by Ian Doescher
Copyright © 2017 by Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All rights reserved.
All rights reserved. Except as authorized under U.S. copyright law, no part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher.
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Number: 2016961078
ISBN 9781594749858
Ebook ISBN 9781594749865
Text by Ian Doescher
Ebook design adapted from printed book design by Doogie Horner
Illustrations by Nicolas Delort
Production management by John J. McGurk
Quirk Books
215 Church Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106
quirkbooks.com
v4.1
a
Contents
Cover
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Dramatis Personae
Prologue
Act I
Scene 1
Scene 2
Scene 3
Scene 4
Scene 5
Scene 6
Act II
Scene 1
Scene 2
Scene 3
Scene 4
Scene 5
Act III
Scene 1
Scene 2
Scene 3
Act IV
Scene 1
Scene 2
Scene 3
Scene 4
Scene 5
Scene 6
Act V
Scene 1
Scene 2
Scene 3
Scene 4
Afterword
Acknowledgments
About the Authors
DRAMATIS PERSONAE
CHORUS
REY, a maiden of Jakku
FN-2187/FINN, a former stormtrooper
POE DAMERON, a pilot of the Resistance
BB-8, Poe’s droid
GENERAL LEIA ORGANA, of the Resistance
HAN SOLO, a scoundrel and Leia’s husband
CHEWBACCA, his Wookiee and first mate
C-3PO, a protocol droid
R2-D2, his companion
LUKE SKYWALKER, a Jedi Knight
ADMIRAL ACKBAR, ADMIRAL STATURA, MAJOR BRANCE, MAJOR EMATT, DOCTOR KALONIA, SNAP WEXLEY, NIEN NUNB, YOLO ZIFF, JESS PAVA, and ELLO ASTY, of the Resistance
SUPREME LEADER SNOKE, of the First Order
KYLO REN, a dastardly villain of the First Order
GENERAL HUX, of the First Order
CAPTAIN PHASMA, a trooper of the First Order
COLONEL KAPLAN, COLONEL DATOO, LIEUTENANT MITAKA, and OFFICERS UNAMO and THANNISON, of the First Order
LOR SAN TEKKA, an old man of Jakku
UNKAR PLUTT, a trader of Niima Outpost
TEEDO, a junker of Jakku
HAPPABORE, a beast of Jakku
BALA-TIK and GUAVIAN DEATH GANG, rogues
TASU LEECH and KANJIKLUB, scoundrels
RATHTARS, jolly monsters
MAZ KANATA, a pirate of Takodana
BAZINE, GRUMMGAR, GA-97, CAPTAIN ITHANO, and QUIGGOLD, patrons of Maz’s castle
FIRST ORDER TROOPERS, RESISTANCE PILOTS, DROIDS, RESIDENTS OF JAKKU, and VARIOUS CREATURES
PROLOGUE.
Outer space.
Enter CHORUS.
CHORUS
Luke Skywalker hath sadly disappear’d,
And in his absence come most wicked foes.
The cruel First Order hath made all afeard—
Like phoenix from the Empire’s ash it grows.
They shall not rest till Skywalker is dead,
Yet others seek to rescue him from harm.
By Leia—General Organa—led,
Th’Republic doth a brave Resistance arm.
Her brother she doth earnestly pursue,
Thus may he help bring peace to restoration.
She sends a daring pilot to Jakku,
Where one old friend perchance knows Luke’s location.
In time so long ago begins our play,
In yearning galaxy far, far away.
[Exit.
SCENE 1.
On the planet Jakku.
Enter LOR SAN TEKKA.
LOR
Alas, you do not meet a man but frowns,
Or so it seems within our galaxy.
For with the rise of this First Order fierce,
The stars cast but a dim and feeble light.
Or thus it is to one as old as I,
Who hath seen much within my span of years:
The phantom menace, which did shake each soul,
The vast clone army, which made bold attack,
The Sith’s revenge upon the Jedi true,
The small but bold new hope the rebels brought,
The way the vicious Empire did strike back,
The grand return the Jedi then did make.
Mine eyes were witness to the fair result:
Decline and fall of the Galactic Empire.
What follow’d, though, did beggar all belief:
The swift destruction of the chronicles
Wherewith the New Republic would bring calm,
Suppression of the Jedi history
And ev’ry story of their gallantry,
The rise of the most vile First Order, which,
E’en now, doth move upon my home, Jakku.
Their mighty ships I spy beyond the skies,
Like doomsday keenly waiting in the wings.
Our galaxy doth exorcism need
From this pernicious blight upon its face.
My hope is that the brave Resistance shall
Make landing ere the cruel First Order doth.
May it be so, else all is lost indeed.
