The Wanderer No More

Steam rose from the grey and scarlet lightsabers in the Wanderer's hands as rain struck them, letting out a sinister hiss with each droplet evaporating into the air. The royal guards were completely frozen in place, unable to move as the beast in front of them looked on with her Sith eye.

They'd heard of the one-armed warrior before, feeling confident that if they had enough numbers, they could all take her on due to her disability. However, none of them knew creating a limb made from the Force was a feat that was possible.

"𝘽𝙍𝙄𝙉𝙂 𝙈𝙀 𝙈𝘼𝙍𝙄!!" The Wanderer bellowed, her voice echoing through the courtyard. None of the dozens of guards said a word as dozens more began pouring out of the estate, blocking her from entering with their gold-colored proto-sabers. Some were long, like greatswords, whereas others were shaped like katanas or Western rapiers. Their shape, however, did not matter, and neither did their numbers. The Wanderer would cut through them all.

Like a speeding bolt, the Wanderer pressed off of the ground and boosted forward using the Force, slicing through three men with a single slice with such speed, none could react to her. Though their faces were hidden behind golden helmets, the guards' fear was written all over their body language as the Wanderer continued dashing through the crowd, zipping around as if she were made of light as she cut them down like cattle.

The flesh being torn apart and cauterized was heard, along with steaming lightsabers evaporating blood as the Wanderer continued cutting through the crowd without any effort. One guard managed to block one of her slashes with pure luck, holding her grey lightsaber in place with his, locking his gaze on her single, glowing orange eye.

Like a feral beast, the Wanderer gritted her teeth as she looked into the guard's soul, using her red lightsaber to then cut his arm off before spinning, cutting off his leg, and using both lightsabers to cut off his head. As the man's body fell, she kicked him toward a group of guards, knocking them all down to the ground.

Using the Force, she started Force-pulling an entire section of the Fletsnow estate, knocking it over and causing it to collapse on the guards. As she did so, a guard approached her from behind, swinging his massive blade at her, only for her to block the strike with her false hand using the Force. As she held his arm in place, the Wanderer turned around and stared into the guard's eyes through his mask before turning his own blade against him.

"Wait! Wait! Wait!" the guard yelled, watching as his own proto-saber was being turned toward him against his will, his pleas being interrupted by his own body being sliced in half.

By that point, the remaining guards realized that they were outmatched by the Wanderer, despite their numbers. They tried to run, only for her to throw her red lightsaber at the crowd, cutting through a dozen of them before pulling the lightsaber back into her false hand.

Just behind her, she could hear one straggler running in the opposite direction, and without looking, she pulled him over to her and broke his helmet with her hand before grabbing him in the face. She then began to probe his mind, prompting him to scream in agony as he unwillingly showed her where Mari was being held.

Once his mind was fully extracted, lightning began to expel from the Wanderer's fingertips, completely melting his entire face, including his eyeballs which liquified and ran down his skull in a waterfall of blood and flesh.

Without hesitation, the Wanderer sprinted toward the estate with her arms behind her, that Sith eye of hers glowing brightly. This was what she feared would happen if Mari was ever in danger. This was why she denied her advances and denied being with her. However, it would seem that this side of her reemerging was inevitable.

As she sprinted into the estate, which had marble tile and walls, keeping the same golden trimmings as the exterior, she could see servants running around in fear, as well as some guards running toward her.

Stepping forward with unseeable speed, the Wanderer headed straight for them, flipping and spinning through the crowd as she cut them down one by one, cutting off limbs, heads, or entire torsos before making her way to the golden stairs leading to Kenth's quarters.

As she sprinted up the steps, more guards attempted to block her path, this time a group of them with blasters aimed at her only path. A barrage of blaster bolts was then fired at the Wanderer, however, she made short work of all of them as she deflected them back at the guards, killing them instantly and sprinting past them before their bodies could even hit the ground.

Sprinting through marble hallways, the Wanderer found even more guards, many approaching her with golden proto-sabers. Without even a moment to hesitate, the Wanderer lept in the air and started running on the wall, continuing upward until she found herself running upside down on the ceiling.

The guards could do nothing but watch in awe as the Wanderer sprinted over them, giving them just a glimpse of what she was capable of. They had heard the stories of what a powerful Jedi was capable of, but the stories weren't doing her any justice. She was far beyond any myth and she was just getting started.

At the end of the hallway, there was a guard with a massive blaster with a rotating barrel, aiming it directly at the Wanderer. This powerful blaster would be nearly impossible to block due to the speed of its bolts, however, the Wanderer had more abilities up her sleeve.

As a barrage of bolts began firing at her, over a hundred of them being released in just a second, the Wanderer placed her real hand in front of her and stopped each and every last one in their tracks. The gunman continued to fire at her, only for the bolts to stop just before hitting her until she was nearly caught up to him.

The gunman then threw down his blaster and started to run away, though the Wanderer would just simply Force pull him toward her, leaping from the ceiling as she caught him in mid-air and impaled him in the chest with both lightsabers. She then used his body to land on the ground, raising her hand above her head before moving just a single finger.

