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TION

My greetings unto you, young Jedi Knight.

What is the matter of your visit here

On our far sanctuary, Utapau?

OBI-WAN

Unfortunately, sir, the matter is

The war in which th’Republic is engag’d.

TION

No war hath come to us on Utapau

Unless, indeed, you bring it here withal.

OBI-WAN

By your most generous and gracious leave,

I’d render my ship fuel and use, as base,

Your city as I search for Gen’ral Grievous,

Who may in nearby system be conceal’d.

TION

[
quietly:
] The fiend is here. We are his hostages.

E’en now we two are watch’d by eyes above.

OBI-WAN

I understand, good sir.

TION

—The battle droids—

Aye, thousands of their like—await upon

Our high, tenth level. He is also there.

OBI-WAN

Tell all thy people they must shelter find.

If you have warriors, the time hath come.

[Exeunt Tion and guards.

It must appear that I have flown away,

And found not that for which I search’d herein.

For if, as Tion Medon doth report,

I now am watch’d, I must be circumspect.

[
To R4-G9:
] Fly thou this fighter back unto the ship

And to Commander Cody give this news:

That Obi-Wan hath made good contact. Go!

I shall make exit from the other side

And hide, to find where Grievous doth reside.

R4-G9

Bloop, wizzle, mip!

[Exit R4-G9 with fighter.

OBI-WAN

—Now, unto level ten!

Some transportation I must now obtain

To journey unto Grievous’ secret lair.

Enter
WRANGLER
with
B
OGA
,
a giant varactyl.

O, holla, sirrah, what’s this beast of yours?

Can it be ridden by a one as I?

WRANGLER

No beast—a virtuous varactyl, she.

Her name is Boga: riders choose not her,

But she may deign to choose a rider, see?

OBI-WAN

Your meaning is most clear. [
To Boga:
] Forgive me,

madam:

I do entreat your mercy and your aid,

To venture out upon a noble quest

And help me rid this planet of a vile

And cruel dissembler: Gen’ral Grievous.

BOGA

—Braaee!

WRANGLER

She grants you her consent. Ride bravely, sir.

[Exit wrangler as Obi-Wan mounts Boga.

OBI-WAN

Now, Boga, go!

BOGA

—Braaee, bwawawa!

OBI-WAN

—She flies!

Today shall be the day when Grievous dies.

[Exit Obi-Wan astride Boga.

SCENE 2.

On the planet Coruscant.

Enter
Y
ODA
and
K
I
-A
DI
-M
UNDI
in beam,
M
ACE
W
INDU
, A
NAKIN
S
KYWALKER, OTHER MEMBERS OF THE
J
EDI
C
OUNCIL
,
and
C
OMMANDER
C
ODY
.

CODY

Forgive me, Master Windu, I would not

Make interruption thus, except to bring

This news of greatest import: General

Kenobi hath made contact with the fiend,

E’en Gen’ral Grievous; we begin th’attack

E’en now, directed by myself.

MACE

—’Tis well.

Good Anakin, as our high chancellor

And thou are close as fathers and sons, take

This news to him: observe how he reacts.

His answer shall give clue to his intent.

ANAKIN

I shall do as you say, my Master Windu.

[Exit Anakin.

MACE

An evil plot I sense, which falls not on

The other guys, but us: a plot that would

Destroy the Jedi Order utterly.

The dark side of the Force surroundeth our

E’en darker chancellor. Can ye sense it?

KI-ADI

If he shall not surrender ev’ry pow’r

Once Grievous is defeated, we must act

With haste to take his office from him, aye?

MACE

The Jedi Council then must take, perforce,

Control o’er all the Senate’s dealings so

We may a peaceful switch of pow’r secure.

The sunset limited may be, indeed,

Yet it is now, at least, upon th’horizon.

YODA

The sunset doth come

Only before darkest night.

To that this thought leads.

Great care we must take,

Else the very pow’r we claim

Our undoing is.

[Exeunt Yoda, Mace, Ki-Adi, other members of the Jedi Council, and Commander Cody.

Enter
C
HANCELLOR
P
ALPATINE
and
A
NAKIN
S
KYWALKER
,
on balcony
.

ANAKIN

My worthy Chancellor, well met, my liege—

The Jedi have e’en now receiv’d report

From General Kenobi: he’s engag’d

With Gen’ral Grievous, and we do expect

His swift success and vict’ry o’er the droid.

PALPATINE

Our fondest hope it is that General

Kenobi shall this challenge face with valor.

ANAKIN

Forsooth, I should be there to fight with him.

PALPATINE

Alas, ’tis most unfortunate to me

That thine own Council knoweth not thy skill,

Else they most surely would send thee with him.

Dost thou not wonder wherefore they have not

Made thee a Jedi Master like the rest?

’Tis almost like they slumber, and see not.

ANAKIN

Of all my reveries, this thing I’d know.

Each day, as by degrees, the feeling grows

That I am from the Council being barr’d.

’Tis clear to me there’s much about the Force

They’d hide from me, an ’twere I did but sleep.

PALPATINE

In all thy dreams, thou ne’er imagin’d this:

Thy friends no longer trust thee, Anakin.

For in their nightmares, lo, they see thee rise,

Thy future pow’r doth keep them wide awake.

It is thy destiny to conquer o’er

Their fear and penetrate their winking lies.

If thou’d but look to me, I shall assist

Thee in thy quest to know the Force complete.

ANAKIN

Yet how hath knowledge of the Force come ’fore

Your eyes? Is’t not made known but to the Jedi?

PALPATINE

My mentor brought the Force within my sight.

Such visions—yea, and revels—saw I there:

Beyond mere apparition of the night,

This vision was as though the sun had burst

Before my senses, making all things clear.

From him, I learn’d about the other side—

The dark side of the Force, its pow’r immense.

ANAKIN

[
aside:
] What strange and horrid revelation, O!

[
To Palpatine:
] The dark side even is within your view?