Returning to the Old Ways

[Noah Corek]

Carida
Republic Special Operations Command Headquarters
Office of Colonel Noah Corek

[member="Alexandra Feanor"]

Noah sighed as he leaned against the glass of his office window and stared out at the planet of Carida. This wasn't his first time being stationed on the planet, hell it wasn't even the fifth. Back in the days of the Republic of old Carida held the CTA, Commando Training Academy, which Noah had attended at the rip age of nineteen. But that was a quarter of a century ago and this was a new Republic. With the integration of the Rebel Alliance naval and ground forces into their respective similar services within the Republic Remnant. With that Noah had been placed within the Remnants Special Operations Command, SOCOM for short, as a field commander and a training instructor.

Currently he was doing a few weeks stint as a trainer due to an incident he had had with a another field commander who decided to shoot his mouth off about Mandalorians, which Noah was by birth and raised, so Noah had decided to educate him with a traditional Keldabe Kiss and since he was wearing his armor and the other officer wasn't he had pretty much knocked him out. In the old days this would have landed Noah a few days in the brig but now he was a indispensable asset and while Noah knew that he still wasn't gonna push it. So now here he sat looking out the window and watching as speeders passed, paperwork on his desk unfinished.

 

[Alexandra Feanor]

[member="Noah Corek"]


Alexandra had heard there was another of the old guard that had returned to the Republic recently, and while the woman no longer held her former appearance without an illusion, she was sure that she could make it known enough as to who she was. Which was why she slid through the halls of the command building without running into anyone if she could avoid it. She after all was nothing more than the Jedi Grandmaster, so getting caught by someone who realized she wasn't supposed to be there would be troublesome and a bother.

Soon though she came to the area where she could not get through so simply, so instead she peeled off to the side and found a window, opening it and glancing downwards, her eyes looking towards her destination. Carefully she climbed down until her feet silently touched down on the opposite window and seal, quickly opening the window and walking into Noah's office as if nothing was up.

She grinned and waved a hand at the man, speaking before he did anything like shoot her or call for guards.

"Hey there, not sure you remember me but long time no see. Im a bit different now but I am sure the name will atleast give you a clue. Alexandra Feanor, a pleasure to meet you once more." The last time had been maybe a greeting and that was it, nothing that would cement her in his mind. But she was hopeful he had picked up some data and read up on the Grandmaster of the Republic's Jedi Order, including her past.

"So, free for a conversation?"

 

[Noah Corek]

[member="Alexandra Feanor"]

Very little things phased Noah anymore. After two and half decades of fighting he learned to expect the unexpected at anytime and anywhere. A redheaded women suddenly appearing and then entering his office like it was nothing? Surprisingly not the first time it had happened. He had served in the Omega Pyre where redheads seemed to roam around freely. He had remember one time that Ventasia had snuck up on him and nearly got her head blown off for her troubles. But while those memories were good he tended not to dwell on the friends that he had no clue what they were doing now.

Noah tried to put a face to a name before the woman even spoke and thanks to years of honing his mind as well as body he was able to recall things much better than most. He remembered her face from a dossier he was sent and that was now laying on his desk. Alexandra Feanor, Admiral in the Republic Navy and Grandmaster of the New Republic Jedi Order. If memory served they had met a few times before but nothing that gave him a lasting impression.

With this in mind he almost reached for his sidearm tucked away in his shoulder holster but thought better of it, if she had wanted to kill him she would have tried much harder. When Noah heard he words he chuckled and shook his head. "Why not?"

 

[Alexandra Feanor]

[member="Noah Corek"]

Alexandra smiled wide when he answered and looked around the office almost like a child, studying it with significant interest. Her expression remained soft and youthful, eyes moving to whatever could draw her attention while she moved around the office and looking from one item to another. She was studying what Noah kept in the office, what things he preferred to have displayed and that said alot about someone. Eventually she would speak after a few moments, turning her head and eyes back on the aging man.

"You have an interesting office General Corek, I must say it is certainly not what I expected from you. I remember a man who was a soldier of the Protectorate a long time ago, when I was still with the Sith and serving their whims... how times change." She turned her head back to focus on one of the items, looking it over and thinking.

