My New Year's Resolution: to update this story more frequently. However, I should warn you that I'm terrible at keeping my resolutions. However, I have finished Episode I and have started on Episode II so by the beginning of February updates should come in more frequently.
Thanks to people that are sticking with me and still reading this! I hope you enjoy the new character and don't see it as too far-fetched. Let me know what you think as always.
Disclaimer: The Star Wars universe does belong to George Lucas. But he will give me control now. Waves hand. Heh, I guess I'm not a Jedi. Oh well, there are other ways of acquiring ownership…
7Geenine and Politics as Usual
What is there to say about Coruscant? Back in the days of the Old Republic it was bustling, overcrowded, polluted, and teeming with all kinds of organic sentient life forms.
I gotta tell ya, no matter what name it takes on, it never really changes all that much.
It was, however, my first trip to Coruscant all those days ago and I couldn't help but sneak into the cockpit to have a look-see as we landed. Anakin was there with the pilot, spouting off some sort of useless knowledge. I did my best to ignore him as we descended toward the platform to meet the Supreme Chancellor of the Senate.
My databanks informed me that the current Supreme Chancellor was named Valorum, and that Queen Amidala would have to make an appeal for help, in order to get the cowardly Trade Federation off of her tail.
I would have suggested that they offer Jar Jar as collateral, but I wasn't invited to the Senate session.
Nor, may I add, was I invited to the Jedi Council session over Anakin's fate, though I sure could have added in a few items that would have set the wise Jedi Master Yoda's head spinning.
Still, I came to realize that it was truly my duty to stay with the ship and glean reports of goings-on from the holonews by hooking up to the ship's main computer. Though I knew I wouldn't get much help on what was plaguing slaveboy, I could still keep abreast of politics.
In the meantime however, I did the minimal ship repairs that were required, using my handy repulsor jets to propel myself around.
It was during this time that they sent me a most unusual helper, one droid called R4-G9, or as I came to know her in our short but most influential time together, Geenine.
I am Arfour Geenine. She introduced herself after the pilot acquired her from the Jedi Temple. I am serviced to repair starfighters and will most readily assist you in any tasks.
She gleamed with a bronze color that surpassed any droid I'd seen up until that point (which admittedly, was not many). She did not have repulsor jets, or even much experience with tools, but she was always ready and eager to help.
Hey Gee, I'm Artoo-Detoo. Let's put you to work cleaning out the Queen's wardrobe inside. I said, figuring it would take her ages to get the whole place cleaned. After all, Padmé did love her clothes—a constant throughout the years, which thankfully for my future counterpart and me, would die with the next generation.
But anyway, where was I?
Oh yes. Geenine.
Geenine surpassed all my expectations, cleaning out the wardrobe in 1.54 hours flat. She then presented herself again, prepared to do her next task.
That was fast. I complimented her.
It was nothing. I'm much more than a toolkit. She confided. Someday, they tell me I'll even be able to help fly Jedi starfighters.
That is impressive. I admitted, admiring her schematics once more. I gave a whistle. I helped save the Queen.
Really? Her tone was nonchalant as she repaired a crack on the hull.
If I were Threepio I would have been offended. But I maintained my cool, realizing that she would be a hard one to impress. All the other droids were blasted away except for me.
That's nice.
If I were human, I would have smiled. There is an expression humans use frequently, when one partner will not concede to the other gracefully and easily in romance. They call this person "hard to get".
Geenine continued to play "hard to get" throughout the rest of our time together, until the Jedi representative took her back to the Temple. I was determined however, to win her over to my confidence. Call me crazy, but I was—
What?
Oh yes, Anakin and the Queen. I was coming to that. Can't a droid process at his own speed?
Anyway, even though I was determined to have a very close counterpart relationship with Geenine, I was also still focused on my task to monitor the politics of the day. Though, by the end I wished that I hadn't.
By plugging into the ship's computer and reviewing clips over the holonews, I learned that Queen Amidala had been so disgusted by the Senate proceedings that she had called for a vote of no confidence in Chancellor Valorum, who had been her strongest supporter up until that time.
Others had backed the motion and it seemed that power was about to change hands.
Boy she sure gave him the boot. I muttered to myself as I downloaded profiles of the other candidates.
I stopped as I reviewed one Senator Palpatine, of Naboo. Skimming over his minimal biography, I enlarged the photo clip and took in all the complex workings of his face. I can't say why, but I figured there was something different about this one.
Still, brilliant droid that I was, I did not recognize who this senator was.
And after all, his deviousness and scheming was just politics as usual, something my databanks told me happened time after time. And of course, for an organic, he was very clever.
But, I must point out again, who's still here?
The elections for the new Supreme Chancellor were to take place soon, but I was informed the next day that Queen Amidala wanted to return to Naboo to take on the Trade Federation herself.
Atta girl. I had to commend her. No mucking about in politics for that one, she knew what she wanted and she was going after it.
Meanwhile, I botched together enough time before the organics returned to send a hasty message to Geenine, telling her I had enjoyed her company, and would look her up when I next visited Coruscant. I figured I'd be back in a few months, as part of the Queen's special elite force.
Boy was I wrong.
But there was no looking back and as I saw Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, and Anakin stroll out I headed out to meet them, ready to figure out what had transpired at the Jedi Temple. I also wanted to figure out why the wise and revered Council hadn't commissioned Jar Jar's death yet.
It was then that I solved the puzzle of midichlorians once and for all.