"...Is there any information you could provide on him?" Anakin asked.
"He does not take the Dark Side seriously, and does not think the Republic is an...adequate government, but he is extremely devoted to the safety of the Galaxy." Qui-Gon answered.
"I think I can work with that."
"Very well. We head out to Naboo tomorrow. Get some rest."
"Of course."
When they arrived at Naboo, their plan went without a hitch, allowing Anakin to destroy the Droid Control ship without incident.
Anakin did, however, reprogram one of the now defunct battle droids, doing his best to make it look as if it was done by a disgruntled Neimoidian technician.
As such, he had a perfect alibi standing by Padmé when said droid opened fire on the newly appointed Chancellor, Palpatine.
It missed. The return fire did not.
"Damn it! Worthless piece of scrap!" He snarled.
"What?" Padmé asked.
"...It just opened fire on the Chancellor. Is there no low to which the Trade Federation will not stoop?" He lied.
Why did the Trade Federation even buy those things if their targeting programs were so awful? Oh, right. They were cheap. And they subscribed to the philosophy of 'If not precision, saturation.'
"Well, now I can't say this trip was boring. Am I to take it this is the valiant young man who ended the siege?" Chancellor Palpatine asked, smiling at Anakin.
"You told him?" Anakin hissed to Padmé. They all agreed that his involvement would not be made public knowledge.
"No need to be shy, young one. It was a great thing you did, and I am currently petitioning to have you awarded with a Medal of Courage."
"How generous, Chancellor." Anakin replied.
"Think nothing of it, my boy. I assure you that the Trade Federation will be punished for this unconscionable act, your Majesty."
"Thank you, Chancellor."
The rest of the Ceremony was completely uneventful.
After the Ceremony, Padmé invited Anakin to her chambers.
"Anakin, I would like to apologize for earlier. I should not have informed him without your consent."
"I cannot stay angry with you, Padmé. We will see if this has...repercussions, but for now, let us put it behind us."
She smiled.
"Thank you. Now, how are your living arrangements going?"
"I have yet to meet with the man in question, and until then, no final decision will be made. He should be arriving on Naboo within the week, however."
Anakin was impressed with Qui-Gon's initiative. Not only did he convince Dooku to quit the Order, though this time was more amicable than in their original timeline, he also convinced the aristocratic ex-Jedi Master to fly all the way to Naboo to meet with him.
"That's good. Actually, could you sign these forms? It should help the process." Padmé claimed, though Anakin could tell she was not being entirely honest with him.
He looked over the papers.
"These are citizenship papers for Naboo." He realized.
"It is my way of reassuring you that no matter what, you will always have a home here. That...helps, right? So you don't feel as if you have nowhere to go if you refuse?"
Anakin chuckled.
"You are too terrible a liar to be in politics, Padmé. You need to be able to tell me that without making it a question."
"A...are you making fun of me?" Padmé asked, incredulously.
"Who, me? I would not be so bold as to mock a Queen." Anakin replied, grinning. This was reminding him of when they were first… courting.
"You are!" Padmé realized, sharing his grin.
He chuckled, and said softly, "I love you, Padmé."
Padmé went silent.
It took Anakin several seconds to realize what he had just said.
"I'll just… go sign these papers. Thank you for the opportunity, your Majesty." Anakin said, as he all but fled the room.
'How could I be so STUPID!?' Anakin mentally screamed.
He boarded his Sith Interceptor, and took off, putting in the coordinates to Hypori, a Separatist world that housed a droid foundry, which should be in operation at this point in time. He needed to destroy something.
"Mom! Dad! I'm so glad to see that you're safe!" Padmé greeted, embracing her parents, who had just recently been freed from a Trade Federation prison camp.
"We're fine, honey. How are you holding up? We didn't expect anything like this when we asked if you wanted to run for Queen." Jobal, Padmé's mother, inquired.
"I'm fine, in large part due to Anakin."
"Who is this Anakin, and should I be worried about him stealing you from me?" Ruwee, Padmé's father, asked.
"Dad! He's nine! Although, he does have a bit of a crush on me. He even admitted it! I think he's been avoiding me since he did, though. I haven't seen him anywhere."
Jobal chuckled.
"Don't worry about it, he'll get over his embarrassment soon enough. No harm will come from it." She advised her daughter.
"HOW COULD YOU BE SO STUPID!? YOU DO NOT DESERVE TO HAVE HER, NOT AFTER WHAT YOU DID!" Anakin self-chastised, tearing apart a Droideka with nothing more than his raw fury made manifest through the Force.
"AND EVEN IF YOU DID, YOU SPOUTED IT OUT LIKE A BESOTTED FOOL! YOU ARE DARTH VADER, THE DARK LORD! SUPREME COMMANDER OF THE ENTIRE GALACTIC MILITARY! YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO HAVE DIGNITY!" He roared, swatting back a blaster bolt with his bare hand, which destroyed the droid that fired it.
Seeing that that was the last one, Anakin began looking around the mostly destroyed facility.
As he tore open a door to a storage facility with the Force, he grinned. This would make a quite sufficient apology.
After he had them refinished, of course.
