Colt

After Niilah left, Colt sat alone in the rain for what seemed like hours. He needed the time away from everyone to collect his thoughts, to try and make it so he had his walls up when he went back inside. Without Niilah ever saying it, he was running off the assumption that her daughter had also been given her... talents. And he knew that there was a lot of things rattling around in his head that he didn't want his daughter seeing. For obvious reasons. Eventually he calmed down enough to bring up his mental defenses and by this time the rain had washed away all of the blood, leaving just a few obvious bruises on his face. Bruises that he would write off as either injuries from the fight or a... hard fall...

He found his way inside where Kenway was waiting for him. "Cousin.. did..." He had felt the seismic shift that was Colt's mental defenses imploding.

"We'll talk later cousin." Colt muttered a bit harshly before finding Niilah standing outside Khaalee's door. He noticed a trail of soup leading up to the door, obviously from the little girl. He looked at Niilah and smiled brightly. "Destructive and tempermental you said..." He mused quietly. "Wish she hadn't gotten those traits from dad." He tried to say, but he couldn't sound any prouder of Khaalee if he tried.

It seemed like an eternity before Colt was able to pull himself together enough to speak. Even then, it was very clear that he was still reeling. Not only had he just gone through over a decade worth of his own pain as well as three years of Niilah's own, he found himself unable to repair his mental defenses. He simply didn't have the strength of mind or the emotional focus to do so. Sighing, he finally sat up and said, "I'm leaking more fluids than a shot up hyperdrive right now." Even in such a serious situation, he couldn't resist making a joke.

And then things turned serious again. He reached over and took Niilah's hand softly in his. With his free arm he wiped the blood and tears off of his face so he didn't look quite so horrid. "I'm the one who should be sorry... I can't even lie and say I had no idea... but I..." He trailed off, once again sighing deeply. "I have no idea what you saw just now but I'm sure that there were things there that you didn't want to see and things I never would have wanted you to see... for that I am truly sorry." The regret was clear in his voice. "I'll answer anything you ask about anything you saw... but I feel as if that might be best as a later conversation."

Colt just let her hit him over and over again, ignoring the pain that was threatening to knock him out. He did his best to block out the memories she was driving into his skull, knowing he wouldn't be able to handle them. He tried his very best, but in the end, he simply couldn't hold off her mental assault. Each memory that she showed him stung a little more, each point where Niilah missed his presence... where Khaalee missed her father that she had never met... Eventually, even someone who was as cold, cynical and world-weary as Colt was after all the years spent fighting and killing without a soul or much of a reason to live... eventually even Colt Gamble had a breaking point.

It had been nearly fifteen years since he had lost his wife, nearly lost the only other woman he loved... and through his own sins caused himself to miss three years of his young daughter's life. And for the first time in these fifteen years, he finally broke down. Opening his eyes, he looked at Niilah, a single tear slowly sliding down his bloodstained cheek. "Niils... I..." He tried his best to keep it together. But instead two things happened. The first was that he began to sob, the emotions that he had suppressed for over a decade finally coming to the surface. The second was that unlike Niilah's choice to bombard Colt with memories, the gunfighter instead unintentionally did so. The mental blocks that he had put up using his abilities in Teras Kasi combined with his wife's teachings came crashing down.

As Colt continued to sob quietly, the tears mixing with the blood on his face, Niilah would be bombarded with memories of all kinds, things she had always wanted to know, things she never would have wanted to know. But most importantly, she would finally get to see the truth of the matter. The truth that Colt had missed her every single one of those three years that he was gone, thought about her every day, thought about the daughter he had never met, never seen. And she would be able to see why Colt had left, that it was the hardest decision to make. She would see vividly as he killed his wife with a single gunshot due to her request to go out on her own terms due to the torture she had suffered at the hands of a Sith lord, she would see Colt get every single member of his squadron killed in an attempt to rescue his dead wife. She would see his dalliances with past lovers, his abuses of stims, adrenals and all sorts of other substances to try and forget all he had lost. She would see all of the crimes he had committed, men he had killed. And finally, the last lingering images she would see were images of him watching over her and Khaalee from the shadows, not wanting to approach due to the fact he feared the monster inside himself. He hated the man he had become, the depths to which he had fallen. And he had wanted his daughter, and Niilah herself to avoid the fate that had befallen everyone else Colt had ever loved, a tragic and untimely death.

