The Council Chambers feel cold despite the Coruscant heat seeping through the windows. My hands clench at my sides as Master Windu's words echo in my mind: "Wait here." But how can I wait when Padmé's life hangs in the balance? Palpatine promised he could save her. He said the dark side holds the power to cheat death.

My commlink buzzes with an incoming message from Mace, but I ignore it. The weight of the decision presses down on me like the crushing depths of ocean. The Council doesn't understand - they've never loved like I love Padmé. They've never lost someone who matters.

The familiar presence of Obi-Wan tugs at my mind through our Force bond - warm, steady, reassuring. Like he's standing right beside me even though he's light-years away on Utapau. A memory surfaces unbidden: nine-year-old me stomping through our quarters after another failed lesson, Obi-Wan suggesting we go for a walk instead of meditating.

"Feel the ground beneath your feet, Anakin." His voice echoes in my mind as clearly as if he were here.

I glance toward the hangar where my starfighter waits - so easy to fly to the Senate, to stop Mace, to save Palpatine and learn the power to save Padmé. But Obi-Wan's voice persists. The meditation technique he taught me all those years ago, the one that always centers me when my emotions threaten to overwhelm.

The temple doors stand before me, sunlight streaming through. Outside, Coruscant bustles with millions of lives unaware of the choice unfolding within me. I take a step toward the door, then pause. Which path will I choose?