4.

Milea VI

Buffy stood outside the door to command. She had a gnawing feeling in the pit of her stomach as she willed the persona of Fatale to come to the front. She had learned long ago to trust this feeling when Faith had disappeared more than two centuries ago. This time however she couldn't dwell on the meaning of her unease. She had a job to do and three Starfleet officers to get out of here alive.

The door protested as the patchwork system forced it to open and revealed several vampires and demons operating the various consoles.

"Report!" she shouted over the cacophony.

One of the demons, a brown one with tusks looked at her with a tinge of fear, "We've confirmed it's his ship. He has a communication on hold for when you arrive."

Buffy forced herself to calm down and slid the smug mask of Fatale over her, "Put him through," she growled as a familiar face from centuries ago appeared on the screen. "Greetings my Lord," she said forcing the acrid words out. Of all the days to deal with him, today was not a good one when she had three Starfleet officers to return home.

He smirked at her, "So you're the famous Fatale who turned a ramshackle outpost into one of our smoothest operating ports. I must say I'm impressed." She felt his accent slide over her like hot oil.

"Yes sir," she said trying not to gag. Last time they had tangled he had turned Xander into his personal little minion.

"We have things to discuss, important things in person," he said with a tone that didn't give any room for argument. I'll meet you in your quarters right now."

Without a second to react she felt a transport beam grip her and before she knew it she was in her room staring at the one and only Count Dracula sitting at her small table. "Thank you for joining me so promptly," He said with a pompous tone, "It's been a long time, slayer."

Buffy knew she was buster and her cover was blown, but she had to play the part so she scoffed, "What the hell are you on about?"

"Don't play this game with me," he said from behind her. She blinked as she didn't even see him move. He moved up behind her and touched a fingertip to the spike that had been surgically grafter to her shoulder, "I've tasted your blood. I could smell you as soon as I got here," he said with a seductive whisper.

Buffy whipped around to face him and grabbed him by the throat causing him to gasp before disappearing in a puff of smoke and reappearing on the other side of the room, "You have gotten stronger," he said with a smirk. Buffy returned with another one of her own, "Didn't you know? Slayers get stronger with age."

Dracula chuckled as he leaned against a wall, "Yes, I know but few live long enough to experience that. How did you do it, time travel, Cryo-sleep, or was it magic?"

"The hard way," Buffy retorted, "I'm almost three hundred years old and I've been around for all of it."

Dracula chuckled, "That's not possible. Even the longest lived human dies around a hundred maybe a hundred and twenty. You look twenty-five."

"You've tasted my blood," she replied as she sauntered over to him, "Think about it, wasn't there something just a bit off about it?"

That actually caused him pause. There was the sweetness of the slayer blood for sure, but she was right; thinking about it now there was an odd flavor to her blood. Not bad but slightly off. "You're not entirely human are you?"

"Fraid not," she told him, "Turns out I'm half Lanthanite which means I have the time to chase you around the galaxy for millennia."

"A nearly immortal slayer," he said with a hint of mirth, "I must say that is a new one."

"Here's another," she quipped as she punched him in the face and sending him tumbling backwards over a chair, "I'm stronger than you now."

Dracula reset his jaw and stood up dusting himself off, "Stronger? Perhaps, but not smarter. Let's change the game a bit shall we?"

Buffy gave him a quizzical look and he smiled. "I know you have prisoners here. I have taken one. You have three minutes to get the other two out before I turn this outpost to dust. It's useless now that it's been compromised. You find him before I drain him and you can have him back, otherwise… Who knows maybe I'll give him back afterwards."

He beamed out before she could react and the next moment sirens began going off.

U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701

Montgomery Scott sat in the captain's chair watching the planet as they tried to find their missing crewmates. The planet slowly rotated on the viewscreen as he waited. Behind him Uhura was running scan of the frequency that was given to her hoping for a hit soon. That's when all hell broke loose.

