Ian Doescher - William Shakespeare's The Empire Striketh Back

—Hath not a Sith eyes?
Hath not a Sith such feelings, heart, and soul,
As any Jedi Knight did e’er possess?
If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you
Blast us, shall we not injur’d be? If you
Assault with lightsaber, do we not die?
I have a body as do other men,
Though made, in part, of wires and steel. And aye,
I vari’us passions feel, as all men do.
So I, a Sith, shall not distracted be
Till I attain the thing for which I seek.
Therefore I shall pursue this Skywalker
Unto the limit of the galaxy.
For true, he hath the Death Star quite destroy’d,
And true, he hath the Force with him as well.
But truly, more than that the boy doth have—
For truth be told, his name doth stir my soul.
The boy’s connection to myself I do
Not understand as yet. This Skywalker
Must have some link to my life past, but what?
So shall this Sith pursue this rebel lad,
And find the missing truth of Vader’s life.

What news dost thou have, Gen’ral Veers?

—My Lord,
Our noble fleet hath flown to Hoth in haste
With hopes to catch the rebels by surprise.
The fleet has movèd out of lightspeed now,
But com-scan hath detected a sharp shield
Of energy surrounding planet six
Within the system. It is strong enough
To hinder what bombardment we can make.
This grim news I report with sadden’d mien:
It seems, my Lord, our fleet is all too close.

The rebels are aware of our attack,
For Adm’ral Ozzel left lightspeed too near
To the Hoth system.

—He believ’d surprise
Was wiser…

—Say no more. Speak not to his
Defense. He is as clumsy as he is
Replete with ignorance. Prepare your troops
Now, Veers, to lead a ground attack. We shall
Still win the day, despite the blunder.

—Aye.

Lord Vader, I am happy to report
The fleet has come out of lightspeed and is
Prepar’d to—

—Thou hast fail’d me once again,
But nevermore shalt thou have chance to fail.
I bring the Force to bear upon thy throat
That thou, in thy last breath, shalt know my pow’r.
Captain Piett?

—My Lord?

—Prepare to land
Our troops beyond the shield of energy,
And then deploy our fleet so naught can ’scape
The system. Do it, Admiral Piett.
And be thou sure to rise to thy new rank.

Alas, with this promotion comes some dread,
For Vader hath no rev’rence for the head.

A pilot must respect his ship with care,
And play physician to her ev’ry need.
With patience and with tender healing touch
I caringly embrace each bolt and wire.
Now, ’tis repair’d. [ To Chewbacca: ] Good Chewie, try it now!

Egh.

—Nay! Act thou with speed, and turn it off!
[ Aside: ] Physician, heal thyself from too much haste.

[ aside: ] The last time I said my farewell to these
Compatriots of mine, ’twas ere the Death
Star battle when it seem’d as though they were
Deserting us. But now, their valor prov’d,
Their hearts align’d with good Rebellion’s cause,
I’ll wish them on their merry way with joy.
[ To Chewbacca: ] Chewbacca, brave, ’tis now my time to leave,
For soon to Dagobah my path is bound.

[ embracing Luke: ] Egh!

—How your tight embrace doth warm my heart—
But also strains my bones, thou jolly brute.

Well met, young lad. [ To droid: ] There must a reason be
Why this malfunction hath occur’d. But now,
I prithee, get thee hence.

Art thou yet well?

Aye, verily. [ Aside: ] O what words would I say
To this man here, if words were loud enough!
But hath a word e’er been created, which
Could tell the comrade’s love I feel for him,
Articulate the good I sense in him,
Express the debt of life I owe to him?
At times ’tis true that words betray us all—
The mighty pow’r of language fails to speak,
And neither tongue nor rhetoric gives aid.
This Han hath found a life among our band
That did transform his former, solo self,
But now he takes his leave to pay the price
Of former indiscretions come to call.
I would explain how much he means to me,
I would disclose my deep respect for him,
I would unveil my brotherlike regard,
I would reveal the workings of my soul—
But at this moment words are render’d weak.
Thus, he must see the story in my eyes,
Peruse the tale that’s told within my heart,
And there read more than ever can be penn’d.

Now be thou careful, friend.

—And thou as well.

A noble lad, and true. If Fate is kind,
I shall make right the danger I am in
And live to fight aside him once again.

My general, a group of Star Destroy’rs
Has just emerg’d from hyperspace, and now
Has been detected in yon sector four.

Divert all pow’r unto our forward shield.
In doing so we may protect the base
Until the transports their escape have made.
Then, let us all prepare for ground assault.
[ To all: ] Good gentlemen and women, come ye near!
For we shall now our very lives defend.

Good cheer! All preparation hath been made,
Both for the swift retreat of transports hence,
And to defend our base until they’re fled.
The carriers shall meet up at the north,
And larger transports leave once they are full.
Two fighter escorts shall be sent with each
And shall remain quite close, for our strong shield
Will be disarm’d a fleeting length of time.
’Twill be a passage dangerous no doubt,
But with the Force we shall prevail, indeed.