Three years had passed since the Battle of Naboo. Three years of peace, reconstruction, and unprecedented prosperity for the planet. Much of that success had a name: Kaelen Ror.
He was no longer just an engineer; he was the founding Director of the Naboo Institute of Applied Sciences (NIAS), a research and development center he himself had created with the Queen's backing. Under his chaotic but brilliant leadership, NIAS had revolutionized life on Naboo. His energy grid optimizations had reduced consumption by 40%. His atmospheric purifiers not only cleaned the air but also extracted moisture and nutrients, boosting record harvests. Naboo was not just self-sufficient; it was becoming a technological and economic powerhouse.
"Protocol Specter" remained locked away on Kaelen's private server, a sleeping beast he swore not to awaken. Instead, he channeled that terrifying genius toward life, not death. And part of that energy he dedicated to a personal project: annoying the Queen.
Padmé was in her study, reviewing a dense report on new trade routes. Her second and final term as Queen was drawing to a close, and she was dedicated to leaving a legacy of stability. The door burst open without warning.
"Your Majesty!" Kaelen exclaimed with theatrical grandiosity, holding a sleek, white device that looked like a medical scanner. "I interrupt this important... act of staring at paper... for a demonstration that will change the face of galactic medicine!"
Padmé looked up, one eyebrow arched in an expression of exasperated patience she had perfected over the past three years. "Kaelen, I'm in the middle of a tariff dispute with the Toliman sector. Can your new sonic can opener not wait?"
"Oh, this is much better!" he said, approaching her desk and pointing the device at her. A gentle blue beam of light swept over her. "I present the Ror-1 Instant Diagnostic Bio-Scanner! Reads over a thousand biological markers in less than a second. No contact, no samples, no awkward hospital gowns."
He looked at the scanner's screen with an air of concentration. "Let's see... body temperature: normal. Blood oxygen levels: optimal. Heart rate... aha, 85 beats per minute. Elevated for a resting state." His eyes met hers, a playful glint in his gaze. "Preliminary diagnosis: an acute case of 'my brilliant, handsome engineer boyfriend just walked into the room and my heart sped up!'"
Padmé struggled to maintain her serious expression, but her lips curled into a smile. "Or it could be a case of 'I'm about to experience a blood pressure spike before throwing a heavy paperweight at my brilliant, handsome engineer boyfriend's head.'"
"Impossible!" he retorted, stepping closer and leaning on her desk. "The scanner also measures phenylethylamine levels. And yours, my Queen, are through the roof!" He leaned in and gave her a quick kiss. "It's science."
She laughed and shook her head, the stress of the tariffs fading. These moments were his anchor as much as she was his.
Seeds of Discord
I watch her laugh, and the entire universe readjusts. It's easy to get lost in the grand plans, in the technology, in the impending threat I feel growing in the galaxy like a tumor. But this laugh... this is the reason for everything. This is the ultimate goal.
Her smile fades a little as she looks back at her datapad. The real world returns.
"More reports from Coruscant," she says quietly. "Senator Palpatine is concerned. More systems are talking about leaving the Republic. A certain Count Dooku is leading the movement."
Count Dooku. Former Jedi. Charismatic politician. He's on my 'people to watch with extreme paranoia' list. He's right below Palpatine.
"The Senate is paralyzed," she continues, frustration coloring her voice. "They're so entangled in corruption and procedure that they can't see the threat forming right under their noses."
"That's why we do what we do," I tell her, my tone turning serious. I set the scanner aside. "That's why we're making Naboo a technological and economic fortress. So we don't have to rely on a government that's rotting from the inside."
She looks at me, her eyes deep and thoughtful. "The solution isn't to build higher walls, Kaelen. It's to fix the house from within."
"Maybe," I admit. "But it's always good to have a fallout shelter in case the house collapses."
A New Chapter
They stood in silence for a moment, the couple who effectively ruled Naboo in all but name. The idealist and the pragmatist. The one who believed in the system and the one who prepared for its collapse.
Padmé stood up and walked to the large holographic star map that dominated one wall of her study. "My term ends soon. The Naboo Senator is retiring. I've been asked to consider taking their place."
Kaelen walked over and stood behind her, gently wrapping his arms around her. He rested his chin on her shoulder, looking with her at the flickering hologram of the galaxy.
"You'd be the best Senator they've ever had," he said with complete sincerity. "But they'll hate you. They'll hate your honesty. They'll hate your incorruptibility. It will be dangerous."
"That's why I must do it," she replied, leaning into him.
"I know," he sighed. "And I'll go with you. NIAS can open a branch on Coruscant. I'll build you the most secure office, the fastest ship, and a protocol droid that can make decent coffee and detect lies. Though both are probably impossible."
She smiled and turned in his arms to face him. "With you by my side, I feel like nothing is impossible."
He looked at her, his mind buzzing with designs for new shields, new security systems, new contingency plans. His love for her had become the engine of his genius. It was no longer just out of fear of losing her; it was from the unwavering desire to give her the safe, peaceful world she deserved. Even if he had to invent it himself.