[F4M] [Script Offer] Love, Hate, and The Force: A Star Wars Story [Episode III] [Series Finale] [Sci-Fi] [Enemies / Exes to Lovers] [Star-Crossed Lovers] [Story Heavy] [Emotional] [Romantic] but [Tragic] Mentions of [Death] and [Trauma] [L-Bombs] [Clothed ***] [Rough] [Passionate] [Handjob] [Fingering] [Standing ***] [Missionary] [Creampie] [You Broke My Heart] [I’ve Become a Monster] “It’s… it’s you. I can’t believe it. After you broke my heart, I never thought I’d see you again. And I told myself that if I ever did… I’d kill you. But now that you’re here in front of me… I can’t do it. For all the pain you’ve caused me, I can’t strike you down. Just… just go. It’s too late for me. I’ve done so many terrible things. I’m beyond forgiveness. Just forget about me and run. If you don’t go… the Sith will make me kill you. They’ll make me kill the only man I’ve ever loved.” Four years after the Battle of Ryloth, the Sith Crusade is nearing its end. The Republic has all but fallen, its forces pushed back into the galactic core. All but a few Jedi have been killed or turned, and the Sith have laid siege to Coruscant. Leading the invasion force is former Jedi Lirra Tol, her heart turned to stone by years of trauma, loss, and heartbreak. But in the ruins of the Jedi Temple, she has an unexpected encounter with a ghost from her past, and her old self threatens to reemerge. Will her old love convince her to return to the light? Can her wounds, old and new, be healed? And if they can, what peace can two young lovers find in a cold, cruel universe? Thanks for clicking! I’m (FINALLY) back with the finale to the three-part Star Wars epic I started foreeeever ago. It’s very character-driven, narrative-heavy, and emotional. It’s also the climax of a much longer story, so if you haven’t read/heard the first two episodes, I highly recommend it! This story takes place after another time skip, and we see the final resolution of a love story too pure for such a wicked universe. Lots of feelings, a tiny bit of violence, and a little epilogue to tie it all together. Enjoy! Any interested performers are welcome to edit/improvise to their hearts’ content. This script features a lot of notes for sound effects, but I think a fill would work just as well without them — they’re optional suggestions. Feedback from performers, writers, and readers is always welcome! *Asterisks are for emphasis* [Brackets are for direction] Line breaks are just there to make scanning easier – improvise with pauses all you like. [TONAL ADVICE] At the beginning of this script, the Lirra we know is all but gone. She’s given up on life, love, and the Force, and she’s been with the Sith for several years. She’s done and seen terrible things, and the trauma has left deep scars – none of her old cheer or humor remains. But she isn’t quite the monster she thinks she is – she takes no pleasure in violence, and her old, sweet self is still there, buried beneath the surface, waiting for a reason to break through again. -----[START]----- [We once again start with the Opening Crawl. Her voice, while still stately and regal, is now somber and downcast – this is the darkest chapter] <(optional) fanfare> [NARRATION] All is lost. The GREAT SITH CONQUEST is nearing its final victory. All across the galaxy, from its farthest reaches to the Inner Rim, planets fly the banners of the Sith and prepare themselves for subjugation and servitude. The JEDI ORDER has been all but destroyed. The Era of the Sith, it seems, is about to begin. [NARRATION] But as always, hope springs eternal. In the GALACTIC CORE WORLDS, the last surviving JEDI KNIGHTS establish a bold resistance movement and valiantly hold the SITH DOMINION at bay. Refugees join the cause by the thousands with each passing day, and a great counterattack is imminent. The fate of the galaxy is at stake. [NARRATION] But time grows short. As the resistance gathers strength, the great Sith army falls upon the galactic capital world of CORUSCANT. The city-planet’s remaining defenses quickly collapse before the might of DARTH FARRA, the dread commander of the Sith fleet. With strongholds falling one by one, the city has but one remaining hope: a legendary JEDI WANDERER whose vigilante operations have struck fear into the hearts of the Sith. As Jedi Master and Dark Lady of the Sith face off in the ruins of the JEDI TEMPLE, the tide of war hangs in the