Colt took a deep breath as he felt and heard Niilah charge him. He didn't want to open his eyes because he feared if he did he would react to the attack that was coming. And if he reacted... he had no doubts in his mind that he would inadvertently hurt her, something that he wouldn't allow himself to do. He heard her light footfalls, her deep breaths, the shift in her weight... the swing was coming.

And then it hit like a cannonball. He felt her fist strike his jaw. Involuntarily, he staggered back a few steps as he felt the blood begin to fill his mouth. He knew that she was very capable in a fight, but he had no idea that she could hit that hard. He'd sparred with multiple Jedi Masters in his life... and that was still probably the hardest punch he'd ever taken. Even so, he didn't open his eyes nor put up any sort of defense. He simply turned his head slightly to the side and spit out a mouthful of his blood. He felt lightheaded due to the blood he had lost from the lightsaber wound earlier and taking a blow to the head like he had just taken wasn't helping.

Colt had been punch-drunk like this before in the past... but never in a situation like this. Never in a situation where he could not fight back. There was no way out except to take the blows and hope she didn't kill him.

“Put her and your weapons down and meet me outside. I’m about to kick your ass” Hearing these words as a sweet whisper was haunting. Colt remembered when hearing a woman whisper in his ear meant other things, not an impending beating. But he couldn't say that he was surprised; he knew that something like this was coming as part of the price for returning. He watched Niilah leave and picked his daughter up once more, bringing her to Larial and Kenway and Kenlar. "Auntie Larial is going to feed you dinner." He told his young daughter. "Daddy will be right back okay?" He promised, punctuating that promise with a light kiss on his daughter's forehead. Not wanting to delay the inevitable, he quickly ducked into Niilah's room. Even with what was about to happen to him, he chuckled at seeing her collection of weapons on the bed.

In a gesture that some would see as poetic, Colt did the same. First his twin modified blasters were removed gently from their holsters and placed tenderly on the bed. Then the two vibroblades that he kept in his boots. Then the holdout blaster that was usually hidden in his left boot. After that he unholstered his scattergun off of his back and placed it next to his blasters. Last but not least, he drew two throwing blades from shoulder holsters and placed them onto the nightstand beside the bed. Sighing, he looked at the armory he had just put down and took a moment to make sure that was everything. Satisfied that it was, he tossed his bloody trenchcoat off onto a nearby chair, so he was just wearing the tight black t-shirt that Niilah had let him borrow, black pants and his worn black leather combat boots, stripped of all their weapons.

Making sure that no one saw him, he made his way outside to meet his fate. "Do what you must." He said quietly as he looked at Niilah. He smiled faintly. "There are worse fates than this I suppose." He whispered mostly to himself, closing his eyes. It was very apparent that he wasn't going to fight back or even attempt to defend himself.

His daughter's words did nothing but make him smile however. "Your dad is always in trouble." He said with a smile. "And I'm sure Mommy is planning just how to get me in the kitchen." He added as an afterthought as he allowed Khaalee to pinch his cheeks. He didn't think anything of the conflict with Niilah that was sure to come. He still loved her, but he completely understood why she would likely never take him back. As long as she let him see his daughter, he would be happy.

Kenway watched his cousin from the doorway with a faint smile on his face. The Jedi Master knew exactly the last time he had seen such unbridled, unreserved joy in Colt's eyes. It had been almost fifteen years at this point, back when he was still a major, still went by Artemis Cantarus and back when Kenway's master and teacher was still alive. Knowing his cousin, Kenway just muttered a silent prayer that Colt would finally catch a break and he could find peace after all this time.

"He's fine." Kenway said quietly, answering Larial's non-verbal query. "Single saber wound to the chest but he's been through so much worse. Sure he told Niilah that it was just a scratch." He quipped, grinning at the thought.

Colt was considering what to say to Niilah about the sith that had attacked him when Khaalee barreled in and demanded that he pick her up. It was becoming a problem that he simply couldn't say no to his daughter, but that wasn't something to consider right away. So he did exactly what he asked and picked the little girl up, his emerald eyes shining brighter than ever with the happiness that came from finally getting to know his little girl. He knew that he had to tell Niilah the truth but he also knew that admitting that his demons had put her daughter in danger meant that he would probably not to get to see either of them again for a long time. Knowing that was a conversation not to have in the presence of the little girl, he caught Niilah's eyes and mouthed 'We'll talk later.' before turning his attention to his daughter once more.

