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    William Shakespeare's the Merry Rise of Skywalker

    Page 7
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      Thou patient, for we shall deliver thee.

      C-3PO

      Whoe’er this Chewie may be, madness ’tis!

      [The Bestoon Legacy flies inside

      a hangar of the Steadfast.

      Enter a few STORMTROOPERS around the Bestoon Legacy.

      TROOPER 6

      Credentials now present, and manifest.

      [Rey, Poe, and Finn emerge,

      shooting stormtroopers. The droids

      follow hesitantly behind.

      FINN

      Feel ye our blaster fire, ye troubling knaves!

      REY

      [to droids:] You three, remain here with the ship.

      C-3PO

      —Forsooth!

      I fear my fellowship to die with ye.

      POE

      Forever changing places are these ships—

      Finn, whither shall we go?

      FINN

      —Fain would I know,

      But no idea have I. Yet follow on!

      [They run aside while the droids

      wait with the ship.

      Enter TWO STORMTROOPERS, pointing

      blasters at REY, POE, and FINN.

      TROOPER 7

      Drop ye your weapons, naughty ruffians!

      [Rey uses a Jedi mind trick on them.

      REY

      ’Tis not a problem that we are herein.

      TROOPER 7

      ’Tis not a problem that ye are herein.

      TROOPER 8

      Indeed, ’tis well!

      REY

      —You are reliev’d to see

      Us on the ship.

      TROOPER 7

      —Hurrah that ye are here!

      TROOPER 8

      Most hearty welcome, gentles, to our ship.

      POE

      [aside, to Finn:] Is’t possible, with a most knowing eye,

      She plies such tricks on us?

      REY

      —We hither came

      To find a prisoner and his things, too,

      And ye shall help us in our noble search.

      TROOPER 7

      Proceed in the direction ye did run

      And ye shall find th’interrogation room.

      [Exeunt stormtroopers.

      FINN

      They told us Chewie would be found this way—

      Let us press forward, blasting cameras,

      Until we locate Chewie finally.

      [They come to a closed door and Finn

      begins working on the panel to open it.

      REY

      [aside:] Again, the presence of another one

      Doth call to me—the dagger is on board,

      And I must thither if we would succeed.

      [Rey starts walking away as

      Finn opens the door.

      FINN

      Rey, swiftly come or we shall be undone.

      REY

      The dagger—it is here and we must have’t.

      POE

      Perhaps it may be that my mind is wrought

      To fever pitch, yet wherefore do we so?

      REY

      A feeling tells me, Poe. I prithee, meet

      Me once more in the hangar.

      FINN

      —Foh, canst not—

      [Poe places a hand on Finn’s chest,

      silencing him. Exit Rey.

      POE

      Be calm—I would not suffer, Finn, our thoughts

      For any length of time to dwell upon

      These latter speculations. Chewie is

      Our goal and aim, so let us go anon.

      They open another door. Enter CHEWBACCA in his cell, bound.

      CHEWBAC.

      Egh, auugh!1

      POE

      —Of course we came! The novelty

      Of an adventure such as this we would

      Not miss, and never would leave thee behind.

      CHEWBAC.

      Egh, egh.2

      FINN

      —Yea, Rey is with us, and shall find

      The dagger ere we venture forth from here.

      Enter ALLEGIANT GENERAL PRYDE and various

      STORMTROOPERS aside, in the hangar.

      PRYDE

      Whose ship is this? Alert the legions stern—

      Belike our enemies have hither come.

      [Exit Allegiant General Pryde as the

      stormtroopers begin searching the ship.

      FINN

      This way unto the ship, my friends. Make haste!

      [The stormtroopers enter the corridor through

      which Poe, Finn, and Chewbacca are running.

      TROOPER 9

      ’Tis them!

      [Finn shoots Trooper 9.

      FINN

      —Wrong way! Fie, they do swarm like bees!

      POE

      Nay, I could not have said this; it is an

      Absurdity—there is no right way here!

      [The blaster fight continues as Poe,

      Finn, and Chewbacca run toward the hangar,

      encountering stormtroopers. Poe shoots one

      stormtrooper and slides a blaster to Chewbacca.

      Now, Chewie, thou mayst make thine own defense.

      Are we yet near the hangar?

      FINN

      —’Tis not far.

      [Poe runs into an opening in the

      corridor and is shot in the arm.

      Alack, good Poe! My truest confidant

      Shot down in combat fierce. Say, art thou well?

      [Stormtroopers surround Poe,

      Finn, and Chewbacca.

      POE

      Although at times my pessimism dark

      Hath been imputed to me as a crime,

      I can say truly: nay, all is not well.

      TROOPER 10

      Freeze, scum, and drop your weapons on the ground!

      POE

      The ship and all within it are imbued

      With spirit, gentles. You are well met!

      TROOPER 10

      —Tut!

      Enter GENERAL HUX and ALLEGIANT GENERAL PRYDE.

      Allegiant General, th’Resistance rogues

      We’ve apprehended, yet the scavenger

      Is not with them.

