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ANAKIN

The lift hath once more fail’d us. R2, hear:

Make active now the lift three-two-two-four.

[The ship is struck by a blast and begins to fall out of alignment.

Alas, the ship is hit and gravity

Doth turn upon its axis so what’s down

Is side and side is down and up is side—

Whatever this may mean, one thing is true:

The ground whereon we stood becomes a wall,

And no floor catches us; therefore, we fall.

Yet one hope doth remain—the lift itself!

Inside its shaft of steel we may be safe.

[Anakin, carrying Obi-Wan, and Palpatine crawl into the shaft.

CAPTAIN

Reverse anon the stabilizers, droid!

DROID 6

Reversing, sir—I shall do as you say!

GRIEVOUS

Fire thou the booster engines, sirrah—now!

DROID 6

Your brave command hath done it, General;

The ship is leveling itself aright.

ANAKIN

Alas, the shaft that was our only respite

Becomes a shaft for yet another fall

Whilst this vast ship doth set its proper course.

We fall, and yet here is a wire to clutch—

Pray, hold me fast, my noble Chancellor,

And I your rescue shall make good in time.

PALPATINE

Well done, brave lad! Thou hast sav’d me again.

OBI-WAN

[
coming to:
] Fie! Where are we, and how have we arriv’d?

ANAKIN

’Tis but a minor situation, sir,

Yet not beyond my pow’r of strength and wit.

OBI-WAN

What have I miss’d—and what comes overhead?

[The lift approaches them from above.

ANAKIN

R2, shut down the lift at once, kind droid.

OBI-WAN

Too late—we leap!

PALPATINE

[
aside:
]               —’Tis more than I’d endure,

Except this fall may raise me up at last.

ANAKIN

We fall a third time, hurtling through the shaft.

The cord about my waist, with grappling hook,

Is yet another rope whereon I tie

My fervent hopes that we shall still succeed.

OBI-WAN

Mine shall be so, as well. Throw, for our lives!

[Obi-Wan and Anakin throw their hooks, which wrap around a pipe. They swing through the shaft door into a hallway.

ANAKIN

Methinks all’s well—that might have ended worse.

OBI-WAN

Dost thou suppose within the hangar’s aught

That still may fly and bear us as we flee?

ANAKIN

We shall discover it, if so. Let’s hence!

[They begin running toward the hangar.

DROID 6

My General, we have the Jedi found.

They run e’en now through hallway three-two-eight.

GRIEVOUS

Then activate the ray shields, which shall halt

Their progress as they capture Palpatine.

Bring them before me when they have been ta’en.

[Exeunt General Grievous, captain, and battle droid. Ray shields appear around Obi-Wan, Anakin and Palpatine.

ANAKIN

We are undone, these shields of ray are strong.

OBI-WAN

Fie! Wherefore hath this situation come

To such an end—are we not wiser men?

Could we not think our way beyond this ship?

Could we not overcome these droids’ deceits?

ANAKIN

If circumstance would tell the story, nay.

We must have patience—so you oft have said.

OBI-WAN

There never was a Jedi Master could

Endure the toothache patiently, my friend.

ANAKIN

I’ll warrant R2 shall release us three,

And we shall be deliver’d presently.

Enter
R2-D2,
aside.

R2-D2

[
aside:
] O, would that I my story could relate

Unto these humans, for with tender ear

They’d hear my tragic tale and share my pain.

I have endur’d such knocks and shocks as would

Make swift defeat of some bulk cruiser, to

Say naught of me, a little, fragile droid.

First bullied by the super battle droids,

And forc’d to burn them to a greasy pulp.

Then batter’d when the ship did take a turn,

The floor a’slipping out from mine own wheels.

When all was done, where was poor R2, eh?

Within a pile of scrap, and worse for wear.

Now, weary, bruis’d, unhappy, and abus’d

I come to heed my Masters’ call again.

[
To Anakin:
] Beep, meep, beep, squeak?

ANAKIN

—’Tis as I said.

All’s well.

Enter several
BATTLE DROIDS, SUPER BATTLE DROIDS
,
and
DROIDEKAS.

R2-D2

Beep, meep!

[R2-D2 shocks a super battle droid.

S. DROID 3

—Thou wicked brute, I’ll give thee answer.

[The super battle droid kicks R2-D2, knocking him over.

OBI-WAN

I prithee, say thou hast some other plan,

Else we have trouble we shall not escape.

[They are escorted to the ship’s command center.

Enter
G
ENERAL
G
RIEVOUS
with his
CAPTAIN
and several
BATTLE DROIDS
.

GRIEVOUS

’Tis the negotiator, verily:

E’en General Kenobi. Long have we

Awaited you. Your rescue hath fall’n short.

And with him, Anakin Skywalker too—

Though I assum’d your reputation vast

Belong’d to someone older than yourself.

’Tis twice the Jedi I did hope to snare

Within my nets today: a double catch.

ANAKIN

[
aside:
] A ghastly giant this one is, by Jove.

[
To Grievous:
] You, Gen’ral Grievous, are far smaller than

I did expect, from what few tales I’ve heard.

They did give tell of one most like a titan,

Yet now I see you are a puny droid.

GRIEVOUS

O, Jedi filth, I’ll hush your insolence.

OBI-WAN

There is a job before us, Anakin—

Do thou attempt to not upset the beast.

R2-D2

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

GRIEVOUS

Your lightsabers add two more to my throng,

Which haply I take from my Jedi dead.

OBI-WAN

It shall not be, you grievous droid, not in

This moment: this time, you shall not escape.

ANAKIN

Now, R2, do thy worst and best at once!

R2-D2

Squeak! [
Aside
:] Yea! Mine utmost for his highest deeds.

[R2-D2 unleashes all his tools at once, sending shocks and steam around him, creating confusion. Obi-Wan uses the Force to take his lightsaber from General Grievous.

OBI-WAN

Lightsaber, come to me and be mine aid!

GRIEVOUS

Crush them anon!

ANAKIN

—Come Fate into the list,

And champion me to the utterance!

The chancellor shall be sav’d, come what may.

GRIEVOUS

Make these two Jedi suffer for their crimes:

Their suffering shall be my healing balm.

[A mighty battle ensues as Obi-Wan and Anakin duel and defeat many droids.

OBI-WAN

These super battle droids, with spears of light,

Are more skill’d than the common battle droid,

Yet still no match for such a one as I.

E’en now I strike the pate from off its neck.

But what is this, it doth maintain attack?

This is a thing we humans cannot do!

Still, ’tis a trick too weak for Obi-Wan—

I strike, and it is down: a rubbish heap.

GRIEVOUS

[
to battle droids:
] Keep ye the ship in orbit whilst I flee.