Title: The Sith War Chronicles: A Jedi's Destiny
Author: Jedidanny
Rating: PG-13 for part of this chapter.
Genre: Romance, action-adventure
Setting: A good fifteen-twenty years after the Jedi Academy has been opened. All original characters, except for maybe Luke.
Summary: The story of Renoa Stormhaven, a young Jedi who goes through many adventures… R&R!
A/N: This is my first Star Wars story I've written in four months, so be patient with me. I had a huge writers block, and had no feel to write a Star Wars story, but hopefully I'll be able to do something with it. If not with this specific storyline, then something else…Star Wars doesn't belong to me, it belongs to George Lucas.

Chapter Four
 Cole's Return
 Four Years Later

Sith Hideout
On Korzac
Sith Prison
Cell # 33428

Cole lay breathing slowly in and out, eyes closed. Scars had crossed all over his face, arms, chest and legs, and his hair had begun to grow back, now in a spikey stub. Even though he was in the cell, he was not free from the torture methods of the Sith that had held him prisoner for four years.
His chest was bare, and a metal cover had been placed over his stomach. On the bottom side of the cover, going inward toward his stomach, were needles and pin and regular rollers attached to it, poking at his stomach and sides. A band with blinking lights had been wrapped around his head, and wires with little white circles had been placed all around his head, as though somehow monitoring how he was taking to the needles and rollers that were poking at him. A diaper-like cloth had been placed around his waist area.
As he lay there, he dreamed of the day where he would finally escape this place and return to the Academy. It was likely his sister and Jedi Master, and his friends, thought him dead, but he knew he shouldn't think this way. In his heart, he knew that there was still hope that they would find him and he would return home.
In the distance, he could hear the screaming of other prisoners as they, too, were tortured. He had grown accustomed to the screams, though; his own screams seemed to mix in with the screams of others.
The sound of approaching footsteps entered his ears and he opened his eyes. Because of the metal cover on his chest, he couldn't sit up as he heard the steps approach and stop in front of the door. He heard it slide open and he felt the dark presence he had felt and known every day of his life since the day of his capture.
It was Kayne Blackdeath, the Sith who had been torturing him, using him as a specimen for his machines. Cole moved his gaze up to the ceiling, refusing to look at him.
The two guards that followed behind Kayne walked over to Cole and began removing the metal cover and monitor that was on his head. Cole winced as the needles that had been poking at him pulled out of his stomach, one even injecting itself rather quickly one last time before being taken away. He was strapped down to the bench, and the guards began to undo the straps, picking him up by the arms and placing stun cuffs on his wrists.
"How are you holding up, Jedi? Have my machines convinced you to tell me anything yet?" Kayne asked. Even after four years, Cole had still refused to give up his name, or anything about his family, though the Sith Apprentice had done his research.
Cole said nothing, his gaze lowered to the ground. Not amused, Kayne allowed a small smirk to come to his features, "Not answering me will do you no good, Cole, for there is still much in store for you…Much." With a nod of his head to the guards, he turned on his heel, his cape swishing behind him, and walked out of the cell, the two guards following and bringing Cole with them.