Colt did as instructed, not saying much until he could speak without his daughter hearing. "Give Daddy and Mommy a minute sweetie!" Colt shouted from the fresher. He looked at Niilah and spoke once more, softer this time. "I'm fine. Just a scratch." He did his best to reassure her. "Suppose that's the price for facing down three Sith." He chuckled softly as to not cause himself any more pain. "Larial is going to be okay. Kenny is treating her now." He explained. "I can get the blood off. Just wanted the little one to see I was okay " He smiled brightly at this.

Knowing that Kenway would take care of Larial, Colt sat down to worry about his own injuries, already forgetting about the man he just gunned down. Acting quickly, he reached into the pocket of his white trenchcoat, now coated in blood from his chest wound, and pulled out two vials. Not hesitating in the slightest, he injected himself with both. The first was pure kolto and the second was a second batch of kolto mixed with a powerful adrenal. Feeling better, he went to work bandaging up his wound with what he had, which was his black undershirt. Peeling it off, he sighed at the scars that covered his torso, scars that he would never be able to forget. Using the tattered remains of his shirt, Colt managed to bandage himself up. 

He realized that his daughter was probably worried about him, so without a second thought he made his way back to Niilah's house. Appearing in the door way, he did his best to smile through the pain. "Where's my baby girl?" He asked, waiting for Khaalee to see that he was okay.

Back outside, Kenway had managed to treat Larial's wounds as well as wake her up. "You're okay." He said quietly.

Feeling the last bits of lightning flow through him and out of his system, Colt walked slowly over to the downed Sith and drew one of his trusted pistols. "Must say that's the first time I've heard that." He mused about being called a terrible shot. And then the anger returned.

"Why come now. After all this time. I had dropped off the map. I was finished." Colt sighed, realizing now that he would never be finished after all that he had done. "All you've managed to do is put those girls in danger. I've been doing this too damn long to lose to them." He sighed once more as he aimed the pistol straight between the Sith's eyes. "Having one of my own, I am truly sorry for what happened to your daughter. Whatever I did." Colt said softly before pulling the trigger.

The fact the man had been quick enough to prevent both blows from being fatal didn't completely catch Colt off guard. He was Sith after all, it would take more than one single attack, no matter how quick and effective, to take him down. Landing gracefully just a couple of feet away, Colt spun to face his foe, the lone vibroblade in his right hand now. The Sith's words were colder than ice, they struck powerfully. And Colt felt something, something he hadn't felt in years. Fear. Not for himself, but for his daughter, for Niilah, for Kenway and Kenlar. He knew what he had to do now.

"I know this." Colt said quietly, watching the lightning emit from the sith's hand. It struck him directly in the chest, the gunfighter not having bothered to move. He felt the electricity crackle in his veins. The pain was something else, and yet... it wasn't nearly the worst thing he had ever felt in his life. The life the captain had led had caused him such pain, scarred his body so, the lightning was painful for him and yet not painful at all. Slowed by the lightning coursing over his entire body, Colt gradually reached back to his shoulder holster and drew his scattergun. "Your anger. Your violence. Your hate... you have sealed the fate of those girls. I now have no choice but to hunt them down and kill them like animals." Colt hissed as he brought the scattergun down and fired a single blast at the Sith's chest.

All thoughts about his cousin were forgotten as Kenway reacted to the force push and caught himself, only to see Larial go down. He rushed to her side and quickly began first aid. He wasn't great at it, but he knew enough to make his priority stopping the bleeding.

Colt was caught off guard and the first swing caught his chest. It was a grazing wound, nothing near fatal, but it ripped a nasty gash through his jacket, shirt and skin. Blood began to gush out, but the gunfighter wasn't slowed, as it was just one more scar to add to the tally. The Sith's attack continued but Colt simply began to bob and weave, dodging each strike after the first. The other man's tactical approach meant that Colt was struggling to find an opening to strike with his twin vibroblades. And then he saw it. The slightest bit of a chance. After a powerful strike from the Sith missed, Colt leaped into the air and struck like a cobra; the blade in his right hand aimed right for the Sith's heart and the blade in his left slashing at his throat. It was a clear attempt at a single killing blow. 

