Assistance from Beyond

Aboard the Dread Omen.
(Co-written by Ryan)

Floating in bacta was a welcome relief to the pain Vin had suffered at the hands of the Mandalorians. She'd been told that she'd been in stasis for more than 3,500 years, and still they were just as dangerous now as they'd been when she'd lived her first life.
"And time has not made them any fonder of the Jedi," she thought to herself. The fight had been brutal. Vin had reflected the brunt of the first blast, but had taken the full force of the second disruptor in the face and had cracker her skull on the bulkhead as she'd been blown backward. She remembered pumping herself with stimpacks, but little after that. The others must have helped her into the bacta, but even with its regenerative powers, she knew she would bear the marks of this fight for a long time. She lifted her hand to her face and brushed her check lightly with her fingers, already able to feel the scar tissue.
"This was too close a call," she thought to herself. "If I were to have fallen, who would stop Malefax? I haven't even told them about the threat."

This was a wake up call for her. She would need help to face Malefax and these people were capable. The leader carried himself with a confidence that was contagious and clearly he inspired the others. The pilot had flown both the shuttle and the capital ship as though he'd been born in a cockpit and she imagined he was lethal in a snubfighter. And the red Verpine appeared to be a genius and a savant in so many fields of study that Vin was certain his skills would be crucial in turning the tide of a galactic struggle. There was another on the ship, she had sensed him in the hangar bay. He was unseen but she could differentiate between friend and foe.He felt capable - he had been watching them on the way in and she sensed a nonchalance to his attitude. These people and more would be needed if Malefax was to be stopped.

She could barely make out shapes through the murk of the bacta. She could see the blurred shape of a figure outside the tank, staring closely and studying her. Unlike the less potent healing liquid, kolto, bacta was thicker and the bluish tinge made it difficult for whoever was inside to see out. The shadowy figure began to come into focus and Vin frowned. She closed her eyes and opened them, hoping to flush the vicsous sludge from her vision.

She was in a room. It was bathed in a soft yellow light; the sun was likely setting outside. She could hear the whirring and droning of the speeders outside. It was a comforting noise on Coruscant which had lulled her to sleep for years during he youth.

Courscant - she was on Coruscant.

Whirling at the revelation, she took in her surrounding. She was in the practice chamber in the Jedi Temple. She hurried over to one of the stone pillar and ran her fingers over the smooth surface. She shuddered at the feel. It was real. She knew deep down it couldn't be but this was exactly like she remembered it. This was the room, all those years ago, where she had practiced against Master Ven Zallow. He had taken it easy on her, she knew that for certain, but she could see the pride in his eyes when she had countered her last attack. Turning back to study the room she saw a figure sitting in a chair at the back corner. The room was dark enough at the edges that she couldn't make out his face but the way he sat, a rigid posture, and the way he tapped his foot on the floor expectantly - she knew who it was.
"Master Zallow," she said and bowed. It was difficult to not rush over and wrap her arms around the man. There is no emotion. The figure stopped tapping his foot and she heard a small sigh, barely audible over the pulse of the super-city beyond.
"Sadly not," a different voice responded. The figure stood up and strode into the light. He was wearing Jedi robes but of a different cut. They were still the same brown robes but they appeared more ceremonial than the functional attire that she used to wear. He had long brown hair tied behind his head. He sported a close cropped beard and there were wrinkles around his eyes with creased when he smiled. He bowed respectfully back to her.
"I hope this is to your liking," he said and motioned to their surroundings. "I built it all from your memory. A small trick I learned over the years," he finished. Vin stepped back cautiously. Malefax had done something similar years before. He was master of manipulation and the Sith Arts, this ruse would not be beneath him.
"Let me introduce myself. I am Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn. I am a Jedi from the recent past and have rediscovered the lost art of becoming one with the Force," he said. Vin frowned at him.
"Please sit and I can explain," he said and motioned for a seat behind her. It hadn't been there before. She looked at it cautiously and warily sat down on the edge of the chair. Qui-Gon nodded appreciatively and sat back into his own chair.
"From what I understand, the art of becoming one with the Force was quite common in the Order during the days of the Old Republic. Masters would spent twice their lifetimes teaching in death to various students. A true gift. I can only imagine what we would of learned if our Masters lived on past death. The lessons we could have shared. That alone could have been enough to save the Order," he said regretfully and paused for a moment. He was looking in her direction but she could tell his mind was elsewhere. He shook his head and smiled at her, bobbing his head apologetically.
"Thoughts for another age," he quipped. "As I was saying. In death I rediscovered this art and have spent the past decades honing my skills and teaching it to my former Padawan who has recently joined me. He is currently using these skills to train and mentor a young Jedi - the last of our Order," he said. "They are engaged in their own war against the Sith, we must ensure that your old enemy does not return. I have seen your foe. He is a Dread Lord unlike any I have ever seen, in life and in death. He cannot be left to ravage the galaxy and for that reason I have contacted you," he finished.
"I apologize but I was able to get the information about your past when I first reached out to you. Your mind was incredibly weak and when I reached into your mind to form this familiar memory," he said and gestured to the room. "I was able to see your past, feel your loss, and witness the devastation that Malefax brought to the galaxy. I have searched for remnants of your fallen Masters; Belorem, Frey, Zallow - they are all lost to the Force as far as I can see. I feel your hurt and I am truly sorry for you loss. I have heard of their exploits and power in death and the galaxy is a darker place without them to light the way for us," he said solemnly. "I have chosen to take up that torch and offer you my own assistance as a mentor. I have seen personally how powerful the Sith are," he said, growing distant briefly and Vin saw regret flash momentarily across his face. "-and I cannot let Malefax destroy what I died to protect," he said. The room quavered and rippled, its smooth lines distorting for a moment.
"They are waking you up," Qui-Gon said quickly. "I will reach out to you again when you have regained your strength. Go now and know that you are not alone," he said, his voice growing distant as he spoke. The room rippled again and seemed to evaporate from around her.

