[Third Person]
Kaelen and Rick's malicious laughter filled the strategy room, a cacophony of genius and madness that made the hair on everyone's neck stand on end. They laughed like two gods who had just decided to remodel the universe on a whim, and the rest of the mortals in the room could only stare in reverent terror.
Queen Jamillia instinctively took a step back. Captain Typho's hand went to his blaster, a completely useless gesture that provided minimal comfort. Anakin was paralyzed, his mind trying to reconcile the man his wife loved with the terrifying entity laughing alongside the most chaotic being he had ever known.
The duo of geniuses was so absorbed in their mutual appreciation for economic anarchy that they didn't see the move.
SMACK!
The sound was sharp and resonated in the silence that followed the laughter.
It wasn't a blaster shot or an explosion. It was the sound of a hand striking the back of a head.
Kaelen stopped laughing instantly, a look of complete surprise on his face. He brought a hand to the back of his head, where he had just received a perfectly executed "sape" (a playful slap to the back of the head) from his wife, Padmé Amidala.
"Kaelen Ror!" she said, her voice not loud, but it cut through the air with the authority of a queen and the exasperation of a wife. Her hands were on her hips, and a steely look was in her eyes. "Can you, please, stop laughing like a holodrama supervillain for five seconds? You're scaring our allies!"
"Ow!" Kaelen whined, rubbing his head with an expression of feigned offense. "But it was a 'strategic genius' laugh! There are nuances!"
"The only nuance I saw was 'we're about to turn the galaxy into our personal lab, and we find it hilarious'," she retorted. "Control yourself."
Then, Padmé slowly turned and fixed her gaze on the other source of laughter. She didn't say a word. She didn't move. She simply looked at Rick Sanchez.
She gave him a look.
It wasn't a look of anger. It wasn't a look of fear. It was a look of pure, concentrated "disappointed mother." It was a gaze that transcended dimensions, a look that said: "I know exactly what you're thinking, I don't find it funny, and if you don't behave, I'm turning this bunker upside down, and we're all going home."
Rick, the man who had faced cosmic beings and insulted gods, met that gaze and, for an instant, his smirk vanished. The amusement in his eyes was replaced by the instinctive memory of every female authority figure who had ever scolded him. He raised his hands in a gesture of innocence, a silent "I didn't do anything."
Satisfied, Padmé turned back to the astonished Naboo delegation. Her demeanor instantly shifted, becoming warm and diplomatic.
"My sincerest apologies, Your Majesty, Advisor, Captain," she said with a soft bow of her head. "My husband... and his... relative... they like to be dramatic. The plan they have proposed, though presented in an unorthodox manner, is, in its essence, a strategy to minimize loss of life and end the conflict as quickly as possible. I assure you that every step will be taken with the utmost consideration for the well-being of the Republic's citizens."
She reframed their economic chaos plan into a language of peace and stability with a skill that genuinely impressed Kaelen.
The tension in the room noticeably lessened. Queen Jamillia nodded, still nervous, but now with a hint of confidence. She saw that these two terrible powers were not without control. They had a leash. And that leash was the small but formidable woman standing before them.
Anakin observed the entire interaction, and for the first time since meeting Kaelen, he felt something that wasn't jealousy or fear: it was a deep understanding. He understood why Padmé loved Kaelen, and why Kaelen needed her. She wasn't just his anchor; she was his conscience, his mission control. She was the only person in the multiverse capable of slapping a budding god and getting away with it.
Later, as they began to discuss the logistical details of the plan, Kaelen leaned over to Padmé.
"That slap was completely unnecessary," he whispered with a smile. "My cybernetic eye registered an impact velocity of 15 meters per second. You could have given me a concussion."
Padmé didn't even turn to look at him. "Consider yourself lucky I only used my hand," she replied quietly.
Kaelen grinned. "Understood. Message received, Senator."
The balance, for now, had been restored. And everyone in the room had learned a very important lesson: you could have the power to destroy galaxies, but that didn't make you immune to a good earful from your wife.