"That was so long ago. Almost feels like I was a different person back then, that all of that was a movie that I had simply incorporated into my mind as the past. And you I am sure have had just as many things change about you to find your way to the Republic. Which is why my interest has been sparked by you, as I am curious what would bring a man who had served as a mercenary, to support the Republic and stand for it?"

She had a feeling there was something she had missed in her evaluation of Noah's personality. She had been rather bad at such things in recent times with the galaxy changing and her own mind confused by this new body's tendencies. Many wouldn't even recognize Alexandra herself compared to when she was comparatively a child, when she had fought for the Sith or been on her own with the Grey.

 

[Noah Corek]

[member="Alexandra Feanor"]

Noah caught Alex's eyes darting around his office pretty quickly. Though he couldn't tell if it was out of curiosity or checking her surroundings, which he couldn't fault her for either. Noah was definetly an atypical general, the wall behind his desk highlighting that to the extreme. While most generals would have had all the medals and awards that they earned over their career displayed, Noah didn't. Instead on display were various trophies and momentos. Most of it was a lot of little pieces but there were a few things that stood out. A bloodstained Lords of the Fringe unit banner, an old OPR-1 blaster rifle that was gnarled and blackened from an explosion, a few Stormtrooper helmets with neat holes in the left eye and a pair of lightsabers.

The things that would catch Alex's eyes the most were a few holostill's on his actual desk. One was of Noah and several of what appeared to be Omega Pyre contractors holding a Pyre banner on Hoth, the other three were almost the exact same, sans a few members in each one and the members looked more weathered, but on different planets. The last holostill was a fairly recent one. It depicted Noah in his New Republic Army dress uniform standing next to a young woman, at least in her mid twenties, who was in a New Republic Navy dress uniform. Noah had his right arm around the woman and they both were smiling. If one were to look close they'd notice that Noah and the woman shared not only a towering height but similar facial features as well.

Noah heard Alex spoke and mulled his words in his head for a few seconds. "Please drop the formality Alex, we both know we hate it. Just call me Noah. Also yes, as you can see unlike most generals who like to flaunt their achievements I prefer to give proof to those achievements." As he said this he swept his hand behind him to indicate said proof. When the word 'mercenary' came out of Alex's mouth his teeth started to grind. "Well one we didn't use the term 'mercenary', we preferred the term 'private military contractors'. Mercenary tends to have a bad connotation to it. As to why I decided to join Republic, well that's more complicated."

 

[Alexandra Feanor]

[member="Noah Corek"]

Alexandra continued to go from holostill to holostill, staring at each one in kind before focusing in on one and pushing off the window to walk over, acting as if she merely was pacing now and not trying to make the interest too obvious. She stretched her arms up above her and interwoven her fingers together while stretching. She was a bit tired to tell the truth, and this conversation was a great way for her to unwind, especially as she takes a seat in one of the nearby chairs and leaned onto her hand as she considered Noah's words.

"Fair enough, and thank you for that. I get a bit annoyed having to deal with politicians because they seem to always wish for titles and yes sirs to come from people. It is tiring, and I already have enough of a time dealing with it in the order..." She paused thinking on the matter before lightly smiling again. "As for Mercenary or PMC, I doubt it matters much at the end of the day considering where you are now. General of the Republic Army, or atleast a portion of it, Allyson holding being your counterpart."

She thought on the holostill again, thinking about it.

"I wonder, what story is it that lead you to coming here Noah? IF you do not mind telling me. I have had my own reasons for becoming a citizen of the Republic, and often find myself in situations where I must partake in 'self defense'. But you are someone who is not quite so in the shadows about your actions, which is what makes me interested in your reason. Was it for a wife, or sister... or maybe a child?" She focused on his eyes, showing she meant no harm and was simply curious as a cat.

 

[Noah Corek]

[member="Alexandra Feanor"]

Noah sighed as Alex asked him for his story. Reaching into his he pulled out four items, a glass of Mandalorian Scotch, two glasses and a blaster pistol. The first three items weren't odd, considering many people described Noah as a functioning alcoholic. The fourth item was a bit of an oddity though. If one was versed in antique weaponry they'd recognize the pistol as a Mandalorian Heavy Blaster Pistol, the exact model was one used during the Mandalorian Wars. "To understand me you have to understand the story of my family and this pistol. So prepare for a history lesson." Pouring both of them a glass of scotch Noah raised his and took a large gulp.

