The Wanderer (Act 1)

A Tragedy, in the Old Tradition. Possibly including some elements of Scientific Fiction and the Japanese Entertainments.
Act 1
Scene 1
WANDERER enters. He is underdressed for the chill of space - in shorts and thin shirt, he shivers constantly.
Wanderer: "I am lost. This place is strange to me. Its people are alien. I am severed from everything I knew - and in so being, find myself removed from purpose."
PARTY enters. Members are thickly dressed, in coats and hats and gloves, but each is distinct in appearance.
COMPASSIONATE ONE looks at Wanderer. Her distress leads her to point, and the party approaches Wanderer.
Compassion: "I could not help but pity you, as I saw you there, cold and alone. What has brought you to this state?
Wanderer: "I am adrift. My world, and my family, have been destroyed by the dread monster RAVENER. I was then on my way back, from the colony of Nepthys; but while I slept, Ravener struck, forcing the ship on which I traveled to make port here instead."
PARTY LEADER: "Ah! You as well? My fiancée traveled to your homeworld, the planet of New Damascus, to meet her family before our wedding; she was there when Ravener struck. In truth, I have gathered this party to find Ravener, and destroy him. Each of us has our own reason to risk our life for the purpose; it seems that you might, as well. Will you join us?"
Wanderer: "...Do you have some plan, of how the monster may be destroyed?"
Leader: "We do."
Wanderer: "Then I am with you; to stake my life in this great gamble, for ill or good. I am young, I know, and can only hope that you do not take advantage of me. I-I will not compromise my principles in this."
Leader: "We would not ask you to."
Wanderer: "Here, I shake your hands, each of you. From this day henceforth, it is only: death, or glory."

Talking excitedly, Party exeunt, Wanderer included.

Scene 2
Compassionate One enters, followed by Wanderer. Wanderer is more heavily dressed now, in the style of the others, but both of their clothes are battered and somewhat damaged, ripped and burnt in many places. Weapons hang at their sides.
Compassion: "Here, let us rest for a moment. I wished to speak to you."
Wanderer: "What of?"
Compassion: "I have noticed that you are never relaxed. I know that on New Damascus, it is forbidden to do many things. To be informal with any but family. To put the welfare of an unbeliever over that of a believer. To be alone in the company of a woman who is not of your family - and look, you inch away from me now!"
Wanderer: "And so? Do you insult my ethics?"
Compassion: "No! I simply - it seems this is the time for hard words. New Damascus is dead! Only a handful of your people survive - refugee in the endless dark of space. And we are in the heart of Ravener's fortress, surrounded by those who serve him. Your squeamishness, your fear of wandering from the orthodox, your rigidity is crippling our combat effectiveness!"
Wanderer: "And - you want me to compromise my principles? I told you when this began! I am the last of my people! I cannot break the commandments! I am... all that is left..."
Compassion: "...I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like - that. It's just... everything changes in time. Everything. And I don't want you to abandon what's left of your past, but... if you hold too hard to something that rigid, either it will break, or you will. I just want you to... loosen your grip, a little. Do you understand?"
Wanderer: "You insulted the last thing I have of my people."
Compassion: "No!"
Wanderer "...I'll see what I can do to, for the fight. But I won't compromise my principles. Not for you."

Exeunt Wanderer.

Compassion: "Everything changes. Sometimes we have a choice."
Sounds of fighting.
Exeunt Compassion.

Scene 3
PARTY enters. All members are bloody, clothes torn and ripped. Weapons are visible. One member is missing. Wanderer is without a right arm.
Leader: "We won! Ravener, butcher of millions - and my beloved - is dead! All our struggle ends in victory!"
Compassion: "At a cost."
Leader: "We knew there would be a cost to this when we started it. I'm glad that it's not higher."
Leader exeunt, with others. Compassion and Wanderer remain.
Compassion: "Does it hurt?"
Wanderer: "It could be worse."
Compassion: "Let me have a look."
Wanderer: "Ow! All right, now it hurts."
Compassion: "All right... was it worth it? Losing your arm?"
Wanderer: "For the distraction, so that Merc could get in with the bomb: yes. It hurts. And I'll be crippled for life. But to kill Ravener... I'd do it again."
Compassion: "...there are transplants. These days."
Wanderer: "You know full well that they are forbidden to me. 1:17: 'And lo, let your people remain pure: pure in spirit, in flesh, in faith.' We cannot contaminate our flesh with transplants; not even organic ones."
Compassion: "I don't think I really said what I meant to, about change. Before."
Wanderer: "...all right."
Compassion: "I told you... everything changes. And that's a fact. Nothing lasts forever. The interpretation of your scripture shifts, people change... people die. And you have to accept that. But sometimes - not always, but sometimes, you can control change. You can say, 'I will sacrifice this, I will change this, so that I can have stability otherwise.' And you lose something, yes - but you gain something, too. And if you choose right, then you can preserve the part of you that make you who you are. You can change without losing yourself. Without losing your family. Not everything's about absolutes."
Wanderer: "Not even in the eyes of God?"
Compassion: "Is he not a merciful God?"
Wanderer: "The imams might disagree... if there even are any more."
Compassion: "I'm sorry. But... you are still young. You are the youth of your people. And I think that it is your responsibility to continue, for them."
Wanderer: "You want me to get the transplant."
Compassion: "Yes."
Wanderer: "You think that I must change to survive."
Compassion: "...sort of, yes."
Wanderer: "Very well, then. I will compromise. I will do it because you tell me it is good, and, after all this, I trust you more than... anyone. And I hope that I do not damn myself by so doing."
Compassion: "Believe."
Wanderer: "Shall we go back to the others, then? Together?"
PARTY enters, carrying celebration with them.
Leader: "The pods are prepared! Once we've finished up here, we can enter them."
Compassion: "Good! It's going to be slow around here, now that Ravener is dead."
Wanderer: "Pods?"
Leader: "The cryo pods! We've been planning this from before you met us."
Compassion: "We knew that once Ravener was dead - if we killed him, of course, because otherwise all this was moot - there wouldn't be much purpose for us around here. A company of heroes, and no villain but politics. So we decided to seclude ourselves for a thousand years - emerge into a new world, new villains, maybe even real trans-stellar travel!"
Wanderer: "And you'd abandon me?"
Compassion: "No! Of course not! We got one for you... right?"
Leader: "Yes, they're all lined up in the back."
Wanderer: "And all that talk about change, and the transplant?"
Compassion: "You'd hardly want to wake to a new world a cripple, right? Plus... what greater change could there be than a thousand years' worth?"
Wanderer: "I'm sorry. I can't do this."
Leader: "What?"
Wanderer: "You convinced me. You told me: I'm the youth of my people, I must continue them. I can't just... sit, for a thousand years. I need to live."
Leader: "And what will you be doing?"
Wanderer: "I think I'll travel. This place holds... too many memories for me. Good and bad. I want to see new worlds, maybe try to spread the faith. Change."
Compassion: "And you'll be back for us? In a thousand years?"
Wanderer: "...in a thousand years."

End Act 1.