balance — but this struggle may be more personal than either of them know. . . . [Narration ends, and we cut to Coruscant, the pitch-dark, smoky night illuminated only by scattered blaster fire, distant explosions. We zoom in to the ruin that was once the Jedi Temple, partially collapsed and smoldering. Two brights lights – one blue, one red – cut through the rubble. A great duel is underway.] <(optional) sounds of battle — lightsabers buzzing and clashing, grunts of exertion, sparks and crashes. Two figures whirl and thrash in the dark, cavernous halls of the Jedi Temple: a hooded Jedi in tattered robes and a mysterious woman in severe dark armor and a lacquered black mask. They struggle, exhausted, the lone Jedi on the back foot. The Sith gains the upper hand with a terrible roar of victory. A tremendous smash rings out — one lightsaber extinguishes> [(optional) voice filter] [icy and menacing, but exhausted] Stay down, Jedi. It’s over. You fought well, but… it’s over. You lose. I win. [voice filter] Feel that? Hot, isn’t it? That’s my lightsaber, inches from your neck. [threatening] Listen to me very carefully and do exactly as I say, because if you don’t, I’m afraid I might… *slip*. [voice filter] [gently] Now… place your lightsaber in my hand. [voice filter] [seething] I said… *give it to me*! [voice filter] There… that’s better. Thank you. After all that trouble, I would hate to have to kill you on your knees. You’ve earned more than that. [voice filter] [firmly] So… stand up. [voice filter] It really was a good fight, you know. Maybe the best I’ve ever had. You were… beautiful. [voice filter] [haltingly – she tries not to feel guilty, to stay in character] I… I wish I didn’t have to do this. To kill you. Truly. You’re of no use to anyone dead, but with you on *our* side… [voice filter] [sigh] But no. I’ve heard so many stories about you. You and your… vendetta. And I’ve seen it with my own eyes. I’ve seen what you do to Sith. On this planet and many others. As powerful as you are, you… you won’t be turned, will you? [voice filter] [quietly] I thought not. Very well. [voice filter] [gravely – like an executioner] Stand tall, Jedi. Make your “masters” proud in your final moments. Like I said… it was a good fight. I’ll remember it. And I’ll give this lightsaber of yours a place of honor in my… [voice filter] [quietly shocked and confused – her façade briefly slips] Wait… this… I’ve… I know this lightsaber. I… I’ve seen it before. I saw it when… no… no, that’s… that can’t… [voice filter] [quiet, horrified] Who are you? [voice filter] [anxious, frantic] Take off your hood. Show me your face. *Now*. Look at me. [voice filter] [fear and fury] I told you to *look at me*! [voice filter] [near-whisper] It’s… it’s you. [voice filter] [hesitating – she tries to regain her composure] You… you’re younger than the stories make you out to be. You’re… you’re… [voice filter] [commanding] Don’t. Move. [voice filter] [into the communicator] Come in, master. This is Darth Farra. I’m in the Temple ruins, and I… I’ve got him. I’ve disarmed and captured the Jedi Wanderer. Dispatch a shuttle to my coordinates and I’ll… [voice filter] Yes… yes, I know, but… but he will be of greater use to us alive. He’s seen the resistance fleet, he’s seen codes and orders, and if you put me in an interrogation room with him, I swear I’ll get every last detail out of… [voice filter] [anxious] No, no, master, I can handle him on my own. There’s no need to… if you’ll just send a ship, I can… [voice filter] [quiet and chastened – she will be punished for this insolence later] Very well. As you wish, my master. [voice filter] [anxious] My… my master is sending a squadron here. They’ll take you to her, and… she’ll decide what to do with you. They’ll be here within the hour, so in the meantime… get comfortable, Jedi. And no sudden movements. I would hate for you to— wait, stop, *stop*! [no more voice filter] My mask! Give me back my mask! [quietly, ruefully] Well… face-to-face again at last, I guess. [rueful laugh] Been awhile, hasn’t it? You know, I… I thought I recognized those moves. I think I taught you some of them. And before the duel, I… I could have sworn I felt… [coldly] Nothing. Never mind. It doesn’t matter. This doesn’t change anything. Sit back down, Jedi. I have nothing to say to you. [seething] No. Do *not* call me that. “Lirra” isn’t my name anymore. I’m Darth