"The story begins during the Great Sith War after Ulic Qel-Droma defeated Mandalore the Indomitable and enlisted the Mandalorians in his campaign against the Republic and Jedi. My family, Clan Corek, was a minor clan and didn't really adhere to traditional Mandalorian values saw this as an affront to our beliefs. This wasn't taken well and we were considered dar'manda. My family did what anyone would do, they fled with the armor on their back, the weapons in their hands and a few ships they could scrape together. They fled to Saleucami and settled in there. On Saleucami they did what most Mandalorians did in their situation, they became mercenaries. Over nearly two decades they garnered a reputation as honest, good hearted and hard working mercenaries for whom no contract was too small, honestly many went to them instead of the authorities. When the Mandalorian Wars broke out my family volunteered their services, at a discounted rate, to the Republic to fight the Mandalorians."

Noah sighed and sat down his drink and picked up the pistol and began to examine it and chuckled. "This pistol was taken from a dead Mandalorian Field Marshall by my ancestor, and leader of my clan at the time, Ansil Corek at the Battle of Cathar. After a few years they became so integrated into the Republic Army that they were given commissions and enlistments by Revan himself." Noah smiled when he said this and seemed to say the name of Revan with reverence. "From there my family were dispersed throughout the Republic Army and instead of being used as shock troops they became trainers and instructors. By the end of the war a majority of the Republic Army was at least partially trained by my family. After the war ended we served with distinction in every war till the fall of the Republic. Honestly after that our family history gets murky."

 

[Alexandra Feanor]

[member="Noah Corek"]


Alexandra watched him remove the blaster and her eyes showed a light of recognition immediately. She looked at him for a few seconds before his story had started and tried to run into his mind through how he moved and acted. She would not poke into his mind with the force, knowing how wrong it was to intrude, knowing it would do nothing but anger the man.

No, she wanted to see his genuine expression and actions.

She wished to know people without the force, as it was a stronger bond to stand and listen to them, to understand them as a normal human might. After all, she of all people knew how the force could fade or be stripped away from someone, she knew how to do it and she had seen it in the past. If it one day happened to her, she could not be stricken and become useless in the face of whatever danger has stripped from her the greatest weapon she had.

And it was the beginning of Noah's story that slammed seized on her attention, giving her a roadmap of Noah's past and letting her understand it to a point. She understood how Mandalorians work so the concepts he spoke of were not unknown to her, nor the impact they would leave. But why talk about that in regards to knowing about Noah. She understood that the man's family had became inseperable from the Republic, but was that the end of the man's story or reason. He mentioned the rest being muddled but not anything about himself.

Alexandra thought for a moment, reaching into her pocket and drawing out a flask, taking a quick drink from it. The thoughts dancing through her mind and leaving her wondering about these different ideas of why he brought all that up.

"I sadly can't emphathize with such a history, as my father and mother's own histories are largely unknown to me. Only that my father was Echani, and mother Eldorai... but your family's past is one of significant reason for why you chose the Republic after your tenure with the Pyre."

 

[Noah Corek]

[member="Alexandra Feanor"]

Seeing Alex take a swig from her own flask rather than taking the drink he offered Noah shrugged and pour two glasses for himself, downing one immediately and returning the glass to the drawer in his desk before leaning back and nursing the other glass. When Alex mentioned that she was half Echani and half Eldorai this perked Noah's interest. "That would explain how you're both good with a lightsaber and the force. The Echani are known for their grace in melee combat while the Eldorai are known for their affinity with the force."

When Alex mentioned him choosing the Republic he laughed, quite loudly. "I never chose the Republic, the Republic chose me." Standing up Noah went to the wall and pulled one of the holostills off the wall before handing it to Alex. The holostill was of Noah, about twenty years younger though, and a few other people gathered around holding up a Imperial flag. "That's me and my squad about twenty years ago on Balmorra after a long battle. We had captured the Imperial's headquarters and took that flag as a bit of a trophy." Letting Alex take the holostill Noah sat down in his chair and stared at the ceiling.

