by Ian Doescher
BOBA
My father, behold! It seemeth we are track’d.
JANGO
Lo, the knave’s alive, and with trickery hath placèd a
homing beacon upon our hull. My son, be thou at ease
and take care: unto the field of asteroids we’ll fly and
there unfold surprises enow for him.
R4-P17
Whoop, zip!
OBI-WAN
—The knave employeth seismic charges.
I shall make swift maneuvers to survive.
[Jango’s seismic charges begin to explode as Obi-Wan flies through.
What pow’rs hath humans wrought that can bring such
Destruction to such asteroids as these?
These weapons we’ve created have such might
As would impress the gods in all their heights.
Now, as these potent weapons turn on me,
I sense their magnitude with new respect.
The asteroids do burst to bits an ’twere
A mass of sand assail’d by ocean’s flood—
What strange occurrence hath befallen us
When we create that which creation wrecks,
When we hath brought to life that which aids death.
JANGO
E’en so the man doth follow on apace. Disdain doth rise
within my gorge, for this Jedi is not easily dissuaded.
Yet I shall still prevail, as I within this asteroid fly.
OBI-WAN
Through tunnels vast, through fields of asteroids:
Still there I shall pursue thee, Jango Fett.
JANGO
Now we emerge as he still flies within. This asteroid
shall serve as hiding spot. He doth fly out but, lo, a
difference: he who was chas’d—e’en me—is now he
who chaseth.
BOBA
What cunning, Father, aye! Pray, strike him with
thy fiery blast!
[Jango fires at Obi-Wan.
OBI-WAN
At once I am reminded wherefore I
Am not inclin’d to fly. Such madness, O!
The ship is struck—R4, canst thou repair’t?
BOBA
Thou hittest the mark!
JANGO
Indeed, the first hit hath been struck, and
presently shall I finish the Jedi.
[Jango fires a heat-seeking rocket at Obi-Wan.
OBI-WAN
Alas, from bad to worse! Heat-seeking shells
Fly swiftly on toward mine harried ship.
The very heat that gives my body life
And that keen fire that powers my fleet ship
Do now betray me, even unto death.
R4, I call on thee, good droid: prepare
To jettison the spare part cannisters.
R4-P17
Bleep, whoop!
OBI-WAN
—I prithee, send them forth e’en now!
[The spare parts are released and the rockets hit them, exploding upon contact.
JANGO
A blessed sight, eh, Boba? ’Tis so: we shall not be
troubl’d by his like again, I’ll warrant.
[Exeunt Jango and Boba.
OBI-WAN
Well done, R4. The strong explosion hath
Giv’n cover to our hidden purposes:
First to survive, which we have managèd,
And second, to pursue this Jango Fett,
And third, to find where hurriedly he flies,
And last of all, to learn who waiteth there:
The unknown bard of this conspiracy.
Let us fly hence, the bounty hunter track
Unto the planet, recogniz’d by mine
Own chart as Geonosis. Quickly, go!
And let us see what wonders wait below.
Behold, R4, those Federation ships—
How vast the sum of them, all in one spot.
Let us make landing: surely ’tis the place.
[They land on Geonosis.
I prithee, brave R4, stay with the ship.
I shall conceal myself, and as I hide
The thing that we do seek may be reveal’d.
[Exit R4-P17.
Here in this hall of stone I shall be hid,
With rocky walls full high and hard to climb,
And the place death, considering who I am.
Behold, what industry doth run within—
A factory for making battle droids.
Whate’er the Federation hath design’d,
It seems this is the operation’s base.
But soft, I hear a group that comes anon.
[Obi-Wan hides behind an arras.
Enter COUNT DOOKU, NUTE GUNRAY, DAULTAY DOFINE, WAT TAMBOR, SHU MAI, SAN HILL, and other CONSPIRATORS.
DOOKU
The pow’rful Commerce Guild together with
The Corporate Alliance must both be
Persuaded to be signatories to
Our treaty. Only thus our plans succeed.
NUTE
What of the senator from small Naboo?
Hath our assassin executed her?
I shall not sign your treaty, sir, until
Her head doth ornament my chamber desk.
DOOKU
I shall fulfill my word, good viceroy, and
Deliver unto you the prize you seek.
WAT
With these new battle droids that we have built,
Your army shall best all that they do meet:
The finest troop within the galaxy.
OBI-WAN
[aside:] Some treason, this! Count Dooku doth conspire
To overthrow the strong Republic with
These wretched villains, furthering his cause.
DOOKU
As I explain’d to you ere now, more than
Ten thousand systems shall join with our cause
Once I have your support, good gentlemen.
