I like that word, when spoken from your lips.
LEIA
Pray cease that touch, it doth my heart confuse.
HAN
But wherefore cease? What reason shall eclipse
The greater reason of my heart’s intent?
LEIA
But lo, my hands are dirtied by my work.
HAN
My hands are likewise dirty. Pray, assent
Unto this moment. What fear makes you shirk?
LEIA
What fear? I tell thee, I am not afraid.
HAN
Did I imagine that your hands did shake?
Thou likest that I am of scoundrel made.
For thy life could more scoundrel gladly take.
If thou wouldst cast my suit off, think again—
I would that thou within me deeper look.
LEIA
I tell thee true, that I do like nice men.
HAN
I too am nice.
[They kiss.
Enter C-3PO.
LEIA
[aside:] —He kisses by the book.
C-3PO
Sir, Sir, I’ve isolated the reverse
Flux power coupling. Have I done thee proud?
[Exit Princess Leia.
HAN
O thank you, 3PO, thank you so much.
C-3PO
But speak none of it, Sir—I have a touch.
[Exeunt.
SCENE 2.
Aboard the Empire’s Super Star Destroyer.
Enter DARTH VADER and CAPTAIN NEEDA (in beam).
NEEDA
The swift Millenn’um Falcon made its way
Unto the field of asteroids and that,
My great Lord Vader, was the last that they
Within our scopes did e’er appear. They must
Have been destroy’d, if one considers all
The damage we have tolerated here.
VADER
Your answer’s insufficient, Captain, for
I know they are alive. Thy scanners are
Poor proxies for the Force. Now listen well
To my command: I tell thee ev’ry ship
That hath some power left to give shall search
The ast’roid field until they have been found.
NEEDA
I shall with haste fulfill thy shrewd decree.
[Exit Captain Needa from beam.
Enter ADMIRAL PIETT.
PIETT
My Lord?
VADER
—Yes, Admiral?
PIETT
—The Emperor
Commands that thou do contact him at once.
VADER
Then, move the ship out of the ast’roid field
That I may with my master clearly speak.
PIETT
We will, my Lord.
[Exit Admiral Piett.
VADER
—Now shall I speak with my
Dread Emperor. The man who gave me life
When all was lost. The man to whom I owe
All that I am, and e’er shall be. The man,
Indeed, who like a father is to me.
His plans for pow’r and schemes most excellent
I do obey and carry out with pride.
Though people fear my aspect bleak and dark,
They should, more surely, fear what I will do
When answering his perfect, flawless will.
For sooner would I sacrifice my life
Than disobey the word of this great man.
Enter EMPEROR PALPATINE, in beam.
What is thy bidding, master pure and true?
EMPEROR
There is a great disturbance in the Force.
VADER
I too have felt it.
EMPEROR
—A new enemy
Arises, e’en the rebel who destroy’d
The Death Star—and I have no doubt this boy
Is kin to Anakin Skywalker.
VADER
[aside:] —O,
Profoundest revelation! I knew he
Was powerful and bore Skywalker’s name,
Yet that the boy is kin to Anakin
I did not see. [To the Emperor:] How is this possible?
EMPEROR
You only must within your feelings search,
Lord Vader. Then shalt thou too know ’tis true.
He could destroy us.
VADER
And Obi-Wan no longer is his help.
EMPEROR
The Force is strong with him, and mark me well:
The son of Skywalker must ne’er become
A Jedi. Dost thou comprehend my words?
VADER
[aside:] I do his meaning understand, and yet
Another future for this boy I’ll write.
Not death, but something even greater still.
It may be that this young Skywalker will
Still prove to be most worthy of the name.
[To the Emperor:] If he could but be turn’d, an ally strong
He could become.
EMPEROR
—Indeed, thou speakest true.
The boy may prove himself an asset sure.
Can it be done? What is thy true reply?
VADER
The boy shall surely join us, or shall die.
[Exeunt.
SCENE 3.
Inside Yoda’s homestead.
Enter LUKE SKYWALKER.
LUKE
This creature I have follow’d to his home,
But still no further answers are reveal’d.
It seemeth that he stalls in bringing me
Unto the one I truly hope to see.
With all that hath befallen in this place
My patience runneth thin. I’ll press the point.
Enter Yoda.