Kenway, having leaped to Colt's side after Niilah took the children off of his hands, spoke first. "We let them leave peacefully. There is no need for any more violence today." 

Colt shook his head. "I can't allow them to live." He said quietly. "They came here for me. Revenge... I apparently killed their sister at some point." He admitted with a sigh. "But they know who I am, and they know now where my daughter is."

"You can take them away from this place." Kenway protested. He, as a Jedi Master, could not allow his cousin to kill in cold blood like he had a habit of doing.

"Weakness brought me here after all this time. Put my daughter in danger from the ghosts of the past." Colt shot back right away. "I cannot allow said ghosts to continue to hunt me. I cannot allow my transgressions to put my family in danger a second time." He hissed.

Kenway sighed, knowing that regardless of what he did, Colt was going to kill them all anyways. "Cousin..." He sighed deeply, trying to pick the right words to use. "Why do you always choose the nuclear option?"

"Because the last time I considered showing mercy I lost her cousin." Kenway, having heard the story before knew that Colt was talking about Tavalla, not Niilah. "I will not allow myself to repeat the same mistake."

Colt cocked his head to the side. The name meant nothing to him. The girls were right, the names bled together at this point. He pondered how the girl had died at this point. Blaster bolt? Vibroblade, Scattergun blast?

And then he heard another voice. "I can't let someone else kill you now can I." It was Larial. Which meant that Niilah was alright. A great sense of calm and serenity came over him at that.

"The way you say that makes me think that these girls might make my death less painful than you would." He quipped, mostly joking. Smiling right back, he slid his two pistols back into their holsters and drew his two vibroblades from their boot holsters. "Now girls, how did she die?" He asked curiously.

“We came looking for you Mr. Gamble, not for them.” This simple statement caught Colt off guard. He realized the mistake he had made; assuming that his past wouldn't come back to haunt him. The reason he had stayed away... and because the weakness that was sentimentality had drawn him back, mother and daughter were in terrible danger. Not only that, he had put his cousin and his cousin's young son, his nephew, in harm's way. A part of him considered suggesting that he would come quietly in exchange for his daughter's safety, but he knew that would be futile. His thoughts had allowed the girls to close to within melee range and they both swung their lightsabers in a quick attempt to kill him.

Time seemed to slow as he leaped backwards from the two blades, barely escaping the two pronged attack. All intent of playing nice was no gone and from the air he fired a barrage of bolts from both guns, each gun targetting one of the girls with well placed blaster shots at their chests and heads. "So which of my sins pissed y'all off?" He shouted, honestly curious as to what he had done this time.

Kenway felt the darkside corruption over take Larial and he sighed. He had thought they had cured that particular ill through training and meditation. Closing his eyes for a moment, his body began to surround itself with a pale gold aura, which was to have a soothing affect on both of the children he held in his arms. He also wanted to take a moment to consider the choice he had to make. Continue heading back towards Larial and Niilah or double back once more and head back towards his cousin?

Eventually, he chose to slowly double back once more towards Colt. It was the right choice to make in the end.

There was more of an invading force than Colt had expected. They were outnumbered and they had the children to protect. "Kenny. Take the kids. Double back behind me... I'll hold them off." Colt hissed at his cousin, handing Khaalee off to Kenway. He looked at his daughter and smiled gently. "Dad just has to take out the trash." He said gently to his daughter. "Uncle Kenny is going to play with you for a little while, but I'll be back shortly. And then we can fly." Colt promised before leaning in and kissing Khaalee gently on the forehead. "Don't look back, get the kids out of here." He instructed Kenway, who took off back the way they came, holding one child in each arm.

"Just out on a nice family stroll." Colt addressed the Sith for the first time. There was not a hint of fear in his voice as he stared down the trio of force users, holding his two pistols in hand. "As I'm in a good mood for the first time in an eternity, why don't we level with each other." He suggested to the male Sith. "You're here for my daughter and her mother. I'm here to make sure you fail." Colt gestured back towards the direction Kenway had taken the children with the pistol in his right hand. "Since I'd rather not traumatize my daughter, if you walk away I won't have to kill you." He offered even though he knew said offer was pointless. Sith didn't walk away from fights, especially not ones they figured would be easy victories. The gunfighter laughed; the trio of lightsaber wielders in front of him was about to make the last mistake of their lives.

