Space Wizard

or

Yer a Space Wizard, Harry!

05

Exal eyed me with an annoyed look over breakfast. I kept my best serene face on as I ate, enjoying her frustration.

Last night's little meditation session had left us both extremely ready and hot to trot. But Exal had stated the conditions for her 'rewarding' me, and I enjoyed her suffering too much to not make her stick to it, even if I suffered in the process. So here we sat, both radiating Unresolved Sexual Tension in the Force thick enough to cut with a knife.

Finally, after finishing her food, Exal huffed out an annoyed breath and forced herself to let go of it. I took a moment to do likewise, putting it away for later. "How do we want to proceed today?"

"Since you can see the Force, I'm hoping you can spot the entrance. We'll take the landspeeder and search."

"And why wouldn't anyone have searched here for her tomb before?"

Exal chuckled. "Because it's in the middle of nowhere. One random rock formation among many. However, I discovered what I believed to be a simple cipher hidden in a portrait attributed of Sorzus Syn that many believe to be a self-portrait. I believe it remained hidden as long as it did because the method of concealing it was so mundane. After all, who would hide the coordinates to a hidden research laboratory in a painting, as alternating brush strokes used in the shading, when they could instead conceal it with the Force?"

"Sounds like as good a lead as any," I shrugged. I'd heard of weirder on Earth. "Once we find the place, how are we getting in?"

"If the door mechanisms don't work, lightsabers. Failing that, explosives. Shaped charges should take care of it."

"Alright."

"Prepare yourself, apprentice. We leave in half an hour."

With that, we washed our dishes off with the sonic scrubber, put them away, and went about getting ready.

Checking out my new vac suit, I hummed as I looked over the specs and instructions. Apparently, it was less a 'vacuum suit' and more an 'environment suit.' One built for multiple purposes. Space, underwater, hot, cold, or dealing with nuclear, biological, or chemical threats. When unfolded, it looked basically like any 'plug suit' style body suit or space suit.

It was rated for vacuum or water, climate controlled, environmentally shielded, and capable of blocking radiation. It also contained a water filtration and reuse mechanism and a bladder to fill for fresh water and an oxygen recycling system so it could supply fresh air as long as it had power. The outside of the suit could act as a solar panel, so it could even recharge its own energy pack if necessary.

I went ahead and inserted a power core into the metal backpack, then filled the reservoir with fresh water. It hissed as it sucked in and compressed a tank of air to keep an internal supply. Putting it on was kind of like putting on any skin tight pseudo-rubber suit—done naked and loose, stepping into the legs and then slipping into the arms. The front sealed up and I felt the metal cup area shift, before something like a hose latched onto the end of my cock.

"Well, at least it's not a catheter," I shook my head, looking myself over in the mirror. The vac suit was a formless gray, but tapping at the controls hidden behind a flip up panel on the left arm changed it to black and gray. The collapsible helmet, I left off for now. Instead, I pulled on my normal clothes and armor over it, then stuck the helmet into a pocket.

Finally, I made my way over to my small, but soon to grow, weapons cache.

My knife went on my belt, at 5 o'clock. The dueling saber went onto the belt at the 3 o'clock position. The assassination saber went into a concealed holster under my left arm. For the staff, I made a sling for it and settled it on my back under my cloak. Finally, my blaster pistol went in a holster under at my 9 o'clock.

Why that particular blaster pistol? A few reasons, really.

Decent range for a blaster pistol. Good accuracy ratings. High caliber—which in blaster terms really just meant it spit out bigger blaster bolts, which directly translated to damage and armor penetration.

The downsides weren't great, however. Recoil was rough for anyone not using the Force or some kind of mechanical prosthesis or assistance to brace it. Bigger blaster bolts meant both fewer shots before needing to recharge or change power cells. Oh, and also there was a heat buildup issue.

But it was a big, punchy fucking hand cannon and I loved it. It also looked amazing and felt great in my hand. I already had plans for how to modify it to get more out of it, but that would have to wait for later.

Grabbing my drone and tablet so Exal could see what it was broadcasting, I slipped them into a pouch on my belt along with the ghostfire crystal and headed out—stopping only to grab my helmet/mask and scythe. When I stepped out, she raised an eyebrow. "Think you've got enough weapons?"

I sent her an incredulous look. "Ancient Sith who experiments on shit like rancor. No, I don't think I have enough weapons. I'd like to go visit an Imperial Army depot and get more. Can we?"