Thy generosity is truly rare,
I’ll warrant that thy food delicious is.
Yet neither rhyme nor reason have I heard
Of wherefore we may not go, even now,
To see good Master Yoda where he lives.
YODA
Pray, patience, young one.
For Jedi too must eat—thus
My good food, eat now.
LUKE
How many leagues away is Yoda? Shall
The journey to him long and per’lous be?
YODA
Not far is Yoda.
Aye, soon thou shalt be with him.
First, eat of rootleaf.
Feast for a Jedi—
Food that enlivens the mind
Should thy repast be.
And now, a question:
What drives the young man’s heart to
Learn the Jedi way?
LUKE
This is an inquiry perceptive, friend,
For I am driv’n by force unto the Force:
My noble father doth inform my steps.
YODA
Thy father, indeed.
Powerful Jedi was he.
Powerful Jedi.
LUKE
Avaunt, thou silly creature, how canst thou
My father know? For surely thou dost not
E’en know who I am. Fie! I know not what
Or who or why or when or where or how
Hath brought about this meeting! Time is short;
Each minute pass’d with thee hath gone to waste!
YODA
[speaking to the air:] I cannot teach him.
The boy hath none of patience.
How shall he be taught?
The voice of the GHOST OF OBI-WAN KENOBI is heard.
OBI-WAN
He patience lacks, but patience can be learn’d.
YODA
Much anger in him.
Sudden and quick in quarrel:
Too like his father.
OBI-WAN
Was I then diff’rent when thou didst teach me?
YODA
He is not rea
dy.
’Tis now the thing that I see:
This one’s unprepar’d.
LUKE
’Tis Yoda! Nay, but Ben, pray argue for
My cause, for verily prepar’d am I!
I can and shall a Jedi be. True, Ben?
YODA
Ready are you, hmm?
What know you yet of ready?
Say naught of “ready.”
For eight hundred years
Have I the Jedi trainèd,
So say not “ready.”
I my own counsel
Shall keep on who’s to be trained!
A Jedi is wise.
A strong commitment
And a most serious mind
Are necessary.
Long have I watch’d him.
To the future, hmm,
To the horizon.
Ne’er his mind on where he was,
What he was doing!
Ventures, excitement:
A Jedi craveth not these.
Thou art reckless, aye!
OBI-WAN
And so was I, if thou dost think on it.
YODA
And he is too old
The training to begin now.
Certain, he’s too old.
LUKE
But Master Yoda, I have learn’d so much.
YODA
And will he finish
The thing he doth begin here?
I prithee, tell me.
LUKE
I shall not fail thee: ’tis my promise true,
For I am not afraid of anything.
YODA
Thou shalt be yet, Luke.
My words most carefully heed:
Thou shalt be, indeed.
[Exeunt.
SCENE 4.
Aboard the Millennium Falcon, inside the asteroid.
Enter HAN SOLO, CHEWBACCA, and C-3PO.
C-3PO
Good Sir, if I may venture my belief—
HAN
I tell thee honestly, C-3PO,
That neither appetite nor inclination
Have I to feast upon your odd beliefs.
Do thou thy work but keep opinion out,
And we shall feast together on the silence.
Enter PRINCESS LEIA, in fear.
LEIA
O Han, a horrid sight I have just seen!
Whilst I did in the cockpit sit and think—
HAN
On what? Pray tell: what didst thou think upon?
LEIA
’Tis not the time for jokes and parries, please!
As I did sit there, suddenly a jolt
Went through me as I heard a sound upon
The window. Looking closer, I espied
A second beast outside that hard upon
The window fell. There’s something out there, Han—
Beyond the ship, abiding in the cave.
[A great sound is heard and the ship shakes.
CHEWBAC.
Auugh!
C-3PO
—Listen!
HAN
—I shall venture out to see.
LEIA
Nay, art thou mad? It is not wise or safe
To go without when there are creatures we
Know nothing of.
HAN
—This bucket is just fix’d,
Wouldst thou I let some thing tear it apart?
LEIA
I see thy reason, and shall go with thee.
C-3PO
I shall with courage and with honor stay
Behind to bravely guard the ship.
[Another sound is heard.
O dear!
[Exit C-3PO as the others go outside the ship.
LEIA
What is this ground that we do walk upon?