SHU
What you propose could be constru’d, dear sir,
As treason in the uttermost degree.
WAT
The Techno Union army waits upon
Your pleasure, Count, and doth stand by to serve.
SAN
The Banking Clan shall sign your treaty, Count.
DOOKU
’Tis well. Our allies of the Federation
Have pledg’d their strong support. When all their droids
Are match’d to yours, our army shall surpass
All others in the galaxy. And the
Conclusion is the Jedi are o’erwhelm’d.
In practice let us put it presently.
The game is won, the checkmate shall be ours:
The pawns are now in place, and we, the kings,
Perforce rush forth to take the Jedi Knights.
With such a move the weak Republic shall
Be lost, and bow to those demands we make.
[Exeunt all but Obi-Wan, who emerges from his hiding place.
OBI-WAN
Mine ears do burn by treason’s wicked flame.
A band of traitorous conspirators
Doth seek to bring th’Republic to its knees,
And in the doing rout the Jedi, too.
Was e’er such villainy as this design’d?
Was e’er such treachery as this conceiv’d?
Was e’er such perfidy as this begun?
Was e’er such wrongdoing as this devis’d?
Conspiracy upon conspiracy
Doth grow such that I find myself amaz’d.
Attempt on the senator’s dear life
Turn’d to a bounty hunter’s keen pursuit,
The bounty hunter led to cloners’ art,
News of an army order’d for th’Republic.
From there the bounty hunter led once more
Unto this scene of greatest menace yet:
A plot to overthrow all we hold dear,
Including e’en the Jedi Order,
too.
With haste I must report this evil scheme,
Mayhap to save us from a vile regime.
[Exit.
SCENE 1.
On the planet Tatooine.
Enter ANAKIN SKYWALKER.
ANAKIN
My tale of woe may yet to madness run.
Departing from my newfound family,
My way upon the dunes of Tatooine
I sped to douse the blazing in mine heart
And rac’d to find my mother and her captors.
The mocking setting suns of Tatooine
Refus’d to share their light and give me aid,
As if to say dark deeds deserve dark night.
The rocks I pass’d assail’d me with their taunts,
Assuring me they’d witness’d stronger griefs.
Stone arches underneath which I did fly
Seem’d to adjure me to make greater haste.
At dusk I found a roving Jawa band,
And did convince them that they must disclose
Whatever knowledge of my mother’s plight
They had discover’d in the journeying.
They steer’d me to the Raiders’ settlement,
Where, with a Jedi’s stealth I’ve enter’d in.
From tent to tent I search, and sense her here:
My mother, still alive though suffering.
He comes upon SHMI SKYWALKER, who is bound and injured.
Alack, sweet mother, I’ll untie these knots.
Kind mother, speak, and let me hear thy voice.
SHMI
’Tis Ani? Is it thee, my boy grown up?
ANAKIN
Forsooth, ’tis I, and thou art safe at last.
SHMI
O Ani, thou art handsomer a thing
Than ere these mother’s eyes did hope to see.
My son, my little boy, my full-grown man.
My feeble heart doth beat with earnest pride:
No other wish had I but to see thee.
ANAKIN
I’ve miss’d thee so.
SHMI
—My life is now complete.
I love thee, Anakin. Now may I rest.
Commend me to mine husband: O, farewell!
[Shmi dies.
ANAKIN
O, agony, O, melancholy vast.
My mother, O! She should have died hereafter,
There would have been a time for such a word.
Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day
To the last syllable of recorded time,
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. On, on, lightsaber!
Since I could not my mother longer know,
Could not by mine own hands assuage her pain
Or bring to her a moment of relief,
There is no time for grieving neither, nay.
My grief instead shall turn to sweet revenge,
The sadness be transform’d to hate and rage.
One life she gave to satisfy their thirst,
Yet my thirst knows no bounds: no simple drink
Can slake the dehydration of my soul,
Can quench the drought that hath dried up my heart.
The only swill that satisfies tonight
Shall be the essence that gives life to each.
Yea, Tusken Raiders, ready ye the cups:
I’ll swallow ye, be drunk upon your blood!
[Exit Anakin to sounds of screams.
Enter YODA and MACE WINDU, on balcony.
MACE
What troubles you, good Master Yoda? Say,
What phantom menace in your mind doth rise?
YODA
’Tis pain, suffering,
Death all around. Something vile
Hath happen’d, in sooth.
Young Skywalker, O!
Another’s pain he borrows—
Terrible sorrows.
[Exeunt.
SCENE 2.
On the planets Geonosis, Tatooine, and Coruscant.
Enter OBI-WAN KENOBI and R4-P17.
