William Shakespeare's The Empire Striketh Back by Ian Doescher Page B

has been!
    From now, I shall the great Rebellion serve,
    And join myself unto this band of friends
    Whate’er befall—pain, injury, or death.
    [Lando opens the hatch. Luke drops from the weather vane into the ship.
    Now come, brave Luke, whose mates to thee are dear,
    I have not met thee, but do call thee brother.
    Give me your hand, good Sir, if we be friends,
    And Lando shall, in time, restore amends.
    [
To Leia:
] Good Princess, let us fly, for all is well!
    LEIA
    O Luke, my heart doth swell to see thee safe!
    Thou hast been caught within Darth Vader’s trap,
    But now thou art deliver’d and restor’d.
    [Luke and Leia embrace while Lando returns to the cockpit.
    Now go with me unto the cot, and rest.
    In time, we shall trade tales of grief and woe.
    LANDO
    The man is sav’d, but now the battle’s on,
    For by TIE fighters is our ship pursu’d!
    LEIA
    The
Falcon
is attack’d, Luke. Lie thou back,
    I shall anon return to give thee aid.
    [Leia goes to the cockpit.
    [
To Lando:
] Behold, a Star Destroyer doth approach.
    LANDO
    Make ready, Chewie, for the lightspeed jump.
    LEIA
    Aye, if thy people fix’d the hyperdrive,
    Coordinates are set—’tis time we flew.
    LANDO
    Now make it so!
    [The
Millennium Falcon
makes a sound and fails.
    CHEWBAC.
    —Auugh!
    LANDO
    —I was told ’twas fix’d!
    My trust I gave them, to repair the ship.
    Some treachery and villainy lie here.
    Forgive me, I know not what hath transpir’d.
    ’Tis not my fault. In troth, ’tis not my fault!
    Enter
D ARTH V ADER
and
A DMIRAL P IETT
on balcony.
    PIETT
    The ship shall be in tractor beaming range
    Before thou canst say “aye.”
    VADER
    —Thy trusty men
    Disab’d the swift
Falcon
’s hyperdrive?
    PIETT
    They did, my Lord.
    VADER
    —’Tis well. Prepare to board
    Their ship, and set all weapons onto stun.
    They have not made escape for long, and soon
    Skywalker shall be in my hand again,
    And I shall bring him to the Emperor.
    PIETT
    Indeed, my Lord, I shall with joy comply.
    The rebels shall be in our grasp anon.
    [Exit Admiral Piett, while Darth Vader stares into space.
    Enter
C-3PO
and
R2-D2
, who is repairing
C-3PO.
    C-3PO
    Why have we not to lightspeed flown?
    R2-D2
    —Beep, squeak!
    C-3PO
    What dost thou mean that we cannot? How canst
    Thou know the hyperdrive disabl’d is?
    R2-D2
    Beep, meep, meep, beep, squeak, whistle, nee, beep, hoo!
    C-3PO
    The city’s central processor hath told
    Thee so? O, R2-D2, how have I
    Oft warnèd thee of talking to a strange
    Computer? Now, attend to my repair!
    [R2-D2 continues to repair C-3PO.
    VADER
    [
to Luke:
] Luke, well I know that thou canst sense my call.
    LUKE
    My father! Word most strange upon my lips.
    VADER
    My son.
    LUKE
    —O Ben, why didst thou tell me not?
    [Luke walks to the cockpit.
    LANDO
    Chewbacca, we must fly or we shall be
    Destroy’d!
    LUKE
    —It is Darth Vader on that ship.
    We are in danger here. When shall we fly?
    VADER
    Luke, come with me, fulfill thy destiny!
    LUKE
    [
aside:
] O Ben, I ask, why didst thou tell me not?
    What anguish and disorder fill my mind!
    [R2-D2 goes to the control panel.
    R2-D2
    [
aside:
] It falls to me again to win the day,
    And rescue the Rebellion from dire loss.
    I shall reactivate the hyperdrive,
    Thus we shall fly, to fight another time!
    C-3PO
    O clever droid, great R2, rescuer!
    [R2-D2 adjusts the control panel and the
Millennium Falcon
flies into lightspeed. Exeunt all but Darth Vader.
    VADER
    Fie, fie! Yet once again the ship escapes.
    I shall devise brave punishments for those
    Who put upon our state this grievous blight.
    Then shall I seek my son, the Jedi Knight.
    [Exit Darth Vader.

SCENE 4.
    Aboard a rebel cruiser.
    Enter
L UKE S KYWALKER .
    LUKE
    The medic droid hath fix’d my hand with care,
    Though never shall it fully be repair’d.
    For though I can this hand use as before,
    It shall ne’er truly be a hand of mine.
    For now I am machine, though partly so,
    Now have I ta’en a step toward the man
    Who saith he is my