A Galaxy of Magic (Ch.6)(Exclusive)

A Galaxy of Magic

Chapter 6

Something woke Aayla from her slumber, so she remained quiet and listened. She didn’t hear anything. Her head was snuggled under Harry’s arm and resting on her chest. Her neck was slightly aching, so she unwrapped herself from him and rolled onto her other side. Harry rolled onto his side, slipped his arm around her body, and pulled her against his front. Aayla gasped as his hand rested against her breast. Harry’s breathing was slow and steady, telling her he was still asleep. She bit her lip and squirmed, but that only made things worse. Her nipple rubbed against his palm, sending pleasure down her body and making it jolt. She never knew her nipples could get that hard that fast. Now that the shock was over, Aayla quickly found herself liking the new position. It was innocent on his part but surprisingly arousing for her. She had just closed her eyes when she realized what had woken her. She heard hushed talking from beyond the bedroom door.

Getting out of bed, she grabbed her long shirt from the ground and slipped it over her head. She looked back at Harry, relieved he hadn’t woken up from her jostling the bed. She slipped out of the room and quietly closed the door behind her.

“What’s wrong?” Aayla tiredly asked as she entered the living room and found Shaak and Maris awake.

“I was awakened by Maris thrashing in her sleep. It appears Palpatine is still searching the Force for us,” Shaak explained, rubbing her sleepy eyes.

“Sorry for waking you, Master Ti,” Maris said, embarrassed for causing trouble. Shaak Ti waved her concern away.

“Don’t be sorry. I wasn’t having a particularly pleasant rest either. I haven’t had a good night’s sleep since the purge,” she groaned and rubbed her temples. “The backlash in the Force is starting to settle, but it still feels uneasy.”

Aayla nodded. “I remember what it was like during the first couple of days. I’m glad I don’t have to deal with it at night.”

“His presence really helps that much?” Shaak asked her.

“I suppose. I haven’t had any problems sleeping,” Aayla told her.

“You’re lucky, Master Secura. I haven’t gotten more than a couple of hours of sleep per night since it happened,” Maris groaned and flopped back onto the bed. “I’ve had a non-stop headache as well.”

“Call me Aayla, Maris,” she reminded the young lady. “Do you want some pain meds? I can wake Harry up and ask him.”

Maris shook her head. “I don’t want to be any trouble. I just need some sleep. I think the exhaustion is starting to catch up with me,” she truthfully stated.

“Well … If you don’t want any meds, you can always go sleep with Harry. I’m sure he’d enjoy having you by his side,” Aayla teased her with a cheeky smile. A deep blush spread across her pale cheeks, and Shaak chuckled at the girl’s expense.

“I think some pain meds will suffice. Although … I’ve never been one to stand in the way of raw animal attraction. Harry is quite handsome and fit. Perhaps Maris could use a good roll in the sheets to help re-center herself,” Shaak teased Maris as well. Aayla let out a tinkling laugh while Maris groaned and hid her face.

“I’ll go speak with Harry,” Aayla said, chuckling. Maris removed her hands in a panic.

“Don’t tell him I want to do … THAT with him!” Maris called out. She was already embarrassed enough. This only made the two older women giggle like a couple of schoolgirls.

“I’m going to speak with him about the meds, Maris,” Aayla clarified.

“Oh,” Maris realized. Aayla continued to chuckle as she returned to the room. She slipped inside and found Harry still asleep. She crawled onto the bed and jostled his shoulder. He made a humming noise but didn’t wake.

“Harry!” she whispered loudly, shaking him again. In the dim light, she saw his eyes flutter open.

“Wha…?” he asked tiredly.

“Harry, sorry for waking you,” she apologized while he sleepily sat up. The blanket fell down to his waist, and Aayla took a quick moment to appreciate the view. His hair was so messy, and she fought the urge to reach out and try to flatten it.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, rubbing his face. His eyes were little more than tired slits, and she felt bad for waking him.

“Maris has a headache. She hasn’t been sleeping well,” she explained. “Do you have any meds for that?”

“Yeah,” Harry groaned, rubbing his eyes. “Can you turn on the light? I can barely see,” he asked her. Aayla went over and flipped the switch by the door. The lights came on, and Harry flinched from the sudden brightness of the room. Harry got out of bed and scratched his stomach while yawning.

