by Ian Doescher
To make a daring move, and fly this place.
The fool who sets the game in motion shall
Appear unto C-3PO and Luke
No more than if he were an arrant knave.
But hear the voice of R2-D2, all:
My noble purpose I’ll accomplish yet—
To take to Obi-Wan the princess’ news,
To take my Master Luke away from here,
And, in the end, perhaps more vital still—
To make connection twixt the two good men.
A foolish thing this flight may seem to thee,
And yet more fine than foolish shall it be.
[Exeunt.
SCENE 7.
Inside the Lars homestead.
Enter OWEN LARS, BERU LARS, and LUKE SKYWALKER, eating at a table.
LUKE Mine uncle, thou shouldst know my mind. Methinks
The R2 unit we have bought belike
May have been stolen.
OWEN —Thievery hath e’er
Been part and parcel of the Jawas’ trade.
But in thine utterance I sense there’s more,
So say, young Luke, why thinkest thou thereon?
LUKE Good uncle, well I know the Jawas’ tricks,
Yet, as thou sayest, I mean something more.
A stolen moment with those droids hath shown
To me a reason they may stolen be:
I did uncover a recording whilst
I clean’d the R2 unit. He purports
To be the property of someone known
As Obi-Wan Kenobi. Thus, thought I,
That he may stolen be. As to the name,
This Obi-Wan Kenobi, wondered I
If mayhap he meant Ben. Canst thou make sense?
OWEN Nay.
LUKE —Yet I wonder if this Obi-Wan
Perchance may be some kin to yonder Ben.
OWEN [aside:] Fie, fie! Shall that old man now haunt my home?
[To Luke:] That wizard is a damnèd scurvy man.
Tomorrow shalt thou take the R2 droid
To Anchorhead and have its memory
Eras’d. And so shall there an end be to’t.
For it belongeth only now to us.
LUKE Aye, yet what if this Obi-Wan appears
And lays his claim unto this R2 droid?
What’s stolen may be worth the looking for.
OWEN The looking shall not happen, nor the find,
For I believe the man doth not exist.
[Aside:] Now shall I by a lie destroy the man,
Lest he be giv’n new life in Luke’s young mind—
The boy a keen imagination hath.
[To Luke:] This Obi-Wan hath not for ages walk’d
Within this universe: he is no more.
’Twas many moons ago the old man died,
Aye, truly he hath met his end about
The time so long ago when wars were fought,
The time when men did battle to the grave,
The time before the Empire rul’d supreme,
The time wherein thy father died as well.
LUKE Knew he my father?
OWEN [aside:] —Though I tell of men
And wars and battles brave, still all he hears
Is that word “father.” [To Luke:] Prithee, Luke, forget.
Thy task is to prepare the droids for work
Tomorrow. In the morning shall they be
Upon the south ridge, laboring with those
Condensers.
LUKE —Aye, and I believe these droids
Shall serve us well. In troth, good uncle, now
I must confess my mind is mov’d to think
Upon the pact ’twixt thee and me, and our
Agreement, namely that I shall stay here
Another season. Crops that grow in these
Harsh climes will surely grow sans me. And so,
Mine uncle, if these droids will satisfy
I wish my application to transmit
Unto the great Academy this year.
OWEN Nay Luke, an uncle’s heart is breaking! Canst
Thou mean the next semester hence, before
The harvest-time?
LUKE —Just so! Quite plentiful
Are droids!
OWEN —But harvest-time I need thee most!
Wilt thou here in the desert yet desert?
’Tis only one more season. This year I
Shall make enough at harvest-time to hire
More hands to help. Then canst thou go next year
To the Academy. To pilot is
A noble trade, my boy, but family
Is nobler still. I prithee, understand,
I need thee, Luke.
LUKE —’Tis one more year entire!
OWEN ’Tis only one more season!
LUKE —Aye, so saidst
Thou when my dear friends Biggs and Tank did leave.