Farra, Dark Lady of the Sith and commander of the Invasion Force. Maybe you’ve heard of me. Oh, you *have* heard of me. I’m *flattered*. Did the stories you heard happen to mention what I do to Jedi who annoy me? [haltingly – he knows what she’s done, and she isn’t prepared to answer for it] Uh… I see. So… you’ve been following my career very closely, then. I… that makes sense, I suppose. I’ve been… very busy the past few years. We all have. I’m sure the resistance briefs you on all of us. [taken aback – he’s only been looking for her] Just… just me? But… but why? Of all the Sith, of all the Darths… why would you only come looking for… [denial] No. No, that’s… that’s impossible. You couldn’t have known it was me. I… I burned my old life, I buried every trace… how could you possibly know who I was? [cold laugh] Don’t make me laugh. Our “bond”? Our “connection”? I thought you didn’t believe in that. It didn’t mean anything to you back then – why should it suddenly be so important to you now? [softly, shakily] What… what did you say to me? [pure fury] Shut up. Shut *up*! How ******* *dare* you? You break my heart, you abandon me in the middle of the galaxy, you disappear for *years*, and now — *now* — you have the nerve to… to track me down to say you’re *sorry*? You’re ******* *sorry*?! [quiet, shaking menace] I want to kill you. Do you get that? I want to cut your ******* head off your ******* shoulders and kick it out the window. I want to choke you until your eyes pop. Nothing would make me happier than… than… [furious] Stop it! *Stop saying that*! Stop— It’s… it’s too late for that now. *Years* too late. I couldn’t have forgiven you back then, and… and I certainly can’t now. So… save it, alright? Just… just shut up. [frustrated] Yes… it *is* too late. Too late for me, at least. You… you don’t know me anymore, okay? You don’t even know who you’re apologizing to. [scathing, sarcastic] Are you serious? “What have I become?” “How did this happen?” What, do you want some sad, sad story about the poor, heartbroken girl who was so desperate for love that she fell in with a rough crowd without knowing it? You want me to tell you how she was so broken and so self-pitying that she couldn’t see the goodness that was in her heart all along? How all she needed was her true love’s kiss to break the spell and return her to the light? [coldly] Grow up, Jedi. This isn’t one of those stories we used to tell each other. This is my life, and my life doesn’t have happy endings. You made sure of that. I’m not broken, and I don’t pity myself. The only person I pity is you. Yes, I *do* pity you. I pity you for clinging so desperately to the coattails of an order that’s happy to fling you aside. I’ve heard stories too, you know. Stories with the words “outcast” and “disgraced” and “vigilante.” Not so holy now, are you? Not so pure, not so righteous. [pityingly] I would say that maybe now you can understand the choice I made, but… no. You’re still totally dyed in the wool, aren’t you? Still certain that the Jedi Code is just and good, and that it’s really all of *us* who are wretched and depraved. Are you going to give me another lecture? Are you gonna tell me about the oath we swore, about the fairness of the Order, about… [quietly, disbelievingly] I was… I was *right*? I never… I never thought I would hear you… say that. Well… well yeah, now you understand. But… but it doesn’t matter. Not anymore. One way or another, the war is almost over, and… and for all the sins of the Jedi… the Sith are no better. [hesitantly – should she be speaking badly of the Sith?] They… they *do* care about people. In… in a way. Every planet gets a choice. The ones who surrender… nothing changes for them, really. They get to keep on living their lives. Maybe their taxes go up, and maybe their temples come down, but… it’s fair. The Sith are fair to them. [quietly] But… the ones who *don’t* surrender… we… we make them regret their choice. All of them. [softly – the mask is coming off. She’s suffering] This… this isn’t what I wanted. I don’t think I have to tell you that. I just wanted to be free. I wanted to save people. I wanted… *love*. And… and that’s what they promised me. A new order. Perfect freedom for everyone. A new galaxy full of all the love the Jedi ever took from me. [haltingly, shakily – she doesn’t want to admit this to anyone, to him least of all] But… the new