Free 159474808X by Ian Doescher Page B

sixty-six!
The cloak of death we rapidly unveil,
And show the reaper grim who waits therein.
The Jedi, spread throughout the galaxy,
Engag’d in battles with the Sep’ratists,
Shall suffer as no group e’er suffer’d yet.
Those fighting with their little lightsabers,
Or flying into battle in a ship,
Or cruising o’er a planet’s bluest shore,
Each wretched Jedi meets a quick demise.
Go, ravens of the dark side, caw for death!
Feast ye upon the Jedi carrion,
Let each rank body of each Jedi Knight
Fall as you peck them into death’s embrace.
Go, black and lethal banthas of the night,
And trample o’er the weak Republic’s hopes—
Crush all the Jedi who would block your way,
Impale them all upon your vicious horns.
Go, hounds of hell, and fiercely bare your teeth,
Let ev’ry Jedi feel your awful bite.
Rip limb from limb until their skin doth shred,
And flay them whilst they live, that they may scream.
O, pleasure most profound and sensual,
To eat the heart of one’s own enemies.
Would that I could perform the deed myself,
Look into ev’ry pair of Jedi eyes
And watch as they for mercy humbly beg.
O, sight most pitiful and wonderful:
I’d haply run them through, or choke their throats,
Or strike them with the lighting of the Sith—
Then how mine heart would sing as they expire,
My soul would leap to hear their cries of pain.
Die, light, die, any good that ever was,
Die, wisdom; yea, die, virtue, die, respect,
Die, honor, die, nobility, die, right—
These qualities shall perish on this day.
For lo, the Sith do ply their merry tricks,
Come, death: thy name is order sixty-six.
[Exit Darth Sidious.

SCENE 2.
    On the planet Utapau and the planet Kashyyyk.
    Enter R UMOR .
    RUMOR
The Sith, with Rumor’s aid, have hatch’d their plot,
Hell hath no fury like to Palpatine.
Each moment now with danger vast is fraught
For ev’ry Jedi Knight upon the scene.
Against the Jedi rise the troopers clon’d,
Long programm’d with their order sixty-six.
Like dead kings shall the Jedi be dethron’d:
Oblivious when come the Chanc’lor’s tricks.
Forsaken by the ones once known as friends,
The Jedi Order doth face sound defeat:
Herein the Jedi Knights come to their ends,
Eyes, look upon their ruin, soon complete!
Just after Sidious hath giv’n the word,
E’en Obi-Wan shall be by foes beset.
Does not this Rumor fly like swiftest bird?
Is not this fall mine utmost triumph yet?
[Exit Rumor.
    Enter O BI -W AN K ENOBI astride B OGA , C OMMANDER C ODY , AND SEVERAL CLONE TROOPERS .
    OBI-WAN
I pray, Commander, contact all thy troops,
And bid them make ascent to higher levels.
    CODY
Indeed, good Master Jedi. Also, sir:
Methinks you dropp’d your lightsaber from up
Above, for I did hear it clatter, yea.
You shall have need of this most noble light
When you do bravely enter to the fray.
    OBI-WAN
My thanks, Commander Cody. Let us go,
For we herein must win this battle.
    BOGA
—Braaee!
[Obi-Wan and Boga begin to exit.
    CODY
Holla, what’s this—a signal doth come through.
    Enter D ARTH S IDIOUS in beam.
    SIDIOUS
My clone commander Cody, th’time hath come:
All now is readiness. By these words I
Command thee speedily to execute
The dread and perfect order sixty-six.
    CODY
Yea, lord, it shall be even as you say.
[Exit Sidious from beam.
Ill born it cometh—order sixty-six—
To slay e’en such as Obi-Wan Kenobi.
The man hath ever been a friend to me,
And side by side in many wars we fought,
Yet o’er my mind this order worketh quick
An ’twere some mighty force deliver’d it.
Lo, on the instant, I do feel compell’d,
As though obedience demanded were
By some all-pow’rful spell. Now ’tis most clear:
The Jedi are th’Republic’s enemies:
Thus at the hands of clones death comes anon.
[ To other clones: ] My men, to some lost planet yon blast him!
[The clones fire at Obi-Wan and Boga, who fall into a canyon and land within a lake. Exeunt Commander Cody and clone troopers.

Enter Y ODA with T ARFFUL and C HEWBACCA. Enter TWO CLONE