealed as secured per IWC guidelines."
"Captain," M'Benga began, "There is something you should know about our stowaway." Pike's brow creased, "Besides the good captain here turning him to dust with a wooden knife?" Buffy rolled her eyes and stormed to the front of the group, "He was a vampire. Surprise! They're real." She then turned back to her sister, "I am so not taking the blame for this when Willow finds out."
As if those words were a summoning spell an alert appeared on the screen in Pike's office "System override enabled. Incoming communication." The same admiral Pike had spoken with at the beginning of all this appeared on the screen. Buffy and Dawn looked nervously at each other before Buffy gathered the courage to speak, "Hey Wills." Pike could almost swear that the roots of her hair were darkening as she glared at the other women, "What the hell Buffy?" Buffy quickly pointed to Dawn, "It wasn't my idea."
Willow pinched the bridge of her nose and took a moment to calm herself. Again Pike could almost swear he saw the darkness recede from her hair, "You're the captain. It's your call, and really? The flagship? This might just be the most boneheaded reveal on your record. Only the most high profile ship in the fleet."
"Will, breath," Buffy said with a calming gesture, "I promise that there are extenuating circumstances."
Willow collected herself. "What are the circumstances, and they had better be good. My neck is on the line here."
M'benga stepped forward, "I'm Doctor Joseph M'benga, the Chief Medical officer of the Enterprise, and I may have forced their hand. I threatened to tell the captain. This was done as damage control." Willow looked at the man and Buffy could clearly see her oldest friend tapping on her console before her expression changed to one of sadness, "Charity Carpenter." M'benga nodded, "She was my great great great great great grandmother. Records have been passed down in my family. We were all very proud of what she did. Including those she worked with; in her words, 'Slayer General Buffy Summers, Watcher Extraordinaire Dawn Summers, and the most badass witch Willow Rosenberg'."
"I told you Will," Buffy said, "This wasn't a situation we ever predicted."
Pike was taken aback; these three people were the same people from two hundred or more years ago? Then he remembered their current plight. "Look I don't mean to cut this short, but we do have an unknown vessel coming in and the Enterprise is stranded for the next few hours at least."
Willow looked at Buffy, "Case X?"
Buffy nodded, "And something new, the Enterprise vamp was a Vulcan. I've never met a vamp who could stomach Vulcan blood long enough to drain them, let alone turn them." Willow nodded, "Well, this is disturbing. Captain Pike, Listen carefully to everything Captain and Doctor Summers are going to tell you. It's now their job to keep you alive. I will assign everyone in the room an emergency IWC code to contact us in the future. I have a feeling we'll need more eyes. I think they're spreading again."
Willow vanished from the screen and Buffy turned to look at the three stunned Enterprise crew members. "So, vampires are real, so are demons, werewolves, and various other supernatural beings you've only heard of in stories. Most planets have them of some variant or another. We're the division that works to keep all that in check so you guys get to do what you guys do, and I'm the slayer; any questions?"
La'an raised her hand like a child, "What's a slayer?"
"You're up watcher," Buffy said as she gestured toward Dawn. Dawn made sure to throw a bratty look at her sister, "Into each generation slayers are born. They will wield the strength and skill to stand against the vampires, demons, and forces of darkness. That's the quick version. Slayers have enhanced strength, stamina, healing; basic superhero package." La'an had an incredulous look on her face, "They're augments!" She saw everyone but M'benga and Chapel's heckles begin to rise so with a placating voice and gesture, "No, they're not. They're not genetically engineered. Slayers are born to normal families. They're chosen by the powers."
"So… not augments?" La'an asked suspiciously.
"Alright," Pike interceded, "We have an unknown ship coming in at high warp and it will be here in less than two hours. Hemmer says it'll be at least six until we have power to the engines or warp drive, so what do we do?" Buffy flipped out her communicator, "Summers to Sunnydale."
"Sunnydale, Hernandez here."
"Jace we have a problem."
"We know Caption, Case X. We've got weapons at the ready. We'll provide cover until the Enterprise can get underway. Watcher Code Omega on standby."
Buffy closed her eyes. She didn't even want to consider Code Omega, but she had no choice in the moment. "Understood Sunnydale; Summers out."
"Ok," Buffy said, "We need to get ready. Assuming we're just dealing with vamps; if you get boarded make sure your phasers are on full charge. Stun won't do anything but irritate them. If they get into grapple range the only ways to take them down are decapitation, wooden stake to the, and fire."