world will be built on the ruins of the old one. And the ruins… the ruins are filled with graves. So we had to fill the graves. *I* had to fill them. [near-whisper – her greatest shame] And… I did. So many. So, so many of them. [hatefully] But… it’s all for nothing. Even if the Sith win… it’ll all be for nothing. They’re fools. Selfish, petty, weak. They… they don’t *believe* in anything. Except themselves. They have no *honor*, no *leadership*. They’re strong *now*, while they have momentum… but they’re always fighting amongst themselves, stealing from each other, *killing* each other. If they run out of worlds to conquer… if they get pushed back even a *little*… they’re done for. They’ll eat each other alive. The only thing they value is their own self-interest, and… it blinds them. Give them a chance, and they’ll kill themselves for it. And they’ll never know what they did wrong. [horrified at herself] They’re… monsters. A pack of monsters. And… they made me into a monster, too. They promised me everything. Everything I’ve ever wanted. They promised me… love. Love, love… all the love in the universe. And, the thing is… they were right. They taught me what love is. It’s all a sick joke. Maybe the brave new world *will* be full of love. And if it is, that’s the punchline. Because love… love is the cruelest thing there is, isn’t it? *Love* is a monster. That’s what I’ve learned. Love will promise you everything. Love will make you give up everything you have. Love will become your whole world and then… disappear. Leave you with nothing but hate. Love… love will turn us *all* into monsters. That’s what it wants. That’s *all* it wants. [tearfully] I have killed… *so many* people for love. Jedi, soldiers… dozens of them. And it’s the same as killing them for nothing. No amount of blood can satisfy love. Love is always hungry. *That’s* what I’ve become – a fool. A fool, a naïve idealist… and a murderer. A beast who deserves nothing but to die alone. [devastated, self-loathing] Maybe you were right earlier. Maybe it is all a story. Once upon a time, there really *was* a little girl who kissed you in a warm, dark bedroom. Love was all she wanted, and she loved you fiercely and wholly and infinitely. But that little girl died on a battlefield covered in the blood of children. She died ***** in a cold, quiet starship as you held her heart in your hands and crushed it. The woman you see in front of you is just her ghost, and… and all she knows is violence. [so, so quietly] And… and yes, maybe she does still love you. She can’t help it. She never could. But she also hates you. She doesn’t know the difference anymore. [gently] I’m… sorry. This… this isn’t what I wanted. The Sith, the war, Darth Farra… none of it. All I wanted… all I wanted was *you*. But… I can’t go back. I’ve come too far now. After everything I’ve done… *this* is all I deserve. [dry laugh] I told you, didn’t I? This war will kill us both. It was always going to kill us. Love could never save us. But… maybe I can still save you. [a bit of her old self shines through] Here. Take your lightsaber. You still have time to get away before the squadron arrives, but… you’ll have to move quickly. I’ll… I’ll tell them you overpowered me and escaped. Master will be angry, but… [shakily] but I’ll be fine. Just… just go, okay? And don’t come back. It’ll be better for both of us that way. Please… please go. What are you waiting for? Go! You’re running out of time and… and I just can’t have your blood on my hands too, alright? Unlike a Jedi… a Sith can protect the things she loves. For all the things I’ve done… I still have that. Now *go*. <”I forgive you,” he says – she gasps> [shakily] What… what did you say? [She is briefly overcome. She’s been waiting to hear that for a long time now. For a moment, she allows his warmth to wash over her before the denial returns] You… you *can’t* forgive me. Not… not for *everything*. You don’t have the power to forgive me. I wish you did, but… no one does. Okay? What I’ve done… that’s *forever*. No matter how much I want to take it back… to take it all back… I just… I can never… you… we can’t… [Slowly, she begins to break down – the years since their last meeting come crashing down on her head] [increasingly frantic] Why… why aren’t you leaving? Go, just go, you need to… you… no, *no*, stop saying that, *stop it*, you can’t forgive me, I don’t *deserve*… I