OBI-WAN
My transmitter doth operate aright,
Yet we receive no signal in return.
Belike yon Coruscant is too far gone.
R4, canst thou the power yet increase?
R4-P17
Zing, whoop.
OBI-WAN
—Some other plan we shall devise.
Mayhap we may reach Anakin, who is
Much closer, still residing on Naboo.
[Into transmitter:] I prithee, Anakin, canst thou hear me?
’Tis Obi-Wan Kenobi. Pray, respond.
[To R4-P17:] He is not on Naboo, R4. Where, then?
If, peradventure, I increase the range
He may yet be discover’d. I do hope
That naught of ill hath happen’d to the boy.
A-ha! There ’tis, his tracking signal, yea—
But what is this? It comes from Tatooine!
What childish folly doth he seek therein?
Mine order was on Naboo to remain.
R4-P17
Whoop, zing, bleep, whoop.
OBI-WAN
—We have but little time.
I prithee, Anakin, dost thou hear me?
Enter R2-D2 on balcony, receiving message.
My long-range transmitter hath been destroy’d.
Deliver this dispatch to Coruscant.
[Exeunt Obi-Wan and R4-P17.
R2-D2
I shall! For I alone within the ship
Am here, my master’s message to receive.
[Exit R2-D2.
Enter ANAKIN SKYWALKER holding SHMI SKYWALKER’s body. Enter PADMÉ, CLIEGG LARS, OWEN LARS, and BERU WHITESUN severally.
ANAKIN
My mother, dead and wrapp’d within this shroud,
I bring to this, her final resting place.
Good souls, I pray, do we all holy rites:
Let there be sung a funereal dirge.
The dead with charity enclos’d in sand:
And then unto the ship, and then Naboo,
Where ne’er from Tatooine arriv’d more grief.
[Owen sings a funeral dirge.
OWEN
[sings:] She is dead and gone, lady,
She is dead and gone.
At her head a sandy turf,
And her heels a stone.
She is far beyond, lady,
She is far beyond.
Lady whom we knew in life,
Lady more than fond.
She is pass’d and done, lady,
She is pass’d and done.
Mourn’d by those who weep for her,
Mourn’d by her own son.
CLIEGG
Where’er thou goest, from this mortal coil,
The place is better, for thou there dost dwell.
Of loving partners thou wert ever first:
The best a man could find i’the galaxy.
Farwell my love, my hope, my joy, my all—
My gratitude complete take thou with thee.
ANAKIN
I had not strength to save thee, mother dear,
My might was not sufficient—still, I vow
That nevermore I’ll fail when fac’d with death.
Already I do miss thee, past all sense.
CLIEGG
Now we’ll away, to spend ourselves in grief.
[Exeunt Cliegg Lars, Owen Lars, and Beru Whitesun.
ANAKIN
What anguish lies within my weary soul!
The mother whom I lov’d—do love, would love—
Hath been remov’d. How shall I e’er be whole?
O, monstrous Fate that knits our lives above,
And doth not condescend to look below
And see what knots its tangled string doth weave.
Would that I could its crushing grip forego
And be its master, so to gain reprieve
One day I shall rise far beyond this fate,
Rise thither where all do forever live.
Until that day, I curse this dark estate.
PADMÉ
I bid thee, wilt thou come inside and eat?
ANAKIN
I shall inside to fix the speeder, aye,
For as I rode the shifter did o’erheat.
Life doth seem simpler when a project’s nigh.
There’s little broken but my skill may fix.
Yet I could not fix her. Why did she die?
And wherefore could I not save her by tricks?
If I had greater strength, death would run dry.
PADMÉ
There’s aught within our massive galaxy
That naught can fix, no matter what we do.
Omnipotent thou art not, canst thou see?
ANAKIN
Yet should I be! And will be someday, true.
Most powerful among the Jedi yet:
This shall I be: it is mine earnest vow.
One day I shall the strength of death offset.
PADMÉ
O, Anakin, such fury in thy brow.
ANAKIN
’Tis Obi-Wan who is to blame, indeed:
In him’s the green-eyed monster, jealousy.
He holds me back, so I may not succeed!
PADMÉ
What are these words? Pray speak, what troubles
thee?
ANAKIN
These hands, O, wretched hands that took enjoyment
In killing Tusken men an ’twere child’s play.
Yet, O, they did make love to this employment;
They are not near my conscience: never, nay.
The men, though, could not hope to satisfy
My sick bloodthirsty soul, which needed more.
So kill’d I all—the women, children, aye,
I bath’d the lot of them in filth and gore.
They are like animals fit for a feast,
And I did bring to slaughter ev’ry one.