Now cracks a hopeful heart, when, by the land,
A man’s ambitions firmly grounded are:
So shall a bird ne’er learn to fly or soar
When wings are clipp’d by crops and roots and soil.
BERU Pray whither fly’st thou, Luke?
LUKE —It seems, dear aunt,
I nowhere go nor flee nor sail nor fly.
Instead, I must remain and clean those droids.
[Exit Luke.
BERU O Owen, he cannot abide for aye
With us. ’Tis true, his friends are mostly gone.
It hath great meaning for our well-lov’d Luke—
This bird would surely fly.
OWEN —So promise I
That I shall set all things aright, Beru.
The bird shall fly indeed, when time is ripe,
And when the nest hath no more need of him.
BERU But Owen, he hath not a farmer’s heart—
This apple falls quite near his father’s tree.
OWEN ’Tis true! And this, my dear, is what I fear.
[Exeunt Owen and Beru. Reenter Luke, gazing into the setting of Tatooine’s two suns.
LUKE O, I am Fortune’s fool. ’Tis true, ’tis true,
And gazing now upon the double sun
Of my home Tatooine, I know full well
That elsewhere lies my destiny, not here.
Although my uncle’s will is that I stay,
My heart within me bursts to think on it
For out among the spheres I wish to roam—
Adventure and rebellion stir my blood.
Those oft-repeated words of my mate Biggs
I do believe—that all the world’s a star.
Beyond that heav’nly light I shall fly far!
[Exit.
SCENE 1.
Inside the Lars homestead.
Enter C-3PO.
C-3PO Alas! My R2-D2, he hath flown,
And all the while he beepeth on and on
About his duty in rebellion’s cause.
O with what strength shall I be punishèd
When R2’s treachery discover’d is!
So shall I hide myself behind this ship
In hopes I’ll not be found by Master Luke.
[C-3PO hides.
Enter LUKE SKYWALKER.
LUKE C-3PO, I say, what dost thou there?
At what game playest thou, O jolly droid?
[C-3PO emerges.
C-3PO I prithee, Sir, be thou not cross with me.
’Twas through no fault of mine, in truth I swear!
Pray let me not deactivated be.
I ask’d him, aye, and urg’d him not to go.
With sighs and words aplenty plied I him—
With many earnest pleadings made my cause—
And yet he was to me as one made deaf.
His metal ears, as ’twere, did seem to plug,
As though no word of mine could penetrate
And break upon his sense of hearing. O!
I fear a curs’d malfunction doth befall
My dear an
d treasur’d R2 unit.
LUKE —Nay!
C-3PO Aye, verily! His mission is supreme,
So sayeth he. He will not hinder’d be,
Nor from his wayward, stubborn purpose veer.
CHORUS Now with these words young Luke doth quickly run
Beyond the shutter’d doors, with failing hope.
And stepping out beneath the setting sun
He scans the vast horizon with his scope.
C-3PO Sir, ever hath that R2 unit been
A problem that hath vex’d me through and through.
Astromech droids have ever puzzl’d me:
Their minds have tempers mighty to behold,
Though all contain’d in frames of modest size.
LUKE Fie! How have I so easily been trick’d?
This R2 hath perform’d his greatest feat:
To vanish—scope to wheels—into the air!
O blast it! Aye, and fie and ficos too!
C-3PO [aside:] Now he is anger’d. Peace, my Master, peace!
[To Luke:] Good Sir, forgive my impudence, but may
We yet this e’en go out asearching?
LUKE —Nay.
’Tis far too dangerous. The night is dark,
But darker are the dreaded Sand People,
And darkest most of all their thievery.
Thus, as the darkness waits for light to dawn,
So must we wait for morning to arrive.
OWEN [inside:] O Luke, come hither! Swiftly come ye in!
The time hath come to darken down the pow’r.
LUKE Anon, good uncle! Thy good word I’ll heed!
