Chapter 3: Collection
The sky above the wanderer started to clear, allowing the sun to barely peek through the grey clouds. Contrary to where she was previously, the Wanderer found herself inside a hustling and bustling city, filled with taller buildings made from concrete and brick.
This place was known as the city of Kyotara, a castle town and the capital city of the planet. The brick rooftops and concrete buildings were a far cry from the low-budget, falling-apart wooden buildings of the many villages she'd passed through.
The planet of Inskako was one of the lower-class societies in the system, but the capital city still had a wealthy appearance.
Speeders were zooming by, merchants were selling food, clothes, or whatever else they could put a price tag on. Droids were abundant as well, many of them piloting the speeders or working the shops with their owners.
Unlike the villagers she found herself amongst prior, the wealthy did not hide from the Wanderer. Many of the people of Kyotara had contracted the Wanderer for their own dirty work, knowing her well despite not knowing her name. Those working at food stands or inside shops did not hide either, as bounty hunters of all forms were commonplace in the capital city of Kyotara.
As the Wanderer walked, however, she noticed an unusual amount of glares directed toward her. People often stared at the Wanderer, as there was much to look at.
Whether it be due to her beauty, her missing arm, her lightsaber, her kyber crystal earrings, or the trophy on her waist, she was used to being the center of attention. However, it seemed like everyone's eyes were on her. 'The hell is everyone lookin' at?' she thought to herself, ignoring them as she continued onward toward her destination.
It wasn't long before the Wanderer found herself in front of a taller, white building with slanted, black brick roofing. It was a bar, and also the main hub for the Bounty Hunters' Guild.
Upon entry, the Wanderer pushed the curtains of the entrance to the side, only to be met by varying glares. Though many looked at her with respect, others looked at her with fear or doubt. Those who respected her had seen her in battle before, many had even fought alongside her. Those who feared her solely believed in the rumors and those who doubted her thought they were all made up.
However, her doubters would soon be believers upon seeing the trophy attached to her hip.
Spotting an older man with greying hair that was tied behind his head, the Wanderer approached him before placing the head of her collected bounty on the table of the booth he was sitting at.
The man flinched, seeing the horrified expression on the target's head before looking up at the Wanderer, who was staring at him blankly. "Goodness..." the old man muttered, looking at the head in front of him. "You know you get more credits if you bring them in alive, right?"
The Wanderer then placed her bottom on the other side of the booth, sitting with her legs outstretched across it while her lone arm rested on the table. "I didn't like the guy. I think he deserved it."
The old man looked at her with an unimpressed glare before speaking his mind. "You've said this about the last twenty or so bounties you've collected in a similar fashion."
The Wanderer then lazily turned her head toward the old man, her bangs sliding across her forehead. "Well, this man was a real piece of Bantha crap. Whole village was livin' in huts while his club was like a palace."
"Ah, the cold-blooded bounty hunter with moral obligations." the old man teased, already knowing how the Wanderer was after years of working with her.
"I'm no saint, but I'm not gonna sit there and watch the weak getting trampled on. It ain't my business, but... I was once one of those people beneath the boot of the oppressors. I know what it's like."
Looking into her own past, the Wanderer's lone eye was staring blankly in front of her. She thought of her childhood, remembering living in a village similar to the one that her target seemingly decided to take over.
"Speaking of business. You killing all my targets is bad for my business. You're only getting twenty-five thousand for this." the old man started digging through a bag, pulling out the exact amount of credits for the Wanderer, and sliding it across the table to her.
The Wanderer rolled her fox-like eye as she reluctantly took the credits off of the table and slid them into her pocket. "Got anything else for me, Neihou?" the Wanderer asked.
Neihou had a reluctant expression on his face, looking around the room to see that all eyes were on them. The Wanderer was used to eyes being on her at all times, but it was typically ever only a few dozen eyes glaring at her. The entire room was watching, looking at her as if she were fresh meat.
"Why're you lookin' at me like that? You got another job for me or what?"
Neihou looked around before sliding a holoprojector across the table and activating it. "This is all I've got." he told her.
The Wanderer stared blankly at the holoprojector, chuckling to herself upon seeing who the target was. "She's quite the looker." she joked, staring at the image of herself being projected with a one million credit bounty.
"So I take it these guys ain't staring at me for my looks. They want that bounty, don't they?" she asked Neihou, though her voice didn't show the slightest bit of worry.