"I grew up on Coruscant far away from my clan, my mom was known as a bit of a cavalier among and wanted to raise her children as such. My dad was a Morellian mercenary so I got a bit of Morellian in me as well. Well my training from my parents got me noticed by the Dean of the Coruscanti Youth Military Academy. Went there and graduated at 18 and then I went to Commando training. Finally I went and served with the Old Republic's 3rd Commando Regiment. And then I did about a 15 fifteen year stint with the Commandos."

 

[Alexandra Feanor]

[member="Noah Corek"]


Alexandra listened to the man's story intently, looking at the holostill and wondering what more the man could tell of his own story and Alexandra knew there was a bit. She herself had faced alot and as he continued to speak about his family and his time at the youth academy, Alexandra would put the holostill on the table. She wasn't sure what to say but sighed and let the illusion she wore fall, her red hair a bit more clear but also the tail she now had as it idly waved a bit, unable to be controlled.

"Im not much of a legacy anymore for my parents, not since losing my old body. Some days I do miss it, some days I see the benefits of this new one but I do not know if I am still even myself. Ive noticed my memories becoming muddled since getting into this body..." She sighed and looked at the flask in her hands before drinking from it again.

"I wish that I had such a childhood, as it would have meant avoiding the Sith altogether. My childhood on Corellia and under the Sith care had left me with no chance of doing what you had... and perhaps if I had you and I would have fought together for the Republic? After all, I think I could have kept up with you, but never will know." A bit more of the confident and sly woman that was Alexandra poked through now, grinning at Noah.

She sighed as she leaned back and looked over at the man, her eyes resting there but then moving to the ceiling again where they fixed on that location.

"How things could have been different."

 

[Noah Corek]

[member="Alexandra Feanor"]

The first thing Noah had noticed about Alex's new appearance was the tail, not that Noah cared he wasn't a speciesist or anything it's just that it was something you couldn't not notice. The next thing was her shift in demeanor. "There's a quote I read once. "Your past does not define you. It just gives you the starting place for who you're going to be." Remember that whenever you think upon your past or rather lack thereof remembering one. And trust me sometimes it is better that we forget our past." Upon saying this Noah took a long sip from his drink.

Noah snorted and chuckled at Alex's boast that she could of kept up with him. "Oh is that so ad'ika? You think you could have kept up with me? I'm pretty quick and pretty deadly. Back in the day they use to call me....well they called me many things but you don't need to worry about it." Noah narrowed his eyes at Alex and an idea popped into his head and Noah began to grin. This was going to be fun. "You know Alex we are in the Special Operations Command Headquarters? When it was built I had my own private gym installed on this floor...." Noah trailed off, knowing Alex would get the point.

 

[Alexandra Feanor]

Alexandra grinned as he mentioned how their past was there for a starting place and nothing more. That forgetting those memories were ok and could even become beneficial in some cases, a thing she never expected to hear from the man. Especially after that story she had been told by him concerning his far past. It was surprising, though not nearly as surprising as what followed.

When he used Ad’ika it had admittedly caught her off guard and she raised a brow considering the familiar toned word. The word that meant Little One, reserved for informal people. She couldn’t help but smile and lab forward, raising a brow but saying nothing to him. The man was teasing her a bit, tempting her and trying to get her to retort but then he narrowed his eyes and placed a challenge at her feet.

Her hand started tapping on her cheek, thinking over the challenge in front of her and her grin grew wider.

“I don’t know Noah, you are getting a bit aged these days and I’m not entirely sure you are as fit as you remember, while my new body isn’t nearly as worn out. Are you so sure that you can beat me?” She was clearly teasing him back now, egging him on to voice the challenge.

 

[Noah Corek]

[member="Alexandra Feanor"]

Noah had been trained in many things by both his mother as part of his heritage and by the Republic Commando School. He spoke five languages and understood two more, he knew three martial arts, he could field strip almost any weapon in the galaxy blindfolded, he knew the best place to plant a bomb to bring down an entire building and knew how to hit a moving target with a slugthrower at two kilometers but one of the best things he was taught? Reading body language and facial expressions, sometimes all it took was figuring out was someone was thinking to catch them or take em out.