[To C-3PO:] O, I shall taste the whips and scorns of my
Dear uncle’s anger. So shall that small droid,
Though yet far gone, wreak havoc on my soul.
C-3PO Aye, Sir, ’tis true. Although the droid is skill’d
At laboring and service, most doth he
Excel at wearying the hearts of men.
[Luke and C-3PO withdraw for the night.
CHORUS And so a restless night doth pass within:
While Luke doth ponder future punishment
And longs for his lost droid search to begin,
C-3PO doth fear his banishment.
At early morn, with eager wills they rise,
A shar’d endeavor binding them anew.
The fast landspeeder o’er the desert flies—
They go to find the errant droid R2.
LUKE and C-3PO enter, flying in landspeeder.
LUKE Good friend, take heed! The scanner doth report
A droid ahead. Pray, swiftly take us hence—
Belike our R2-D2 there awaits!
[Aside:] Perhaps I’ll yet escape my uncle’s wrath.
CHORUS While droid and man go racing ’cross the sand,
The Tusken Raiders watch the two pass by.
Their banthas mounting, gaffi sticks at hand,
They heave unto the air their warring cry.
Enter R2-D2.
[Luke and C-3PO dismount to speak to R2-D2.
LUKE Pray, whither goest thou, thou naughty droid?
R2-D2 Beep, meep, beep squeak.
C-3PO —Nay, Master Luke is now
Thy rightful owner. Learn obedience!
Aye, learn thou loyalty! Pray, learn respect!
And learn thou not to speak of Obi-Wan
Kenobi!
R2-D2 —Whee, nee, squeak.
C-3PO —Speak not to me
Of mission, droid! I’ll warrant, happy thou
Shalt be if our new Master doth not let
Thee know the blaster’s deadly touch today.
LUKE Pray, patience, dear C-3PO, ’tis well.
But let us hence.
R2-D2 —Beep, whistle, nee, meep, squeak!
LUKE What can the matter be? What doth he say?
C-3PO He doth report that creatures hither come,
Approaching stealthily from the southeast.
LUKE Sand People! Hither, come, and let us see!
[Aside:] Unbidden doth adventure come, yet here
I stand, prepar’d to rise and welcome Fate.
The twisting strand she threads we must but trail,
For ’tis the wire that leadeth us through life.
Fate’s hand hath plac’d me here on Tatooine
And now she beckons onward to th’abyss.
Now o’er adventure’s great abyss I perch—
Above all time, above the universe,
Above the rim of chance and destiny—
And sister Fate doth dare me to look in.
And there—aye there!— I find my happiness.
I peer therein, embrace my Fate—and blink.
Come, life! For I am ready now to live.
[With scope, to droids:] I spy two banthas,
yet no Sand People.
Wait, wait, one doth appear unto me now—
CHORUS With sudden viciousness the Tuskens come,
They knock young Luke and cause the droid to fall.
They seek to take a harshly pillag’d sum,
Till frighten’d by a false krayt dragon call.
Enter OBI-WAN KENOBI, who has made a krayt dragon call to frighten off the Tusken Raiders.
OBI-WAN Now enter I the scene of this boy’s life:
This boy whom I have watch’d for many years
Hath grown into the man before me now.
My hope I now entrust to him alone,
That he might be our sure deliverance.
And yet, this situation warrants care—
I must approach with caution as we speak,
And meet his questions as a trusted guide.
My inner joy I must with patience hide,
For certain ’tis it gives me great delight
To see him now—his face, his golden hair!
So long have I watch’d o’er him from afar,
So many hours and days of my life spent
In hopeful expectation of this one.
In his beginning I shall find my end;
This business shall reveal my final stage.
Yet in my closing scenes perhaps I’ll write
A worthy ending to my mortal days:
’Tis possible that in this gentle one
The dream I’ve long awaited shall come true.