Aayla smiled amusedly at his tired behavior. He began walking toward the closet when he suddenly stumbled. “Oww!” he hissed. “Cramp,” he further explained. Aayla laughed lightly when he started thumping his thigh with his fist to try and beat the cramp away. He eventually made it to the closet and covered himself with a fluffy, comfortable-looking robe. It looked way lighter and softer than those uncomfortable Jedi robes.

Harry then went into his bag and routed around. “It’s just a headache … nothing else?” Harry tiredly asked.

“Yes, just a headache,” Aayla nodded.

“I’ll give her a mild pain reliever. My people often used them for headaches,” Harry told her while he dug in his bag. Aayla heard glass bottles clinking around. He eventually pulled out one large bottle, a much smaller bottle, and a metal funnel. Harry then used the funnel to fill the smaller bottle with the larger one. He capped both bottles and put them back in his bag. He left the funnel sitting on top. “I’ll clean that in the morning,” he told her, walking to the bedroom door.

Following him into the living room, Aayla watched as he approached the two women. He sat on the edge of the bed next to Maris, who was lying on her back. She sat up when he sat down. “Aayla says you have a headache?” Harry asked her. Maris blushed, looked at Aayla, and then wordlessly nodded. “Because you haven’t been sleeping well?” he asked further.

“Yes. The chaotic energies of the Force have kept us both awake,” Shaak Ti answered for her. “It doesn’t help that an evil Sith Lord is stalking us every time we close our eyes,” she sourly added.

“I’ve dealt with my fair share of Dark Lords,” Harry told them. “They do tend to be annoying. Here you go, Maris. Drink this,” he said, uncapping the small bottle and handing it to her. Maris took it and gave it a sniff. Her nose crinkled from the unpleasant smell.

“It stinks!” she chirped, looking at him. Harry chortled at her reaction.

“It doesn’t taste as bad as it smells,” he reassured her. “Drink it all in one go.”

Maris exhaled loudly and readied herself. She pressed the bottle to her dark lips and tilted her head back. She drank it down and pulled a face, making the women laugh. “It’s not funny,” she complained, and her eyes widened to the size of dinner plates when pink bubbles came out of her mouth. Harry laughed at their shocked expressions.

“Is that normal?” Maris asked and then squeaked when more bubbles came out of her mouth.

“Yes. My medicines sometimes have strange side effects. The bubbles will go away in a second,” he told her. Maris made a constant “ooooooo” sound to make the bubbles shoot out of her puckered lips. The bubbles stopped after half a minute.

“How does your head feel?” he asked, placing his palm on her forehead to check her temperature. Maris closed her eyes and breathed a sigh of relief.

“Better … Much better. Thank you,” she said, relieved that the constant annoying pain had dulled.

“You’re welcome,” he said, taking the bottle from her and replacing the cap. He got up and set the bottle down next to the sink in the kitchen. “Do you girls need anything?” he asked them.

“No, thank you. We’ll manage,” Shaak Ti said, smiling at Harry. Harry returned the smile and nodded.

“Alright. I’m going back to bed. I’ll see you in the morning,” he told them, returning to his room. Harry shrugged the bathrobe off and hung it back in the closet. He slipped under the covers and waited for Aayla to return. A few minutes later, she walked through the door and shut it behind her. Without hesitation, she removed her shirt and got into bed. Like always, she snuck her head under his arm and rested it on his chest.

“I wonder if it’s still storming,” Harry sleepily said. Aayla draped her arm over his stomach and yawned.

“Probably. The storms on this planet can last for days,” she told him, closing her eyes.

“That’ll make things miserable for us,” Harry groaned. Aayla responded with a “mmhmm” before beginning to snore lightly. Harry flicked his hand and turned off the light.

A Galaxy of Magic

“Good morning,” Harry greeted his two new guests as he walked into the living room. Both women were already awake. “How do you feel, Maris?” he asked. She smiled shyly at him.

“Still tired, but at least my head doesn’t hurt,” she told him. Harry nodded as Shaak got out of bed and stretched while yawning. Harry tried not to stare as the bottom of her shirt was pulled from halfway up her thighs to almost all the way up them. He also couldn’t help but notice how perky and round her breasts were. He quickly looked away, not wanting to get caught checking her out. Maris got out of bed as well but unfortunately didn’t stretch. Harry waved his hand and returned the couch to its normal form.