The red woman rolled her eyes and slipped into the driver's seat. "Come, apprentice."

Tossing the scythe into the back seat, I sighed and took the passenger seat. "Alright, but remember. When it all goes to shit, I told you so."

"None of your backtalk," she glared at me, and we were off. "Which way?"

Looking around, I followed the flows of dark side energy and pointed. "That way."

It was over an hour of driving through canyons made from the mesas before I found it—the largest concentration of dark aligned Force in the area. Not because of any leftover Force energy, however. No, as near as I could tell, the place was sitting on top of a font of energy coming out of the planet itself—capping most of it and trapping it inside, while what I was seeing was what had managed to escape what looked to my eyes like some sort of failing seal.

"Here. Stop here," I instructed, and Exal did.

Staying in the landspeeder, I handed her the datapad and sent the drone up, closing my biological eye so I could better focus on the feed through it. I sent it into a spiral around the mesa as it ascended. When it flew above the top of the mesa, Exal made a curious noise.

"I see," she murmured. "That's why no one could find it through the Force. Do you know what that is, apprentice?"

Looking over the patterns obviously cut into the top with a lightsaber or blaster, I guessed, "Some kind of seal. By the effect I'm seeing, it looks like it was meant to keep dark aligned energy in."

"Precisely. Similar to the Force Concealment skill or your tiger pearls, they were meant to hide this place away from anyone. In the past, I bet the top was actually covered in sand and it slowly eroded in the wind over the last millennia. This… this is good. It means we've either found what we're looking for, or perhaps something equally valuable. And this much concentrated dark side energy… it must be a naturally occurring source of energy."

"That's what I'm seeing," I agreed. "What I'm not seeing is an entrance."

"No, I imagine it was buried with time," Exal surmised. Studying the mesa in the feed, she asked, "You said it looks as though it's leaking?" When I nodded, she handed me the datapad and started the landspeeder. "Then we'll drive around the outside. Tell me where it looks like it's leaking the most."

Eventually, I found just that on the north face of the mesa—buried under tons of rubble. We parked and Exal pulled out a bag from the trunk of the speeder. Then, we walked up the incline to the wall of the mesa. "Here should be good," she said, then dropped the bag and drew her lightsaber. "Help me with this, apprentice. Bore holes every… ten meters, at head height. Maximum depth."

"Your head height or mine?"

Exal's gold eyes turned an annoyed look on me. "Mine."

Pulling out my dueling saber, I flicked it on and pressed it into the rock face as deep as it would go. Pulling out, I took three big steps and did so again, and again, until I reached where the wall curved away. Figuring that was good, I made my way back to the middle, where I found Exal digging through the bag. Opening it up, she tossed something to me. I caught it and turned it over in my hand, finding it looked like a metal tube with a couple of buttons on the end.

"One in every hole on the way down. Press the green button to sync them all up before you put them in. Not the red button. That will start a one minute default timer."

"Gotcha. Green button," I confirmed, before grabbing several in the Force and beginning to do just that.

When we finished, we made our way back to the car and drove well back, around the side of another mesa just in case. I left the drone in the air with a view on the mesa and nodded to Exal. Pulling out the detonator, she thumbed it and a moment later, a massive boom echoed through the canyon.

"Now, apprentice. Let us hope that they also built up and not just straight down." Taking the datapad in hand, Exal watched as the dust slowly cleared. After a minute or two, the woman grinned. "There! Do you see?"

I saw, alright. It was a narrow metal tube, leading presumably straight up. "Ventilation shaft?"

"I believe so, yes. After all, even scrubbers won't last forever. Why bother when you can directly access the surface for breathable air?" Sitting back in her seat, she laughed, holding the datapad close and studying the now exposed shaft. After a moment, she turned to me with a grin. "You know what this means."

Sighing, I grabbed my suit helmet from my belt and hit the release button. It popped out and expanded into a full sized helmet with what looked like, but probably wasn't, a clear plastic bubble that would cover the face area. I secured the thing on my head and checked my suit, confirming it was sealed. "Drive me closer so I can hit it with my sword."

"Gladly!" Exal beamed, and moved us back around to the mesa. "Assuming some sort of biological contagion as you fear, what do you believe a safe range would be, in the event of a breach?"

"A mile, minimum." Considering my drone feed, I groaned quietly. "Fuck. Alright. Have we got a metal sheet or something?"

"There's one in the trunk. What are you thinking, apprentice?"

