Pouncival and Yoda waited in the corridor as the door from the docking bay opened and Coricopat entered the hallway. The senator offered a smile in relief, "You made it."

"Dark times are these. Good to see you, it is," Yoda said, nodding to the only other Jedi he'd seen alive.

Coricopat looked from the Senator to the Master Jedi, "You were attacked by your Clones, as well, Master?"

The tiny Jedi Master nodded. "Only with the aid of the Wookies, did I escape."

"How many other Jedi have survived?"

Yoda shook his head, shoulders drooping slightly. "Heard from no one, have we."

Cori glanced at the Senator who shook his head, "I Saw the Temple attacked by hundreds of troops. It's why I came looking for you two, I don't think anyone could have survived that attack."

"Have we heard nothing from those who might have?" Coricopat asked.

Pouncival shook his head.

"Received a coded retreat message though, have we," Yoda added.

"It requested all Jedi to return to the Temple. It claims that the war is over," Pounce supplemented.

"Then we must return. On the off-chance that there are stragglers...they'll fall into that trap and be killed."

The Senator from Alderaan hesitated, "I don't think that's a wise idea."

Yoda turned to the other Jedi. "Suggest dismantling the coded signal, do you?"

Coricopat nodded, "Yes, Master. We need a clearer picture of what has happened, and it means that we can reach any remaining Jedi to warn them away from the Temple until this can be resolved."

Pouncival looked from one Jedi to the other, "If you decide to do this, you've been offered shelter with the Senator from Naboo."

Yoda glanced up at the Senator and back to the Jedi. "Use it, we should then."

o.o.o.

Mistoffelees shifted, still sitting in the Senate meeting hours later, chin in hand as the Chancellor continued. "The Jedi rebellion has been foiled."

Pouncival slipped into the senate box for Naboo, settling beside Mistoffelees, "Sorry I'm late. What did I miss?"

The other Senator sat up quickly. "Pounce," he said quietly. "The Chancellor has been elaborating on a plot by the Jedi to overthrow the republic and the Senate," he drawled.

"Which is utterly ridiculous..." Pounce murmured. He glanced at his friend, "I found Yoda and Coricopat. I didn't have time to search for others."

Mistoffelees let out a low breath. "He's been presenting information all afternoon," he said softly. "Where are they?"

"They were heading to the Temple."

The Senator nodded and looked around. "I'll meet them there, you stay here, make your appearance."

Pouncival nodded, "Be careful."

"Always am," the other Senator said and rose, glancing around before slipping out, murmuring some excuse to his aide. Pounce watched him go before returning his attention to the Chancellor

Mistoffelees slipped through the Jedi temple, trying to keep his attention focused on the faint presence of other force sensitives in the area.

Coricopat paused in one of the upper levels, sensing the other distantly. His hesitation only lasted a moment before he continued to weave his way carefully through the halls to the communication center. Yoda trailed behind Coricopat, feeling older than his years at the destruction.

Weaving through the halls he didn't know nearly as well as he should, Mistoffelees paused in front of a closed and locked door. He could feel something behind it, and considered the door, before managing to get it unlocked. Glancing around, he paused when several children climbed out from behind the chairs of the room. "What's going on?" he asked, gathering them toward them.

"Jedi Macavity told us to hide," a little blond boy replied. "Is everything else alright?"

Coricopat froze as he rounded another corner and found the body of one of the older younglings. He couldn't be more than thirteen or fourteen. Or couldn't have been. The Jedi knelt by the youth's still form, looking to Yoda, "They didn't even spare the Younglings?"

"Not killed by a clone, this one was," Yoda said. "But a lightsaber." He paused. "Sense someone else, do you?"

The Jedi tensed, but reached out, focusing and seeking out the other that Yoda mentioned. He cleared his mind and finally recognized the unseen one. He rose to his feet, "Yes, Master. I believe it is a friend."

Yoda glanced up at him in faint surprise. "Recognize it, do you?"

Coricopat hesitated, but nodded very slightly, "Yes, Master."

Yoda considered, before turning down the hallway they were standing at, as Mistoffelees ushered the hidden group of younglings toward where he felt Coricopat's presence.

Coricopat turned in that direction, hesitating a moment. The communication needed to be sent out, but...

Turning the last corner, the Senator stopped, the younglings moving forward to swarm around Yoda, who greeted them all by name as Mistoffelees just stared at Coricopat.

The Jedi breathed a soft sigh of relief, his grey gaze scoping over his lover, "Senator."

"Jedi," he breathed. "And Master Yoda. What's going on? I've heard enough of the Chancellor's excuses to last me a lifetime at this point." Yoda finally looked up from the younglings to look between Coricopat and Mistoffelees.

"We're not entirely certain at this point. The clone troops turned on us and we both had narrow escapes. We need to recode a message to any remaining Jedi. If...if you'll excuse me I'll do that."

