Expanding Horizons (Cara)

[Noah Corek]

[member="Cara Sampson"]
Noah smied and began to walk towards the galley as Cara motioned for him to lead the way. After a few minutes of walking, they came upon the galley, it wasn't very big, the size of a small apartment, though it was reserved for officers. Noah motioned for Cara to take a seat at one of the four tables in the galley and he walked over to the food processor, looking over the processors choices, Noah easily picked his meal, two Nuna Drumsticks, two biscuits and both topped with bantha sausage gravy. Noah, not really knowing what Cara would want, looked over his shoulder at her. "Hey, what do you want? This thing can produce most meats, vegetables and fruits." Noah informed her as he grabbed his own tray and set it to the side and waited for Cara to give him her order.

 

[Cora Passek]

At glance to the food reproduction machine, brought relief to Cara. This way there'd be little way to have her food tampered with. "A Duncow burger with everything on it, and a salad would be great." Smiling as she took a seat, she went on, "Just a simple girl when you get down to it. I may be eccentric and untrusting but I've got my reasons. I know not all of them are quite logical but that's the nature of life."

Pausing for a moment she just thought through the situation, "So tell me Noah, how did you come into owning your own company? Can't say I've met many like you who've put on the business suit, and muddling around company boards for creation of products? What made you interested in design of weaponry and ships?"

[member="Noah Corek"]

 

[Noah Corek]

[member="Cara Sampson"]
Noah smiled at Cara's order, it showed she wasn't actually like high society people he had met, it showed she was a normal person at heart. "We've all got a eccentric and a mistrusting nature. Trust me, I know, I was a Republic Commando for nearly a decade and a half." Noah informed her as the food processor finished Cara's meal. Noah picked up the tray and walked over to the table, setting Cara's meal in front of her and situating his own meal in front of him as he sat. When Noah heard her question he paused and scratched his chin for a moment. "When I was a commando, I saw a lot of undeveloped planets ruled by pirates and crimelords just because they had the bigger guns. I inherited Hekler from a friend and I decided to change it to help out the planets that are always under the boot of someone else. Either it be a large faction or a band of pirates."

 

[Cora Passek]

[member="Noah Corek"]

If only he knew Cara, she was far from the normal high society girl. No, just a one of the lucky ones to rise into society with a skill the wealthy needed. "That may be so, but trust me.." She winked in his direction, "I take the cake in that department. If I even told you the half of it, you'd throw me out the airlock and be gone faster than a groom's sex life after he says 'I do'."

As she started to munch on her food, Cara nodded listening intently. "Suppose that makes sense." Giving a small shrug, "For me, I didn't have it all as a kid, was far from an easy life. And starships, they always seemed like the way out of the situation I was in." Her happiness seemed to have drifted off a bit as she spoke, "It helped I was good at fixing things. After a while, it was all I did. Finally got my paws on an ancient, and I do mean ancient, J-type 327 Nubian." Now the smile was back, "Total rust bucket, but after a lot of work I got her refurbished back to original quality, word got passed around wealthier circles that I could remodel and update old muscle ships, and I found work a plenty. Eventually, made a company, got settled making my own ships, not just fixing up old ones."

 

[Noah Corek]

[member="Cara Sampson"]
Noah chuckled at Cara's little joke, to the point where he choked a little on the food he was eating. Taking the glass of water he had gotten with his food, he took a swig and coughed a little bit, "Trust me Cara, I've done things in my time as a commando that would make you puke your guts up." Noah said with a bit of a grin as he munched on his nuna drumstick and made sure to get a little gravy on it. "Hmmm, I you like old ships you'd love my personal warship, the Solomon. She's a ancient Hammerhead-class cruiser that I had completely refitted to modern specs by Silk Holdings, alusteel hull, reinforced and the full refit for it. I'll show you it later if you want to." Noah told her with a small smile and a wink.

 

[Cora Passek]

[member="Noah Corek"]

Cara smiled sweetly, If he only knew.... Her own smile soon leaving her lips as she thought back to the past, to days so much worse than the here and now. "Well, I suppose that wouldn't be polite dinner conversation to discuss, but I'm far from some squeamish, fragile, little, girl. Just a small thought to remember in the future."

"Just try and keep in mind, like everyone else I do have a past. Complicated, messy as they possibly come. But what is life without a little bit of dirt swept under the rug?" Sighing softly, she leaned forward on her elbows, trying to relax herself a little more.

"Mm, Hammerhead class? Ancient even by my standards." Idly she worked through just how old."What, first used in the Old Sith Wars, by the Republic Navy? If my memory serves me right. Can't say I've actually seen one beyond in holographs, perhaps a museum or two." If there was one thing Cara knew, it was ships, though that old, she was only a little vague on the exact timeline of the ship's life. "Perhaps sometime in the future. You'll have to forgive me, I'm just a stickler for pinning down a business deal before I delve into the more pleasurable affairs."