"I'm thinking I can sacrifice the drone. The scanner on it can test the atmosphere inside for contaminants. If it's been sealed off, and I suspect it has—likely buried—then as soon as we crack the seal shit could leak. I don't want that, so I'm going to cut open a hole, toss the drone in, then spot weld a panel in place over the hole."

Exal nodded. "Good. Yes, I approve. Please do so."

Getting out, I made my way around to the trunk and found a metal briefcase labeled 'Repair Kit.' Opening it, I found several sheets of metal and what looked kind of like a laser-based soldering gun. A check of the instructions showed how to use it, so I grabbed a sheet and the welding/cutting laser and made my way up. Exal, meanwhile, left. Turning on the sub-dermal radio I'd had installed, I said, "Let me know when you get out of range."

A moment later, she sent back, "Go ahead. I'm watching."

I called the drone down and held the plate in the Force. Saber in one hand, spot welder in the other, I quickly cut a circular hole in the pipe. The pipe immediately blasted off, along with some molten metal, from the pressure. "Fuck!"

Quickly, I sent the drone down the tube and used the Force to slap the plate back on after it, shutting off my saber in the process. With the other hand, I welded the new plate in place.

"Good job, apprentice. Get back here while it works," Exal instructed.

"No," I denied, sending the command to the drone to turn on the scanning suite. "The thing blasted me in the face with whatever's in there. I want to wait for it to finish, just to be safe."

There was a pause before Exal said, "Confirmed."

Sitting down, I meditated for a bit while focusing on controlling the drone, sending it down, down, down into the dark. It went down hundreds of meters before finally coming to what looked like some sort of air exchange mechanism. It was off at the moment, so I carefully maneuvered the drone out and down to an air vent leading out into the base below.

Just as I was about to exit the ventilation shaft into the hall proper, something moved on the camera. "Stop!"

Exal didn't need to tell me twice. I brought the drone to a stop and focused on the source of the movement. Turning on the audio pickup, I strained to hear… until I heard the quiet shuffle of feet. "Well, well, well," I transmitted, chuckling. "Someone owes me some credits."

"Just what do you mean?"

Carefully, I used the drone to pry open the vent and sent it down into the hall, sticking to ceiling height. In the hallway were men and women—some humans, some red and tentacled pureblood Sith, some a few other species dressed in rags that made them look like slaves compared to the uniforms the others were wearing. All of them shuffled aimlessly about the floor, turning their heads this way and that. Flipping the drone over to infrared, I saw they were no warmer than the surrounding building.

"Zombies. Fucking zombies. I called it."

Exal sighed, and I could just imagine her palming her face. "Yes. Yes, you did, apprentice. Very well. Explore further and see what we can find."

"Right." I picked a direction and sent the drone down the corridor, making a mental map as I went like the dungeon crawling nerd I was. After a few minutes, something beeped and drew my attention. The report came in from the drone's scanner. The atmosphere was clear of contaminants, as far as it could tell. I was still going to run my suit and armor through the sonic shower, then through the cleaner, just in case.

"How are there this many of them?" Exal asked, some minutes later, as the halls continued to be jam packed with zombies. There must have been hundreds of them. They weren't quite standing shoulder to shoulder, but there were lots.

"Slaves," I answered simply. "Lots and lots of slaves."

"I can see that."

Sadly, not all of the zombies were just zombies. Some of them were very obviously mutated zombies. Malformed heads with mouths full of fangs, or mandibles. Grotesquely swollen musculature, usually asymmetrically towards one side of the body or the other. Skin that looked more like the sorts of scales and horns you'd see on a krayt dragon. Some even had glowing red lumps in their flesh that made their veins and eyes light up with whatever was pumping through them.

"Where do you think it'll be?"

"The lowest floor. Can you get it into an elevator?"

"Maybe. Let's see if we can find one first. Actually, we should probably just go ahead and map the entire floor so we know what we're dealing with."

"Fine. Ugh, this is going to be more time consuming than I thought."

"What was that?"

I frowned, looking at the 'signal lost' message in my eye for a moment before backing it up. Slowly, I played it back frame by frame, before stopping.

I tried to make sense of what I was seeing. It looked like some sort of tentacled, clawed, fanged, and pincered abomination. Like something out of Lovecraft's and Geiger's imaginations. If someone had crossed an Alien queen with a snake… and a freight train. Its head was covered in eyes that glowed red in the light of the red crystal formations all along its back.

"Apprentice," Exal whispered. "We must leave, quickly. Stay there, I'll come get you."

