EnterLUKE SKYWALKERandDARTH VADERon balcony.
I bid thee welcome, young Skywalker. LongHave I awaited thee. Guards, leave us now.[Exeunt royal guards.
I do look forward to the moment whenThy training shall completed be. In timeThou shalt bow low and call me Master.Luke—ThereThou art mistaken gravely, for I amNot thine to be converted as thou inThe past did turn my father.Emperor—Nay, my youngApprentice. Thou shalt find ’tis thou who artMistaken vis-à-vis so many things.[Darth Vader hands Luke’s lightsaber to the Emperor.
VaderHis lightsaber I give to thee.Emperor—Indeed.The weapon of a Jedi Knight, much likeThy father. Surely, boy, thou knowest wellThat never shall thy father turnèd beAway from dark toward the good; so shallIt be for thee.Luke—O, thou art wrong. AnonI shall be dead, and thou with me.Emperor—Ha, ha!Belike thou speakest of the imminentAttack that hath been plannèd by the fleetOf rebel ships?Luke[ aside:] —Alas! How can he know?EmperorAye, let me reassure thee we are safeHere from the foolish undertaking ofThy wretched friends.Luke—Thine overconfidenceIs thy great weakness.Emperor—And thy faith in thyBase friends is thine.Vader—’Tis pointless to resist,My son. Thou shalt be turn’d unto the dark,And then we three shall rule the galaxy.EmperorDost thou not see? All that hath happen’d dothProceed according to my grand design.Thy friends upon the sanctuary moonNow walk into a trap that I shall spring.Thy rebel fleet as well: the snare is setTo catch the pests and crush them ’twixt my fingers.Hast thou yet understood? ’Twas I who didAllow thy bold Alliance to find outThe site of the shield generator; itIs wholly safe from thy band pitiful.I let thy spies believe they had reveal’dA secret great about this station, yet’Twas I who leak’d intelligence to them,So all the pieces would be perfectlyArrang’d to strike rebellion down at last.A legion of my finest troops awaitsTheir piteous attack. But O, fear not,For fully operational the shieldShall be when thy misguided friends arrive.With skill the players all are put in place,Much bloodshed and destruction shall they face.[Exeunt.
Scene 3.
Space / Inside the second Death Star.
EnterCHORUS.
ChorusImagine you see space, ye viewers true,In which the final battle shall be fought.The rebels put their trust i’the Endor crew:Unless the shield is down, ’tis all for naught.Yet little do they know that plan hath fail’d,For Palpatine hath work’d his great deceit.On Endor is the rebel crew assail’d,Which doth create disaster for the fleet.[Exit chorus.