Enter POE DAMERON.
No sooner is it spoken than ’tis done.
Our hope arriveth in this pilot’s form.
POE
Good Master Tekka, we have heard it told
You do have knowledge as may bring us aid:
Where we may find the Jedi Skywalker.
For though the mighty man hath flown away,
And whether ’twas in night, or in a day,
Or in a vision or, mayhap, in none,
Is he, therefore, still any the less gone?
LOR
Our time draws short, e’en as thou askest this.
I bid thee, take this storage unit here,
Which I for many years have safe preserv’d:
It shall begin to set all things aright.
My travels o’er the wayward galaxy
Have taken me too far, most verily.
Mine eyes have seen far more than any orbs
Should witness of misfortune and despair.
Without the Jedi, balance there is none
Within the Force.
POE
—That motley drama, O,
Be sure, it shall not be forgot! And now,
Our chance anon shall be reality.
The general tenaciously hath search’d
For this intelligence for length of days.
LOR
The general—O, appellation strange!
My mind and heart do claim her royalty.
POE
Heav’n have her in its sacred keep! She is.
Enter BB-8.
BB-8
Zzwaflit blee roohblic bleeflib zilf blikflii,
Blox flirzooz blis blox flitblic bloozood flir
Reej zoodreej blee reej flirblip zzwaflit flirr
Bluuflir zoonflii flew blavrooq bleeflit blis!
POE
Lo! Death hath rear’d hi
mself a throne and doth
Approach with haste. We shall have company,
Thus you must hide.
LOR
—And thou, my lad, must leave.
Get hence! Deliver my fond hope to her.
[Exit Lor.
Enter a mighty battalion of STORMTROOPERS, including CAPTAIN PHASMA and FN-2187.
Enter several CITIZENS OF JAKKU severally, fighting in opposition.
POE
Roll swiftly as thou canst, good BB-8—
Kind solace in a dying hour thou art!
BB-8
Flip flli zzwablic zilf blooblee zoom reej blee!
[Poe and BB-8 climb into Poe’s X-wing starfighter. Stormtroopers fire at his ship.
POE
This wreck—this ruin—O, these stones, alas!
My ship is struck with harsh and searing blows
That may, methinks, mean devastation soon.
BB-8
Flewflit blay rooh zzwa bleezilf blayflit zood
Flip blooflib blic flig bloorooh zoom blip blee.
POE
Thanks, kindly BB-8, I see them come,
And shall respond with fire to take their lives!
[Poe returns fire on the stormtroopers and then exits his damaged ship.
The hardest day, the hardest hour mine eyes
Shall see—have ever seen! The ship is sack’d,
And I’ll not leave here but as prisoner.
’Tis certain so, I see the battle’s end.
I therefore shall entrust unto my droid
The storage unit Lor hath given me.
I prithee, BB-8, attend me now!
Take thou this databank, for it shall be
Far more secure in thy care than in mine.
[Poe places the data storage unit inside BB-8.
Now get thee gone as far as thou canst roll.
Dost thou attend?
BB-8
—Flip blayblee bleezoom zzwa.
POE
At morn—at noon—at twilight dim—whene’er
The time arriveth, I shall come for thee.
[Exit BB-8.
What stand against these foes may one man make?
I am outnumber’d hundreds to my one.
Still, I will make whatever fight I can,
And mayhap freedom shall be my reward.
[Across the stage, FN-2187’s comrade FN-2003 is slain while FN-2187 kneels nearby.
FN-2187
Alas, thou fallen stormtrooper and friend—
FN-2003, my squadmate true.
Thou diest on this battlefield, e’en here,
The first engagement in which I have fought.
Like womp rats in a nest we were fix’d fast
As we flew in the transport to Jakku.
Form’d into order’d, stately rows of white,
Prepar’d for years for battle on this night.
Each one of us a soldier, train’d and skill’d,
Ta’en from our families and rais’d to kill.
The great First Order is our only kin,
Our chieftains hold the claim to parentage,
For we know naught of ties of family—
Our squadron is our first community.
Yet here, this night wherein I come to fight,
I find myself dismay’d by horrid sights:
My comrade bloody, fallen, dead, and gone,
As we make slaughter of these innocents.
I cannot fight—my mind hath shaken loose
Of what the strong First Order doth require.
Enter KYLO REN in his shuttle.
POE
What is this ship that draweth quickly near,
Intimidating in its entrance grim?
O, it doth shake the very heav’n on high
With tumult as it thunders by so bleak.
’Tis likely that some fiend doth ride therein—
A dark apostle of the foul First Order.
[Poe hides.
Enter STORMTROOPERS escorting LOR SAN TEKKA, who is in custody. They bring him before KYLO REN.