Roughly ten minutes later, much longer than it should have taken, Exal pulled up in front of me. I hopped in and she took off, at speed. Taking off my helmet and folding it back down, I asked. "So, what are we dealing with? What's the plan, master?"

"This is no time for your sass, apprentice," she hissed distractedly, annoyance and fear bleeding through the Force. Gripping the wheel tightly, she explained. "That monstrosity is terrifyingly living proof of the existence of Leviathans. Massive sithspawn that were used to wage war. Judging by the video, that one is actually fairly small—likely from lack of anything to eat, other than the zombies on its level. The blast likely woke it from its hibernation."

"Any chance we could control it? Take it and use it for ourselves?"

She considered for a moment before shaking her head. "Slim. Better to destroy it. But in the frames before it destroyed the drone, did you see?"

"I was kind of focused on the big fuckoff mutant snake. Let me back it up and rewatch."

Suiting word to deed, I brought up the recording again and watched in slow motion. Light glinted off of something and I frowned. "It's… a storage depot?"

"I'm not certain. What I am certain of is that I saw ingots of materials. Piles of old credits. Some old armor or something. I think I even saw a holocron. The problem is that this thing has piled everything up and is nesting on top of it. And if you'll check the background, I think there's a sarcophagus or something near the back and a statue that looked like Sorzus Syn. Maybe. What we're looking for may actually be there. There's only one way to find out."

"Yeah, except going down there is a suicide mission. I didn't take you for an idiot, or self-destructive. I'd thought you were smarter than the other Sith."

"Nng. Yes," Exal ground out. "However, we must."

Turning, I studied her as she drove. "Why? I understand wanting to, but this sounds less like a 'want' and more like a 'need.'"

Exal took a deep breath, then let it out in an explosive sigh. "I lied." When I just raised an eyebrow, she continued. "I'm not a Lord of the Sith. I am simply an Inquisitor, and an apprentice to my own master, Darth Labes."

Smiling, I said, "I kind of figured."

"This changes nothing between us. You are still my apprentice and I your master. Our agreement still stands."

"Of course," I nodded.

"Good."

"So, your master told you to go fetch, or else."

Exal pulled a face. "Yes. However, she understands the situation and has allotted discretionary funds, to use as needed. However, with confirmation of the facility's location, she has moved the deadline for completion forward. This is likely related to rumblings of the Jedi stirring trouble…"

"You've had a vision, haven't you?"

Biting her pink lip, Exal nodded. "Yes."

"You should stay away from those, or they become self-fulfilling prophecies."

"So I've been told," she admitted. "I think the best thing to do would be to gather a crew. Go in with a group of soldiers and others, mow down everything in our path, and proceed to the Leviathan. Cart in heavy weapons and try to kill it without destroying everything in the room. Failing that, you and I will engage it together with Force powers."

"Well, it's as good a plan as any, I suppose," I admitted. I didn't have an alternative, but 'blast the shit out of it' sounded like a good idea to me. "Where are we going to find a crew?"

"In, ugh," she made a disgusted face, "Hutt space. Our best bet would be Nar Shaddaa. It's roughly two weeks from here."

"A month round trip? Do we have that much time?"

"Two months," she supplied. "Time enough, I think, to find a crew, outfit them, brief them on what we've found so far, make more drones, scout out the rest of the facility, and form a plan of attack before we sweep through it room by room."

"You ever done something like this?"

"No," Exal denied immediately. "Have you?"

"Nope. I guess we'll figure it out together."

Golden eyes slid over to me and her lips twitched. "Together. Yes." Turning her eyes back to the front as we passed through the shade of the last of the mesas and back into open desert, she said. "We have much work to do. We'll go to the spaceport and bring the ship to pick up the portable housing unit as-is; there's no point in unloading it when we're just going to deploy it again when we get back. We'll need to see to getting provisions for ourselves and however many crew. While the Dying Light can hold between eight and twenty crew if they hot-swap beds for sleep shifts, I would prefer that whoever we select already has their own ship."

"An established group."

"Correct." She considered for a moment and added, "We should bring someone versed in slicing. The facility had power, it was just in standby mode. If we can get the power on, that could help."

"How are we getting in? That vent shaft isn't going to fit anyone larger than a child."

"Excavation. I am… leery of using the Force so close to that Leviathan. It may draw it up to the surface, which would be bad—"

"Would it, though?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "Have someone act as bait. Lure it to the surface. They take cover. Open fire with the ship. Turn it into a crispy critter. And it cut a path for us straight down to its lair."