don’t deserve to… just go. Go! Why won’t… why won’t you go? You’re… this is hurting me, you’re hurting me, I can’t… I can’t… [the tears start] If you don’t go, they’ll… they’ll kill you. They’ll make… *me* kill you. And that would… I could never… I could… Please. Just… please, don’t do that to me, please, just go, you can’t, you… you… [The glass shatters. Tears fall. Darth Farra dies, leaving behind only a scared, lonely, lovesick girl who was forced to grow up too quickly] [tearfully, pathetically – the dam bursts and the words pour out] I don’t want to do this anymore. It hurts, it hurts so much, I can’t, I don’t want to… please don’t make me… please, I… I never wanted this, I didn’t want to do those things, I didn’t mean it, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, I’m sorry for everything, I didn’t… [complete devastation] All I wanted was you, I just wanted to kiss you and hold your hand and love you… I just wanted you to tell me everything would be okay, that’s all — it didn’t feel wrong, it didn’t have to *be* wrong, it didn’t, I know it didn’t, I… I didn’t mean to fall in love with you, I’m sorry, I just *did*, I didn’t know what would happen, I couldn’t help it, I didn’t know, and… and I just love you so much, I… I never knew it would end this way. [the smallest, frailest voice] But… please… please don’t go. I’m… I’m scared. I’m so scared. I’m so *empty*. I don’t want to be alone anymore. I can’t do it, I just can’t. Please don’t leave me. Not again. I still love you. I never stopped. Please… *please*. [They have ***. There’s a lot of verbal noise here, but it’s all just a suggestion – improvise if you like!] [tenderly] You’re still… so warm. As warm as I remember. I missed this… so much. I missed *you*. I missed… I… Take me back. Please. Take me back to that night in your room. When we were happy. When it was easy. I think about it every night. I think about you and I touch myself. You make me cum so ******* hard. [pleading] Please… make me yours again. And be mine. Here… let me kiss your neck… I want to taste your skin again… You taste so ******* good… I can’t take it, I can’t… I need you… I need you so ******* bad… This *******… armor… There. Now… touch me. Feel my ****. Feel me, feel… mmm ******. That feels so good. My… my nipples are getting so hard. God, I can *feel* you… I can feel you getting hard through your robes. How does that feel? When I rub you through your clothes like… this. Your **** is so *hot*, so ******* hot under my hand. I can feel you getting harder. Do you like that? Does it feel good? I want you to feel good, baby… I want you to feel so ******* good… Yes… ****, yes, put your hand down my pants and… oh ******. You… you feel that? You feel how wet you make me? ****, I’m dripping for you. Yes, rub my… rub my clit. **** me with your fingers. Do whatever you want. You can do whatever you want to me. Make me yours. Make me yours forever. Make me— Pushing me against the wall? [amused] Oooooh, I didn’t know you had it in you. No, I’m not complaining at all. I like it. Put me wherever you want me. I’m all yours. [flirty] Pull… pull my pants down for me, would you? And if you gave me a little kiss while you’re down there… I wouldn’t mind. [escalating] Mmmm… oh ****, yeah, that’s it, use your fingers, use your… **** yes, ****… let me reach into your robes, let me pull your **** out like… this. I want to really feel you… I want to feel you throbbing in my hand… does that feel good, baby? Does it feel good when I stroke you? Get hard for me, baby… I want you hard… I want you nice and hard when you **** me… [breathless] ****… ****, slow down, slow down, I don’t… I don’t want to cum. Not yet. I want… I want you to cum with me. I want… I want to feel that perfect moment again. Do you? [smiling] Yeah? Good… good, baby. [wickedly] Now… how do you want me? [right in his ear] Do you want to be on top of me? Hold my legs above my head and bury your **** as deep as it will go? Or… do you want me to ride you? My hands on your shoulders… your hands on my ****… thrusting up into my *****… feeling my clit grind against you? [a bit incredulous] Against the wall? Standing? I mean, that sounds— Woah! That’s… you’re stronger than you look, baby. Are you sure you can hold me up like this? Yeah? Good. That’s… that’s so ******* hot. I’ll hold on as tight as I can, but first… first let me put you