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[Obi-Wan and Anakin surround Grievous near a window.

OBI-WAN

It shall not be, you droid of rage and hate.

ANAKIN

You are beset on ev’ry side, and must

Make your surrender, lest we end you here.

GRIEVOUS

You lose, weak General Kenobi—ha!

For being human is your disadvantage—

The breath that gives you life shall be your death.

[General Grievous shatters the window and is sucked into space. Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Palpatine clutch parts of their ship.

Exit General Grievous.

OBI-WAN

The fiend escapes outside the failing ship,

And to the hull doth cling, before he flees

Within a pod to make his flight complete.

ANAKIN

’Tis fortunate for us the blast doors hath

Engag’d, for we are safe. ’Tis safety, though,

As ne’er did seem so very dangerous:

The ship is bound to crash on Coruscant.

CAPTAIN

All fly, and flee, and save whate’er you may!

[Exeunt captain and all droids in confusion and dismay.

ANAKIN

Fie! There is nowhere we four may abscond,

For ev’ry swift escape pod hath been launch’d.

OBI-WAN

Canst thou, my brave friend, pilot such as this?

ANAKIN

Your meaning is far diff’rent than your words:

You do intend to ask if I can land

What little doth remain of this poor ship?

OBI-WAN

And canst thou?

ANAKIN

—As the situation lies,

The mere ability to pilot such

A ship as this is most irrelevant.

The question may be better phras’d this way:

Can I crash this ship with an ounce of grace?

I bid you, sirs, be fast secur’d unto

Your seats: the ride shall rougher yet become.

Make open all the hatches, and extend

Each flap and drag fin this poor vessel hath.

By these we may at least, in some small part,

Slow our inevitable, sharp decline.

PALPATINE

Mine ev’ry hope and faith is plac’d with thee.

R2-D2

Beep, meep, beep, squeak, meep, whistle, hoo, meep, nee!

[The ship splits in half as it descends.

ANAKIN

It doth appear we’ve lost our better half—

The helpless ship doth break itself in twain!

OBI-WAN

No worry, for we still fly half a ship.

R2-D2

Squeak, squeak!

ANAKIN

—Our speed increaseth as we fall.

If we expire not in a fiery blast,

The ship reduc’d to ash by th’atmosphere,

We’ll crash upon the face of Coruscant.

’Tis eight plus sixty now, O, far too fast!

OBI-WAN

The atmosphere’s upon us.

ANAKIN

—Keep us level;

I prithee, sir, maintain the ship’s control.

R2-D2

Beep, meep, beep, nee, hoo, whistle, beep, meep, hoo!

[
Aside:
] Would that I could my droid life sacrifice

So that I might deliver these good men.

OBI-WAN

The ground approacheth quickly—steady on.

R2-D2

Squeak, nee, nee!

ANAKIN

—R2, be thou calm, small droid.

All shall be well. [
Aside:
] At th’least, ’tis mine intent.

OBI-WAN

Five thousand now, with fire ships left and right

That come aside to witness our descent.

Enter
FIRESHIP PILOTS
1
and
2.

PILOT 1

We come to guide you in.

ANAKIN

—Our thanks, good friends.

OBI-WAN

A landing strip’s below, if we can make’t.

ANAKIN

Our progress doth proceed too hastily:

We are a fireball plunging to the surface.

[The ship lands on the strip with a great collision. Exeunt fireship pilots.

OBI-WAN

Another landing haply made. Well done.

PALPATINE

Thy skill exceeds all measure, Anakin.

[
Aside:
] In time, thou shalt a pow’rful asset be.

ANAKIN

Let us away, and tell of what we’ve seen.

[Exeunt Anakin, Palpatine, and R2-D2.

OBI-WAN

All reason flies, and time doth but confound:

The conflict wherein we are full embroil’d

Is seeming simple; droids and Sep’ratists

Conspire with Gen’ral Grievous and the late

Count Dooku to destroy the brave Republic.

The plot is passing plain. Say, wherefore, then,

Doth ev’ry moment tell of deeper vice?

My Jedi senses have, of late, been clouded—

Some fog of bleakest gray o’erthrows my mind.

Methinks the Jedi Council struggles with

A murkiness akin to what I feel.

Some evil doth elude us even now—

The Sith are rising, so we have been told,

Yet how did they arise, and when was it,

And who are they—some fiends we Jedi know?

By far too many questions we’re beset,

With neither space nor peace to work them out.

Had we but galaxy enough, and time,

All shelter’d secrets could uncover’d be.

Instead, some coming tragedy I fear;

Could I but work it out, all would be clear.

[Exit Obi-Wan.

SCENE 2.

On the planet Coruscant.

Enter
O
BI
-W
AN
K
ENOBI
, A
NAKIN
S
KYWALKER
, C
HANCELLOR
P
ALPATINE
,
and
R2-D2,
imeeting a delegation that includes
M
ACE
W
INDU
, C-3PO, S
ENATOR
B
AIL
O
RGANA
,
and other
SENATORS
.

ANAKIN

Will you come join us, Master, as we meet

This worthy party here on Coruscant?

OBI-WAN

Nay, nay, my friend, my courage reacheth not

So far as to play games of politics.

I must away and make my full report

Unto the Jedi Council. Shine thy light:

Thou shalt the Jedi ably represent,

And be the sign and symbol of a hero.

ANAKIN

O, feign you not too much humility;

The rescue mission was of your design.

OBI-WAN

Yet thou did save me from the vulture droids,

’Twas thou who made defeat of Dooku’s life,

And thou didst liberate the chancellor

Whilst holding me, unconscious, on thy back.

ANAKIN

Whate’er my deeds, your training power’d them.

OBI-WAN

I shall take credit when ’tis due to me.

Today, though, thou art hero, verily,

And do deserve the people’s accolades,

The politicians and this day withal.

ANAKIN

’Tis well. Forget not you do owe me one

Since I do go to face this multitude,

Though I would rather face a fleet entire.

Of course, good Master, ’tis twixt you and me

That I have rescu’d you now these ten times.

OBI-WAN

O, say not ten! ’Tis nine, as I do count:

The business on Cato Neimoidia thou

Canst not in thy good conscience count. Not ten!

Farewell, young Anakin, and I shall see