Cole was brought to a room he had not been in before. A long conveyor belt was there, one side attached to the wall, the other part leading into a tunnel that he couldn't see into. Near it was a chair that was set upside down, kind of, a chair he had grown used to. He realized he was about to be made bald, yet again, as he was taken over to the chair and placed in it, lying on his stomach. His wrists, neck, ankles, and waist were all strapped down and the mechanical hands appeared and began their work.
Two of the hands began painting Cole's face and neck completely black, putting the brush into his mouth a couple of times as well. One hand began to cut off the hair that had begun growing, and Cole watched helplessly from where he lay as the hair fell onto the floor. Once the visible hair was gone, the hand began to shave off any hair that it could find.
As this happened, needles were poked into his feet and his feet began to grow bigger. When they stopped, the hands began to cover his feet in clay and use a fanning machine to dry them.
Powder was pored onto Cole's back and a clay-like substance was put all over it, attaching itself to his back. Suction cups were then placed in different areas on his back and a tube attached to the suction cups was placed into Cole's mouth as his face was still painted. A button was pressed and the suction cups began sucking the clay up, making Cole feel as though his skin was being ripped off. The clay substance fell into a bowl where it was shaken up and turned into a watery substance. In the bowl was a tube that lead to where Cole's mouth was, making the substance go into his mouth.
One hand brought a metal pole with a flat part attached to the bottom of it, a brander. It was hot to the touch; it was placed onto Cole's lower back on his right side and when it was lifted up, it sizzled. Cole, still with the tube in his mouth, closed his eyes shut, screaming the best he could with the tube in his mouth. The branding that appeared there had eight numbers that read 56359427.
The tube was taken out of his mouth. A machine hovered just above him with different tubes that lead to bottles of food and liquid within it. A needle was injected into his side and a tube was placed into his mouth, food beginning to come down the tube and into his mouth, his stomach growing bigger. As the different tubes were placed in his mouth, the clay on his feet was taken off and the suction cups were removed.
After a few minutes of this, the tubes were taken out of his mouth and the hands began to wash the paint off of his face.
Finally, Cole was taken out of the chair and dragged over to the conveyor belt. The conveyor belt had a cut out of a human body shape. He was lifted up and placed onto the conveyor belt, fitting perfectly in the cut out as he was strapped down by his neck, wrists, waist, and ankles.
One of the guards pressed a button on the side of the conveyor belt and it began to lift up higher into the air, stopping just below a metal cover which had needles hanging from all over it. The needles closest to his head began to lower and began pressing into the skin on his newly shaven head, beginning to mark designs all over. They continued this process on his face, chest, arms, and legs.
When the needles were done with the front of his body, the conveyor belt rotated and he found himself facing the floor. He closed his eyes as the needles continued their work, tattooing his back, neck, and the back of his legs, crying out in pain. Finally, after another hour, they finished and the conveyor belt was lowered back down to the ground, Cole now covered in tattoo markings. He was unstrapped from the conveyor belt and taken over to a shower. Hot water was pored onto him and as he stood there, mechanical hands holding sponges appeared. One hand appeared above his head and pored soap over him. The rest of the hands began to scrub his arms, legs, back, and head, soon eventually leaving the tattoos that were permanent there on his lower back and on the back of one of his lower legs. Once they were finished, they dried him off and he was taken back to his cell.

