TEN YEARS LATER
The galaxy had changed. The peace promised after the Battle of Naboo had been fragile, and now it was crumbling. A growing Separatist movement, led by the charismatic yet enigmatic Count Dooku, threatened to plunge the Republic into civil war. In response, Chancellor Palpatine advocated for the creation of a Grand Army of the Republic, a measure many, including the now Senator Padmé Amidala, saw as the first step towards war, not away from it.
Her brilliant, chrome ship descended toward the landing platform on Coruscant. By her side was not Captain Panaka, but her double, Cordé, a brave young woman who resembled her remarkably. The real Padmé was disguised as a pilot.
Kaelen Ror, now a recognized public figure as the genius behind Naboo's prosperity and the head of the influential NIAS branch on Coruscant, awaited them on the platform. His marriage to Padmé remained a closely guarded secret from the general public—a necessary precaution in the vicious world of galactic politics—but known to their inner circle. To the rest of the galaxy, he was her Chief Advisor and closest confidant.
As the ship's ramp lowered, Kaelen smiled. But his smile froze. His mind, honed over a decade to an almost precognitive level of analysis, detected an anomaly. An infinitesimal energy fluctuation on the platform. A heat signature where there shouldn't be one.
"GET DOWN!" he roared, his voice resonating with an authority that made the guards tense.
But it was too late. The moment Cordé and her retinue set foot on the platform, a deafening explosion ripped through it. Fire and debris flew through the air. Kaelen was already moving, sprinting towards the smoking wreckage, his face transformed into a mask of icy fury.
He found Padmé, thrown to the ground by the blast wave but unharmed, cradling the dying Cordé.
"Padmé... I'm sorry," the young woman whispered. "I've... failed..."
"No, Cordé..." Padmé sobbed.
Kaelen knelt beside her, but his eyes weren't on the tragedy. They were scanning the debris, the sky, every possible angle. His paranoia, the one Padmé had calmed years ago, returned with the force of a hurricane. He was right. Peace was an illusion.
As medical and security droids swarmed, Kaelen pulled a scanner from his pocket, a much more advanced model than the one he'd used to tease Padmé years ago. He analyzed the explosive residue, the shrapnel trajectory, the residual energy emissions.
"Low-level propellant, Clawdite origin," he murmured to himself. "Refined barium explosive. Not amateur work. Professional. Very professional." His mind was already building a profile of the assassin.
A Tense Council
In Supreme Chancellor Palpatine's office, the atmosphere was grim. Yoda and Mace Windu represented the Jedi Council. Padmé, still shaken, stood firm. And Kaelen stood by her side, arms crossed, radiating silent hostility.
"This terrorist act must not deter you from your duties, Senator," Palpatine said in his characteristic soothing voice.
"I am not afraid to die, Chancellor," Padmé replied. "But I do not know whom to trust."
"We must trust the Jedi," Palpatine affirmed. "Master Yoda, I suggest the Senator be placed under your protection."
Kaelen let out an almost inaudible snort. Mace Windu's stern gaze landed on him.
"With all due respect, Master Jedi," Kaelen interjected, his voice sharp as crystal. "Your lightsabers cannot deflect a bomb from a kilometer away, nor predict a sniper's trajectory from another building. The Senator needs more than 'protection.' She needs proactive countermeasures, intelligence, and a security upgrade that is beyond your protocols."
"Our ability to use the Force has been diminished," Yoda admitted regretfully. "Difficult to see, the Dark Side is."
"Then trust something you can see," Kaelen countered, producing a datapad. "I've already analyzed the remnants. The assassin is likely a bounty hunter, probably a shapeshifter, using specific black-market gear. While you deliberate, I'm already tracking the arms dealer."
After a tense debate, an agreement was reached. Padmé would return to Naboo for her safety. And the Jedi would assign protectors: Master Obi-Wan Kenobi and his Padawan, Anakin Skywalker.
The Prodigal Padawan
That night, in Padmé's lavish apartment, the tension was different. Kaelen had installed a sensor net so advanced it could detect the slightest change in air pressure. They were waiting.
The door opened to reveal two figures in Jedi robes. One was the familiar, serene Obi-Wan. The other was a tall, serious-faced young man with an intense presence and a scar above his eye. He had lost the innocence of the Tatooine slave child, replaced by the arrogance of a prodigy and a melancholy that burned in his eyes.
"Ani...?" Padmé whispered, astonished by the transformation.
"It is good to see you again, Senator," Anakin Skywalker said, his voice deeper, his gaze devouring her. He offered a formal bow, but his eyes were filled with a decade of longing.
Kaelen's Read
I observe the interaction. The kid, now a man, can't take his eyes off her. His heart rate, which I can detect with the apartment sensors, has spiked. His micro-expression shows a mix of adoration and an almost painful possessiveness.
Subject analysis: Anakin Skywalker. Force power level: extremely high. Emotional stability: alarmingly low. Attachment to my wife: dangerous.
Fantastic. They just assigned an emotional neutron star as a bodyguard to the only person who could trigger his collapse.
Obi-Wan looks at me. "Director Ror. I've heard much of your work."
"Master Kenobi. Likewise," I reply, shaking his hand before turning to his apprentice.
I offer Anakin my hand. "Kaelen Ror."
He takes it. His grip is firm, almost crushing. His eyes scrutinize me, and for an instant, I see a flash of resentment, of jealousy. He sees my familiarity with Padmé, the way I stand by her side. He doesn't need the Force to tell him we're more than just a Senator and her advisor.
"Anakin Skywalker," he says, his voice strained. "I will be in charge of the Senator's security."
"Excellent," I reply with a smile that doesn't reach my eyes. "Then you'll be under my technical supervision. I have a few security protocols you'll want to learn if you don't want to be replaced by a more efficient surveillance droid."
The tension between us is so thick you could cut it with a lightsaber. He's the destined Jedi Knight. I'm the civilian genius who's married to the woman he loves. This won't be a protection mission. It will be a disaster waiting to happen. And I'll be here to make sure my wife is the only one who walks away unscathed.