’Tis strange—it doth not feel at all like rock.
HAN
Indeed, with thine assessment I agree:
It seems there is much moisture in this place.
LEIA
I have a feeling bad about this cave.
What odd new situation find we here?
Do not these signs and portents give thee fear?
HAN
Aye.
[Han sees something move.
Take thou cover!
[He shoots.
’Tis all right.
LEIA
—What is’t?
HAN
’Tis what I did suspect: some mynocks. They
Are fasten’d to the ship, a’chewing on
The power cables.
LEIA
—Mynocks? O what beasts!
HAN
Return inside, and we shall search for more.
[Several mynocks fly by. Han shoots, and the cave walls shake.
But hold one moment, something seems awry,
For blaster fire should not cause walls to shake.
[Han shoots the cave wall, and the ground shakes mightily.
O, horror, for I now do understand:
The cave doth quake whenever it is shot.
But what knows rock of pain, or stone of hurt?
Whenever did a cave feel anything?
Impossible it is, unless this cave
Is much more than a cave. [To Leia and Chewbacca:] Pray, go inside!
[They run into the Millennium Falcon.
With speed now, Chewie, let us fly away!
LEIA
[following Han to the cockpit:] The Empire is without, we should not go—
HAN
We’ve no time to discuss this in committee.
LEIA
O, fie! Thou scoundrel, I am no committee!
[They arrive in the cockpit and start the ship.
See reason! For thou canst not make the jump
To lightspeed midst this field of asteroids.
HAN
Make sure thy back end finds a seat—we go!
[They begin to leave the cave, which is actually an exogorth, or space slug. Its mouth begins to close.
Enter C-3PO.
C-3PO
Observe! We are destroy’d!
HAN
—I see it plain.
C-3PO
O, we are doom’d!
LEIA
—The cave, it doth collapse!
HAN
This is no cave, and I am not its food.
Now we do fly—another close escape!
[Exeunt C-3PO, Han Solo, Princess Leia, and
Chewbacca in the Milennium Falcon, flying out
of exogorth’s mouth and leaving it alone on stage.
EXOGOR.
Alas, another meal hath fled and gone,
And in the process I am sorely hurt.
These travelers who have escap’d my reach
Us’d me past the endurance of a block!
My stomach they did injure mightily
With jabs and pricks, as though a needle were
A’bouncing in my belly. O cruel Fate!
To be a space slug is a lonely lot,
With no one on this rock to share my life,
No true companion here to mark my days.
And now my meals do from my body fly—
Was e’er a beast by supper so abus’d?
Was e’er a creature’s case so pitiful?
Was e’er an exogorth as sad as I?
Was e’er a tragedy as deep as mine?
I shall with weeping crawl back to my cave,
Which shall, sans food, belike become my grave.
[Exit.
SCENE 5.
The Dagobah system.
Enter YODA, R2-D2, and LUKE SKYWALKER, training.
LUKE
[aside:] This Yoda is indeed a teacher wise,
And hath agreed to train me in the way
Of Jedi. Strong and quick I show myself—
With leaps and flips I train my body and
Instill within a Jedi’s discipline.
&
nbsp; Aye, with the Force I like a sand bat fly.
My spirit feeleth free, my muscles strong,
My mind is calm inside, my heart is still.
What gratitude I feel toward this new
And treasur’d mentor. Thus I train my best—
His expectations I’ll not disappoint.
YODA
Now run, indeed, run!
A Jedi’s strength doth surely
Come from the Force, Luke.
But mind the dark side.
Anger, fear, aggression—from
The dark side are they.
Easily they flow,
Quick to join you in a fight.
Aye, they do not fail!
Once on the dark path,
Forever shall it control
Thy destiny, Luke.
It shall consume thee,
As it did the apprentice
Of good Obi-Wan.
LUKE
Darth Vader: legendary is his pow’r.
But Master, hath the dark side greater strength?
YODA
Nay, nay—forsooth: nay.
’Tis quicker, easier, more
Seductive only.
LUKE
But how, good master, shall I know the good
Side from the bad, the darkness from the light?
YODA
Thou shalt know, my lad,
When thou art calm and passive.
[Aside:] I hope thou shalt know.
When fac’d with terror,
And with thy father’s grim fate,
I hope thou shalt know.