 

[Noah Corek]

[member="Cara Sampson"]
Noah chuckled and then he heard the door open up and was a bit surprised when he saw who walked through, a thirteen year old girl. "Ahem!" Noah called out, clearing his throat to get the girls attention. Quickly the girl turned and her eyes widened when her eyes fell on her father. "Oh, hi dad. What are you doing here?" Melissa asked when he saw him sitting there. "I could ask you the same young lady, last thing I remember was that you were supposed to be on Fondor in class." Noah told her as he rubbed his eyes. "I was, it was boring so I decided to hop aboard and- Who's the woman?" She asked pointing towards Cara. "Melissa this is Melissa my daughter. Melissa this is Cara a new business associate."

 

[Cora Passek]

Hearing the door start to open, she glanced tentatively to the young lady entering. "Wh-.." She stopped herself, and left Corek have a moment to explain. A kid was the last thing she expected. Well truth be told, Cara hadn't expected anyone else at all on the ship with them, and the idea of such now made her a little twitchy.

"Hello, Melissa." She spoke quickly, trying to mask how unsettling it was for her to know there had been another soul on board without her knowledge. Returning her attention to Noah, Cara sighed. "Can't say I was expecting any company this evening."

For a moment she could only chuckle, "Should cut her some slack... It really isn't the worst thing she could be doing right now, and at least you know she's safe, here with you. I think my parents would have been rather proud if stowing away on ships was the only thing I did as a teen." A shrug followed, as she returned to her dinner. "But, eh ... I suppose that would have required them to be around for more than an hour or two a day."

[member="Noah Corek"]

 

[Noah Corek]

[member="Cara Sampson"]
"Yeah I think I get what you mean. My parents weren't around that much either, dad was a commando who was always away on missions and mom was a nurse who always tried to make ends meet." Noah said a bit sadly as he played with his food a little, not being to happy about old memories being brought to the surface. "But all my life I've wanted a kid and now I finally have one. But the weird thing is that I want another one, maybe a boy this time. But to have another kid, I first need to find a woman who is interested. Though I don't you have problems getting dates." Noah said with a wry smile and a bit of a chuckle.

 

[Cora Passek]

Cara shrugged, "My father was a military man. Mother, well, I'd rather not get into that. Unfortunately, there never was time for me. My father," She sighed heavily, "Expected me to live up to his legacy. Sure, I picked up a few things from him, but neither he or mother was ever really there when we needed them." Glancing down, she suddenly seemed to find her shoes more interesting than what was being discussed. "I lost them, both, in a speeder accident nearly a decade ago now." The conversation she knew was drifting into areas she didn't wish to further discuss.

The topic shift to children, actually gave Cara some pause. Thinking about it now, made her realize that it'd never been something she had ever considered. "Kids, it's not something I've really though much into." Honestly, the woman thought she'd be long dead before the chance ever came up. Even dating had become a complicated matter that she mostly avoided. "It's not that I don't want kids, but that every inch of my life has been on the go, running from one thing or another. There hasn't been any space in that for a family." Even now, Cara knew she was still running but from what, she didn't have an answer to that. "Dating even, there hasn't been much room for that either. Actually can't recall the last time anyone asked me on a date, come to think of it."

[member="Noah Corek"]

 

[Noah Corek]

[member="Cara Sampson"]
Noah looked at her when she admitted her parents had died in a speeder crash over a decade ago. "My parents died in the Sith invasion of Coruscant. My little brother and sister were able to escape, but my ex-wife and her husband were killed, so now the preseveration of the Corek family now falls to me." Noah told her as he sighed and hung his face in his hands. "I never thought I would have kids either, but then fate dropped Mel on my doorstep, but the weird thing is, that the more time I spend with Mel I feel that I want another kid, if anything just to watch her or him grow and mature." Noah told her with a grin, but his grin faded when Cara mentioned that she hadn't even had a date in years. "I find it hard to believe that you haven't had a date in years, but I'm willing to change that..." Noah implied with a bit of a sly grin.

 

[Cora Passek]

Her lips twisted into a frown, "I'm sorry to hear that." A flicker of anger had sparked in her eyes at the mention of Sith. "No one deserves to die under those circumstances." Though she knew far too well the realities of war. Casualties were always a part of it. "At least your brother and sister made it out alive." Glancing up to him, she felt bad for his circumstances. Oddly enough, not too far off from her own. Reaching out gently, she light touched his arm; a gesture of comfort. "I understand that completely, the responsibility for a family line can be a burden. Always fearful of death, worried the line won't survive." Withdrawing her hand, she sighed, "The Sampson name falls to me. There is no one left of my line, no blood relatives to speak of." Her thoughts drifted to the circumstances that nearly completely, wiped out the rest of her family. A complicated tale and one she'd not be telling tonight.