      PRYDE

      —Pray, bear them from my sight

      And terminate the scoundrels presently.

      [Exit Allegiant General Pryde.

      The stormtroopers take aim.

      HUX

      In troth, I’d gladly do the deed myself.

      Give me thy blaster; I shall end their lives.

      POE

      [aside, to Finn:] I s’pose it is despair hath strung my nerves.

      What was it thou had hop’d to say to Rey?

      [Trooper 10 hands Hux his blaster.

      FINN

      Are all thy feelings still consum’d with this?

      POE

      Is this an inconvenient time for thee?

      Is’t suddenly the case that thou dost fear

      The consequences of discovery?

      CHEWBAC.

      Auugh!3

      FINN

      —Not the best time, nay, for goodness’ sake.

      HUX

      [aside:] The vast First Order searcheth for a spy.

      Who shall it be who will reveal the foe?

      If ye would ask, the answer comes: ’tis I.

      Intelligence from our strong ranks doth fly,

      And ev’rywhere around us tempers grow;

      The vast First Order searcheth for a spy.

      Who would be better thought of, by and by?

      Who would be proud his spirit true to show?

      If ye would ask, the
    answer comes: ’tis I.

      Strong Kylo Ren knows something is awry,

      With deep mistrust his visage is aglow—

      The vast First Order searcheth for a spy.

      Who can discern what future times are nigh?

      Who may envisage how events will go?

      If ye would ask, the answer comes: ’tis I.

      In future times, pray ask of Hux not why

      His heart hath turn’d, for it may cause him woe.

      [Hux shoots the stormtroopers.

      [To Finn, Poe, and Chewbacca:] The vast First Order searcheth for a spy.

      If ye would ask, the answer comes: ’tis I.

      POE

      The shock that these few words, thus utterèd,

      Were so well calculated to convey!

      FINN

      E’en thee, our longtime foe?

      HUX

      —We’ve not much time.

      POE

      I’m not a little bit astonish’d to

      Discover it—I knew ’twas so, in faith!

      FINN

      In faith, thou never didst, ne’er could have guess’d.

      [Exeunt Poe Dameron, Finn,

      Chewbacca, and General Hux.

      Enter REY to KYLO REN’S chamber.

      REY

      A chamber full of light, and what is this?

      Darth Vader’s crush’d and broken mask—a-ha!

      ’Tis not a random room, ’tis Kylo Ren’s!

      Into his private chamber, I shall give

      The full cause of my coming—take the knife

      And Chewie’s belt, and then depart at once.

      Yet, even as my hand the dagger grasps,

      The images of its foul deeds arise—

      I hear the screams, the cries, the sadness that

      This wicked instrument hath causèd. Nay.

      Enter KYLO REN aside, on Kijimi but communicating

      with REY through the Force.

      KYLO

      Rey—wheresoe’er thou be, art hard to find.

      REY

      And thou most difficult to be rid of,

      As though a parasite and I thy host.

      KYLO

      I push’d thee in the desert for one cause:

      I needed to see thee, and needed thee

      To see the untold truth of who thou art.

      I know thy story, ev’ry detail worth.

      Rey—

      REY

      —Thou dost lie.

      KYLO

      —Ne’er have I lied to thee.

      Thy parents were nobody by design—

      Such was their choice, which they did make to keep

      Thee safe.

      REY

      —Do not presume to speak of them!

      KYLO

      Thou dost remember more than thou admitt’st.

      I was inside thy head.

      REY

      —I want not this!

      KYLO

      Explore thy memories and thou shalt—

      REY

      —Nay!

      [Rey attacks him with her

      lightsaber and they duel.

      KYLO

      Remember them!

      REY

      [aside:] —Unbidden, lo, they come!

      The face of my dear mother, sore afeard,

      Embracing me, insisting I be brave.

      My father, too, assuring me that I

      Would safer be, remaining on Jakku.

      His promise ere they left in Ochi’s ship,

      My mournful cries as they departed thence.

      KYLO

      They sold thee to protect thee.

      REY

      —Stop thy mouth!

      KYLO

      I know what did befall them afterward.

      [They continue dueling.

      Tell me where thou art hiding. Thou know’st not

      The story in its ev’ry twist and turn—

      ’Twas Palpatine who had thy parents ta’en.

      He search’d for thee, yet they would not reveal

      Thy whereabouts. Thus order’d he their deaths.

      REY

      [aside:] In my mind’s eye I see the tragic scene:

      My mother telling Ochi that I was

      Not on Jakku, and moments later he—

      Pernicious criminal—my father slew!

      [Rey and Kylo Ren duel more, and in the

      process they knock over the pedestal where

      Vader’s mask rests. Kylo Ren sees it.

      KYLO

      A-ha! My chamber, then, is where thou art.

      [They duel.

      Thou knowest why the Emperor hath e’er

      Desir’d thy death.

      REY

      —Nay.

      KYLO

      —I shall thither fly

      And tell thee in the flesh. ’Twill better be.

      [Exit Kylo Ren. Rey runs toward the hangar.