The guards behind her could do nothing but watch as those hundreds of blaster bolts that were frozen in the air were then launched at them, cutting hundreds of holes into their bodies and snuffing the life out of them in a single second.

Before what was left of their bodies could even begin falling, the Wanderer had already turned the corner, continuing down the Fletsnow estate's halls. She was nearing Kenth's quarters, but she still had a ways to go.

Yet again, her path was blocked by even more guards equipped with a plethora of weapons. However, the Wanderer simply waved her hand in front of her, immediately instilling fear into each and every one of them as she put them all under a Force illusion, one that gave herself the appearance of their worst personal fear.

For some, they saw a monster.

For others, a demon.

Some saw the ghost of a relative.

Some saw a rancor or any other beast.

Some saw death itself.

As they released blood-curdling screams from their mouths and ran for their lives, the Wanderer cut them all down one by one until the room was completely silent. The only monster that remained was the Wanderer, who disappeared down the halls just as fast as she appeared.

Before long, the Wanderer found herself steadily approaching a massive door, which was the width of the entire hallway, that led to the prince's quarters. Just in front of it, there were two guards who were seemingly different from the rest. Unlike the others, they had real lightsabers in their hands, both being red.

The Wanderer stopped in her tracks, seeing the two hired blades approaching her. "In the name of the prince. Stop right there!" One of them spoke with a chilling voice beneath his mask, though it did not strike even an ounce of fear into the Wanderer.

The Wanderer said nothing, shifting her grip on both lightsabers to a reverse grip before sliding her left foot backward. With her arms crossed in front of her, the Wanderer exhaled and closed her eye. Lightning started to crackle at her feet and around her legs, causing both guards to take a step back, hesitating to even fight her.

However, before either of them could run, the Wanderer's orange eye opened and she dashed forward, zipping through the entire hallway as a bolt of electricity trailed behind her. With a clap of thunder and lightning, the Wanderer found herself crouched on the opposite side of the hallway with her arms extended outward.

Behind her, the two guards stood headless, their lightsabers falling to the ground along with their bodies as their heads rolled toward the Wanderer's feet. Using the Force to enhance her foot, the Wanderer kicked the door open to Kenth's quarters, finding him standing with a red lightsaber being held up against Mari's throat.

"Don't fucking move, Wanderer." Kenth told her, inching the blade closer to Mari, whose back was to a wall. "Move and I'll kill her."

The Wanderer, without moving, lifted Kenth in the air, forcing him to drop the lightsaber as she choked him with the Force. Though he had a lightsaber, he wasn't strong in the Force in the slightest, allowing her to have her way with him. "𝙔𝙊𝙐 𝙁𝙐𝘾𝙆𝙄𝙉𝙂 𝘽𝘼𝙎𝙏𝘼𝙍𝘿! 𝙒𝙃𝙊 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙃𝙀𝙇𝙇 𝘿𝙊 𝙔𝙊𝙐 𝙏𝙃𝙄𝙉𝙆 𝙔𝙊𝙐 𝘼𝙍𝙀? 𝙅𝙐𝙎𝙏 𝙃𝙊𝙒 𝙈𝘼𝙉𝙔 𝙒𝙊𝙈𝙀𝙉 𝙃𝘼𝙑𝙀 𝙔𝙊𝙐 𝘿𝙊𝙉𝙀 𝙏𝙃𝙄𝙎 𝙏𝙊𝙊, 𝙃𝙐𝙃? 𝘼𝙉𝙎𝙒𝙀𝙍 𝙈𝙀!" as she spoke, the Wanderer slammed him against the wall, though he did not speak. As if he were trying to remove hands from around his neck, Kenth clawed at himself, though it is pointless as it would do nothing to loosen her grip.

As the Wanderer spoke, the entire building began to tremble and fall apart due to her anger. If she were to continue, everyone inside would die, including the servants who were likely not in on the whole human trafficking scheme. "𝙄'𝙇𝙇 𝙍𝙄𝙋 𝙔𝙊𝙐 𝙇𝙄𝙈𝘽 𝙁𝙍𝙊𝙈 𝙇𝙄𝙈𝘽 𝘼𝙉𝘿 𝙋𝙐𝙏 𝙔𝙊𝙐 𝘽𝘼𝘾𝙆 𝙏𝙊𝙂𝙀𝙏𝙃𝙀𝙍 𝙐𝙉𝙏𝙄𝙇-"

"Tomie!" Mari spoke the Wanderer's true name, knocking her out of her rage-filled fit. Her eye suddenly shifted from being Sith orange, returning back to its normal amber-like color. As she reverted back to normal, Mari sprinted over to her and hugged her, causing Tomie to release Kenth from her grip. "He told me everything once you broke in. It's okay, I'm safe." Mari whispered, relieving Tomie and bringing her back from the darkness just before she'd fully lost herself.

Behind Mari, the prince was coughing as he stumbled over toward his lightsaber, though he wouldn't make it as the Wanderer pulled it away using the Force. "You stupid bitch!" Kenth shouted, holding onto his neck as he sat on the ground on one knee. "What do you think you're doing!?"

