William Shakespeare's The Empire Striketh Back (14 page)

[
aside:
]          —He loveth this old ship

Almost as much as Han! This love of ships,

’Tis like an illness wild within these men.

Now tell me of thy life and bus’ness, friend—

How doth the gas mine for thee? Doth it pay?

’Tis credits in and credits out, but more,

I fear, of out than in. We are but small,

An outpost minor. Thus have I supply

Dilemmas, labor difficulties, too.

Ha, ha!

—Why say’st thou “Ha”? And wherefore twice?

’Tis thou. Pray, hearken unto thine own voice.

So rife with deep responsibility,

So serious, experienc’d, mature,

And bus’nesslike. ’Twas not my expectation.

[
aside:
] O weep, my heart, to see him brings such joy,

And pains me more to seal his awful fate.

[
To Han:
] Pray, hear me truly, Han. Whatever else

May happen, hear these words: this moment doth

Recall for me our past together, which

Is sweetness in my memory.

—Indeed.

’Tis well to see thee thriving so, my friend.

And thou hast hit the mark: I duties bear,

And grave responsibilities are mine.

’Tis but the price of one’s success, I s’pose.

[Exeunt Han Solo, Chewbacca, Princess Leia, and Lando.

What joy to see a kind, familiar face.

E chu ta!

[Exit 3PO droid.

—O, how rude! But pray, what’s here?

[C-3PO enters another room.

Was that an R2 unit’s sound I heard?

Is’t possible that R2-D2’s here?

Hello, who is herein?

—Say, who art thou?

Alas, this is my end! An enemy—

If only I could others tell. O me!

[Exeunt as C-3PO is shot into pieces.

Time’s passage hath not sooth’d my mind’s distress.

Full many moments we have waited here

Within this lovely city in the clouds,

Yet I am neither rested nor relax’d.

Foreboding doth creep o’er me like a plague—

My mind is sore afeard, my hands do shake,

And nowhere can my troubl’d soul find peace.

The quick permission given us to land,

The too-familiar welcome Lando gave,

A small apartment offer’d for our use—

It seems as though we were expected here,

Though how this could have happen’d, I know not.

For surely when th’Imperi’l fleet broke up,

We in the opposite direction flew.

But e’en beyond that worry there is more,

For though I do not love the prating droid

C-3PO has not been seen since our

Arrival here. We have too much of quiet—

I almost miss his constant chattering.

All shall be well. The ship is fix’d with care.

There are but two or three things more, then will

We make our swift departure hence. ’Tis fair?

The swiftest shall be best. Some thing is still

Awry. Where is C-3PO? He hath

Not seen us or been seen for many hours,

And no one knows about his way or path.

Hath he lost all his faithful, droidly sense?

Most happ’ly would I by him be annoy’d,

If it did mean that he, at least, were near.

I shall inquire of Lando ’bout the droid.

But in the meantime, Leia, have no fear.

I trust not Lando.

—Neither, sweet, do I,

Yet he’s my friend who helpeth us, dost see?

I’ll warrant that we soon from here shall fly.

Then thou shalt take thy flight as well—from me.

The future has its own time yet to write,

And wheth’r or not we worry, my good lass,

It comes as sure as day doth follow night.

So, think not of it till it come to pass.

[Exeunt Han Solo and Princess Leia.

O pass me that!

O give me this!

We Ugnaughts are a’working!

O pass the head!

Give me the chest!

Our duties never shirking!

Thou naughty droid—

Thou hast been caught!

Thy prying never ceases!

Your lesson learn’d—

Our treasures earn’d—

For now thou art in pieces!

Auugh!

[Chewbacca begins collecting pieces of C-3PO.

Take not the arms!

Pray, leave the legs!

Thy greed thou art revealing!

But naught shall last!

For nothing doth!

Our treasures thou art stealing!

So shall we speak—

Our proverb true—

With voices loudly ringing—

It easy came—

And easy goes—

But still we keep on singing!

[Exeunt Ugnaughts, singing.

I see, Chewbacca, thou hast found the droid,

At least some small and varied parts of him.

O, what hath happen’d?

—Auugh!

—Thou hast found him

Upon a junk pile, what? How can that be?

C-3PO was fine when we arriv’d.

But now, I fear, he is more dread than droid.

’Tis such a mess. Canst thou repair him, good

Chewbacca?

—Egh, auugh.

—Lando’s people can

Provide the cure.

—Nay, thank you: I’d not hav’t.

Forgive me, worthy guests. Do I intrude?

Nay, verily.

—O, but thou art a beauty.

I prithee, never leave—thou dost belong

With us in our great city in the clouds.

Thy loveliness doth put the sun to shame,

Thy brightness of your cheek would shame the stars.

[
aside:
] This scoundrel too familiar is. Now do

I see that though I once thought Han uncouth,

He is the sweetest smuggler ever liv’d.

[
To Lando:
] Thou hast my thanks.

—Now come, will ye join me

For some repast?

—Auugh.

—Chewie, fear thou not!

Be sure I meant that all invited are.

[
Seeing C-3PO:
] Is there some matter with your droid?

—Nay, I

Know not of any matter.

[They walk, leaving C-3PO’s parts.

Tell me, though,

As we proceed to supper: art thou an

Accepted member of the mining guild?

Nay, we are none. Our operation is

Still small enough that we may be discreet.

’Tis advantageous to our customers,

For they are anxious to escape attention.

[
aside:
] O, all this talk of bus’ness, mines and stealth!

My mind cannot abide it, for I sense

That terrible events shall soon befall.

Within my mind a vision of some pain

Begins to form, but still is indistinct.

Would that I had some time to clear my thoughts!

[
to Lando:
] But art thou not afraid the Empire shall

Find out about your operation and

Then drive you out of business, or e’en worse?

’Tis e’er a danger that looms over us

And all that we have built in Bespin’s walls.

But things have just develop’d which shall make

Our future safe and well-secur’d. A deal

I’ve with the Empire made that shall keep them

Far distant from our operations.

[They arrive at a door and open it.