Forbear to dilate. This is how he shall
The war forever end.
ROSE
—Take heed, I pray:
The strange transmission doth appear upon
Each frequency the radio can call.
[A strange voice comes out of Rose’s radio.
BEAUMONT
[translating:] The vile Resistance now is dead. The fire
That burneth by the power of the Sith
Shall blaze. All worlds surrender or be slain.
The Final Order doth begin today.
ROSE
[to Poe:] Our Leia made thee acting general.
I prithee, guide us. Say, what shall we do?
POE
Let me collect my thoughts awhile, good Rose.
Exhausted, very nat’rally, by such
Stupendous efforts, would I spend some time
In contemplation of our circumstance.
[Poe walks aside. Finn approaches D-O, who is rummaging through Rey’s belongings.
FINN
Nay, fain would I not have thee touch these things,
For they belong unto my treasur’d friend.
D-O
O, sorry! She is gone?
FINN
—Yea, fled and gone.
I know not where she’s flown.
D-O
—I miss her, yea!
FINN
Thy feeling’s mine—I miss her sorely, too.
What is thy name, thou frisky little droid?
[Finn and D-O continue to speak. Poe, aside, looks up and addresses Leia’s body.
POE
Hear my confession: I have lost my way,
And know not whither to direct my steps.
Yea, I have been so long, so constantly
Before the public eye that now I fear
All eyes are on me at my least prepar’d.
What thou didst, when thou younger wert than I—
For such I am not ready, but afeard.
Enter LANDO OF CALRISSIAN, addressing POE.
LANDO
In troth, we were not ready at the time.
Luke, Leia, Han, and I—who ever was?
POE
You were not readily discourag’d, though—
How did ye do it, being unprepar’d—
Defeat an Empire withal nearly naught?
LANDO
We had each other, and it was enow.
’Tis how we won—and how ye, too, shall win.
[Inspired, Poe rushes toward Finn, who rushes toward Poe at the same moment.
FINN
Poe! Aught hath come to light, for our two minds
To contemplate in conversation swift.
POE
I, too, must speak with thee, and presently.
The avenues to death are numerous
And strange, and I fear we shall thither if
’Tis I alone who leads. I cannot thus—
I need thee in command beside me, Finn.
FINN
This droid hath—many thanks, of course, for these
Most kind and heartfelt words.
POE
—Yea, General,
For there are scoundrels in this world, but thou
Art none.
FINN
—Thanks, General. Feast now thine ears:
This droid hath information plenty that—
POE
The skreeking little spalpeen cone face, yea?
D-O
Nay, I am D-O!
POE
—D-O. Truly it
Seems slower than it actually is!
D-O
The droid did journey unto Exegol
With Ochi of Bestoon.
POE
—Yet wherefore would
A bounty hunter, Ochi, thither fly?
’Tis strange, in faith. My curiosity
Hath not been altogether satisfied.
FINN
’Twas his employment, one small girl to filch
E’en from Jakku and render her unto
The Emperor nefarious, who did
Desire to have the girl both safe and sound.
I told thee once that Rey doth demons face,
And fighteth many battles deep within.
This newfound tale hath crystalliz’d my thoughts—
Not only by ourselves is fair Rey priz’d.
Come, let us on these matters further think.
[Exeunt all except Lando.
LANDO
Though my time to play warrior hath pass’d,
My conscience could not bear to stand aside.
Kind Leia, general unto this band,
Hath giv’n her life to see her purpose through,
To let “Resistance!” sound throughout the stars.
My friend and fellow scoundrel, even Han,
Was done to death by those whom he oppos’d,
E’en, in the end, betray’d by his own son.
How can I be ambivalent to this?
How should a man avoid what he doth see?
I’ll not spend the remainder of my days
Like some poor actor, waiting in the wings
Until he hears the perfect cue, e’en whilst
He shuts his ears to how the scene plays out.
Nay, this shall not be Lando, by my heart—
For whilst a heart still beats within my breast
And whilst mine eyes can see to fly a ship
And whilst my legs can hold my body up
And whilst my soul doth at injustice rage
I’ll enter, say my lines, and play my part.
Then, only when the drama is complete,
The players leave, the globe in silence sits,
Then may I set aside my script and rest.
Till then, Resistance, take my very best.
[Exit.
SCENE 3.
On Ahch-To.
Enter REY, burning the TIE whisper and throwing wood onto the flames. Enter various PORGS nearby.
REY
The anger I am not allow’d to feel
When playing in another person’s scene
Outpoureth as I find myself alone.