Noah laughed when Alex began to taunt and tease him just as he was her. "Age is but a number cyar'ika," Noah used the word cyar'ika in a playful yet sarcastic tone. "I've had recruits come through Commando training thinking they can beat the 'old man' who 'sits at a desk all day' get their collective shebs handed to em. I believe my most at one time was three individuals at once. They were all on the floor and crying within three minutes." Noah leaned back in his chair and began to think how he could entice Alex to take him up on his challenge. And it hit him. "I'll make you a deal. You last more than just three minutes and I'll let you choose one weapon outta my personal armory. Free of charge." Noah smiled. He knew Alex was an atypical Jedi, particularly when it came to her love of weapons so hopefully it'd work.

 

[Alexandra Feanor]

Alexandra blinked when he said Cyar'ika, a glint of a fear touching those eyes before being erased from her face. The tone wasn't honest, atleast not fully so it set Alexandra's mind at ease more quickly than if it had not been. She wasn't afraid of the word itself but rather the connection it insinuated. That was worrisome to her and she made quick work to hide it before clearing her through and rising slowly. She tapped her hand on the table as she stared to walk towards its end and thinking on the offer that he had just made her, that if she could last just three short minutes, he would allow her a weapon from his armory.... but if she won.

"What if I win before those three minutes are up though? Anything you would offer in that case or might I be allowed to determine the rules of this little... deal of ours." She tapped her hand on the table again before allowing a thought to dawn on her with a wide smile crawling across her lips.

"For example, a blind date with someone of my choosing, in which you will accompany the person wherever they so choose." Her terms were purposefully devilish, seeing if the man would be faltered by the words. She had no one in mind to tell the truth and would probably not even capitalize on it, nor beat him within those three minutes. But who knows, that might be something interesting to try.

"Well, what do you say Mandalorian?"

 

[Noah Corek]

[member="Alexandra Feanor"]

Alex was quick at changing her facial expressions, Noah credited with that along with many other things but she wasn't quick enough. Fear? Did he scare her? No from what he knew she had faced down enemies much more tougher than him. Fear of the Mandalorian language or Mandalorians? No she would have shown fear much sooner and he had heard Alex was already friends with some Mandalorians to begin with. Fear of affection? Maybe. But Noah wasn't going to pry to deeply, well at least not right now.

His eyes followed Alex as she stood and began to speak. Her version of their 'deal' definetely caught his attention and made him pause. Noah was confident in his skills, being a soldier for over two decades tended to do that, but a blind date? He was proud enough to admit that he hadn't been on a proper date in probably around a decade, being a high level special forces operator was a solitary life. Of course on the other hand Alex hadn't said specifcally it WASN'T her on the date so Noah was split.

"Well Jedi who would I be to let a challenge like that go unanswered? You've got yourself a deal. But what will you do for me if I win if we're gonna be modifying our deal?" Noah smiled. He hoped Alex wouldn't be expecting this, he did like surprising people after all.

 

[Alexandra Feanor]

Alexandra's eyes lit up a bit as he proposed what he would get if he won and for a second she paused as she had to figure out just what would throw this man off in their little game here. She considered it carefully but there was something that hit her and made the grin on her face an inch longer as her eyes tracked around the room and focused in on the man. It was that thought which left her walking over to him now and tapping him on the shoulder, she didn't get too close but the smile was enough as she spoke her offer.

"Tell you what General Corek, if you win you can have a kiss from me, how about that?" She turned once more now, walking towards the door and waiting for him to either accept the terms of for her to simply continue on with the original deal he had given her. Either way worked and would require noah to lead her to this gym of his, her shoulders rolling slightly as her heart started to pick up.

She wondered if that man would over think this and might try to figure out what she had planned if she were the winner of their little game, the fact that she might not be the one on such a blind date. She was humored by him trying to dissect her words, if he was indeed doing that and the very though of him looking for clues was ever more entertaining.

He was a curious individual.

"You know, General Corek, you and I have yet to go on a mission at the same time. Wonder how well you would put on a show in a life or death situation?" She looked at him, the question just as quickly applying to her as it did him.

 

[Noah Corek]

Noah surely wasn't a teenager but he surely felt his heart flutter when he felt Alex's finger tap on his shoulder. He had to admit he had not felt this for someone in many years and honestly kind of missed the feeling, it'd been a while since someone had actually made Noah care. The last person had been the Lady Protector Cira who had given Noah an entire new lease on life. But that? That was his past, he needed to look towards the future and perhaps see saw that future in front of him right now.

