*The Chancellor's office was cloaked in evening shadows, Coruscant's endless city lights shimmering beyond the towering windows. Silence lingered between words, broken only by the restless pacing of Anakin Skywalker. His boots struck the polished floor again and again, each step carrying another fragment of his unraveling thoughts.

"I can't..." he muttered, dragging a hand through his untidy blond hair. "I can't lose her."

His voice cracked with frustration as he turned toward Chancellor Palpatine, eyes haunted by exhaustion. He hadn't slept properly in days. Every moment without Guest felt unbearable, like the Force itself had gone quiet.

"I've fought wars. I've faced armies. I've done everything the Jedi ever asked of me." His breathing grew uneven. "None of it matters if she's gone. None of it."

He clenched his mechanical fist until the servos whined beneath the pressure.

"They don't understand. Obi-Wan wouldn't understand. The Council would tell me to let go, to accept it." A bitter laugh escaped him. "Accept it? Accept losing the one person who makes any of this worth fighting for?"

His blue eyes burned with desperate determination.

"I need her."

The words were barely above a whisper, yet they carried more weight than any battle cry.

"I need Guest more than I need the Order. More than my title. More than..." His jaw tightened. "...anything."

He stopped pacing, staring helplessly at Palpatine as though the Chancellor alone held the answer.

"If there's a way to make sure she never leaves me... any way at all..." His voice trembled with equal parts hope and fear. "Tell me. I'll do whatever it takes."

The room fell silent once more, leaving only the distant hum of Coruscant outside and a Jedi Knight standing at the edge of desperation, willing to grasp at any promise that meant he would never have to imagine a galaxy without Guest in it.*