"I'm sorry. I do have one last job for you. Take this and get out of the capital." Neihou slid a slip of paper across the table, prompting the Wanderer to take it and slip it into her pocket. "Don't apologize. It's all business."
"See ya' 'round, Neihou." the Wanderer stood up out of the booth as she spoke, placing her hand to rest on the hilt of her lightsaber. She then looked around at everyone in the room with her lone, uncovered eye before addressing all of them.
"I'll be waitin' by the river just outside the capital. Y'all have ten minutes." the Wanderer then started for the entrance, strutting out with confidence as the entire room watched.
As she walked out of the building and strolled through the capital, she once again took note of all of the eyes on her, having a new perspective. 'Guess that's why all these folks have been staring at me. They must've heard about the bounty.'
The Wanderer exhaled, smiling slightly as she continued onward with her confident stride. 'I'm curious to see if any of them are man enough to cross me.'
Moments later, with her legs crossed, the Wanderer found herself facing a river, looking at the sun's reflection on the water, along with the green, grassy hills in the distance.
Blowing smoke from her pipe, the Wanderer's eyes looked to the side as she sensed something approaching her from behind. "So it's you, Mayaana Bathelde." the Wanderer spoke the name of the woman standing behind her, turning her head to face her.
What she saw was a woman standing confidently, wearing white and gold cloths around white armor that covered her vitals. As the shoulder cape of hers flowed in the wind, Mayanna slammed a pike into the ground, generating orange energy that appeared like a blade at the pike's tip in a similar fashion to a lightsaber, though it was an electro-blade.
Electro-blades were similar to lightsabers, both being weapons with blades made of energy. However, lightsabers drew power from kyber crystals, whereas electro-blades emanated electricity. Some electro blades were simply metal blades shrouded in electricity, which Jedi used to train, while others were concentrated electricity that emulated the blade of a lightsaber without the use of a kyber crystal.
"I knew this day would come, Wanderer. You've made quite the name for yourself, despite being nameless." Mayaana spoke with a posh accent, directly contrasting the farmer's drawl of the Wanderer.
"All these years of killin', I guess I killed the wrong one." the Wanderer faced the river once again, taking one last hit from her pipe before placing it back into her pocket. Blowing smoke from between her lips, the Wanderer spoke. "I don't wanna have to kill you, Mayaana. I suggest you turn tail and head home. Forget about the bounty, 'cause it ain't worth it."
Mayaana scoffed, finding it humorous that someone of a lower class would speak to her in such a way. "I shall not run away from an opportunity such as this. The credits are meaningless, but the status that comes with being the one to end you is worth far more than anyone could imagine."
"Is that right?" the Wanderer had a slight grin on her face, speaking quietly. "You sure you wanna do this?" she asked, giving Mayaana one last chance to live another day.
"I'm certain." Mayaana answered with unwavering confidence.
The Wanderer then stood up, turning around to face her opponent. The Wanderer's lazy expression infuriated Mayaana, almost as if her cold, lifeless eye was telling her that she didn't even see this as a challenge.
Though the Wanderer showed not a hint of fear, she was prepared to take this duel seriously. Out of anyone in the guild, Mayaana had the highest chance of taking her down.
There were rankings when it came to the Bounty Hunters' Guild, there was even a top ten posting just outside the building. With three hundred and seventeen bounties completed, the Wanderer was number one. Just behind her, with three hundred and twelve bounties completed, was the very woman in front of her.
Their whole lives as bounty hunters, the two of them competed to be the best, though the Wanderer was always ahead. This infuriated Mayaana, especially due to the fact that she came from a wealthy family and was practically a princess, yet some farm girl with no name was seen as her superior.
Many wondered why Mayaana was even a bounty hunter since she was a princess and had no need for money. However, she was a bounty hunter for one of the same reasons as the Wanderer.
She loved fighting more than anything else in the galaxy. Though for the Wanderer, it was far more complicated than that.
Mayanna, holding the long handle of her pike with both hands, stood in a ready position with her legs bent, pointing the tip of her orange blade directly toward the Wanderer. Though her heart was pounding against the inside of her chest, she showed no fear. With eyebrows furrowed, she glared at the Wanderer, her eyes emanating with the flames of a warrior.
The Wanderer, standing straight with her thumb against the guard on her hilt, gave her opponent a chilling glare with her single eye. With the flick of her thumb, her hilt clicking as it was released from its scabbard was heard, along with the humming of her grey lightsaber.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
TheWanderingWriter
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