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[Yoda and Sidious brandish their lightsabers. They duel. The platform on which they fight rises into the chamber of the Galactic Senate.

SIDIOUS

All pow’r is mine, small Yoda, is’t not clear?

Feel now the mighty dark side of the Force!

[Sidious uses the Force to throw Senate pods at Yoda.

YODA

[
aside:
] Vast his strength is, troth,

An ’twere a thousand Jedi

That did serve his will.

Jump and soar I do,

Each falling pod evading,

Yet cannot for long.

Turn on him I shall

The very pods he doth heave—

On him they shall fly.

[Yoda uses the Force to send a pod hurling back toward Sidious, who dives out of the way.

SIDIOUS

If not by lightsaber or darkest Force,

My lightning shall undo you at the last.

YODA

’Tis not a device

With pow’r enow to defeat

A Jedi Master.

[Sidious shoots lightning at Yoda, who repels it.

Indeed, you shall see

The bold will of a Jedi,

’Gainst the dark to fight.

[Both Yoda and Sidious are blown backward by the concentrated lightning. Yoda tumbles to the floor.

SIDIOUS

Success and might are mine, O, Jedi rank!

[Yoda hides.

Enter
CLONE TROOPERS
and
M
AS
A
MEDDA
.

YODA

[
aside, into comlink:
] I prithee, haste make!

Verily, o’erwhelm’d am I,

Of rescue I’ve need.

Enter
B
AIL
O
RGANA
above, on balcony, in cruiser.

Skill, care, and judgment,

Essential in this instance

Shall these assets be.

BAIL

Pray, activate your homing beacon when

You are prepar’d for mine arrival, sir.

[Exit Bail Organa.

TROOPER 1

[
to Sidious:
] His body all our scanning hath not found,

My good lord Sith.

MAS

—Then lo, he is not dead.

SIDIOUS

Go! Double all thine efforts in this matter.

I shall find and destroy the imp anon.

TROOPER 1

Forsooth, sir, I’ll o’ersee the search myself.

[Exeunt clone troopers.

SIDIOUS

[
to Mas:
] Tell Captain Kagi to prepare my ship—

I shall depart immediately hence.

MAS

Aye, Master.

SIDIOUS

—All my senses scream to me,

As if to say that Vader hath found danger,

And doth require what help I’d proffer him.

[Exeunt Sidious and Mas Amedda. Yoda emerges from hiding.

YODA

To exile I’ll go,

For ne’er have I profoundest

Failure as this known.

Ne’er hath a Jedi,

Nay, not mere Jedi—Master!—

Been so blind as I.

Methought I was wise,

O, wherefore did I so think?

Verily, ’twas false.

The rise of the Sith,

Come upon me like a thief

In the night it hath.

How did I not sense,

How could mine inner vision

The dark not have seen?

O, woe fills my days,

I must hence, crying heigh-ho,

To banishment go.

[Exit Yoda.

SCENE 2.

On the planet Mustafar.

Enter
D
ARTH
V
ADER
.

VADER

A ship to Mustafar makes swift approach—

A ship of the Republic. Who hath come?

What fiend doth come t’assail me in this place?

Shall I no peace discover in this life?

Just when a moment of some respite comes,

Another threat doth rise to challenge me.

Thus hath my life by others’ deeds been led,

Yea, I am pawn, and knight, and king, and fool—

Who is it that can tell me who I am?

I am a man more sinn’d against than sinning.

Enter
P
ADMÉ
.

PADMÉ

Mine Anakin, I have been sore afraid,

Yet seeing thee here, all my fear’s eras’d.

VADER

’Twas thy ship landed here, O, praise the day.

Yet wherefore art thou here in this dark place?

PADMÉ

For thee alone my deep concern hath swell’d.

’Twas Obi-Wan—he spoke a fearful word.

VADER

What hath he said to thee? I prithee, tell.

PADMÉ

He said unto the dark side thou hast turn’d,

And that thou didst slay younglings in the temple.

VADER

’Tis plain that Obi-Wan doth speak these lies

To sway thee from my love most broad and ample.

PADMÉ

He cares for us—by thee hath he been priz’d.

VADER

“For us”—how doth he know that we are us?

PADMÉ

He hath found out the secret of our love.

’Tis well, fear not, he shall not be unjust.

He fain would help thee.

VADER

—Ha! Aye, there’s the rub.

PADMÉ

O, Anakin, say wherefore speak’st thou so?

Know’st thou thy love is all that I desire?

VADER

Yet shall it save thee? Nay, not love alone,

But only these strong, newfound pow’rs of mine.

PADMÉ

What price, say, wouldst thou pay to have this pow’r?

Thou art a noble man—turn not to darkness.

VADER

Thou’lt not die, as my mother was devour’d.

The power Palpatine gives me to harness

Is far beyond all other Jedi Knights.

I do it all for thee, for thy protection.

PADMÉ

O, fly with me, my love, fly in a trice.

Escape! Let not our child grow up neglected.

Leave all behind and flee while still we may.

VADER

Yet do thine eyes not see with vision clear?

We do not need to run—be not dismay’d.

I’ve brought the peace th’Republic so reveres.

Above the chancellor my pow’r doth rise.

Together, we shall rule the galaxy—

Aye, thou and I, my sweet. This thought abides:

What we desire, thus shall we make indeed.

PADMÉ

What mine ears hear, my mind cannot believe:

Thy words have neither rhyme nor reason, nay.

Aye, Obi-Wan has it: thou art reliev’d

Of ev’ry sense, transform’d by thoughts insane.

VADER

I’d hear no more of Obi-Wan tonight.

The Jedi turn’d from me; do not the same.

PADMÉ

Who is this who doth speak with tongue like knife?

I tell thee truly, I know not thy name.

Mine heart is broken by thine alteration;

This path thou follow’st is not mine to walk.

VADER

’Tis due to Obi-Wan I am forsaken?

PADMÉ

’Tis that within thine heart thou hast unlock’d—

What thou hast done and further plann’st to do.

I prithee stop this now, and come thou back.

I love thee still.

Enter
O
BI
-W
AN
K
ENOBI
.