As she was pulled herself from the bacta tank, she saw Ferrous was busy monitoring the machines that were looking after her. "Thank you my friend," she said warmly. "Your kind efforts will be remembered, always. Would you do me another favor and summon everyone together. I have much to tell them and it is long past time that I did so.

-----

Once everyone had gathered Vin noticed that an unfamiliar figure was present. He was a Clawdite and stood slightly apart from the others. She recognized him afterwards as her senses brushed against him through the Force. He was the figure from the ship, the lone arbiter that had watched them. Vin took a moment and stood before Malcolm. She gently placed an arm on his shoulder and looked him directly in the eye. "I want to apologize for that business on Commenor," she said softly. "I had a joke at your expense, and I'm sure it was little appreciated. Trust when I say that after Kuat I have learned I will need to be much more discreet in revealing who I am, and I would not presume to play with any of you ever again. I'm truly sorry." Vin held her hand on his shoulder and gazed at him for a long moment to let him know she truly meant what she said, and then as she released him she quickly got down to business.

"I'd like to properly introduce myself," Vin said the the assembled group. "My name is Master Vinaisa Kriegor of the Jedi Order. I was born on Coruscant over three and a half millennia ago, found by the Order I was raised in the Jedi Temple. It was my home for much of my life, that is until the Sacking of Coruscant." Vin paused for a moment as the guilt of that memory washed over her and she had to fight back the emotion that threatened to consume her. Even after all of this time, it was still the most powerful and most painful memory she had. "I fought in the Galactic War that followed against the Sith Empire, and I struggled against one Sith Lord in particular, Darth Malefax. I confronted him on Seracco, but he escaped and then again on Corelean, but he nearly killed me there. The spirits of many fallen Jedi came to my aid and together we defeated Malefax, although," she paused to sigh, "He was not destroyed. Knowing this, I founded the Hand of Seracco to guard against his return and entombed myself in stasis on Rishi to be awakened when Malefax finally returned. That time is now. I will need to contact the Hand and the Jedi Council to warn them of the threat, --" Vin paused suddenly as a wash of emotions flooded throughout the room, and suddenly, she knew something was amiss. "What?" she said, unsure of herself for the first time in millennia.

"The Jedi Order was destroyed during the Clone Wars over 20 years ago," Malcolm said quietly, his eyes full of empathy for the pain that he knew would follow those words.
"Force sensitivity is a capital offense now," the Corellian, Bren Novar, added. He motioned to her robes in the corner. "You may not want to run about wearing those in public. Or use that laser sword of yours - will give you nothing but bad press," he added.

"I see," she said, unwilling to let herself grieve just yet. "Then it will have to be the Hand of Seracco," she said pressing on, "and I will also need all of your help and the help of the Rebellion. I don't know where Malefax is at the moment, but before we were ambushed at Kuat, I felt a presence in the Force. There were two of them, but they were concealed and clouded. I'm not suggesting that we drop everything to hunt for Malefax, although it may come to that if leads about him turn up. For now, I will aid you and the Rebellion in your struggle, but I will need your pledge that you will aid me to save the galaxy when the time comes. Malefax is a Sith Lord who gained his power by draining the power of other Force ghosts. He will likely try to do the same thing again, and when he's done with that, he will begin to drain the Force from entire planets. This threat is not something to be taken lightly, and not to sound overly dramatic, but the fate of the galaxy is at stake."

The room fell silent and she saw each of them considering her words. They all evaluated them in their own ways. Ferrous fingers counted unseen figures unconsciously, Malcolm stood stoically staring into the distance, Hayter's brow was furrowed, an odd look on a Clawdite face, but he nodded in agreement. Bren stood ever so casually with his hands dug into his pocket. He nodded in unison with Hayter.
"Well, it's better than killing Hutts," Malcolm said and the rest murmured in agreement. The intercom beeped, signalling their departure from hyperspace. Bren's eyes grew wide.
"No one is flying the ship!" he blurted out and he ran from the room which filled with laughter.