On some level, Colt could tell that his daughter was taking advantage of his desire to make sure she liked him. He simply didn't care because of the guilt he felt for not being a part of the girl's life until now. She was clearly his, given her keen intellect regarding making sure her father spoiled her so.

"Yes very pretty." Colt said about the blaster. It was an antique work of art that he had modified, his twin blasters truly two of a kind. He allowed the girl to touch the cold steel, but not to grab. "But also very scary. Dad will teach you how to use one of these." Colt promised. That would be in the future, but Colt swore to himself that he would be the the one to teach his daughter all the things that his father was never around to do: how to fix things, how to slice locks, how to fly and how to shoot. Even if she was Force sensitive, his daughter was still going to learn how to shoot because it never hurt to have such a skill in case it was needed.

The quartet hurried towards Colt's ship, which was parked in a small clearing nearby.

To his credit, Colt didn't question the order even though he was the most experienced combatant they had. The wisdom of having him protect the children was something that made sense to him. He nodded, switching his daughter into one hand and motioning for Kenway to take his son.

"How would you like to see my ship?" He asked his daughter. "It's a big fast starship!"

Kenway took Kenlar firmly by the hand. "How would you like to see Uncle Artemis' ship? Maybe he'll even let you fly."

Before allowing either child to answer, the two men took them out the back door. Colt had drawn his trusty blaster in his free hand and Kenway was holding his unlit saber.

"Come on. My ship isn't far." Colt said quickly to his cousin. "We'll stow them safely and double back if need be." He suggested as they moved quickly away from the house.

Unlike what Niilah probably expected, Colt wasn't terribly shocked that his daughter was currently throwing a loud temper tantrum. This was due to the fact that he had been a brat as a child and that he had been a nightmare for his mother before she allowed him to work at his uncle's garage years and years ago. Hearing his daughter's pleas and looking into her eyes, he couldn't resist saying yes. "Okay, okay come on." He said quietly, following a bit behind Larial.

Kenway walked quietly beside his son, deep in thought.

Colt had heard the noise, but he didn't pay it any mind. He simply assumed that Niilah was making normal cooking noises, a rattled pot or a dropped utensil. The other reason he paid it no mind was because of his daughter barrelling into his legs and requesting to be picked up. A request he was more than happy to grant. "Of course sweetheart." He said lovingly, picking his daughter up and swinging her gently in the air. It was clear that he was already completely and madly in love with his baby girl, even after only knowing her for a few minutes.

Kenway however felt Niilah's distress. Unfortunately, he didn't pay it any mind because he assumed that it was related to Colt's sudden return. He couldn't blame her for conflicting emotions, for anger and pain and worry. After all, he surmised that Colt himself felt much the same way. But he couldn't know for sure because his cousin's mind had been a blank slate for years.

Colt said nothing, realizing that he should just let Niilah speak. There was a lot more that she needed to get off her chest, and he couldn't blame her for that. The fact that she was even allowing him in her home, allowing him to spend time with his daughter... that was more than he could have asked for, could have hoped for. He also realized that the two of them would have to take part in many long, serious and painful conversations about their time apart, their daughter and what it meant for the two of them and the people they were closest to... but for now, the captain was just happy that he would be able to forget about the world for awhile.

Nodding, he set the table as Niilah asked, not saying a word about it. When he was finished, he watched her cook for a moment. He could feel himself tearing up at all he had lost in his pursuit of revenge against the Empire. He had definitely lost the first love of his life, possibly the second, most of his sanity and the first years of his baby girl's life. He took a deep breath, steadying himself. He couldn't crack, not now. He wouldn't allow Niilah or anyone else to see him like this. He was supposed to be the survivor, the brave and unfazable warrior, the one who would go up against any odds with a smile and a wisecrack... he wasn't supposed to feel, wasn't supposed to be the weak one.

He quietly shuffled out of the room and went to find his daughter. Seeing her play with Kenway's son was theraputic, he couldn't help smiling at the scene.

