SCENE 1.

A freighter hath been captur’d entering

The system Alderaan. Its markings match

A ship that hath Mos Eisley quickly fled.

This errant ship, belike, endeavors to

Return the plans unto the princess who,

Within this base, is lock’d in guarded cell.

[To Grand Moff Tarkin:] Perhaps the princess yet hath use to us.

[Exit Grand Moff Tarkin. Vader crosses to the ship.

No person is aboard the ship, my Lord.

The log maintain’d on board doth tell a tale

Of all the crew abandoning the ship

Directly after its departure. ’Tis

No doubt a decoy, Sir. For all the pods

Have launchèd been.

—Hast thou found any droids?

Nay, truly not, my Lord. If there had been,

Then surely must they have abandon’d too.

Send thou a scanning crew aboard the ship,

And check its nooks and crannies, ev’ry bit.

Aye, good, my Lord.

[aside:]                      —Distract’d is my mind,

But through its cloudy haze the reason comes:

Unless I am in error, someone here

Has come. I have not felt this presence since

The days that are but dark in memory.

This presence I have known since I was young,

This presence that once call’d me closest friend,

This presence that hath all my hopes betray’d,

This presence that hath turn’d my day to night.

This awful presence present here must be,

So shall I to this presence violence

Present.

[Exit Darth Vader.

—Now to thy work, and scan the ship!

The scan is done; no living soul is here.

[Exeunt stormtroopers.

’Tis fortunate thou hast these storage bins.

Their use hath ever been for smuggling goods.

Ne’er have I thought I would myself herein

Be smuggling. All we do is madness—fie!

If I could start the ship, the tractor beam

Would wrap its eagle’s talons ’round my neck.

The tractor beam thou may’st leave unto me.

Thou fool, I knew that thou wouldst say as much.

Aye, say thou fool? Then fool, good Sir, am I.

But when thou sayest fool remember well

That fools do walk in foolish company.

So if I am a fool, perhaps ’tis true

That other fools around me may be found.

For who is he who hath more foolish been—

The fool or other fool who follows him?

[They hide. Guards 1 and 2 standby while scanning crew enters ship and are bested by Obi-Wan, Luke, Han Solo, and Chewbacca.

Oi! Didst thou hear that sound?

—Pray, hear a sound?

Aye, truly—I quite clearly heard a sound.

Thine ears, mayhap, play tricks on thee, my friend.

Nay, nay. Dost thou not think this strange?

—What strange?

The droids did flee the ship we have attack’d,

And unto Tatooine have gone by pod.

’Tis true, thus far?

—I cannot claim ’tis false.

On Tatooine they have been tracèd first

To Jawas vile and then to humans—

—Dead.

Aye, dead they are—our men did see to it.

But follow on: the boy who with them liv’d

Hath fled, we knew not where, till he was seen

At yon Mos Eisley with the pair of droids.

Aye, aye, ’twas all in last week’s briefing. Pray,

What more of this? Hast thou aught new to say?

The boy and droids together disappear’d

The very hour the ship—this ship—did fly.

And now, the ship is here, though empty seems.

Nay, empty ’tis! The scanning crew doth work

E’en now.

—Which bringeth me full circle to

The sound I just have heard. Is’t possible,

My friend, that boy and droids and rebels all

Have flown within this ship unto this base

And yet—e’en now—whilst thou and I do speak,

Still hide within the ship?

—I am amaz’d!

Aye, verily? Think’st thou I may be right?

I said thou hast amaz’d me, and ’tis true.

But never did I say I think thee right—

Thou dost amaze by thy o’eractive thoughts!

A hidden boy! The droids within! A fig!

Avaunt, thou silly guard, be not so thick.

Thy great imagination hath o’erwrought

Thy better senses. Thinkest thou thy pow’rs

Of judgment far exceed our Masters true?

May’st thou outwit the great Darth Vader or

The cunning of our Gov’nor Tarkin? Nay!

We are but simple guards, our purpose here

Is plain and to the point: we have been task’d

To watch the ship and follow all commands,

And not to prattle on with airy thoughts.

Aye, thou hast spoke a well-consider’d word.

Thou art a friend, as I have e’er maintain’d,

And thou hast spoken truth and calm’d me quite.

The rebels hide herein! What vain conceit!

That e’er they should the Death Star enter—ha!

It warms my heart to see thee so restor’d

And back to thine own merry, native self.

[within:] Pray, may we have thy good assistance here?

[to Guard 2:] So, let us go together, friend. Good cheer!

[Guards 1 and 2 enter ship and are killed. Exeunt others.