**Aboard the *Zmajcica-h*** – The Tour Begins
Fred was still reeling from everything she had seen. The bridge, the marines, the sheer technological mastery on display—it was almost too much. But when Spotty casually mentioned a tour, Fred’s heart nearly leaped out of her chest.
"A tour? Of this?" she asked, still slightly breathless.
Spotty smirked. "Yep. Figured you'd want to see the ship up close before the meeting."
Fred barely managed to keep from squealing like a kid in a candy store. She wanted this. Badly. Every part of her scientific mind was desperate to get a closer look at everything—the ship’s power systems, the propulsion, the materials used for construction, the shielding, the weapons.
She wanted to know everything.
Ila, standing with her arms crossed, glanced at Elizabeth with a smirk. "I’m pretty sure she’s about to pass out from excitement."
Fred snapped out of it and glared at her. "Am not."
Elizabeth grinned, clearly entertained. "I’d say we should have medical on standby, but something tells me you’d rather die of excitement than be pulled away from this tour."
Fred hesitated for exactly one second before nodding vigorously.
Spotty laughed and turned to the others. "You two are free to do whatever until the meeting, or you can tag along."
Ila stretched her arms lazily, pretending to consider. "Well, I could go do something productive, but watching Fred nerd out over everything sounds way more entertaining."
Fred opened her mouth to retort but paused. Ila wasn’t wrong. She was going to nerd out. Hard.
Elizabeth chuckled. "Oh, I’m tagging along. I want to see this firsthand."
Fred shot her a suspicious look. "See what?"
Elizabeth smirked. "You. Turning into a human embodiment of pure, unfiltered enthusiasm."
Fred huffed and crossed her arms. "I can be professional about this."
Spotty chuckled, already walking toward the exit. "Sure, sure. Let’s get going before Fred combusts from anticipation."
Fred followed immediately, her excitement impossible to contain. She was about to see the most advanced ship she had ever set foot on.
This was going to be incredible.
Aboard the Zmajcica-h – Engineering Deck Tour
Fred froze mid-step. Her heart skipped a beat at Spotty’s words.
"Wait," she said slowly, processing what had just been casually dropped into conversation. "Are you telling me you’ve... perfected electroweak burning?"
Spotty’s smirk widened. "Yep."
Fred’s brain short-circuited.
"But that’s… that’s theoretical. Beyond theoretical. We’re talking about harnessing the fundamental forces of reality itself—the very fabric of existence. No known civilization has come anywhere close to—"
"And yet, here we are," Spotty said, her crystalline blue eyes gleaming mischievously. "So, Fred, would you like to see the reactor core?"
Fred couldn’t even speak.
Ila let out a chuckle and nudged her. "I think you broke her."
Elizabeth laughed. "Yeah, that’s what happens when you casually tell a scientist you’ve rewritten the laws of physics."
Fred finally snapped back to reality. "I—YES. I mean, obviously, yes. Take me there, right now."
Spotty laughed, pleased with her reaction. "Then let’s go."
**Main Engineering Deck – The *Zmajcica-h***
The engineering deck was breathtaking.
It wasn’t like the cramped, industrial settings Fred had always imagined when thinking of starship reactors. No. This was pristine, a marvel of design that screamed efficiency and power beyond comprehension.
The floors were smooth, a blend of metal and energy-reactive materials. The walls were lined with control interfaces so advanced that Fred wasn’t even sure they needed a crew to operate them—everything seemed almost alive, flowing, reacting to the ship’s needs in real-time.
Then her eyes locked onto the reactor core itself.
Fred’s breath hitched in her throat.
The central containment field housed a glowing singularity, or at least, something that looked like one. It pulsed with energy—not just heat, not just light, but something far deeper. She could feel it in her bones, like the ship itself was whispering with raw, infinite power.
She felt small.
She felt awestruck.
She felt like she was staring at God.
Spotty crossed her arms and grinned. "So, what do you think?"
Fred’s mouth opened and closed a few times. She was speechless.
Elizabeth nudged her. "Breathe, Fred."
Fred finally exhaled, her voice almost trembling. "You… this… is producing more power than an entire galaxy, isn’t it?"
Spotty’s smirk deepened. "More."
Fred staggered.
She actually had to grab onto a console for support.
Ila laughed. "I told you this was gonna be fun."
Fred’s hands twitched as she looked back at the core, her mind racing at speeds faster than she ever thought possible.
"How—how does it work? What’s the fuel source? The stability mechanisms? The—"
Spotty held up a hand. "Slow down, genius. One question at a time."
