"Mon Calamari Revisited"  

Blog No.24

"Looks good. Just try to relax, Chancellor."

Those words are never followed by anything good, in my experience. But I took a deep breath and nodded, trying to 'relax' as the technician had requested. 

 

Being Supreme Chancellor means that I go all over the Galaxy, meeting with the people of every planet that I can and attempting to help where the need is, as well as keep up relations between them and the ruling government. 

Oh, and preside over meetings of the Senate, but that's less fun. 

 

However, it also means that I must go into unusual or uncomfortable environments as the people of different planets live in different ways and conditions. 

 

That is how I came to find myself in a strange protective suit, with a helmet of sorts over my veiled head, watching an underwater production of 'Squid Lake' on Mon Calamari. 

 

The planet is beautiful and many more have seen it since their - rather disasterous- menagerie opened on their surface. That was, in fact, why I was visiting the water planet on this occasion. 

The Mon Calamari ambassador had requested an audience to smooth over the . . incident. 

 

Those who had attended the menagerie opening on Mon Calamari a couple of years ago will recall how they had created two new species of animal and were showing them at the Grand Opening before everything broke down into chaos and all the animals escaped, attacking many people at the event. Thankfully, they were re-caught and no one was killed, but it was a close thing. 

 

I met up with the ambassador, who was a female Mon Calamari (or Mon Cal) who had been at the menagerie at the time. Mounie by name. 

I congratulated her on her promotion, as she had been a guide the last time I had been on Mon Calamari. Rather than be flattered, she seemed more flustered. Apparently, her promotion was more about the Mon Calamari leadership making her clean up her messes, than anything else. Which was a little unfair, as the incident at the Mon Calamari Menagerie hadn't been her fault .But that's how things go, often. 

 

In order to meet with them on their own turf (so to speak) I had to wear that strange suit and helmet. It would help me to breathe underwater, they said. And it did, but I felt so clumsy! 

Our meeting went fairly well. They were, understandably, upset at having their grand menagerie sabataged "It was a trap!" was their words on the subject. I was able to assure them that their long history of loyalty and scientific advancements was not wiped away by the event, but we set up some strong boundaries about futue events. 

 

Then they asked me to attend their performance of Squid Lake, and I agreed. Mon Calamari has amazing musicians, which is often overlooked by their many other accomplishments. I greatly enjoyed it, but I must say that I was greatly relieved when I returned to my ship and could get out of that suit!

Mon Calamari is a beautiful planet, mostly comprised of oceans, but I was happy to return to land. 

If you get a chance to go there, I highly recommend it.