Shaking it off, she returned to the present, a little worse for wear with her sullen frown remaining. "Well, you'd better believe it. As tragic as it may be, it's been a long while since I've been in one place long enough for someone to ask me." She gave a shrug, "Is what it is, just somethings can't be helped." Even now, she wasn't terribly keen on the thought of dating. Work had always been an excuse, though a lack of trust in others a more honest reason. "I suppose if you insist, it'd be quite rude of me to say no, wouldn't it?" Her way of saying it was a possibility. A beneficial possibility, if she could let go some of her trust issues.

[member="Noah Corek"]

 

[Noah Corek]

[member="Cara Sampson"]
"You know what the weird part is? In my family our names aren't just picked out of random. My brother Flint, his name means courage, my sister Asha is compassion, but my name, Noah Corbulo Corek is roughly translated in to the Great Preserver." Noah told her as he took a sip from his water. "What does my name mean dad?" Melissa asked as she finally had gotten her meal and sat next to her father. "Well, Melissa has never been a name a Corek has ever had before, but I guess I can figure something out." Noah told her as she sat at the table, snuggling up to her father a bit, to which Noah responded. Noah then dropped some water on his lap and went to grab a towel. Once she was sure her father was out of earshot, Melissa looked at Cara with a analitical eye. "Treat him right, he's seen more then his fair share of heart break and death." Melissa informed her and then went back to eating her dinner like nothing ever happened.

 

[Cora Passek]

Cara sat there, the remainder of her meal pushed aside. Left with no desire to finish it, with all the talk of family and loss she greatly wished for the conversation to pass to something less close to home. Something that wouldn't bind so easily to her heart. "Names are interesting things. They can hold power as well as a certain strength and personality can come from them." Though she knew too well, a name only went so far. "Very interesting choices your family made, to choose meaning in their names."

Noah dropping the water upon him, drew a small smile. All up until the moment Melissa spoke again, and like that it was gone. For a moment her eyes seemed lifeless, another time and place from memory drew her in. "So have I, my dear. So have I." Whispered almost silently. Pushing that particular wave of memories and horrors away, took a moment. The girl had moved back to her dinner, without a trace of knowledge of what her words stirred up. Her thoughts wandered, wondering what she was setting herself up for in the future.

"If you'll both excuse me," She said with the best smile that could be managed under the circumstances. "I probably should go back to work." Certainly wasn't why she was walking from the table, but it'd give her the room she needed. Pushing herself away from the table, Cara needed a moment to breathe. A minute or two away from all the things she'd been sorely reminded of. Things that were all lost to her now. Walking down the hallway, she found a view port to just simply watch the stars pass them by. Leaning her head against the pane, she sighed. "Past's always going to be there... Have to square with it someday." Quietly spoken to the faintest of reflections in the clear pane. "Can't keep running away." She could have gone on, back to her room, back to her work. In that moment, work was the furthest thing from her mind, as she let the steady streaks of light against the black flicker in and out.

[member="Noah Corek"]

 

[Noah Corek]

[member="Cara Sampson"]
Noah sighed as he came back and noticed Cara had taken her leave. "What did you say?" Noah asked his daughter who was quietly munching on her own food. "Nothing." She said simply, of course Noah knew that was a giant steaming pile of bullpoodoo, but he didn't really feel like calling her on it and making her angry. So he decided to simply walk away and try to find Cara. When he finally found her, he found her leaning her head against a viewport looking out at the stars as they passed. Of course with Noah's extra sensitive hearing, he was able to pick up on the words she was saying to herself, he decided to impart a little wisdom a friend of his had imparted onto him. " 'Your past doesn't define you, it just gives you the starting point for who your going to be.' " Noah told quoted to her as he leaned forward against the railing near the viewport. "A old friend of mine said that to me. It was because I asked her why she decided to give me, who at the time I was a drunk washed up commando, a second chance."

 

[Cora Passek]

Still leaning against the view port, Cara shifted to look over to Noah. "If the past is any indication of who I will be, that's not a good person. Not a good place for anyone." Closing her eyes with a sigh, for a change she didn't have words to speak and let silence pass between them. Clear that she had more regrets and sorrows than could be recounted in the way she held herself in that moment. "I'm not who or what you think I am." Her expression drifted into a bitter frown, almost speaking more than she intended. "I'm not even sure what I am on a good day, much less who."

