The Empire WIll Never Fall

SCIENCE FICTION BLAST-OFF THEATER

"The Empire Will Never Fall"

by Richard Nathan

Before the lights come up, a voice announces the title of the story:

VOICE
"The Empire Will Never Fall."

LIGHTS UP on a prison cell. The REBEL LEADER lies in filth on the floor, groaning. Enter a GUARD, followed by the PRESIDENT..

GUARD

Wake up, rebel! You’ve got a visitor.

The President speaks to the Guard.

PRESIDENT
You can go.

The Guard leaves. The President greets the Rebel Leader.

PRESIDENT
Hey, buddy! How ya doing?

REBEL LEADER
Swine!

                                                            PRESIDENT
                                    Me? A swine? Gee, last time I looked, I
                                    wasn’t the one lying in my own filth.

REBEL LEADER
You carry your filth with you.

                                                            PRESIDENT
                                    If by filth you mean unlimited power and money,
                                    yes, I do carry that with me. Always. Now, you must
                                    be wondering why the leader of the most powerful
                                    nation in the history of the world came by to see you
                                    today.

                                                            REBEL LEADER
                                    Why? I know why. It is because the very sight
                                    of you is the worst torture you could ever inflict
                                    on me!

                                                            PRESIDENT
                                    Then you’re a lucky fella, because I’m going to
                                    make you an offer to make all that torture go away.
                                    You tell us what we want, and we’ll kill you
                                    nice and painlessly – put an end to all your
                                    misery. How about that?

REBEL LEADER
No. Do whatever you want. The answer is no.

                                                            PRESIDENT
                                    Seems like you still have hope. That’s just
                                    stupid. How can I convince you that your
                                    situation is hopeless?

                                                            REBEL LEADER
                                    My situation may be hopeless. But there is
                                    hope for others. Whatever happens to me,
                                    humanity’s hope for freedom and justice will
                                    survive.

                                                            PRESIDENT
                                    But I’ve got money. I’ve got so much money;
                                    I can buy and sell humanity’s hopes. Hell, that’s
                                    what I do every day.

REBEL LEADER
You’re wrong.

PRESIDENT
Well, I’ll just have to convince you.

The Guard enters in a panic.

                                                            GUARD
                                    Mr. President! A coup! There’s been a coup!
                                    The generals have taken over! They sentenced
                                    you to death!

PRESIDENT
But… I’ve got money!

GUARD
They’ve impounded all your funds!

PRESIDENT
No!!!

                                                            GUARD
                                    They say they will bring back democracy.   Free
                                    elections. Freedom of assembly. Freedom of
                                    speech,

                                                            REBEL LEADER
                                    You see. I told you. You can’t kill humanity’s
                                    hopes.

GUARD
Yes we can.

PRESIDENT
We were just kidding.

GUARD
He’s still in power.

                                                            PRESIDENT
                                    We just wanted to get your hopes up so we could
                                    crush them.

The President and the Guard laugh.

                                                            GUARD
                                    There is no hope for you or your kind anymore.
                                    You must understand, it’s different now. We
                                    passed the tipping point. We grew so strong, and
                                    you got so weak and hopeless, the Empire
                                    will never fall.

PRESIDENT

The Empire will never fall.

REBEL LEADER

The Empire will never fall.

The Guard goes over to the Rebel Leader and frees him from his chains.

PRESIDENT
What? What are you doing?

                                                            REBEL LEADER
                                    We wanted to get your hopes up, so we could
                                    crush them.

                                                            PRESIDENT
                                    What are you talking about? I’m still the
                                    President.

REBEL LEADER
No. You are the rebel leader.

PRESIDENT
Huh?

REBEL LEADER
You are the rebel leader.

                                                            GUARD
                                    Did you really believe the President would
                                    waste his time visiting a rebel?

                                                            REBEL LEADER
                                    We used drugs. Mind control drugs. We made you
                                    believe you were the President - to give you a
                                    taste – just a taste – of what we have – what we can
                                    do - so you would realize just how hopeless your
                                    situation is.

GUARD
So all your hopes would be crushed.

PRESIDENT
So I would talk.

                                                            REBEL LEADER
                                    You already talked. We’re bringing in your friends.
                                    We will crush their hopes just as we crushed yours.
                                    And then we will kill them, just as we are going to
                                    kill you. In a very public execution.

GUARD
The Empire will never fall.

BLACKOUT

THE END

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The author grants all internet users the right to print these scripts for their own, personal, non-commercial use. No other use may be made without the author's permission. Without limiting the foregoing, the plays may not be staged without the author's express permission.

Send e-mail to the author at Richard-Nathan@att.net.