Exal hummed, considering it for a moment before shaking her head. "No. It might damage something. The information is too valuable to lose. It may even bring the entire building down in its attempt to escape. I do not want to explain that to Darth Labes."

"What's stopping it from coming for us once we breach?"

She considered for a moment before making another face. "We'll refrain from using Force powers until we reach it. Wear the tiger pearls so it doesn't sense our presence. However… I believe that if it could have escaped the lair, it would have already. There wouldn't be so many zombies on the upper floors, otherwise. The security door you skipped by taking the ventilation system to get to the other side looked far too thick for it to force its way through."

"Alright. Works for me. I need to pick up more drone parts when we get into town. And some other things."

"Yes, do so. You've proven its value to me with this," she nodded. "Get as many as you'd like."

"I'd like at least ten just to have spares on hand. I'd like to equip each and every one of them with a cutting laser like the one from that kit. Question: is it possible to make a circular lightsaber?"

"I don't… perhaps?" she murmured. "Why?"

Feeding the ghostfire crystal in my pouch Force, I produced an illusion in my hands of a disc-shaped drone with a ring orbiting it. A ring that lit up as the drone rushed at a hologram of a zombie.

"You'd have to waste a crystal for it and it wouldn't work against other Force users—"

"Who said anything about Force users?" Can anyone say 'Destructo Disk?'

"Whatever, it's your money," she shook her head. "Anything else?"

"Lots. But if we're going to Nar Shaddaa, I'll check out the market there and see what's up for grabs. I'd love to get my hands on a few blaster rifles to experiment with."

"Again with the blasters…"

I sent her an amused look. "Another question. Know of any lightsaber resistant metals?"

"Beskar and phrik. Why? Thinking of getting armor?"

"No. I'm thinking that if the idea of blasters annoy you this much, then you're going to love the idea of good old fashioned chemical slug throwers."

"No."

"And what do you think is going to happen, when you go to shoot some Jedi or Sith in the face and they try to block a solid, lightsaber resistant projectile with their lightsaber? Or better yet, something that melts from the heat but doesn't just burn up. Liquid metal in the face, delivered at supersonic speed."

Exal opened and closed her mouth for just a moment before muttering, "It's not elegant."

"But would it work?"

"Probably."

"Right. Guns it is, then."

Exal sighed. "I am beginning to regret my decisions."

"You're just now starting?"

The last crate was loaded into the cargo bay of the ship and I watched as the crew left. I had already changed out of my armor and vac suit and run them through the sonic scrubber, but this was an indoor space port, so I didn't have to worry about the heat. It actually felt downright chilly inside compared to the desert outside. I loved every second of it.

Looking over the ship, I took in her elegant curves and sexy lines. The X10A-Ghost was large. Its design reminded me something of one of the ships from what I remembered of SWToR combined with that sleek Naboo craft from Episode I, but a good deal larger from what I could tell—two, maybe three times the size of either of those. While this ship was stealthy, it could carry a good deal of cargo and crew—in fact, it looked like it was actually a converted stealth troop transport, at a guess. I'd have to ask Exal how it came into her hands at some point.

The droids disconnected the lines and moved away, signaling they were good. Walking back up the ramp, I hit the control to close it. "We're good down here."

"Alright, come up to the cockpit and I'll show you how to fly."

I closed the connection and made my way up, dropping into the passenger seat of the Dying Light. I watched closely, memorizing everything Exal did to get the ship going. Finally, she lifted off and flew out of the space port. Then, we were flying out across the desert. Barely a few minutes later, she slowed to a hover and tapped some more controls, giving us a view from the cargo bay.

"Tractor controls," she pointed, before turning them on and lifting the camper into the cargo bay. It was a bit of a tight fit, but she managed. Pointing to a green light, Exal explained, "This indicates that the cargo is secure."

I nodded and watched as she took us out of atmosphere. Punching in the destination as Nar Shaddaa, the ship went to hyperspace and space outside the view screens became a blur of light and stars.

"Come. Let us practice and I'll see what you've learned."

I followed along and Exal led me up to a recreation and training area. We moved the furniture out of the way and took our places across from each other. And then we were fighting again. Sabers clashed and strobed as we fought, the sound of them loud in the small room. There wasn't much room to maneuver, but Exal used that to her advantage, keeping herself in close and not allowing me to break away from her.