So I’ll compose a final act that shall
Accomplish two most worthy ends: to set
The world aright and save this old man’s soul.
[To R2-D2:] Well met, my little one.
R2-D2 [aside:] —Almost I could
My metal tongue release and speak to him.
This man doth show sure signs of wisdom and
Experience. [To Obi-Wan:] Beep, beep, meep, beep, meep, squeak.
OBI-WAN Come hither, tiny friend, be not afraid.
R2-D2 Beep, squeak, whee, hoo.
OBI-WAN —Nay, prithee fret thou not.
For he shall make a full recovery.
[Luke wakes.
Rest easy, lad, for thou hast had a fall—
And more adventure hast thou seen today
Than many in a lifetime do. I say,
Thou catchest Fortune’s favor to survive
A cruel attack from Sand People most vile.
LUKE But, by this light! ’Tis Ben Kenobi here!
It fills my heart with joy and soothes my pain
To meet thee.
OBI-WAN —Aye, ’tis well. But let’s go hence.
The Jundland Wastes no place for trav’lers is.
Now prithee, good young Luke, say wherefore art
Thou here, and what strange errand bringeth thee
Herein where I am wont to dwell?
LUKE —This droid.
Aye, truly, he hath brought me here.
R2-D2 —Beep, meep.
LUKE It seemeth unto me that he doth search
To find his former master, yet in all
My days I ne’er have such devotion
seen—
As this one showeth—from a droid.
R2-D2 —Hoo.
LUKE —Yet
He claims that he belongeth to a man
Nam’d Obi-Wan Kenobi, and I thought,
Perchance, the man some relative of yours
May be. Dost thou know any by such name?
OBI-WAN [aside:] O how the heart inside me breaks to hear
That name I once was call’d so long ago—
But happy Fate that ’tis Luke’s voice that calls!
[To Luke:] Aye, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Obi-Wan
Kenobi. [Aside:] O, the name is like a song—
Yet whether glorious song of joy or else
Some dirge of bitter pain I’m yet unsure.
[To Luke:] It is a name I have not heard for lo
These many, many years—a long, long time.
LUKE My uncle knoweth Obi-Wan, I ken.
He doth report to me the man is dead.
OBI-WAN [aside:] O Owen, wretched knave! Such base deceit,
And yet I know full well why thou so spok’st.
Should I have acted diff’rent in thy place?
[To Luke:] But nay, the man takes not his final sleep.
At least—unto this moment now—not yet.
LUKE Then know’st thou him?
OBI-WAN —Aye, verily I do.
I know the man as if he were myself,
For truly, aye, he is. This Obi-Wan,
Dear Luke, ’tis I.
R2-D2 [aside:] —By heaven’s light! [To Obi-Wan:] Beep, meep.
OBI-WAN I have not heard this name, this Obi-Wan, Since ere e’en thou, thyself, wert born.
LUKE —Aye, then,
I see this little droid is bound to thee.
OBI-WAN I have no memory of owning such
A droid as this. ’Tis curious indeed.
[Sound of Tusken Raiders aside.] Now mark thee these my words: we must repair
Indoors to ’scape a second cudg’ling here.
The Sand People do easily take flight,
But soon they shall return with many more.
R2-D2 Beep, meep, beep, beep, meep, squeak!
LUKE —C-3PO!
[C-3PO wakes, broken in pieces.
C-3PO Where am I? Have I ta’en an ill-tim’d step?
In dreams have I seen visions of my death—
Ten thousand soldiers pranc’d upon my grave,
And I, alone to face the murd’rous mass,
Could only weep at my untimely end.
LUKE Peace, peace, good droid. Thou art alive, fear not.
Canst thou now stand? We quickly must depart
Before the Sand People attack us here
And strive to make thy dream reality.
C-3PO O whether dream or waking, I know not,
But go thee hence, and save thyself, I pray.
C-3PO by nightmare hath been slain!