"Putting an end to this." Tomie told him, taking a step forward. However, as she stepped forward, Mari stopped her with her words. "Let me do it." she told her, looking into Tomie's eye with fury-filled eyes of her own. "Let me have this."

"Are you sure?" Tomie asked, getting a sure nod from Mari. "I'm sure." she told her as she picked up the lightsaber from the ground and started approaching Kenth Fletsnow with it. With just a few steps, she found herself standing in front of him with his crimson lightsaber in her hand.

Tears began to fall from her face as she looked down at him with disgust. "How did you do it? How did you convince my parents to sell me." she asked him, getting a laugh as a response before the man wiped his mouth and gave her a true answer. "I didn't convince them at all. I simply told them what I do, and they agreed. With enough credits, anyone will abandon people they care for. I bet even your little girlfriend back there will turn on you for the right price, she is a bounty hunter after all."

"They wouldn't." Mari couldn't believe it, but what he was saying was true. Her parents sold her off without hesitation due to how many credits they would have gained from it. It is said that everyone has a price, and it just so happened that the prince could reach far beyond the price her parents wanted.

"Oh, but they did. And because of her, now no one gets paid. A now my father will be after the both of you for as long as you two live. No matter where you run, you will always be hunted. No matter where you hide, someone will find you. Now go ahead and kill me, 'Princess'. Or do you not have the gull to do it?" the prince challenged her, looking up at her with a grotesque grin.

Taking the challenge, Mari lifted the lightsaber high above her head and held it there. The crimson blade's light reflected off of her eyes, almost giving them a Sith-like glow. However, she found herself frozen, unable to do the killing blow.

Seeing her hesitate, the prince pulled out a blaster from beneath his gown and aimed it at Mari, pulling the trigger before she could even react. The blaster bolt was heard as it was fired from the weapon, compelling Mari to close her eyes in fear.

However, when her eyes opened, the blaster bolt was frozen right in front of her face, being held in place by Tomie using the Force. Without saying a word, Tomie flicked the bolt back toward the prince, killing him with a bolt to the head, right between the eyes.

Mari then fell to her knees with the lightsaber's hilt in her hands, looking down at her hands as they trembled. Tomie walked over and crouched beside her, taking the lightsaber from her hands and throwing it across the room. She then hugged Mari tightly, and the two of them cried in each other's arms. "I was so scared." Mari told her. "He suddenly started yelling and throwing things. Then he pulled out a lightsaber... I was so afraid."

"You're okay, Mari. It's okay." Tomie told her, holding her tightly while looking at the corpse behind them. "Tomie, why couldn't I do it?" Mari asked her. "Why couldn't I kill him?"

"Because, Mari, not everyone's hands are meant to kill. Maybe yours are meant for something else." Tomie whispered. "Your hands are the kindest hands I've ever met." Tomie brought them both to their feet, giving Mari a few more seconds to gather herself. "We need to get out of here, now. Let's go."

With her lone arm, Tomie grabbed Mari's and began leading her out of the estate. As the two ran past the bodies of those that the Wanderer left behind, they could hear guards looking for them in the nearby halls. Shutting her eye, Tomie was able to sense the correct path to avoid running into any of the guards, and before long, the two of them ended up in a hangar, finding themselves before a small freighter starship.

The two of them immediately ran inside and sat in the cockpit just as guards started to run after them. Pressing random buttons, Tomie was able to retract the ramp to the starship, locking the guards out of it. "Do you know how to fly this thing?" Mari asked, though she felt she already had an answer.

"Well, not this model." Tomie told her, acting as if she'd flown a ship of this size before. Eventually, she found the ignition, which was a simple switch below the steering mechanism, and flipped it.

The freighter then lifted high above the ground and began to hum. "There we go. You ready, Mari?" the Wanderer asked getting a sort of worried nod from Mari. 'We're going to die.' Mari thought to herself, giving herself deja vu.

Before taking off, Tomie kissed Mari on the lips before smiling and telling her something she'd been wanting to say after hearing Mari say it to her the night before. "I love you too." Tomie told her. "Wait, you were awake!?" Mari asked. She didn't think Tomie was awake, which was the only reason she was able to say it to her back then. She couldn't help but feel embarrassed as her cheeks started to heat up and change in hue. However, without giving an answer, Tomie pressed the accelerator, though she used so much force, the starship jolted forward.

Using the guns at the front of it, Tomie blasted a hole through the hangar and flew through it, leaving the Fletsnow estate behind her. As they flew toward the clouds, Mari had yet another question. "How are we going to get through the storm?"

"A little technique my master taught me. We're about to lightspeed skip." As Tomie started flipping switches rapidly, Mari started to panic. "Do you mean we're going to go into lightspeed from the surface of the planet? Are you insane?" Mari asked, getting a one worded answer from Tomie.

"Yes."

And just as those words left her lips, they blasted off through hyperspace, leaving the Fletsnow estate, the planet, and their pasts behind them.

The Wanderer was no more.

All that remained was Tomie and Mari, ready to carve a new future together.