Decay tempered by hope. This is what I usually think about when it comes to the Republic, just like so many other Jedi do. This great government has started to turn into something it shouldn't be; even I can sense it. I admire the clones who protect the Republic, and am even friends with some of them, but the Republic seems to be moving into another era. One that can, and will, usurp and oust all other governments in the galaxy. That is why I'm starting to have doubts about the Republic (and the Jedi) being the straightforward good guys.
One can feel the decay and the hope the most here on Coruscant. I know from living on it for so long. It's also still full of things to enjoy, particularly classic things that date back from the Golden Age of the Republic. Barriss used to talk to me a lot about it.
"Coruscant is the ideal home for me, and for so many others," Barriss said. "It has some of the most unique, and tallest, skyscrapers in the galaxy, and unlike Skako, it has elegance and beauty. There's even natural beauty here and there, like Oa Park and the Galactic City Zoo, where flora and fauna can be observed in their natural habitats."
Barriss is not my friend anymore, but I still think about her words, because they give me hope that something good still exists in the galactic capital, 0-0-0. It's like a remedy to my worries.
Barriss would smile when she told me that. She knew that despite my respect for Coruscant, I had little use for skyscrapers or even artificially made zoos and parks. Of course, after she betrayed me, I've come to regret that she can read me better than I could read her. I can only imagine where she got all those dark side powers from.
"I'm amazed you're still listening to this," she would say. "Most people prefer to talk about only the corruption on Coruscant, and none of its good qualities."
"Don't worry, Barriss. Coruscant is a wonderful place to experience. Like you said, it's a beautiful place, while that other metropolis, Skako, is dirty, polluted, noisy, and lacking in natural beauty, with all of its buildings made in geometric fashion."
"Think about it, Ahsoka," Barriss said, "Galactic City is filled with things to do, places to go, and people to see. Many aliens as well as humans live here in relative peace. There are stadiums and arenas for sports games, like Raggey Field. Like I said, there's a zoo for animal lovers. In Coco Town, there's the Yularen Aquarium, run by the younger brother of Admiral Yularen, as well as Dexter's Diner. There's architecture and monuments to famous people. Even the bookstores and libraries are large enough and full enough to stand out, although they can't match up to the Jedi Archives."
I agreed with all of that, but then I said, "But what about the criminals and troublemakers on the lower levels of Coruscant, Barriss? It can be very dangerous down there. And from what I see and hear, no one does a good job of keeping the level of crime down in there."
"Perhaps not, but Coruscant has an efficient police force in its police droids, Senate commandos, and the Coruscant Guard, Ahsoka. They're very good at giving it their best effort."
I know that now only too well, what with being chased by the troopers of the Guard when Barriss framed me for her crimes.
"I love Coruscant. If I was given the choice of staying here or going back to my home world of Mirial, I would swiftly choose Coruscant. If it is possible to live on after death, I'd like my spirit to reside here. I wouldn't abandon it for the whole galaxy. It's not just a planet, nor just a city. It's a home, a home for all the denizens of the galaxy, and I just hope that we can make peace with the Confederacy in the end, because then more aliens may be welcome back here again."
I nodded my understanding. I had never seen Barriss this passionate before. Jedi are not supposed to have attachments, and yet Barriss is attached to Coruscant like it's her own mother.
As all this passes through my mind, I suddenly come back to the present, in the open speeder bus that's whisking me to a spacecraft that will take me far from Coruscant. I know I'm going to miss this place. Even with its imperfections, most of the other worlds in the galaxy are nothing like it, and I hope it stays that way. After being a Jedi in the Jedi Temple for so long, no place would have quite the same feeling of warmth and comfort, not even Shili, my home world.
Barriss was a scoundrel to betray her principles like that, as well as to betray me, but now I know how she felt about this ugly, beautiful city-planet.
As we get close to the station where the shuttle awaits me and the other passengers, a gust of wind blows right through me. Some of the people wrap themselves up in coats and cloaks. Coruscant certainly has a lot of wind on it, too.
Maybe Galactic City should also be called "the Windy City."