Opening her eyes, she pushed off the wall, brushing a few stray strands of hair from her face. A trace of tears glistened at the corner of her eyes, "There are demons in my past that will keep haunting me. Things, people, past actions that put me at risk every day." She shook her head, "I've no right to impart that past, those demons upon you, or your child."

A single tear slipped down her cheek, though quick to brush it away. "I'm just running away again." Seeming quite firm in her words, "I've always done it. Get scared, frightened, and I run." Turning back to her comfort in the stars slipping by them, she leaned heavily against the wall, watching the movement outside the ship. "What kind of woman does that make me?"

"A coward..." She spoke to her reflection once more.

[member="Noah Corek"]

 

[Noah Corek]

[member="Cara Sampson"]
Noah sighed as he looked at Cara as she told him she had demons, those that she had no right to impart on him or Melissa. "You think your the only person who has demons Cara? Why do you think I've never had a child. Because I'm afraid that my kids would have to spend the rest of their lives looking over their shoulders because of me. Hell I didn't even know I had a daughter till two months ago!" Noah exclaimed to her as he looked out of the viewport as well. "Do you actually I'm who I say I am?" Noah asked her, raising a eyebrow as he looked over at her. "I'm a cold-blooded killer, remorseless, merciless. I've killed over five hundred people Cara, but its not those demons who haunt me, its the people I've lost. The brothers and sisters who have feel beside me in combat." It was then Noah heard her say that she was a coward. "Your not a coward Cara, you just haven't hand anyone there to help you." Noah said, compassion lining his voice as he slid his hand over hers.

 

[Cora Passek]

"No, I know I'm not the only one. But there aren't all manner of unsavory folks after you." Slowly she shook her head, "It's one thing to put myself at risk, in otherwise ill advised situations. Others, not so much." Guilt still very much haunted her with that.

She looked to him, dropped a single hand to lift the leg of her pants till the thin white scar where her prosthetic met with her upper thigh became blatantly visible. "Truth of how I lost this? Not just the story I happen to tell everyone." Her eyes searching his face in that moment, hoping for some understanding but not expecting it. "Shot, an armor piercing slug and my knee didn't mix well. Further more it was me who put myself in that situation protecting someone who'd turn out just to try and put a knife my back in the end. Four other scars match that, feet, shoulders. Never ever found the bastard who did it either. He's still out there, probably still thinks I can give her to him." Another sigh followed as she let the material fall back to her foot again. "It's affairs like that, that worry me. It's a nasty business I was, am still ensnared in."

Most emotion faded away from her eyes, still watching the stars, "You're far from the only killer standing in this hallway." Not a hint of inflection in her voice, no emotion with it. "Just, yours was legal, justifiable. I cannot say the same."

Glancing to his hand upon her's, the sensation odd to Cara, not recalling the last time she'd let anyone that close. "Maybe not, but there are days it feels like that." One last sigh followed, "Never let anyone close enough to help me, to let them in, trust them. Only people I ever did trust, tried to kill me. So much for this thing called honor and friendship. I'm not even sure what it feels like anymore."

[member="Noah Corek"]

 

[Noah Corek]

[member="Cara Sampson"]
When Cara explained exactly how she lost her leg, there was indeed a look of understanding on Noah's face. "Yeah I tell people I got this..." Noah trailed off as he lifted his shirt to expose a scar that ran from his right hip all the way to just below his left shoulder. "...from a duel with a Sith Knight, but I got it during a week long stint in a Imp prison." Noah told her as he tightened his grip on her hand when he mentioned all his kills being legal and justifable. "Not all my kills were..." Noah trailed off as he stared out of the viewport, remembering a time long past that had seared itself into Noah's memory. "Cara, let me make something real clear to you. I will never hurt you intentionally, but for once you just need to take down that barrier down and show someone who you really are." Noah told her and then his thoughts turned to what he had been thinking about earlier. "Have you ever heard of the Butcher of Saluecami?"

 

[Cora Passek]

She nodded slowly, as she glanced to the scar. "Still tell people it was a speeder accident, myself." A shrug followed, "It's easier that way. People would question the true story far too much."

Coming from him, she found herself a bit surprised that he could step out of the warrior role and done something she long ago called herself monster for. With a most sad expression, she glanced over to him. Another sigh came, "I've heard those words before, didn't end well." Running her free hand through her hair, guilt eating at her. "Taking down those walls, is the hardest thing you can ask me to do. I'm not sure I even know where to start." The full truth maybe? No. She thought to herself. "Try, its all I can do, and I still can't make promises. I'm far too used to the way I've been living. Always running, always hiding, always pushing people away."

In response to his question, she shook her head slowly, "No, I haven't."

[member="Noah Corek"]