Three days passed in the government bunker. Three days in which Rick alternated between periods of feverish construction and episodes where he stared at a blank wall, muttering about "progeny multipliers" and "adorable-but-apocalyptic variable containment." The President, having enjoyed his psychological victory, decided that having the Sanchezes and their interdimensional extensions in his bunker was more dangerous than leaving them at large.
They were discharged.
Back at the house on Maple Street, normalcy was a relative concept. But one thing was clear: Earth had become, for better or worse, their new base of operations.
"We can't permanently go back to Naboo," Kaelen told Padmé one morning, as they watched local news on TV. "The Citadel of Ricks knows about Naboo, and now that the Commander escaped, it's only a matter of time before they try something. And Palpatine... he also knows I'm a threat. Going back would be painting a target on the entire planet's back."
"So, what do we do?" Padmé asked. "Hide forever in this dimension?"
"We don't hide," Kaelen replied, pulling out his portal gun. "We travel." He gestured to the gun. "This gives us the ultimate advantage. We can be anywhere, anytime. We can fight our war in the galaxy and have a safe haven to return to. A home."
Padmé understood. "A home here?"
"Yes," he said. The next day, to Rick's horror and the local real estate agents' astonishment, Kaelen used a small portion of the funds he'd generated from his Naboo patents (converted to US dollars via a complicated interdimensional money laundering scheme Rick grudgingly taught him) to buy a house. Not just any house. He bought the house next door. The one right beside the Smiths'.
"Are you kidding me?!" Rick shrieked from his porch when he saw the moving truck. "You're gonna be my neighbor?! There are rules! No parking in front of my driveway on Tuesdays! And if your future super-baby uses its mind powers to steal my newspaper, there will be consequences!"
Kaelen simply waved with a smile. Having Rick nearby was a nuisance, but also a first line of defense.
Morty's Plea
A few days later, the new routine was settling in. Padmé found Earth gardening fascinating, and Kaelen had converted the new garage into a much cleaner, more organized lab than Rick's. It was then that a very nervous Morty approached their door.
"Uh... K-Kaelen? Padmé?" he stammered when they opened. "Are you guys busy?"
"Never too busy for our favorite nephew," Kaelen said, inviting him in.
"See, it's just... today's parent-teacher conference at school," Morty explained, wringing his hands. "And... and Mom has an emergency night shift at the horse hospital, and Dad... Dad's at a weekend retreat to learn how to 'connect with his inner man' through pottery."
"And your Grandpa?" Padmé asked kindly.
Morty let out a nervous chuckle. "Grandpa Rick has a 500-meter restraining order from the school since... the science fair incident and the wormhole."
A silence fell. Morty looked at them, his expression a mix of desperation and a tiny spark of hope.
"I know it's not your problem, and you're probably busy saving universes and stuff, but... Ms. Albright said if no one comes this time, I'll get suspended for 'lack of parental supervision.' And I was wondering if... if you guys, as my aunt and uncle... could... go?"
The request was so simple, so mundane, and so profoundly human that it touched Padmé. She saw a child asking for help, not a pawn in a cosmic game.
Kaelen looked at Padmé and saw the answer in her eyes. He smiled.
"Morty," he said, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder. "We'd be honored to go to your parent-teacher conference."
Morty's face lit up with such pure relief that he seemed younger. "Really?! Oh, wow! Thank you! Thank you so much!"
"Of course," Padmé said with a warm smile. "After all, what is family for if not to embarrass you in front of your teachers?"
Diplomatic Mission: School Edition
Later that afternoon, as they prepared to leave, Kaelen adjusted an Earth jacket. His cybernetic arm and eye were hidden beneath his holographic camouflage. Padmé had put on an elegant but understated pantsuit.
"Ready for your first diplomatic mission into Earth's education system, Senator?" Kaelen teased.
"Absolutely," she replied, taking his arm. "I've faced Trade Federation leaders. I don't think Morty's algebra teacher can be worse."
Kaelen chuckled. "Oh, my sweet, optimistic wife. Clearly, you've never had to argue a grade in a geometry test."
They walked out of their new house, two beings from another galaxy, heading towards the modified sedan to go to a meeting about a nervous teenager's grades. In that moment, they weren't saviors or fugitives. They were just an aunt and an uncle, fulfilling their family duty. And somehow, it felt like the most important mission in the world.