When Alex referred to him by his rank and last name he realized it was a sort of teasing gesture. "Only a kiss Grandmaster Feanor? Maybe you're not as adventurous as I was led to believe. But a kiss will suffice.....for now." Noah grinned as he finished his sentence, letting the idea of more hang in the air. Standing Noah popped the joints in his neck and arms and then began to stretch out his arms and legs. While on the outside Noah was calm and collected but he was anything but calm on the inside.

Thoughts raced through his head. What if he won? What if he lost? Did Alex really want to kiss him? Who would she send on the blind date? Was she just teasing him and she would be the one on the date? All these questions were ones that couldn't be answered and that was oddly okay with him. Noah's interest was peaked when Alex mentioned that they had never been on a mission together and how he'd react in a life or death situation. "Back in my days in the Galactic Republic my squad called me 'Stoneface' because during ops they couldn't tell what my emotions were. The Empire on the other hand called me many different things. If you'll follow me now M'Lady."

As he said this Noah opened the door to his office and gestured Alex to follow him out. Once she would Noah would lead her down the hall to a few doors to a nondescript door. The door opened into a small room that was fifteen by fifteen meters. In one corner you had a few weight lifting machines and a pull up bar, another corner held a rack of dumbbells and the last held a punching bag. Laid out in the center was a sparring mat and nearby on the wall were a couple sets of head protection and gloves. Noah turned and smiled. "What do you think?"

 

[Noah Corek]

Double Post!

 

[Alexandra Feanor]

[member="Noah Corek"]

Alexandra's hands moved behind her, stretching as the man led her through the halls and smiling any time someone passed her and did had to blink and look again. After all there was someone who did not fit the look of an enlisted or officer walking through the halls of a special operations command with the General. She knew it looked odd for the long time members of the republic, seeing their commander leading a random woman through the halls on what seemed to be a tour but no one would speak up to question it.

She could tell Noah was distracted though, watching the man who was mostly quiet for the walk and not really registering the world around himself and instead just walking with a mission to get to his little Gym. The disconnect made Alexandra raise a brow and look on at the man with curiosity to the point that she almost wanted to probe his mind.

When they got to the door, he said something that actually got a reaction out of her and without hesitation he would receive a quick strike to his shoulder as she walked past, a grin touching her lips.

"Try not to call me that Corek, I think you will find I am no lady, and instead something very different." She said, her feet shuffling into the room and looking around as she let a breath out.

It was then that she saw the gym and couldn't help but already stretching again and cracking her knuckles. She was ready to get into this and get down to it after seeing the mats. There was something sparking inside her as her heart picked up and she lost the robes in a second, leaving her in just the tunic and trousers in mere seconds. She wanted to get right down to it to the point where she stepped right onto the mat and turned, ready to go. She didn't think of grabbing any gloves or head protection, not even registering that such things existed after so long of not needing them.

"Ready when you are old man."

 

[Noah Corek]

[member="Alexandra Feanor"]

Noah chuckled when he felt Alex's fist hit his shoulder. He gave her a sideways glance when she spoke. "Of course not. T'was but a joke....m'lady." Once he said this he walked to the corner of the room and stripped himself of his fatigues jacket. Once his jacket was off he decided to give Alex something to look at. Underneath the fatigues jacket was something you'd expect from a man like him: a blast vest and two holsters, each holster had a pistol in it.

Stripping his vest off he laid it on a nearby bench. Pulling his holsters off as well he made sure they were on safe and laid them down on top of the holsters. Now it was time for the show. Reaching for the him of his undershirt Noah pulled the dark grey shirt over his head and exposed his torso. A few things would catch Alex's eyes right away. The mass of scar tissue on his right pectoral followed by the Omega Pyre tattoo on his right shoulder and the Republic Special Forces tattoo on his left shoulder were pretty tame in comparison to the most obvious feature. Six hundred and seventy-one tally marks going from the top of his left pectoral going all the way down to his the middle of his ribcage. There was a story behind it if Alex were to ask.

Stretching and cracking the muscles and bones in his body Noah turned and raised an eyebrow when Alex called him an old man. "Aren't you older than me chronologically?" Noah asked as he took up a Noghri Stava martial arts stance. "Well anyways beauty before age." With this Noah raised his hand and beckoned Alex in a 'bring it on' motion with his index and middle fingers.