KYLO
Mine entrance is the very knell of death,
Which doth come ringing for mine enemies.
Disciple of the dark side, Kylo Ren,
So am I now and evermore shall be.
My weaker past behind me, I am here
To show the reach of the First Order’s might.
Tonight begins our govern ultimate.
Not gone, defeated or forgotten, nay,
For with the Jedi ended, we shall be
Unbreakable, alive, and damn all else.
[To Lor:] Behold, thou knave, how old thou art become.
LOR
’Tis not so pitiful and tragic as
The loathsome fate that hath befallen thee.
KYLO
Thou knowest what my presence here requires—
The thing for which I seek, pray make it plain.
I’ll not abide your parries and your jests,
No trick shall thwart the will of Kylo Ren.
LOR
What thou hast come for is not my concern;
’Tis whence thou comest that I know full well,
The time ere thou didst claim the name of Ren.
KYLO
The map to the rank Jedi Skywalker:
We know thou has discover’d it at last.
Thou shalt to the First Order give this map.
LOR
The base First Order from the dark side rose,
Yet thou didst not.
KYLO
—The dark side thou shalt see,
For I shall show its deadly power to thee.
LOR
Belike thou shalt endeavor so to do.
Still, thou canst not deny the simple truth:
The family whence thou hast come.
KYLO
—Indeed.
[Kylo Ren slays Lor San Tekka.
POE
He was a goodly spirit—he who fell.
I shall take my revenge whilst time permits.
[Poe reveals himself, firing at Kylo Ren.
Kylo Ren uses the Force to stop the blast short and freeze Poe. Stormtroopers bring Poe to Kylo Ren.
What happens next, O friend and fiend of hell?
’Tis I shall speak, or you, or what you will?
Pray speak, Count, ’tis your cue.
KYLO
—The old man hath
Giv’n what I seek to thee, Resistance scum.
POE
Most difficult it is to hear your words
Withal the apparatus that doth mire
Your visage from my sight. The night, though clear,
Shall frown, and all the stars shall not look down
Upon your hidden and most hideous face,
Most cowardly enwrapp’d in that black mask.
What is it that doth make a man like you
Make haste to hide himself from others’ sight?
Are you afeard your deeds shall be made known?
Or do you think, observing not your eyes,
I shall not know the evil in your heart?
KYLO
[to Trooper 1:] Search thou this man.
TROOPER 1
—He nothing hath, my lord.
KYLO
Deposit this weak rogue aboard my ship—
His veilèd secrets shall not long be kept.
[Stormtroopers strike Poe and carry him away.
Captain Phasma approaches Kylo Ren.
PHASMA
Sir, what of all the villagers herein,
Who have borne witness to our fierce attack?
What is your iron will, as touching them?
KYLO
Destroy them all—not even one shall live.
PHASMA
[to stormtroopers:] At my command, do steel your nerves and fire!
[The stormtroopers fire at the villagers.
FN-2187
[aside:] O,
vicious deed! Unspeakable and foul,
Fie! Evil goes uncheck’d, soars limitless,
And fury, wrath, and death have ta’en the day.
I shall not fire my weapon, come what will—
Damn’d be the consequence for mine inaction,
For now to act would be my soul to slay.
KYLO
[aside:] I sense a stormtrooper who doth not shoot—
Whose conscience, mayhap, speaks to him with lies.
This shall I both recall and contemplate,
Lest to some future ill it doth translate.
[Exeunt.
SCENE 2.
Aboard the Finalizer.
Enter POE DAMERON, guarded by STORMTROOPERS.
Enter FN-2187 severally.
POE
I have been ta’en unto a station vast,
Existence whereof the Resistance knows
But little and suspects e’en less. ’Tis plain
The base First Order groweth quick and strong.
Behold the ships within this stronghold grim,
Arrang’d for battle and destruction swift.
My mind begins to tremble at this sight,
And fear—which doth betray my better sense—
Hath stirr’d from out th’abysses of my heart.
[Exeunt Poe and stormtroopers.
FN-2187
[removing his helmet:] My mind still reels from what mine eyes did see
Upon the dreadful planet of Jakku.
’Tis certain that the planet’s curs’d by Fate,
And if I ne’er return unto its surface
’Twill yet be all too soon for such as I.
Enter CAPTAIN PHASMA.
PHASMA
FN-2187, show thy mettle—
Thou shalt submit thy blaster for inspection.
FN-2187
Forsooth, my captain, e’en as you do say.
PHASMA
And is thy brain chang’d into worthless scrap?
Who is the officer superior
Who hath giv’n their permission for the odd
Removal of thy helmet from thy head?