"Mister Scott," Sulu said in his deep voice, "We have a ship decloaking dead ahead!"

Scott looked at the screen as a massive ship came into view. "Shields!" he ordered but it was too late. A disruptor blast had hit the ship and knocked it for a loop,"

"Report!" he shouted over the red alert klaxon.

"Shields offline," Chekov replied, "No major damage, but engines and veapons are down. Ve are sitting ducks."

"They're moving off," Sulu reported, "They appear to be targeting the planet."

"Aye," Scott said, "They just wanted to break a wheel on the wagon to keep us out of the way."

Milea VI

Buffy made her way down to the cells as the place was going to hell around her. The shields couldn't take this kind of bombardment for long. She was jumping and stepping over the bodies of demons trying to get to her prisoners and save them.

As she entered the room where they were being held she found Spock and McCot, but Kirk was gone. Great of course he took the captain. With a push of a button the shackled holding the two men were released.

"What the devil is going on?" McCoy asked with a shout, "It the world coming to an end?"

"Actually, yes," Buffy answered before pulling out an older model communicator and flipping it open, "I hope someone up there knows what to look for or this is gunna be a real short call." Just as the indicator light came on to show someone answered the channel a chunk of the ceiling broke loose and landed on McCoy.

U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701

Buffy let out a sigh of relief as a transport room shimmered into view. As soon as the group was solid Buffy saw a familiar face run up to the injured doctor and flip open a tricorder. Before anyone could do anything they heard her shout, "Medical emergency, beam Doctor McCoy directly to sickbay!" A moment later he was gone leaving a puddle of blood and a pile of rocks on the pad. Nurse Chapel put her tricorder away and gasped when she saw the woman looking at her, "Buffy!"

Buffy smiled meekly, "Hi Christine, it's been a while."

Spock walked over to the transporter console and hit the intercom, "Spock to bridge, what's your status?"

A moment later Buffy heard a male voice with a thick Scottish accent respond, "We took a hit from whatever ship was out there. Main energizer is out. It'll be at least an hour before we can get underway."

"Please make haste Mister Scott. That ship has kidnapped the captain."

"Well we're in a wee bit of a snit. I'll head to engineering and get to work."

"Thank you Mister Scott," Spock said as he closed the channel.

"Well," Buffy said, "Since we're not going anywhere for a bit, is there any way I can a shower and some simple cosmetic surgery?"

The three of them left the transporter and while Spock made his way to the bridge Buffy followed chapel looking around at the ship, "Tell me this isn't the same ship?"

"Yup," Christine said, "Took her in for refit for a five year mission. They dumbed everything they could down to make repairs easier while we were outside easy access to a starbase.

"I hate it," Buffy said, "It looks almost like a cheap set from an old Sci-Fi show."

Twenty minutes later a clean, human looking, and properly dressed Captain Buffy Summers stepped out onto the bridge. She nodded at Uhura at the comm station, but besides Spock she was the only face Buffy recognized. Spock stood up from the captain's chair, "This is Captain Buffy Summers. She was on an undercover mission on the planet before the mysterious ship attacked. Please note that any information she may give you is on a need to know basis and is strictly classified."

Buffy nodded, "I know you don't know me, but we're going to get your captain back, you have my word."

As she saw the nods of approval from the bridge crew she looked at the Vulcan, "Is it still here?"

Spock nodded and walked over to his station. He open a small compartment in his console and pulled out a small black data chip. "Are you sure this is necessary captain?"

Buffy nodded. Spock handed it to her and she walked to the captain's chair and slid the chip into the slot on the armrest.

"Input authorization code," came a mechanical voice over the internal speakers.

Buffy knew this would not go unnoticed, but had very little choice. She let this happen. Now she had to fix it, "Summers Delta Nine Seven Alpha I W C."

"Authorization acknowledged, U.S.S. Enterprise is now under I.W.C. fleet jurisdiction. U.S.S. Enterprise is now under the command of Captain Buffy Summers as of Stardate 1329.9