“If you leave your clothes out, I can clean them after making breakfast,” Harry told them.

“That would be wonderful, thank you,” Shaak happily stated. Aayla eventually came out of the bathroom wearing her long shirt that matched the ones the other two girls were wearing.

“Good morning,” she greeted them. They greeted her back while she joined them on the couch. Harry was cooking up four plates of bacon and eggs while the girls talked.

“What should we do with the ships Harry stole from the clones?” Aayla asked. “They’re good ships. They just need some work.”

“Can you use any of the parts on the ship that Shaak and Maris brought?” Harry asked over the sound of sizzling bacon.

“No,” Aayla immediately said. “It would take heavy modifications to the ship’s substructure, which would require more tools and equipment than we currently have access to.”

“If they flew, we could just hide them in the jungle,” Shaak said.

“Harry, how long would it last if you hid them like you did before?” Aayla asked him.

“A fairly long time,” he answered. Aayla nodded.

“Good. We can always come back and get them if we need them,” she said.

The group ate their breakfast, and Harry cleaned their clothes and robes. Aayla changed back into her normal attire in the bedroom while Shaak and Maris changed in the bathroom. Harry was a bit shocked when they exited the bathroom. What he had thought was Shaak Ti’s underwear when he had cleaned it turned out to be her normal clothes. Her robe was draped over her forearm, and she wore a skin-tight, brownish-gray outfit that looked more like a sexy swimsuit than a day-to-day outfit. Two thin strips of material went down her front, covering only half of her breasts. The two strips met below her belly button, leaving a large V of exposed red skin. The entirety of her inner breasts were on display, along with her toned belly. Covering her groin area was a dark brown loin cloth. When seeing her from behind, he could tell that the two strips of material had joined together and moved up between her legs, creating a bikini-type bottom that was nestled firmly between her shapely cheeks.

Maris’ outfit wasn’t as risque as Shaak Ti’s but a little more than Aayla’s. Her trousers appeared to be made of dark leather, and they hugged her figure well. Her top, if one could call it that, was a white band of material that traveled horizontally across her perky breasts. The band was so small that the very bottom of each breast was hanging below it. Her cleavage was prominently displayed at the top, making for a tantalizing sight. Harry made sure not to look for too long, nor did he comment on the state of their dress. He didn’t want to make them uncomfortable.

“I’ll go see if it’s still raining,” Harry told them and left the tent. He walked through the illusion and out of the cave. He was immediately met with rain and heavy wind. Thankfully, it wasn’t nearly as bad as the day before. He didn’t hear any thunder or see any lightning. The area in front of the cave was covered in plant debris that had been torn from the nearby jungle. The crates appeared okay, and he didn’t notice any missing. Harry went back inside, and Aayla giggled at the sight of him.

“Still raining, I take it?” she asked as he slicked his wet hair back. He looked at her.

“How did you guess?” he sarcastically asked, waving a hand over himself. The water steamed off his body, leaving him dry and warm. “There’s still rain and a lot of wind, but I think the worst part of the storm has passed,” he explained.

“It sounds like a good opportunity to leave. The storm could start up again, and we could end up stuck here for days,” Shaak told them.

“So we pack up?” Harry asked. Shaak and Aayla looked at each other and nodded.

“I think that would be for the best. It’s not smart to stay in one place for too long,” Shaak said, which Harry agreed with. “How long will it take to pack the tent up?” she asked him.

“About five seconds,” Harry said, which made her raise an eyebrow. “Come on. I’ll show you. You can leave those robes here if you want. They’ll be fine,” he assured her.

Harry grabbed his bag, and they followed him out of the tent. Harry reached into his expanded bag and pulled out his tent bag. He then flicked his hand at the tent, and it immediately began disassembling. The stakes pulled themselves from the ground, the tent folded neatly, and the wires and stakes firmly wrapped themselves around the folded fabric. It dropped to the ground, perfectly packed away. Harry picked it up and stuffed it into its carrying bag. He then stuffed it into his backpack.

“Woah!” Maris quietly exclaimed with wide eyes. Both Shaak and Aayla looked surprised as well.

“Not bad, huh?” he asked, eyes twinkling with mirth.

“That’s surreal,” Shaak said, sounding unbelieving. “Is your pack like the tent?” she asked him. “Bigger on the inside than the outside, I mean?” she clarified. Harry nodded.