Fred’s eyes glowed with scientific hunger. "I don’t even know where to start!"
Spotty chuckled and gestured toward the core. "You were right earlier. We tap directly into the fundamental forces of reality. The vacuum energy that exists between every particle, every quark, every point in space? We pull from that. Not just electroweak burning, but something beyond. This ship has access to limitless energy—not from a star, not from matter-antimatter reactions, but from existence itself."
Fred’s brain couldn’t keep up.
She was struggling to process what she was hearing, seeing.
"Limitless energy…" she whispered. "How… how do you control it? How do you keep the entire ship from just…" She gestured wildly. "Melting into oblivion?"
"Precision," Spotty said simply. "The reactor is surrounded by multi-layered containment fields that adjust their resonance in real-time to prevent destabilization. The ship’s AI, combined with countless failsafes, ensures that power flow remains steady. We can crank it up if needed or dial it down. But make no mistake—this ship could power an entire universe if we wanted it to."
Fred actually felt dizzy.
Elizabeth grinned at her. "See, Fred? You always said you wanted to see the future. Welcome to it."
Fred just stared at the reactor, her fingers itching to take notes, run simulations, do anything to begin to comprehend what she was looking at.
Ila chuckled. "So, still think your old science was close to figuring this out?"
Fred let out a breathless laugh. "Not even remotely."
She turned to Spotty, her awe fully visible. "This is the greatest thing I have ever seen in my life."
Spotty smirked, clearly enjoying Fred’s enthusiasm. "Glad you like it. Now, wanna see what else this ship can do?"
Fred nodded so fast it almost hurt.
"Absolutely."
Aboard the Zmajcica-h – Dining Deck
The moment the doors to the dining deck slid open, Fred froze in her tracks.
Her jaw dropped.
Her brain stalled.
It was a feast.
Massive tables were laden with roast boar, sizzling steaks, wood-fired pizzas, towering burgers, golden-fried chicken, an array of decadent chocolate cakes, and dozens of other dishes she couldn’t even begin to name. The air was thick with the aroma of perfectly seasoned meats, fresh bread, and spices—a scent that sent her stomach into immediate rebellion against its previous neutrality.
She hadn’t realized how hungry she was until this moment.
And yet, despite all of that, the first thing out of her mouth was:
"…Are there tacos?"
Ila burst out laughing.
Spotty smirked, expecting the question. "You can check, but if not, you can ask the chef to make some."
Fred blinked rapidly, her head turning toward Spotty slowly, her brain struggling to comprehend what had just been said. "Wait, wait. I can just… ask the chef?"
Spotty grinned. "Yes, Fred. You can ask the chef."
Fred’s mind exploded.
"You don’t understand," she said, her hands waving dramatically. "I have never had access to a kitchen like this. This is like walking into the ultimate dream buffet—and you’re telling me that if I want tacos, I can just request them?"
Spotty chuckled, grabbing a stack of burgers and putting them on her tray. "We feed our people well whenever possible. Everyone here is a volunteer, and good food is good for morale."
Fred looked around, seeing how many of the Imperial officers, soldiers, and crewmembers sat together—eating, talking, laughing. The atmosphere was lively, but also comfortable.
It was the opposite of the desperate, hollow, rationed-out meals back on her own ruined Earth.
Elizabeth smirked, watching Fred process this new reality. "You look like you’re about to cry."
Fred almost was.
Kismet, who had perched himself near Spotty’s feet, flicked his tail and purred in amusement. "The small one is overwhelmed," he said telepathically to Spotty. "Do not break her."
Spotty smirked. "Fred, don’t worry. Just eat before Ila steals your food."
Ila grinned. "No promises."
Fred snapped out of her awe, grabbing a tray and practically sprinting toward the buffet line.
"Okay, okay, okay. First, tacos. Then, everything else!"
Spotty, Ila, and Elizabeth laughed as they followed.
Spotty grabbed an entire platter of roast boar, along with a stack of steaks and several slices of chocolate cake.
Elizabeth opted for a well-balanced meal of steak, vegetables, and potatoes.
Ila? She went for variety, loading up on pizza, grilled chicken, and a few questionable combinations of side dishes that made Spotty raise an eyebrow.
Kismet, meanwhile, gracefully hopped onto the table, where a plate of perfectly grilled fish was already waiting for him.
Fred returned triumphantly, three massive tacos on her plate, along with a side of nachos and a slice of pizza for good measure.
She sat down, staring at the food in front of her for a moment, before looking up at Spotty.