La'an looked at Buffy, "That's it?" Buffy shook her head, "Sunlight works too, but it's a pretty narrow UV band to hit. Dawn and I will head back to the Sunny dale to be ready."
"Computer," Dawn said, "Release security lockout Authorization Summers 8-7 IWC Delta."
"Command confirmed. Security reinitialized, doors unsealed."
U.S.S. Sunnydale NCC-626
Buffy and Dawn materialized back on the Sunnydale and went their separate ways. It was a small ship with a small crew, but Dawn went to make sure sickbay was in order in case it was needed. Buffy moved to the turbolift and a couple of seconds later emerged onto her small bridge. "Report," she said as she took her chair. Hernandez straightened up at his station next to the helmsman, "All systems ready captain. We're ready for a fight."
"Good," Buffy said as she leaned back in her captain's chair, "Letting the flagship be destroyed on my watch would look very bad on my report." Hernandez snorted, "Admiral Rosenberg would not be pleased." Buffy pointed at the man with mock indignation, "You leave the admiral out of it. She would flay me both figuratively and literally." With a chuckle her first officer fixed his attention on his console, "Aye Captain."
The minutes ticked by until the proximity sensors went off. "Unknown vessel entering firing range," Hernandez said as his hands flew across the controls. "Red Alert, on screen," Buffy ordered. A strange ship that appeared to be an amalgam of different ships cannibalized to fit together. "Captain," Hernandez said, "I'm reading Andorian, Starleet, Romulan, and Klingon signatures. It's massive and armed to the teeth." Buffy grimaced. This was not a good situation and with the Enterprise temporarily out of commission, she was in charge. "Hail them," she ordered with a small hope that maybe she could talk them out of this. "They're responding Captain," Hernandez.
An Andorian with yellow eyes, protruding brow and fangs appeared on the screen. "Slayer," she said as she took in Buffy. "I'm Captain Buffy Summers of the U.S.S. Sunnydale. Leave this area peacefully and we can both go about our days." The Andorian vampire laughed, "Have you gone soft Slayer? I think we will enjoy blowing you out of the stars before we take the Enterprise." With that the channel closed and the weapon ports began glowing.
"So much for that," Buffy said as she punched the arm of her chair, "Fire phasers."
Commander Hernandez hit the fire command and sparks began flying as consoles around the bridge began blowing out and took the light with them. "There was a failure in the EPS grid!" Hernandez shouted as he tried to get the weapons online to no avail. "Ivy!" Buffy commanded, "Put us between that ship and the Enterprise!"
Lieutenant Zh'Rhitrith hit her controls, "I have thrusters only!"
Buffy groaned, "Communications?" Hernandez nodded, "Get me the Enterprise!"
The view screen flickered on and the bridge of the Enterprise showed up also under Red alert, "Our weapons are gone Captain," Buffy said to her counterpart. Have you had any luck with your engines?"
Pike nodded, "Some, but we're still an hour away at best from impulse."
Buffy noticed a Vulcan in a blue shirt walk up to the captain, "Sir, we should be able to produce a coherent particle blast from the main deflector. That may punch a hole in their shields for a torpedo spread. "Captain Summers," he said to the screen, "Do you have torpedo functionality?"
Buffy looked at her first officer who made a so-so motion, "Just the ones in the tubes. We can't load more." Buffy looked at the view screen, "We don't have the power of the Enterprise so duplicating that blast, but if you can punch a hole in those shields we'll have a surprise for them."
Pike nodded with a smirk, "Understood, Enterprise out."
"Alright," Buffy said as she sat up in her chair ready for a fight. "As soon as a hole opens up; fire."
A moment later a bright flash came from the deflector dish of the Enterprise and a pulse lashed out and hit the enemy vessel. "Got it!" yelled Hernandez, "Torpedoes away!" Buffy watched as the only three torpedoes they were capable of launching streaked through space. One impacted the edge of the shirld breech, but the other two struck home. There was a blinding flash, but when it dimmed she saw the ship though heavily damaged still there. Judging from the emerald glow some of its weapons ports were still active. A moment later the bridge shook as her small vessel took a direct hit. "Are their shields still compromised?" she asked. Hernanez checked his screens, "Yes Captain."
Buffy got up from her chair and walked to a case next to the viewscreen. Inputting a code it popped open and she grabbed her slayer scythe from the case, "Ready Squad Alpha. We're going hunting."