“That’s truly amazing. Can you make more of those? They would be a useful tool for us to have,” she said, staring longingly at his backpack. Aayla eagerly agreed and nodded.

“I didn’t make the tent and don’t know how to. It’s a specialized skill I never had the opportunity to learn, but I can make bags similar to mine. I can also expand the sizes of rooms and other spaces,” he told them.

“Well, please do so. We could use them,” Shaak smiled.

“I will as soon as I can find some spare packs. I’m sure we’ll come across some. For now, we need to worry about getting those crates onto the ship,” Harry answered.

“That will be a problem,” Aayla said. “The ship is too big to land here.”

“We can go to the ship, then I can come back here and transfer them with my magic.”

“Why do you have to visit the ship first?” Aayla wondered.

“I have to mentally picture the area I’m sending them to, and I’ve never been on the ship,” he explained.

“Ahh,” Aayla responded, nodding. The other two women didn’t know what he was talking about, but they kept quiet.

The group left the safety of the cave and was immediately doused with a downpour of rain. The walk back to the ship was miserable. The ground had turned incredibly muddy, making their trek slow and difficult. The wind was whipping fiercely and constantly pelting them with debris. ‘At least we don’t have to worry about the heat and insects,’ Harry thought as he spat out a chunk of plant matter that flew into his mouth.

They eventually reached their destination, and Shaak lowered the ramp. They quickly ran inside and out of the rain. “That wasn’t pleasant,” Aayla commented as she wiped water from her face. Harry had a hard time not looking at their wet bodies, especially when he noticed that their clothes were practically molded to their skin. He cursed his sense of decency and hit them all with his magic. Within seconds, they were dry. He accepted their round of thanks and waved them off.

Harry got his first glimpse of the inside of a real-life spaceship, and he wasn’t that impressed. It looked old and rundown, and it was a bit smelly. Aayla seemed to agree.

“This rust bucket needs a lot of work. The first thing to be done is to get rid of this smell,” she said, waving her hand in front of her nose.

“The bounty hunter I stole this from wasn’t what I would call well-groomed,” Shaak Ti stated.

“Does this ship have a cargo area?” Harry asked them.

“This is a YT-1300 Light Freighter, so yes, it does have a cargo area. However, the onboard cargo area is relatively small. This ship would normally dock with a detachable cargo pod that connects to the front of the ship,” Shaak Ti explained.

“Can I see the space?”

Shaak Ti nodded and led him to the small cargo area. “All of those crates definitely won’t fit in here,” Harry stated, looking around. He rubbed his chin in thought. “I’ve got an idea. Clear the area so you don’t get hurt,” he said as he disappeared.

This was obviously the first time Shaak Ti and Maris had seen him do this. They turned to Aayla with shocked eyes. Aayla shook her head and smiled. “I’ll explain the best I can, but you should do what he says and make room. Shaak stepped out of the cargo area and began speaking to Aayla. Meanwhile, Harry appeared back by the cave.

Within seconds, his clothes were soaked. “Well, this is brilliant,” he muttered, wiping water from his eyes. He went over to one of the crates that held military rations. He removed the Sticking Charm and lowered it to the ground. Harry opened it up and magically sent the contents back to the ship. Harry then grabbed the handles on the sides of the empty crate and tested its weight. He found that he was able to lift it quite easily. Happy with it, Harry spent five minutes magically expanding the inner space of the crate. Once it was large enough to hold all the other crates, Harry removed all the Sticking Charms and began lowering them into its depths. This took another half hour of working in the wind and rain. When the last one dropped in, Harry closed the lid and locked it shut. He lifted it and was happy to find that it didn’t weigh much more than it originally had. He vanished from sight and reappeared in the cargo area of the ship.

“Harry? Is that you?” he heard Aayla’s voice from somewhere else on the ship.

“Yeah!” he called out while magically drying himself. He heard the clanking sounds of several people walking on metal grates and was quickly reunited with his new friends.

“Did something go wrong?” Shaak asked him, seeing only one crate.

“No, everything’s fine. It took a little while to magically expand the inner dimensions of this crate and load the others into it. See?” Harry said, opening the crate. The three women came up and looked down into it.

“That’s amazing,” Maris exclaimed. It was like looking down into a cavernous room filled with ceramic crates.

“I thought so as well the first time I saw it,” Harry chuckled before turning to Shaak. “Shall we go hide the ships? I’m pretty tired of being wet all the time.”