Farewell, the former Rey who liv’d before,
Observe the tenor of a newer Rey,
Rey who doth light the spark that stokes the pyre.
Methinks these blazes never shall be dous’d,
Evolving evermore to fire anew,
Red, yellow, orange tongues of flame that scorch
Each remnant of my former trusting heart.
Now, like a creature rising from the ash,
Emergeth this new Rey to scald the world.
My first deed is to singe the villain’s ship,
Its metal turn’d to embers blistering.
E’en though my rage could sear a planet whole,
Such anger I shall not inflict upon’t.
Already too much damage have I done,
Ren nearly kill’d, and Leia dead and gone.
Escape I’ll find on Ahch-To, where I shall
Retreat most peacefully from frightful war.
Embracing Luke’s clandestine habitat,
Concealment on this lonely island shall
Outdo the other paths that I could take.
Now, press thy hand to do thy tongue’s desire—
Can I so greet this unknown future that
I shall destroy my lightsaber as well?
Let it be so—it must. Let it burn, too,
Erase the past—yes, kill it if thou must—
Destroy it with the life that once Rey led.
PORG
Porg!
REY throws her lightsaber toward the fire.
Enter GHOST OF LUKE SKYWALKER, catching it.
LUKE
—Nay, throw not thy lightsaber away!
A Jedi’s weapon more respect deserves.
REY
O, Master Skywalker!
LUKE
—What dost thou do?
What means this funereal glow of flame?
REY
I saw myself upon the dark throne sat.
This must not be. I shall not leave this place,
Yet follow in thy footsteps and remain.
LUKE
Nay, I was in the wrong. ’Twas fear that kept
Me here upon this island most remote.
Pray, speak: of what art thou, Rey, most afeard?
REY
Myself.
LUKE
—Because thou art a Palpatine.
[Rey looks surprised.
I knew it, as did Leia, verily.
REY
She told me ne’er, yet train’d me even so.
LUKE
She saw thy spirit good, thy vibrant heart—
The ray of light that spilleth from thy soul.
Aught is there, Rey, that stronger proves than blood.
Confronting fear is the true destiny
Of ev’ry Jedi—e’en thy destiny.
If thou shalt not face Palpatine, ’twill be
The end of all the Jedi, and the war
Shall thereby end in loss. Come with me, Rey—
Upon the island is another thing
That Leia would have wish’d for thee to have.
[They walk together, and Luke shows Rey a stone. She picks it up to reveal another lightsaber underneath.
REY
’Tis Leia’s lightsaber!
LUKE
—Upon the last
Night of her training, Leia stopp’d at once—
As if struck by an immobility—
And told me she had sens’d the death of her
Belovèd son awaiting at the end
Of her path as a Jedi. Rather would
She end the training than take such a course.
Surrendering her saber unto me,
She said one day ’twould be ta’en up again
By someone who her journey would complete.
A thousand generations live in thee—
This is thy fight. Take both lightsabers with
Thee unto Exegol.
REY
—How shall I, though?
I’ve not the wayfinder and have destroy’d
Ren’s ship.
LUKE
—Thou hast each thing thou dost require.
REY
The wayfinder! The ship! ’Tis evident!
[Rey rushes to the charred remains of Kylo Ren’s ship and finds his wayfinder, pulling it from the wreckage.
But two were made, as Lando did report.
[Luke stands aside and uses the Force to lift his X-wing from the water offshore.
LUKE
[aside:] Now, by the Force, an X-wing I’ll produce,
That Rey may have another ship t’employ.
No longer tentative of mine own skill,
In death I have become one with the Force
And render all the pow’r that once methought
Impossible, when Yoda taught it me.
Come, trusty ship, and by the Force appear—
Yea, fly again, no more a souvenir.
[Exeunt.
SCENE 4.
On Ajan Kloss.
Enter C-3PO and R2-D2. Enter POE DAMERON, FINN, CHEWBACCA, ROSE TICO, LANDO OF CALRISSIAN, MAZ KANATA, BB-8, D-O, COMMANDER D’ACY, LIEUTENANT CONNIX, BEAUMONT KIN, SNAP WEXLEY, NIEN NUNB, AFTAB ACKBAR, and other SOLDIERS and PILOTS aside, working in the Resistance base.
R2-D2
Beep, meep, beep, whistle, hoo!
C-3PO
—Holla, sirrah!
C-3PO am I, an expert in
The human-cyborg link. Thou smallish droid,
May I the privilege to know thy name?
R2-D2
Squeak!
C-3PO
—What?
