Free William Shakespeare's The Jedi Doth Return by Ian Doescher Page B

be made
    To witness how their lov’d ones scream and shriek
    And, at the last, forsake e’en those they love
    When tortur’d by the mighty hand of pow’r.
    Let those who lurch and stumble t’ward the light
    Discover, in the moments ere they die,
    The light they sought is but a blaster shot,
    Lightsaber beam or lightning of the Sith
    That shall their wretched life put to an end.
    And let the vile Rebellion choke upon
    Its own absurd and innocent ideals,
    Until each sick’ning, cursèd, backward soul
    Who e’er hath spoken in Rebellion’s name
    Lies broken in the streets, beneath my steps.
    Aye, let’s kill all the rebels. It shall be,
    For power is my slave and I its god.
    Enter
L UKE S KYWALKER
and
D ARTH V ADER
on balcony.
    I bid thee welcome, young Skywalker. Long
    Have I awaited thee. Guards, leave us now.
    [Exeunt royal guards.
    I do look forward to the moment when
    Thy training shall completed be. In time
    Thou shalt bow low and call me Master.
    LUKE
    —There
    Thou art mistaken gravely, for I am
    Not thine to be converted as thou in
    The past did turn my father.
    EMPEROR
    —Nay, my young
    Apprentice. Thou shalt find ’tis thou who art
    Mistaken vis-à-vis so many things.
    [Darth Vader hands Luke’s lightsaber to the Emperor.
    VADER
    His lightsaber I give to thee.
    EMPEROR
    —Indeed.
    The weapon of a Jedi Knight, much like
    Thy father. Surely, boy, thou knowest well
    That never shall thy father turnèd be
    Away from dark toward the good; so shall
    It be for thee.
    LUKE
    —O, thou art wrong. Anon
    I shall be dead, and thou with me.
    EMPEROR
    —Ha, ha!
    Belike thou speakest of the imminent
    Attack that hath been plannèd by the fleet
    Of rebel ships?
    LUKE
    [
aside:
] —Alas! How can he know?
    EMPEROR
    Aye, let me reassure thee we are safe
    Here from the foolish undertaking of
    Thy wretched friends.
    LUKE
    —Thine overconfidence
    Is thy great weakness.
    EMPEROR
    —And thy faith in thy
    Base friends is thine.
    VADER
    —’Tis pointless to resist,
    My son. Thou shalt be turn’d unto the dark,
    And then we three shall rule the galaxy.
    EMPEROR
    Dost thou not see? All that hath happen’d doth
    Proceed according to my grand design.
    Thy friends upon the sanctuary moon
    Now walk into a trap that I shall spring.
    Thy rebel fleet as well: the snare is set
    To catch the pests and crush them ’twixt my fingers.
    Hast thou yet understood? ’Twas I who did
    Allow thy bold Alliance to find out
    The site of the shield generator; it
    Is wholly safe from thy band pitiful.
    I let thy spies believe they had reveal’d
    A secret great about this station, yet
    ’Twas I who leak’d intelligence to them,
    So all the pieces would be perfectly
    Arrang’d to strike rebellion down at last.
    A legion of my finest troops awaits
    Their piteous attack. But O, fear not,
    For fully operational the shield
    Shall be when thy misguided friends arrive.
    With skill the players all are put in place,
    Much bloodshed and destruction shall they face.
    [Exeunt.

SCENE 3.
    Space / Inside the second Death Star.
    Enter
CHORUS .
    CHORUS
    Imagine you see space, ye viewers true,
    In which the final battle shall be fought.
    The rebels put their trust i’the Endor crew:
    Unless the shield is down, ’tis all for naught.
    Yet little do they know that plan hath fail’d,
    For Palpatine hath work’d his great deceit.
    On Endor is the rebel crew assail’d,
    Which doth create disaster for the fleet.
    [Exit chorus.
    Enter
L ANDO OF C ALRISSIAN , N IEN N UNB , A DMIRAL A CKBAR , W EDGE A NTILLES ,
and other
REBEL PILOTS .
    LANDO
    Great Admiral, we’re in position now.
    Each rebel fighter is accounted for,
    And all are now prepar’d for our attack.
    ACKBAR
    Proceed, then, with the countdown in a snap.
    NIEN
    [
to Lando:
] Ungate-oh ah theyairee uhareh
    Mu-ah-hareh. Mu-ah-hareh mu-kay?
    LANDO
    Nay, worry not, my strangely membran’d friend.
    My friend, the valiant Han, shall play his part,
    And shall the shield disable in good time.
    NIEN
    Emutee