Tatooine
Mos Eisley Cantina
A few weeks later

Tristan Blackthorne entered the famous Mos Eisley Cantina, dark blue eyes scanning the darkened room for someone from beneath the hood to the cloak he wore. A grin came to his face as the thought of how Ben Kenobi had once entered this cantina with a young Skywalker by his side back in the early days of the Rebellion, when the first Death Star was created. Seeing who he was looking for, he gave a short nod and made his way over to a booth in the corner where someone sat waiting for him.
Tristan lowered his hood, revealing his features. He had brown hair pulled back into a shoulder length ponytail and the beginnings of a small beard.
The man who sat across from him pulled his hood back a bit to reveal the features of a man who had been through hell and back again. There were scars almost everywhere on his face and neck. His hair was cut short, easily revealing even more scars from the torture he had encountered to those who saw him from behind. His eyes were dark blue and had changed; they no longer held the wonder that Tristan had been able to easily recognize in his old friend, and held something new, dark and mysterious, instead.
How Cole had finally been able to escape the hands of the Sith after four years was beyond him, but he had always known Cole to be an amazing person, someone who would become a powerful Jedi when his training was complete. Since he had been imprisoned for so long, Tristan was unsure whether or not this would still be true, but he did not allow these thoughts to linger in his mind as he prepared himself to ask the brother of the girl he loved, Renoa, for permission to marry his sister.
"It's good to see you again, Cole. I am glad to see that you were able to stay alive while in prison with the Sith. Renoa will be excited to see you," Tristan said.
Cole nodded, allowing a small smile to come to his face, something that had not showed in four years. Two years ago, to smile would have made him wince in pain after the numerous torture devices the Sith had put him through.
"It's good to see you again as well, Tristan. It's good to be alive. . . How is Renoa? How did she take to . . . what happened?" Cole responded, the smile still creeping at the tips of his lips.
"She's good, and is almost finished with her training, as am I. We're graduating in a week. She . . . when she found out about what happened, she blamed herself, and your Jedi Master because nothing was done to try and save you. At first, people would say things to her, some saying that you would come back, others, like Sarkin Blackdeath, saying that you were as good as dead, but she wouldn't believe it. She had faith in you," Tristan answered.
At the name Blackdeath, Cole's eyes lit up and stared at Tristan, "Blackdeath?" Immediately he thought of the day he had been captured. "Remember the name Kayne Blackdeath, Jedi, because it is a name that you will remember for the rest of your life. It is a name that will haunt you in your sleep, your nightmares, because it is the name of only one of the ones who will make you miserable; me," the Sith Apprentice who had captured him had said. It had to be a coincidence, though, that they had the same last names, right? He cleared his throat, shaking his head and looking down at the table, "She must hate me. I promised her I'd return, and I didn't."
Tristan shook his head, "She would never hate you, Cole. She loves you, and she'll be glad to see you. There probably hasn't been a day without her thinking about you."
Cole smiled, nodding a little and looking at him, "Does she have a boy friend yet?"
Tristan swallowed hard, knowing what he was about to say, "Yes. I'm her boy friend, and have been since the year you disappeared."
Cole's smile brightened, "I'm glad to hear that she's happy, then, and is with someone who'll take care of her."
Tristan smiled back at him, "Thank you, Cole. There's something I wanted to ask you."
"What is it?"
"Well . . . I was wondering if you would give me permission to marry your sister. I love her, Cole. I have since the day I met her," Tristan answered.
Cole narrowed his eyes in thought, looking to the table. He remembered Renoa the last time he had seen her, and smiled softly as he remembered one of the last times he had seen her.
Renoa took the box and opened it, revealing a silver locket with the initials R.A.S. standing for Renoa Arauven Stormhaven engraved on the front. She smiled and took it out of the box, opening the locket up to reveal two small holo pictures; one picture was of the two of them when they were young, about thirteen and eleven years old, the other was a more recent picture of the two of them. A tear rolled down Renoa's cheek as she reached out to touch the image of the two of them recently, but didn't feel anything but air.
"It's beautiful, Cole. I love it, thank you," she said, sniffing as she closed the locket and hugged him again.
"You're welcome, Little Ren. Whenever you miss me, all you have to do is look at this holo, and it'll be like I'm right there, okay? I'll be back before you know it," he said, reaching up to wipe away the tear.
Cole swallowed hard as he tried to imagine the woman his sister had become over the past four years and looked to Tristan, his soon-to-be brother-in-law. The image he envisioned made him smile as he imagined the beautiful woman that was his sister, the younger version of his mother. "I know that she'll be happy with you, and that having you by her side has helped to take away the pain from my capture. You have my permission to marry her, Tristan. Have you asked her yet?"
Tristan smiled, "Thank you, Cole. And, no, I haven't yet. I want to do it at the right moment. When do you plan on coming back to the Academy?"
Cole shook his head, "I don't know if I am . . ." he thought of Renoa, though, and knew he had to come back, if not to stay, then to visit, "But I'll leave with you when you go back. I want to be there for her graduation."
Tristan nodded, "We'll leave after we have something to eat then. I'm starved."