R2-D2
—Meep, whistle, squeak, hoo, nee,
beep, meep!
[Aside:] Is’t possible my friend C-3PO
Doth not remember me? I’ll not stand for’t.
C-3PO
I would recall if I a best friend had.
R2-D2
Meep, squeak!
C-3PO
—Thou wouldst put what inside my pate?
No circumstance within the galaxy
Could make me yield to such a deed as—
R2-D2
—Squeak!
[R2-D2 zaps C-3PO, who flails. R2-D2 quickly inserts a plug into C-3PO’s head and begins restoring his memory.
C-3PO
The mem’ry restoration is complete!
There is some ill a-brewing toward my rest,
For I did dream of Babu Frik tonight.
Say, didst thou know, Artoo, that I shall soon
Accompany our mistress Rey upon
Her first adventure?
R2-D2
—Whistle, meep, beep, squeak!
C-3PO Yea, speak’st thou truly? I already have?
R2-D2
[aside:] Although he prattle endlessly, I do
Confess a thankfulness to have him back.
[To C-3PO:] Beep, meep!
C-3PO
—A signal thou hast found?
From whom?
[Aside, Finn plugs D-O into a computer as Poe and Rose look on.
FINN
The information thou dost seek is here:
The plan for an air strike on Exegol.
POE
Naught hath been written on the topic that
Can be consider’d as decisive—this
Is helpful, yea, but lacketh still the most
Important detail: how to thither fly.
Dost see these atmo readings? Wondrous strange!
FINN
Magnetic cross fields—
ROSE
—Wells of gravity,
With solar winds aplenty to disturb.
How would the fleet e’en launch from such a place?
The knowledge astronomical lies not.
[C-3PO and R2-D2 approach them.
C-3PO
Excuse me. It seems Artoo’s mem’ry bank
Is cross’d with his receptors logical—
He saith a signal comes from Master Luke!
[They connect R2-D2 to the computer.
POE
Words are vague things, and I am at a loss.
An older craft identifying mark—
Indeed, ’tis Luke Skywalker’s X-wing class.
C-3PO
It doth transmit course marker signals as
It flieth to the unknown regions grim.
FINN
’Tis Rey, for certain. She doth lead the way.
BB-8
Blik bleeflit bleezooz zoonroil blis blip bloo?
FINN
She flies to Exegol and bids us join.
POE
Then we shall thither, bound together, o’er
The fiery wall of the horizon dark.
[All gather around.
BEAUMONT
[to Chewbacca:] How sadly thou dost sit aside, my
&nb
sp; friend,
Near broken by the weight of tragedy.
We need thee still, and bid thee to thy feet—
Th’Resistance cannot win sans Chewie.
CHEWBAC.
[aside:] —Egh.3
FINN
Whilst yet the fleet of Star Destroy’rs remains
On Exegol, we’ll fall upon them there.
SNAP
How shall we so? Are they not numerous?
ROSE
They cannot activate protective shields
Until they leave the atmosphere thereof.
POE
From Exegol, the deed is difficult—
Ships of their size need help their bulk to launch.
The heavens wear an aspect of grave ill—
Their navigations systems cannot tell
Which way is up or down in such a place.
PILOT 1
How do the ships launch?
[Poe projects an image of a tower.
POE
—How this happens is
Not difficult to see—they are led by
A signal from this navigation tow’r.
FINN
No signal they’ll receive, if we succeed.
The air team shall the tower quickly find,
The ground team shall destroy it in a flash.
PILOT 2
A ground team?
FINN
—Yea, for which I’ve many thoughts.
POE
The tower being down, the fleet shall be
Trapp’d in the atmosphere for minutes few—
No shields and no escape, and there we’ll strike.
Methinks the very air o’er Exegol
Shall then seem to us redolent with death.
ROSE
’Tis possible the cannons may connect
Unto the main reactors.
LANDO
—’Tis our chance.
BEAUMONT
A Holdo-like maneuver would suit well.
FINN
In faith, the noble lady did achieve
A once-upon-a-lifetime stratagem.
Our fighters and our freighters can destroy
Them fully if there are enow of us.
NIEN
Et chyed di-garry gyedi ga!
CONNIX
—’Tis true,
We’d be no more than insects on their glass.
FINN
’Tis wherefore Lando and brave Chewie shall
Toward core systems in the Falcon fly,
Send forth a plea for help to any who
Can hear our need and render some relief.
POE
There are full many allies all around,
Who’ll quickly join if they know hope exists.
The very denseness of the company
Enlisting shall astound ye utterly.
[All mutter apprehensively.