Once more, after a few minutes of back and forth, we fell into a rhythm as our bodies came into sync. Not a word was said as we clashed again and again. Just as it was with the first time, I was proving stronger than her and capable of outlasting her, but Exal was faster and more skilled. I sought to draw the fight out or use my greater strength to put her off balance, Exal tried to crush me under a flurry of blows and surprise me with techniques I'd never seen before. She was especially fond of changing styles just as I got used to one.

This time, I didn't allow myself to get distracted by her sexy body. The way her robes clung to her form with her sweat. The way her red face flushed a deeper red as she got worked up. Her pink tongue licking her lips, or the way she panted.

Instead, the fight ended with her slipping in close and punching me in the stomach, then leveling her lightsaber against my neck. "You are dead, apprentice," Exal panted softly, her lips barely an inch from my own. "You did better this time. I felt your passions rise up, but you maintained control. Good. See that you keep it that way."

"You said it was supposed to be lightsabers only."

Her pink lips quirked up. "Did I? When was that?"

"Yest—" My eyes narrowed as I caught her meaning.

Exal's dark eyebrows rose. "Yesterday?" she confirmed, and I nodded. "And did I give any such stipulation today, apprentice?"

"No, master."

"No, I did not," she agreed. "Always be aware of the potential for treachery. Even—no, especially from those you believe would not betray you. For such is the way of the Sith."

Staring into her golden eyes as I considered her words and actions, my mouth ran off ahead of me. "You resent your master. She makes you do things you don't agree with. And you plan to betray her."

The previously open expression on her face closed off and Exal backed away. "I'm going to shower," she turned and walked away. "See to preparations for our evening meal. I'll finish it while you use the shower."

Watching her walk away, not a hint of that sensuous sway she liked to tease me with in her movements, I sighed at the verbal landmine I'd just stepped on. "Right. Don't mention her master."

I started supper and, true to her word, Exal came and took over as soon as she was done with the facilities. I took my own, thankfully water, shower and rejoined her in time to eat. The meal was spent in silence, Exal's presence muted in the Force. Annoyed, but thoughtful. When we finished eating and put away everything, her Force presence changed. Lightened, just a bit.

"Apprentice. Let us meditate. I have somewhere set up for it already if you'll bring your crystal."

Making my way to my quarters, which were right beside hers, I collected my crystal and followed her presence in the Force through the ship to what turned out to be a lounge with a view outside. Exal was waiting. I blinked as I noticed she had changed into a lighter robe.

"Undress," she instructed, before pulling off her robe and laying it across one of the couches. I took a moment to appreciate her body. She was a light red all over. Athletic, as I had noted before, but it really stood out now. Her breasts were actually quite a bit larger than I thought they were, but that was explained easily enough by the fact that what she wore was armor and wasn't meant to be flattering, and potentially binding them to keep them out of the way. Her crotch was bare, but a delta of dark, smooth looking hair rested above her puffy lips.

She stretched a bit, before looking over her shoulder. "While I enjoy the attention, I must ask, are you going to stare all night?"

Shrugging, I began to undress, tossing my pants and shirt onto the same couch. Golden eyes raked up and down my form, taking in my own muscular body, my cock standing at half mast already, before drifting to the scars on my chest, face, and the scaly brown hide over my left arm. For a moment, I felt a little self-conscious about it, before burying that feeling. I had money. I had a replacement arm. I could probably find or make some fake skin to go over it so no one could tell it wasn't real. Hell, bet I could even get it to where I could feel through whatever fake skin I put on it.

And that became my new goal, the moment I had the thought. Find a way to restore feeling to my arm.

"Come. Sit."

Moving over, I dropped down onto the cushion on the floor. A moment later, I had a lap full of warm, soft Sith girl—this time, without the barrier of clothes.

I rested my left hand in Exal's lap with the crystal held in it and her right hand joined it. My right hand rested on her belly as it had last night and her left came up and rested over it. The whole situation was intimate and sexy, and that was before we began to actually meditate together, our bodies falling back into sync.

Exal shifted just slightly and my cock rubbed between her ass cheeks. I felt her amusement through the Force and sighed. "This is payback, isn't it?"

"Yes. Yes it is."

"…Worth it."

"I'm glad you think so, apprentice. Now. Concentrate. I felt like we were close to something last time. Some deeper understanding…"

"Oh, we were close to something alright. I got your deeper understanding right here," I grumbled, but refocused my attention on each other, the Force within and around us, and the crystal held in our grip.

My case of blueballs was going to be legendary after this.