in… Oh… *ffffffuck*. ****, baby… you’re so ******* big, you’re so ******* *hard*, you’re… ****, ****, go deeper, baby, push it deeper, push… push, oh ******. Holy ****** baby, that’s so… you’re so deep, just… just hold it there for a second, okay? I want to feel you… I want to feel all of you. Listen… I know a lot has happened. I know… things have changed. But… I don’t care. I don’t care about any of that, okay? All I care about is you. All I care about is *this*. So… focus. Touch my mind with yours. Fill me up. Until we’re the only two people in the universe. **** me. **** me hard. **** me, baby. ****— [As the heat increases, improvisation is again encouraged] Oh! Oh, ****, baby, ****, that’s it. That’s it. **** me. **** me! **** me deep, **** me hard, ****… Nnnn ****, that’s so good, that feels so ******* good… harder, **** me harder… I want to feel your balls slapping against my ass… I want to drip down your ******* legs… holy… holy ****… mmmm… God, it’s so big… it feels so ******* tight inside me… does that feel good, baby? My ***** squeezing you with… with every thrust… ****, baby, fffffuck… it’s so deep… it’s so deep I… I can hardly take it. I want more… ****, I want more, I want all of you, I want… I… Put… put me down. Hurry. [breathless] ****… look how wet I made you. God, that looks good. Let me… let me get a taste… just for a second… Mmm ****… you’re soaked. We taste so good together. Wanna try? [impishly] Delicious, isn’t it? [seductively, but still breathless] Come here. I’m gonna turn around… and put my hands against the wall. Now… put it back in. Grab my hips and give me your ****. I need it. I’ve needed it for so long. I want you to **** me, and… I want you to cum in me. Like last time. Can you do that for me, baby? [desperate] Do it. **** me. **** me now. ****— Oh! Oh ****! Yes, baby, **** me, **** me, yes! Harder, baby, harder, yes, **** me deep, ****, it feels so good, it feels so ******* good, ****, ****! Your balls are hitting my clit, ****, ****, that’s so good, that’s so good, baby… god, I’m so wet, I’m so ******* wet for you, go harder baby, faster, faster, yes, yes, yes! You drive me crazy, baby, ****, I can’t… I can barely breathe… don’t stop, don’t stop, never stop, just **** me, **** me hard, **** me faster, go faster baby, as fast and as hard as you can, it feels too good, ****, **** me, I want to feel you deep, I want to feel you *deep*… I… ****, I’m getting close, baby. I’m gonna cum soon. Will you cum with me? I want your cum. I want your cum, baby. I want you to cum in me. I want you to push it in as deep as it will go. I want to feel you pour into me. I want to feel you throb and twitch inside me. Every inch of you. I want you to cum inside me. I want you to pour into my ***** and pour into my mind. I need it, baby, ****, I need it so bad, I need it so— Oh ****! I’m gonna cum, baby. Do it! Cum for me! Cum inside me! Cum with me! Cum with me! [loving near-whisper] Oh… oh ****… come here. That… I missed that so much. I… I can’t believe how long it’s been. I… I remember that feeling like it was yesterday. You’re incredible. You’re… you’re so ******* good. You’re so… you’re… Oh, my… my legs are wobbling a little bit. Come here… come sit against the wall with me. I want to lay my head on your chest… there. There we go. [smiling sadly] That feeling really never gets old, does it? Our minds… *mixing*. It’s… it’s perfect. It always has been. And… I’m done trying to deny it. No, shhh… just let me… let me breathe. Just breathe with me for a minute. Hold me. [softly, sadly, and full of love] I… was so angry with you, you know? For a long, long time. You… you really hurt me. Everything I believed in was a lie, so I threw it all away, and when I came to you… when I asked you to tell me it would be okay, to help me put things back together… you broke my heart. That… that destroyed me. It really, truly broke me to pieces. I thought I hated you. I really did. I thought I would kill you if I ever saw you again. And… I almost did. What? You *let* me win? Okay, *now* I hate you. Bullshit! I had you on the back foot the whole time! You’re lucky I’m such a bad Sith. Shut up! Just… just shut up and listen, okay? I… this is important. [seriously] What I’m trying to say is… I forgive you. For that night on your ship. I… I was so scared, and I couldn’t understand why you wouldn’t run away with me, but… you were scared too, weren’t you? Scared