"Okay, so I just have to ask… how do you eat so much? Like, where do you put it all?"
Spotty smirked. "Trade secret."
Ila smirked, leaning closer. "We’re gonna need to have a serious talk about that metabolism of yours someday."
Spotty just grinned and took a massive bite of steak.
Fred, seeing this as a challenge, took a huge bite of her taco.
"Okay," she mumbled through the food, "I love this place."
Elizabeth chuckled, raising her glass. "To good food, good company, and figuring out how the hell we’re going to capture the First Evil alive."
Spotty and Ila smirked at each other before clinking their glasses together.
"To fun ideas," Spotty said.
Fred raised an eyebrow as she took another bite of her taco. "…Why do I feel like I’m going to regret being part of this conversation?"
Ila just grinned. "Oh, you will."
Fred just sighed and ate her tacos faster.
Aboard the Zmajcica-h – Dining Deck
Fred was still in awe of the sheer abundance of food. She had loaded up on tacos, nachos, and a slice of pizza, but her gaze kept drifting toward the Imperial marines sitting at one of the long communal tables, devouring steaks and burgers with abandon.
They laughed, talked, and ate as much as they wanted—soldiers, sure, but also people. These were fighters who had seen war, who had probably fought battles on dozens of worlds, yet they sat here like any group of friends at a casual dinner.
Fred was impressed.
She had seen fighters before, had watched men and women fight with everything they had against the end of the world. But these soldiers… they weren’t just survivors, they were warriors, disciplined yet relaxed, at home in both battle and peace. Confident. Strong.
For a brief moment, one of the marines—a dark-haired man with sharp eyes and a calm, focused demeanor—reminded her of Wesley.
Her heart clenched.
The memory came unbidden—a moment from years ago, back when the world was still falling apart.
A Turokhan had cornered her, its beady, soulless eyes gleaming in the dark, its razor-sharp teeth glistening with blood. She had screamed, backing into a ruined wall, her hands trembling, clutching a rusty knife that was useless against it.
Then, Wesley was there.
He had charged the beast, sword flashing in the dim light. He was injured, his body weakened from exhaustion, but he fought anyway. She remembered the desperation in his eyes, the way he had thrown everything into that fight.
He killed it.
But the second one had caught him off guard.
Fred remembered the sound of the blade piercing him, remembered the way he fell to his knees, gasping for breath as blood soaked his shirt.
She had run to him, tears in her eyes, begging him to hold on.
But he had just smiled, his fingers brushing against hers, and whispered:
"It was worth it."
Fred blinked hard, the memory fading as she found herself back in the present, in a dining hall aboard a starship, surrounded by the strongest military force she had ever seen.
Her hands tightened around her fork.
The Imperials weren’t like the soldiers she had known before. They weren’t desperate. They weren’t losing.
They were winning.
They weren’t just fighting to survive—they were fighting to conquer. To take back worlds. To make sure no one else suffered the way her people had suffered.
And Spotty was leading them.
Fred glanced at her, watching as Spotty ate her food with casual ease, laughing at something Ila had said.
For the first time in a long time, Fred felt something she hadn’t let herself feel since the fall of her world.
Hope.
"Fred?" Spotty’s voice pulled her from her thoughts. "You okay? You were zoning out there for a bit."
Fred shook herself, forcing a small smile. "Yeah, yeah. Just… thinking about old friends."
Spotty studied her for a moment, then nodded knowingly. "Good memories, I hope?"
Fred hesitated.
"Some good. Some… not so good," she admitted.
Ila, who had been stuffing her face with grilled chicken, smirked. "Sounds about right. But hey, if any of those ‘not so good’ memories involve something that still needs to be avenged, I’m sure we can arrange something."
Fred laughed, shaking her head. "I appreciate the offer, but… I think vengeance is already being arranged, in a way."
Spotty grinned, leaning back in her chair. "Damn right it is."
Fred took a deep breath, looking back at the marines.
Wesley had saved her life.
Now, maybe, she could help save someone else’s.
And maybe—just maybe—she had found the right people to do it with.
She hesitated for a moment, then looked at Spotty, a question forming in her mind.
"You’re looking for Illyria to resurrect Lucifer, right?" she asked carefully.
Spotty nodded. "Yeah. What about it?"
Fred swallowed, her voice quieter. "Can you… resurrect humans too?"
Spotty paused mid-bite, her crystalline blue eyes studying Fred.
Fred felt her heart pounding, not sure if she should say his name. If she should even ask.
But she had to know.