Mistoffelees nodded. "Do you need any help with that?" he asked. "Or, Master Yoda, do you need any help?"

Coricopat shook his head, "It's a simple enough code." He glanced from Mistoffelees to Yoda, still surrounded by the younglings, and then slipped away to the communications center.

The Senator swallowed hard and looked back at the small Jedi, who was still speaking to the Younglings. "It was Jedi Macavity," one was saying. "He told us to stay in the room. He saved us, I think."

Coricopat worked quickly to recode the message, warning the Jedi away from the Temple. He paused as he left the computer room, eying the security console. It had been a lightsaber which had killed the youngling in the corridor. Not a blaster. He had to know.

Mistoffelees had been unable to stop himself from following where Coricopat went, leaving Yoda with the children. "You might not want to know," he said softly, glancing at the security console as well.

"I have to, Mistoffelees." He stepped over to the security console and started flipping switches, sending the security hologram flashing through different parts of the massacre that had occurred until it came to the section he was looking for. He froze, paling, as he watched Macavity cut down fellow Jedi and the youngling. "It..."

"He saved the children," Mistoffelees said softly, coming closer, barely stopping himself from throwing himself at the other.

And killed the rest!" Coricopat snapped in response. "What could have caused him to do this?"

"I don't know," he said, hands coming up to hold his arms, shoulders tightening.

"This can't be happening." The Jedi hesitated for a long moment before finally relenting and pulling Mistoffelees into his embrace.

The smaller man leaned against him hard. "Everlasting... The Chancellor says this was against a plot by the Jedi. And... Cor... Victoria's pregnant."

Coricopat drew back enough to look at the other, filing the madness that was the Chancellor away for later, "She's what?"

"She's with Macavity's child," he replied. "It... if Deuteronomy promised to help her... I don't know, Cor, I have no idea what's going on, and are you really here?"

"I am. If you can be sure of nothing else, be sure of that. I'm here and I'm intact."

The smaller man drew in a shaking breath. "You are. You actually are. I... I saw you falling and then I woke up screaming."

"Oh, Misto...I survived that. I'm alright."

"You did. I thought you didn't but you did. Hundreds didn't..."

"Shh. We're going to deal with this."

"That's not going to make it better," he said softly, swallowing hard. "But... you're right. We'll deal, we'll figure it out as we always seem to."

"No. It won't, but we have to deal with this before we can hope to rebuild."

"What exactly is 'this'?" Mistoffelees asked softly.

Coricopat stepped back, "I have to know what he was doing. And why." The Senator nodded.

"And the Chancellor," Yoda said from the doorway. Mistoffelees tensed from where he was still pressed against the Jedi. Coricopat startled, taking an abrupt step back, his gaze darting to Yoda. The older Jedi didn't look phased one way or another.

"How do you mean deal with then?" Mistoffelees demanded.

"I have to find Macavity first before I can make that determination about him," Coricopat murmured.

"And the Chancellor?"

Yoda paused, "Taken care of, he must be."

"Which means what?" the Senator asked, hand on his hips.

"A Sith Lord he is," Yoda replied, calm.

Coricopat's gaze dropped, "Master, even if Macavity has become his apprentice... I... I can't kill him."

Yoda looked less than impressed with that. "Do what you must, you will. Senator, as well you will."

"And you'll be doing what?" Mistoffelees demanded.

"After the Chancellor I'll be going."

"I don't even know where he might be. I don't know where to begin looking." Coricopat murmured. Macavity was the closest thing he had to family and now this?

"Use your feelings you must," he replied. "Find him you will."

He inclined his head, "As you say, Master. May the Force be with you."

Yoda nodded. "Wait," Mistoffelees said abruptly. "Don't go after him without backup. And I'm coming with you," he informed Coricopat.

Cori looked at him, frowning, "Absolutely not."

"Like hell I won't," Mistoffelees snapped. "You're not going to be much good by yourself and you know each other too well. And..." he took a breath. "I'm not letting you face him by yourself. Not after... I think I might know where he is."

The Jedi's mind flickered to the dream that Mistoffelees had told him of before he left, "Where?"

"If... well, going off the visions," Mistoffelees said, taking in what Coricopat was actually wearing and swallowing hard. "Lava planet, on the outer rim. That narrows down the possibilities a lot."

Cori bit his lip, nodding, "It does indeed."

Mistoffelees hesitated before moving over to another console, pulling up a map. "Look, here's two possibilities, but one's all but uninhabited. The other has a base of some sort."

"Then that's the one we'll check first." Coricopat hesitated, "What do we tell Victoria?"

"I..." Mistoffelees took a deep breath and shook his head. "I don't know." He turned back to Yoda. "Please take the younglings to the penthouse and stay there. Please."

Coricopat glanced at the Jedi Master, but didn't supplement that request yet. Yoda frowned at the Senator. "Know his powers, you do not."