      Enter STORMTROOPERS, approaching the droids in the hangar.

      TROOPER 11

      Who are ye and what is your purpose here?

      [To C-3PO:] What is thine operating number, droid?

      C-3PO

      Nokito wahnga wan.

      TROOPER 11

      —’Tis language none!

      [Rey runs in, shooting the stormtroopers.

      C-3PO

      O! My first laser battle. What a life!

      REY

      Where are the others?

      C-3PO

      —They have not return’d.

      Enter KYLO REN, flying into the hangar in his TIE whisper.

      REY

      I prithee, find them! Get thee gone at once!

      [The droids run down the halls of the ship.

      D-O Ahead, our friends!

      C-3PO

      —Indeed, I see them come!

      Enter POE DAMERON, FINN, CHEWBACCA, and

      GENERAL HUX, heading for a second hangar.

      HUX

      Th’impeders I’ve shut down, yet not for long—

      Ye have mere seconds to escape the ship.

      POE

      I do not hesitate to say that I’m

      Amaz’d, can scarcely credit mine own sense—

      The Falcon! She is here, survivor strong!

      [Exeunt Poe Dameron, Chewbacca, C-3PO,

      BB-8, and D-O into the second hangar,

      where the Millennium Falcon awaits.

      HUX

      [to Finn:] Wait, prithee. Blast me quickly in the arm.

      FINN

      Yet wherefore should I injure thee e’en thus?

      HUX

      An thou dost not, they’ll know ’twas I who help’d.

      [Finn shoots Hux in the leg.

      FINN

      Why art thou proffering thine aid to us?

      HUX

      It matters not to me if ye do win—

      I only hope that Kylo Ren will lose.

      [Exit Finn to the hangar. Exit General

      Hux separately. In the other hangar,

      Rey approaches Kylo Ren.

      Enter STORMTROOPERS, watching the standoff.

      REY

      The scene is set, the stage arrang’d for thee.

      I charge thee, by thy reverence for truth,

      Here to unfold—although thou didst intend

      To keep in darkness what occasion now

      Reveals before ’tis ripe—what thou dost know.

      Say wherefore th’Emperor did hunt for me.

      Why would he track and kill a child? Pray, tell!

      KYLO

      Foresaw he what thou wouldst, in time, become.

      Thou hast not merely pow’r
    —thou hast his pow’r.

      Thou art his granddaughter, a Palpatine.

      My mother was to Vader daughter born,

      Thy father was the Emperor’s own son.

      [Kylo Ren begins walking toward

      Rey, who backs away from him,

      approaching the edge of the hangar.

      What Palpatine doth not yet understand

      Is that we are a dyad in the Force—

      We two are one. Together, we shall kill

      Dread Palpatine and take the throne at last.

      Thou know’st what thou must do, thou knowest well.

      [Kylo Ren takes off his mask and

      extends his hand to Rey.

      REY

      Forsooth. I shall do ev’rything I ought.

      Enter POE DAMERON, FINN, CHEWBACCA, C-3PO, BB-8,

      and D-O in the Millennium Falcon, flying next to the hangar. STORMTROOPERS begin firing on the Falcon.

      POE

      With a rapidity that will surprise,

      I’ll blow the lot asunder—steady, hold!

      [Poe pulls a lever, engaging the thrusters

      and pushing the stormtroopers back.

      Kylo Ren holds his ground. Finn stands

      on the Falcon’s boarding ramp.

      FINN

      Rey, fly anon! Abscond while yet thou canst!

      [Rey jumps to Finn, who grabs her

      and helps her inside the Millennium

      Falcon. Exeunt Rey, Poe Dameron, Finn,

      Chewbacca, C-3PO, BB-8, and D-O.

      KYLO

      Though thou this confrontation wouldst delay,

      The cat will mew, and dog will have his day.

      [Exeunt Kylo Ren and stormtroopers.

      SCENE 2.

      On Kylo Ren’s command ship, the Steadfast.

      Enter GENERAL HUX, ALLEGIANT GENERAL PRYDE,

      and various OFFICERS and STORMTROOPERS.

      HUX

      Coordinated the incursion was,

      Allegiant General. They did o’erpow’r

      The guards and forcèd me to escort them

      Directly to the ship.

      PRYDE

      —All now is clear.

      [To Trooper 12:] Hail thou our Supreme Leader presently.

      TROOPER 12

      Yea, sir.

      [Pryde takes Trooper 12’s blaster and

      shoots Hux. General Hux dies.

      PRYDE

      —Inform him that the spy is found.

      On vengeance shall misprision run aground.

      [Exeunt.

      SCENE 3.

      On the Millennium Falcon and on Kef Bir.

      Enter REY.

      REY

      If revelations were a currency,

      A wealthy woman should I be indeed.

      Misfortune, though, is mine inheritance.

      The Emperor’s granddaughter, is it so?

      Here is prosperity I wanted not.

      Entangl’d now his story is with mine,

      Knit are our threads of fate with strands of blood.

     


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