Shaak cleared her throat and snapped her eyes away from the expanded crate. “Yes, of course,” she primly responded. The group made their way to the front of the ship, and Harry eagerly watched as Shaak Ti and Aayla sat in the pilot seats. Maris was by his side. It had always been a dream of Harry’s to travel through space and visit strange alien worlds. He silently thanked his friend, Hermione, for giving him the opportunity. They ran through their checklist and fired up the engine.

The sublight drive roared to life, and they slowly lifted off the ground. He could feel the ship rattling beneath his feet, and he figured that Aayla might be right … This thing was a rust bucket. Rain battered the partitioned, circular front window, but luckily, it didn’t seem to be affected much by the pounding wind. They rose higher and higher into the sky, just below the low cloud cover.

“Go to these coordinates,” Aayla said, punching buttons on the console. Shaak did just that, and soon, they were sailing over the storm-stricken jungles. From up high, Harry could see the level of devastation the storm had caused. Many mushroom and flower trees had been snapped in half.

It took them only a few minutes to reach the abandoned military base. Shaak expertly landed in the middle of the wide-open area. “I’ll go make sure the ships stay hidden, and then I’ll send the tools to the cargo bay. Can you lower the ramp for me?” Harry asked Aayla. She nodded and got up.

“I’ll calculate our hyperspace route to Tatooine so we can leave as soon as you’re done,” Shaak told them. They had decided to go to Tatooine first and sell their ill-gotten gains. There were better places to sell it, but they explained that Tatooine was far from the Galactic Core, and thus, they were much less likely to get discovered. The Republic had very little presence on the lawless planet. Harry trusted their judgment.

Aayla showed him how to open the vertically sliding door and lower the ramp. “Do you need any help?” Aayla asked him. Harry shook his head.

“I can handle it. I’ll be quick,” he said and rushed out into the rain. Harry first used his magic to send all the tools back to the ship. He then checked on the ships and made sure they would remain hidden. Harry was interrupted by loud, high-pitched beeping. He looked back and saw the little droid rolling toward him. He remembered Aayla calling it an astromech droid. She explained that droids had different levels of artificial intelligence. Astromech droids were pretty smart and could understand you when you spoke. “Hey there!” he called out over the rain. “I’m glad to see you survived the storm!”

The tin can looked a little worse for wear, but it seemed in high spirits. “We’re about to leave. Do you want to come with us?” he asked. The droid beeped and happily shook from side to side. “Get on the ship, and I’ll finish up!” he said, pointing to the lowered ramp. The droid beeped and began rolling toward it. Harry shook his head, chuckled, and finished his task. Satisfied that the ships wouldn’t be discovered any time soon, Harry ran back to the ship, closed the sliding door, and lifted the ramp. Aayla was still there waiting for him.

“I’m glad you remembered the droid,” she said, looking back at it. The droid began spraying water out of a nozzle onto the ground. Harry could only imagine how waterlogged it was. “We’ll be needing him.” The droid finished expelling water, immediately rolled to an outlet, and plugged in.

Harry dried himself with a wave of his hand. “Glad I could help. Is Shaak ready to leave?”

“Yes. Let’s go back to the cockpit so we can get out of here. I’ve had my fill of this planet,” she told him.

Aayla dropped down in the co-pilot’s seat, and they took off. They broke through the cloud cover and into clear, blue skies. Shaak added more power to the engines, and they flew faster and higher. Within seconds, Harry began to see the black of space. His heart started pounding as they got further and further away from Felucia. “Are you ready?” Shaak called out. She was probably talking to Aayla, but Harry silently nodded.

“Then let our adventure begin,” Shaak Ti said, pushing a lever forward. The engines began to hum, and it grew steadily higher in pitch. Harry watched, amazed, as the little dots of starlight began to stretch into long white lines. He was shocked out of his amazement when his body was jerked backward by the sudden acceleration. Aayla laughed as Harry yelped and grabbed the back of her seat to keep from falling. After a few seconds, the force pulling him back lessened, and he let go of her seat. They were flying through a swirling vortex of blue and black energy. Harry could barely believe his eyes. Aayla looked back at him and smiled.

“It’s nice that you’re the one with the shocked expression for once,” she laughed. Harry laughed lightly and squeezed her shoulder. Shaak Ti was right. Their adventure had just begun.