"I've been sitting in the same room with him the last several years," Mistoffelees replied. "I have a good guess."

"Please, Master. At least wait until you hear from us before you go to face him? There is a better chance with more than one against him."

The small Jedi finally nodded. "Wait, I will. But take too long, you must not."

"Very well." He glanced at Mistoffelees, "We'd best be going then."

The Senator nodded and turned to the small Jedi. "Here, the key to the Penthouse. Also, take my speeder. It should be able to fit you and the children if you're careful. Talk to Jerrie, he's the head of security there and should be able to help figure out what to do."

o.o.o.

Mistoffelees pulled the last of the supplies onto the smallish craft, thinking vaguely that they probably wouldn't need them, but not entirely willing to give up the hope they might.

Victoria entered the hangar bay, frowning when she saw Coricopat. She made her way over, "Coricopat? What are you doing here?"

The Jedi startled, "I...might ask you the same thing."

"Does Misto know you're back?" Mistoffelees poked his head out of the starcraft and almost retreated back again. The queen's brows rose, "Misto? What's going on?"

"Can you be a little more specific?" he hedged.

"What are you doing here? In the hangar," she added for extra specificity.

"Right," he said and glanced over at Coricopat. "We're trying to find Macavity."

She glanced from one to the other, "Why...?"

"He's disappeared," Mistoffelees said.

Coricopat wouldn't meet her eyes as Misto said that. The queen frowned, looking at the Jedi, "Is this true?"

"Yes. We think we might know where to find him."

"I just saw him yesterday, though."

Mistoffelees swallowed and shrugged. "What can we say? He moves fast."

"Why are you both going?" She asked warily.

Mistoffelees glanced at Coricopat as if hoping he would have an answer. The Jedi hesitated, "He..."

"Is he alright, Coricopat?"

"I...that depends on how you define it…"

"Damn it, both of you! What are you not telling me?"

The Senator flinched back slightly. "Vic..."

"No, Misto! I'm sick of being told less than half of what is going on."

"You're timing for that is less than stellar," he sighed. "Vic, I really can't."

She turned her gaze to Coricopat, who looked away as he spoke, "He...His mind's been clouded, deceived."

"What's happened?"

There was another long pause, "He was involved in the attack on the Temple." Coricopat's voice was barely audible.

"What? That can't be!"

Mistoffelees shifted, hunching a bit into himself. "It was. Vic, I'm sorry."

"Y-you have to be mistaken."

Cori shook his head very slightly, "I wish I was."

"I promise we're going to do everything we can to figure this out and get him back safe," Mistoffelees said quickly.

"And if you can't?" she demanded.

The Senator took half a step back. "Then it won't really be him."

Cori hesitated, "We'll do everything we can to bring him back, Victoria. You have our words. We need to be going though."

She swallowed hard, nodding, "Very well."

Frowning slightly, Mistoffelees considered her before nodding. "We'll do everything we can," he murmured before fleeing for the starship.

Coricopat followed him. After waiting a few moments, Victoria slipped aboard and stowed away in a small closet, feeling the ship hum to life.

Mistoffelees started the ship up, putting in the coordinates, his hands shaking. Coricopat joined him in the cockpit, resting a hand on his shoulder briefly, "We'll be alright. So will Mac."

Mistoffelees' hand darted out, taking Coricopat's. "You remember my dream?"

"I do. It doesn't mean it will come true, Mistoffelees."

"Doesn't mean it won't," the smaller said, pulling at him, trying to get him to come closer.

The Jedi moved nearer, twining his fingers with the other man's, "I won't let it. I'm not going to leave you, Mistoffelees."

"Don't you dare," Mistoffelees told him in all seriousness, before tugging at his face to pull him down enough to kiss him hard.

Cori leaned into the kiss, his free hand moving to rest on the back of Misto's neck, drawing him a nearer as the Jedi's kiss became more desperate. The Senator plastered himself against the other, arms going around his shoulders. Wrapping his arms around the smaller man's waist, Coricopat held him close, wishing the need to let go didn't exist.

"I miss you," Mistoffelees said softly, voice thick. "When you go. You have to be careful."

"I will be. I promise you, Mistoffelees. I will always be careful." He felt his words catch more than he heard them.

"You had better be," Mistoffelees breathed, pulling him back into the kiss.

Coricopat drew back after a long moment, "You as well, I'm not the only one going in there."

"I'm always careful," Mistoffelees said with a faint smile. "Remember?"

The Jedi managed a weak smile at that, "I remember."

"I like to think I've grown since then," Mistoffelees said.

"You have, I would just prefer not to have a repeat, hm?"

"Promise," Mistoffelees said, kissing him again.

"Thank you. I love you." Cori kissed him briefly.

"Love you too," Mistoffelees murmured.

These two are worse then bloody limpets with the clinging.