Yavin 4
Jedi Academy

A small shuttle landed in the docking bay of the Jedi Academy. The landing ramp slowly went down and two figures appeared at the entrance as the engines began to shut and cool off, one, Cole, with the hood to his cloak pulled up over his face.
Tristan lead Cole down the ramp and toward where he knew Renoa would be, in the garden reading a Holo book. As Cole followed, he pulled in on the Force and hid his presence in the Force, not wanting anyone to recognize him through his presence, and wanting to wait for Renoa to feel it.
They reached the door that lead out to the garden and Tristan said, "Wait here. When I nod, come out."
Cole nodded and waited, watching his sister as she sat reading the Holo book, excitement in her eyes as she read with interest.
Tristan stepped into the garden and smiled, walking toward Renoa, "Hey, you."
Renoa pulled her gaze from the text of the book and looked up, smiling, "Hey, yourself, handsome." She stood, leaning in to kiss him quickly while taking both of his hands into hers and pulling him onto the bench to sit down next to her.
"Where were you? I went looking for you and your roommate said you had left on a shuttle," Renoa asked.
"I had to go to Tattooine to pick something up. I think you'll like what it is, but in order for you to see it, you have to let me blind fold you," Tristan answered.
Renoa raised an eyebrow, "Do I want to know what it is?"
Tristan nodded, smiling, "Trust me."
Renoa shrugged and Tristan pulled a long piece of cloth out of the pocket of his cloak and put it over her eyes, tying it in the back just above where her braid started. He gave a nod and Cole entered the garden, his eyes landing on the form of his little, or not so little, sister, it seemed, as she was going to be engaged to be married soon.
Cole stood a few feet in front of Renoa, still hiding his presence, and Tristan pulled her up and toward Cole, putting her hands into Cole's scarred ones. He stepped behind Renoa and began untying the cloth as Cole pulled his hood back to reveal his scar torn face. When the cloth was removed, Renoa looked around and up, finding herself looking into the eyes of her long lost big brother.
"Cole?" she whispered.
He nodded and tears began to form in her eyes as he pulled her into a hug, putting his face into her hair and taking in the smell as they hugged, rocking slowly back and forth. For the first time in four years, Cole was able to allow a tear to flow, landing on Renoa's head.
Renoa cried hard, the tears forming a wet spot on his cloak. She lifted her head up to look at him, tears rolling down her cheeks, "I thought I would never see you again. What happened? How did you escape?"
Cole swallowed, reaching up to wipe away her tears, giving her a small smile, "I'll tell you later. I've missed you, Little Ren. I'm glad to know you've had someone to take care of you all these years."
Renoa smiled back and turned her head to look back at Tristan, who stood with his arms folded across his chest, watching the woman he loved as she reunited with her brother. She pulled back from Cole and walked toward Tristan, moving close to him and looking up at him.
"Did you know he had escaped?" she asked, a tear still rolling down her cheek.
Tristan nodded, "Master Skywalker informed me that he had received word from Cole that he was still alive and had escaped. I was sent to Tatooine today to pick him up. I kept it as a surprise from you."
Renoa stood up on her tip toes and allowed their lips to touch in a passionate kiss. When they pulled back, she said, "Thank you, Tristan. It means a lot to me."
"You're welcome, Ren. I'm just glad to see you happy," he said.
She smiled, looking up at him, "I've always been happy, Trist. Having you in my life as more than a friend has made me happy. It's made me realize how lucky I am to have such a great boy friend."
"And that smile of yours is what makes my day brighter," he said softly, lowering his head more so their noses and lips were just inches apart.
"Ahem," Cole's voice said and Renoa turned to look at him, smiling.
"Getting protective, Cole?" Renoa asked.
Cole shrugged, giving a sheepish smile, "Just trying to reclaim my job as older brother, I guess."
Renoa laughed, turning and snuggling her face into Tristan's shirt and taking in the smell of his cloak before lifting it back up. She looked at Cole, "Will you tell us what happened, Cole?"
Cole hesitated and nodded, moving to sit down on the bench that Tristan and Renoa stood in front of. They sat down, Renoa in the middle, and Cole began to tell them his story.

An hour later

Cole, Tristan, and Renoa were still in the garden; Cole had just finished telling his story, about the countless hours of torture he had to endure, and the struggle he had to go through to not give up the location of the scout team that had been on his ship, as well as not telling them any information about his family or the Jedi.
A tear rolled down Renoa's face as the thought of her brother being in the pain he had been in for four years crept into her mind. Cole saw this and looked at her.
"Why are you crying, Little Ren?"
"Because you don't deserve to have to go through so much pain . . . they should have been able to get you away from the prison a long time ago," she answered.
Cole shook his head, "It's in the past, Renoa. I'll tell you one thing, though. The next time I see the Sith Apprentice who did this," he pointed to the scars on his face, then turned his head so that Renoa could see the tattoo on his head, turning his leg next to show the back of it, and finally lifting his cloak and shirt up to reveal a tattoo at the bottom of his back on the right, "He will die. I know it's not the Jedi's way to think of death and killing. But I don't know that I'm any closer to being a Jedi than I was four years ago."
Renoa sniffed, "Your Jedi master promised me that you would become a Jedi knight if you ever returned . . . when I found out they weren't planning on trying to get you out of the prison, I was so angry at him . . ."
Cole shook his head, "You shouldn't have been, Renoa. It's in the past. Promise me you won't blame him for what happened."
"I promise, Cole."

Chapter 5: The Capture