Enter JABBA OF THE HUTT, PRINCESS LEIA bound to Jabba, BIB FORTUNA, BOBA FETT, THE MAX REBO BAND, SALACIOUS CRUMB, and other members of Jabba’s court below, on a barge.
Jabba
C-3PO
—Hear ye! Victims of the great
Almighty sarlacc: Jabba of the Hutt,
His excellency, hopeth ye shall die
With honor. Should ye wish for mercy now
To beg, great Jabba of the Hutt shall hear
Your pleas.
Han
—Nay, 3PO! Say thou to that
Vast slimy piece of filth bestrewn with worms
He shall have no such pleasure out of us!
Now that I am no more a markèd man,
I shall most fully proffer my belief
That Jabba is a horrid murderer
Far worse than any I have ever known.
Who here shall prove me wrong or argue, eh?
’Tis right, good Chewie, I speak true?
Chewbac.
Luke
Pray, Jabba, hear: I shall not ask again—
Thou mayst free us, or be destroy’d anon.
So give us liberty or give thyself death.
Jabba
Crumb
—Aye, put him in!
No more of these fools’ speech my ears would hear!
Luke
[ aside:] The scene is set. Pray, Lando, play thy part,
And R2, thou hast ever been most true,
Now fail me not in this most vital time.
R2-D2
[ aside:] This is the moment; aye, this is the time.
Jabba
Crumb
—Let the suffering begin!
I shall enjoy this show of pain and death.
Leia
Alas, Luke jumps! But wait, he flips aright
Onto the skiff, and R2 hath releas’d
Into the air Luke’s lightsaber! He has’t,
’Tis his! O clever droid, with aim so true,
And clever Luke, devising such a plan.
Han
The battle’s here! Mine eyes see well enough
To know that now ’tis time for combat!
Chewbac.
Lando
Now, Lando, to thy recompense for all
That thou hast done! Betrayer shall become
The bravest fighter e’er rebellion’s seen!
My courage here shall render payment for
The villainy I’ve tender’d in the past.
[They battle, and many of Jabba’s court are thrown into the sarlacc’s pit.
Jabba
Leia
—What role shall I play in this? I shall
Not stand aside and let them fight for me.
I am no fragile damsel to be sav’d,
But have, since I was young, fought for myself.
Thus, to my work: to slay the biggest foe—
Thou, Jabba, art for me and me alone!
Fett
I shall fly unto the fray, for no mere band of rebels shall outwit the great Jabba of the Hutt. They shall not easily defeat the one who doth fill my coffers. Not, indeed, as long as Boba Fett hath pow’r to live and breathe. To it!
[Lando fights with a guard and falls off the skiff toward the pit.
Lando
Alas, my friends, I fall!
[Boba Fett flies to the skiff.
Han Solo and Chewbacca fall.
Luke
—Nay, thou vile Fett!
Thou shalt not have the best of us. A-ha!
[Luke strikes Boba Fett’s blaster.
Thy blaster’s now in twain by my lightsaber.
Fett
A hit, a very palpable hit! He hath torn my blaster in twain with his lightsaber, but I shall have him yet, and protect my great reward. Go, ropes, and bind this rascal Jedi. Belike Jabba shall further payment render when he doth see the noble deeds done for his sake.
[Boba Fett binds Luke Skywalker with ropes, but then is knocked down. Luke escapes and jumps to another skiff, fighting the guards there.
Lando
Han! Chewie! Can ye hear me?
Han
Chewbac.
[Boba Fett stands up and takes aim at Luke.
Fett
I have thee in my sights now, Jedi. Thou shalt feel the pow’r of my rockets, and be no more.
Chewbac.
Han
—Boba Fett? What Boba Fett, and where?
[Han Solo moves and activates Boba Fett’s jets, sending him flying into the pit.
Fett
Alas! The greatest Fett shall not die like this!
O horrid Fate! Where is now my great reward?
[Boba Fett falls into pit and dies.
Jabba
Leia
—Those shall be thy words
Most final! Now, the chains that bind me to
This wretched lump of flesh shall be my hope!
Whilst Jabba worries o’er the battle, I
Shall throw the chains about his neck. Then, pull!
Aye, pull—a princess’ vengeance! Die, thou brute!
Thou unsuspecting Hutt, I curse thy life!
For all the innocent whoe’er did die,
For all the noble souls thou didst torment,
For all the gentle lives that are no more,
For all the galaxy’s injustice—die!
[Princess Leia strangles Jabba of the Hutt. He dies.
Han
Good Lando, thou didst turn thy back on me,
But thou shalt have a chance to earn thy due
Since Luke and Chewie tell me of thy shame.
Chewbacca, lift me down that I may save
Him from a thousand years of pain.
Luke
—Brave Han
Attempts to rescue Lando, but the gun
From on the barge doth block his progress. Fie!
No rest from trouble have we here—these foes
Will not let us escape without a fight.
They do intend to block us all the way—
Then to the barge, to aid the rescue. Fly!
[Luke jumps onto Jabba’s barge.
Han
Lando
Chewbac.
Lando
Alack! The sarlacc’s tentacle wraps ’round
My leg. I fear this is the end! O give
Me strength to face my death well.
Han
—Be thou still,
And Chewie, hand the blaster unto me.
Lando
A blaster in the hands of one who’s blind?
Methinks I may do better in the pit.
Good Han, think on the defects of thine eyes!
Han
My sight is much improv’d: my aim is true!
[Han Solo shoots the tentacle and lifts Lando onto the skiff.