of losing everything you held dear. Scared of realizing that right and wrong isn’t as simple as you’d always thought. Scared to realize that… we’re all on our own out here, lost and adrift. That the Force can guide us, but… it can’t give us orders. At the end of the day… we have to choose. And the consequences are ours to bear. [gently, apologetically] And that’s… that’s heavy. It’s a lot. It’s the biggest thing there is. And I threw it at you all at once and expected you to just… be okay. Just like that. And that was… cruel of me. I didn’t realize it at the time. I was… too wrapped up in my own little tragedies. I couldn’t see yours. And… I’m sorry. For all of it. This… none of this was your fault. None of it. [dreamily] I… I think I get it now. For years… I blamed love for all the pain and hate I felt. It made sense at the time. I gave up everything until love was all I had, and then… love couldn’t sustain me. Not by itself. But… I was wrong. I was wrong about all of it. I used to think that love and hate were… siblings. Like the Jedi and the Sith – polar opposites, constantly at war, fighting for survival, always recruiting people to their sides. But… that’s not right. The Jedi aren’t love. The Sith aren’t hate. And they aren’t the Force, either. The *Force* is love. That’s the truth. Hate is what happens when we stand in its way. The Jedi don’t believe love exists. The Sith try to conquer it, to make it theirs. And they’re both so blind. Love can’t be denied, and it can’t be tamed. Love surrounds us. It penetrates us. It connects us. It’s more powerful than all the armies in all the universe. All we can do is… embrace it. I… thank you. Thank you for helping me see that. I still have a lot to learn about love, but… with your help, I think I can figure it out. [a soft confession] I’ve done… many, many terrible things. I… I’m glad you can forgive me, but… I think it’ll take me a long time to forgive myself. But for all the awful things I’ve done… loving you was never wrong. Nothing we did or said or felt was wrong. It was beautiful. It was perfect. We let other people twist it into something horrible… but underneath it all, it was the purest thing there ever was. Master Farra would have seen that. Master Farra… I took her name because… I dunno. As revenge, I guess. Revenge against the order that took her away from me. Vengeance for all the love she showed me, all the love the Jedi denied me. But… she wouldn’t have wanted that, would she? She… of all the Jedi, *she* understood love. She knew how powerful it is. And… and I think she could see it in me. All this time… I’ve been disgracing her. But… no more. Never again. Darth Farra… Darth Farra is dead. [defenseless] I’m… I’m really afraid of what I’m about to ask you. More afraid than ever. But… one way or another, this war will be decided tonight. Either the Sith repel the counterattack and conquer the galaxy… or the Republic takes back Coruscant, and the Sith finally collapse under all their squabbling. But no matter what happens… this will never end. They’ll never let us love each other without a terrible cost. We’ll spend the rest of our lives being pulled this way and that, watching them try to corrupt our love or poison it. The Jedi have a vision for the universe, and the Sith have theirs… and neither of them have a place for us. This war will end and another one will begin. Another chapter in this great cosmic tragedy. No peace, no love… nothing. This universe… it can’t allow our love to exist. It will do everything it can to destroy us. [softly – it’s the moment of truth] But… we don’t have to play that game. We can still be together. Forever. The Sith squadron will be here any minute. We’re out of time. They’re the Emperor’s strongest duelists, and… there will be a *lot* of them. Maybe… maybe more than we can handle. This… these might be our final moments. And if they are… maybe that wouldn’t be so bad. We’d still be together. Together in the Force. One and the same, connected, until the end of time. [quietly, hopefully] But… but maybe we won’t die. Maybe we can hold them off. And if we do… we could leave. Run away. Anywhere. I don’t care. Somewhere far away from the Jedi and the Sith. We could just… live. We could be happy. We could love the way we were meant to. Years ago, on your ship, it was… unfair of me to ask you this. And I wish I didn’t have to ask you again. I