LEIA
The soldiers are dispatch’d; now let us go.
A princess doth command thee, Lando: make
Thy choice once and for all whom thou shalt serve.
Wilt thou remain the Empire’s stooge, or shalt
Thou go with us to serve rebellion’s cause?
LANDO
Good lady, this demand is fairly made.
Forgive me of the things I’ve done, I pray,
And I shall fly with thee and serve thee true.
But first, let me a final action take
To serve the Bespinites I love so well—
One moment for the greater good. [Into comlink:] Hear ye,
’Tis Lando of Calrissian who speaks.
The Empire doth control the city now—
I do advise ye alclass="underline" evacuate
At once, before more troops arrive within.
[Lando tries to open a door and fails.
[To Princess Leia:] This door shall lead us to the Falcon, but
The codes have chang’d. I know not how!
C-3PO
—R2,
Thou canst o’erride the door’s security.
Pray, R2, speed thee!
[R2-D2 tries to plug into the computer and gets shocked.
R2-D2
—Beep, meep, whistle, beep!
C-3PO
O blame me not, I am interpreter,
And know not power socket from computer!
[More stormtroopers enter and begin to shoot at Chewbacca, Princess Leia, and Lando.
LANDO
Now under siege again! O, let us hence
Away unto the Falcon. Droid, canst thou
Release these doors that we may pass and fly?
LEIA
If ever droid were worthy, R2 is.
Go to it, R2, make our good escape!
R2-D2
Beep, meep, beep, beep, squeak, whistle, beep, meep, meep!
C-3PO
We do not care about the hyperdrive—
The great Millenn’um Falcon is repair’d!
R2-D2
[aside:] Fie! This computer tells me all’s not well,
But how shall I convey this ’midst these blasts?
The doorway first; the hyperdrive shall wait.
[To C-3PO:] Beep, meep!
C-3PO
—Pray, ope’ the door, thou stupid lump!
[The door opens.
O, R2, never did I doubt thee, thou
Art wonderful!
[Exeunt R2-D2, Lando, and Chewbacca with C-3PO, into the Millennium Falcon.
LEIA
—I know that I should fly,
And yet for Han’s sake would I stay and slay
Each enemy that cometh from within.
Love unfulfill’d turns quickly into spite,
And vengefulness doth fill the empty place
Within my heart. O die a thousand times,
Ye basest beasts who fed upon my love.
O brutes, ye think not of the lives ye take—
You are but senseless minions who fulfill
The sordid whims of your Imperi’l lords.
Belike ’tis not your fault, for you are by
A merciless, vile Emperor controll’d.
Yet I shall strike at ye till you do fall
For ev’ry pain that you have giv’n to me:
The loss of Alderaan, of my great friends,
And now the loss of my belovèd one.
O die, ye mindless men of Empire cruel!
I shall upon the Empire be reveng’d
Until my gallant Han hath been aveng’d.
[Exit Princess Leia.
Scene 3.
Bespin, the cloud city.
Enter LUKE SKYWALKER.
LUKE
Where am I now, and where are all my friends?
Some wrong turn have I ta’en, and now am lost
Within a cavern, dark and fill’d with mist.
R2 is left behind; I am alone.
What evil lurks within this passage bleak?
What fate shall I discover in this place?
What pow’r hath brought me here—is it the Force?
If not, what messenger of darkness vile
Hath giv’n me up unto this realm of fear?
The cold I feel is as on Dagobah,
When in the cave my darkest self I fac’d.
The thoughts I thought therein do now return,
The questions that did rise and give me pause:
O, what is life, and what our purpose here?
Are living creatures made for pain and strife,
Do we but walk our days upon the ground
To perish without memory or fame?
If so, what shall we seek whilst we yet live?
Is brave adventure worthy of our time,
Or should we seek the principle of pleasure?
Are family and children noble aims,
Or is the Force itself our holy goal?
Is life a quest or is it but a farce—
A splendid journey or a fool’s crusade?
Such questions plague my soul, and make me doubt.
They draw my mind toward the darkest thoughts
That e’er I’ve known since I became a man.
And here, away from Dagobah, I have
No firm assurance of my safety, nor
The comfort of my master being here.
Thus shall I face my fortune by myself,
Without my mentors great to give me help.
The thought doth bring me trepidation, for
I have relie’d upon their counsel wise.
Be with me here in spirit, if not form,
Good Obi-Wan and Yoda—masters true.
O life, O Fate! I would I knew my place,
My time, my end, my destiny complete—
But I cannot see why or how life is.
Because the past is not a perfect guide,
And since the future still remains unknown:
My fate shall I meet in the present tense.
[A sound is heard.
But soft, I hear slow footsteps drawing near.
Enter DARTH VADER.
VADER
The Force is with thee now, young Skywalker,
In troth—but thou art not a Jedi yet.
LUKE
[aside:] ’Tis Vader, and ’tis Fate. Let it begin.
[They duel.
Enter CHORUS.
CHORUS
O mighty duel, O action ne’er surpass’d:
The lightsabers do clash and glow like fire.
Darth Vader in the villain’s role is cast,
While Luke’s young temper turneth soon to ire.
They flash and fly like dancers in a set,
Yet never dance did know such deadly mood.
Luke tires, and soon his brow begins to sweat,
Whilst Vader doth attack with strength renew’d.
VADER
Forsooth, young one, ’tis plain thou hast learn’d much.
LUKE
Thou shalt find me full of surprises yet!
VADER
Thy destiny doth lie with me, Skywalker.
Your teacher Obi-Wan did know ’twas true.
LUKE
Thou liest, O thou villain cruel and cold.
[They duel, and Luke falls into the carbon freezing machine.
VADER
[aside:] ’Twas far too simple, trapping him within.
Perhaps the boy is not as powerful
As my great Emperor and I did think.