wish we could talk about it, but… we’re out of time. So… will you come away with me? Will you leave this all behind? [near-whisper] Do you… do you love me? [He does. She gasps and laughs with delight, then gives him a kiss that could melt the sun] [near-whisper] I love you too. I love you so, so much. I’m sorry it couldn’t be simple. I wish it was. But… this is enough. This is… *perfect*. [psyching herself up] Well then… we have work to do. Hand me my armor… and pull your robes back on. We don’t have much time. Do you feel that? They’re almost here. [They dress themselves] Okay. Are you ready? [gravely] One last fight. One last chance. And win or lose… live or die… we’ll do it together. That’s the only thing that matters. [with the purest love] I love you with all my heart. In a different time… in a better world… I would have spent my whole life fighting for you. I’m sorry it took me so long to accept that. I’m sorry I never fought for you before… but I’ll do it now. To the last breath. <(optional) dozens of lightsabers ignite in the distance. Boots march forward> [determined and noble] Here they come. Be strong for me, my love. No matter what happens… we’ll be together soon. I promise. Now fight! *Fight*! [The Opening Crawl returns, as solemn as ever, but there’s a smirk in her voice now – as if she saw this all coming but was powerless – or ambivalent – to prevent it. As if she knows much, much more than she chooses to say, and it fills her with peace and contentment.] [NARRATION] On the eve of the Second Battle of Coruscant, in the first creeping rays of dawn, the ancient Jedi Temple collapsed. The cause forever remained a mystery – a puzzle whose answer was lost in the fog of war. It was never determined how many lives were lost among the rubble – the bodies recovered were never identified. [NARRATION] And as the Temple fell, so too fell the Sith Dominion. Gathered under the banner of a New Republic, the might of the galaxy struck at the heart of the Sith forces, exhausted from their first bloody siege of Coruscant. Overextended and outmatched, the Sith commanders fought amongst themselves as planets across the galaxy rose up and threw off their yokes – the Dominion capital ship was overrun and captured, and the Great Emperor of the Sith was found dead on her throne, stabbed through the back by an unknown assailant. Those Sith that remained fled to the Unknown Regions, their engines of war destroyed, their forces depleted. The war was over. The New Republic stood victorious. [NARRATION] But that victory came at a devastating cost. Billions of people had died in eight long years of war. Many planets never recovered from the trauma. The old order had collapsed, and replacing it would be a long, painful process. [NARRATION] Among the casualties was the Jedi Order. Those who remembered the cold, callous tactics of the Jedi generals decided that the Old Republic’s faith in the Order had been misplaced, and the scant few Jedi who survived the war were formally relieved of their duties as the New Republic’s protectors. The Jedi accepted these charges without complaint and set out on a great pilgrimage to their ancestral homeworld of Tython, vowing to refound their Order, to renew their devotion to the Force, and to rediscover their place in the universe. [NARRATION] Darth Farra, Dark Lady of the Sith, was never seen again. Nor was the legendary Jedi Wanderer. Rumor claimed that it was they who tore down the Jedi Temple in their last fateful duel, and this was the story that was entered into the annals of history. But those who witnessed the Temple’s collapse told a different story. They spoke of two blades, red and blue, whirling together in the night, working together to cut down a dozen foes. Two deadly dancers so in sync, so beautifully connected that nothing and no one could stand in their way. How could they have fallen so cruelly? How could their love not have won the day? Could they not have cut their way through the Sith and the rubble and the smoke? Could they have survived? This story became song and the song became legend, and soon, young romantics all across the galaxy knew by heart the tale of The Dark Lady and Her Wanderer. [NARRATION] Was the legend true? None could be certain. There were only two who ever knew the truth, and when they died, they died together, happy and fulfilled, having never told a soul. -----[END]-----