"You alright?" The Jedi asked softly, making it so the kids wouldn't hear.

"I don't think she will ever forgive me and I have no right to expect it." Colt admitted quietly, sounding forlorn about the prospect. "But it seems as if she'll allow me to help raise my daughter... and that's all I can ask." The gunfighter smiled faintly. It was a victory for him, but a hollow one.

Niilah's words crushed him. Each milestone that he missed in his daughter's life, each little moment that he had missed, the fact that her first word was father, a man she didn't even know until today... he felt as if his heart was being crushed in a vice. It was almost as if he couldn't breathe, and Niilah's statement that he had no right to claim her... that cut deeper than anything else he had experienced in a long time. 

He barely processed the fact that she was crying about what had happened, about the fact that all he had done was run away when she needed him most. And the fact that she didn't believe him when he said that he wanted to be a good father, the father that Khaalee deserved... Colt could understand her skepticism but that didn't mean it wasn't just yet another emotional wound. 

"I went close to two years without a single drink." He said after watching Niilah down a rather large quantity of whiskey in a single gulp. "I know you probably don't want to hear this, but there's a reason I took this long to come back." Colt looked around, making sure that no one else was within earshot. "Getting pinched on what was supposed to be a routine job and stewing in Imperial prison gives a man a lot of time to think over his choices, to consider what he could have done differently to avoid that fate." He admitted. "It changes you... tries to break you... the only reason I'm even here talking to you is that they were foolish enough to try and move me when they found out I wasn't just a two-bit smuggler." Realizing that this was getting way off topic, he stopped talking about it. "I know I can't say I'm sorry nearly enough times to be forgiven for what I did, and quite frankly I don't expect it. But that girl in there..." Colt smiled faintly. "She wants her dad."

"How did you find me and what do you want?" The cold efficiency that Niilah was putting forth was hurting him, but he did his best not to show it. He realized that she didn't know why he had been gone for so long, why he hadn't been there in the past. He didn't want to tell her the truth, not yet. He knew she was in a fragile state given his sudden return into her life and Colt knew that if he told Niilah where he had been for the past two years a breakdown was very possible. 

"To answer your first question..." Colt also didn't want to admit the rather simple truth that he had placed a number of small tracking devices in her things before he had left all that time ago and it seemed as if she hadn't found all of them. "I have my methods, and you know that..." He went quiet for a moment, not wanting to address her second question; definitely the harder of the two. "As for what do I want..." He looked away from Niilah for a moment. Those red eyes of hers... he had always found them dazzling but now... with how cold they were, how... empty... he couldn't take it. Taking a deep breath, he turned back to her. "I don't want anything." He stated. "All I want is to be a part of our daughter's life." He was being completely honest now. "I realize what damage I've done regarding you and I and... if things could be what they once were... but I get why it is possible that cannot be." He looked down the hall where the children, Kenway and Larial were playing. "I've done a lot of terrible things... killed a lot of terrible people... but that little girl... that little girl is the one good thing I've put back into this galaxy." Colt said softly. "I'm done running, I'm done with my quest for revenge, it's over. All I want is to put down the guns, put down the vibroblades and be a dad, be the father that I never had."

Kenway was smiling brightly at the play of the two children. He wasn't surprised that Niilah and Colt's daughter was force sensitive. He knew that Khaallee's mother was actively Force sensitive and his former master had told him years ago about Colt's latent sensitivity. It was rather impressive that she had the level of control that she seemed to already have, given that the little girl didn't have a Jedi Master as a teacher. "Those aren't the exact words I used, but close enough." He told Larial as the kids picked up their sticks.

"Can you blame him?" Kenway asked quietly about his son's remark. Colt just smiled to show that no harm was done and no offense was taken. 

"Thank you sweetie." He said softly about his daughter's compliment regarding his name. "As is yours." He said happily. Her name did feel just right when he said it for the first time, something that filled him with pride and joy. Bringing Khaallee inside, he heard Niilah speak for the first time. The lack of any emotion in her voice put him on edge, he had expected anger but cold detachment... he had not foreseen that. "Go on Khaallee..." He said softly to the girl, putting her down as he requested.

Kenway realized what his assignment for the time being was going to be and as such he led the two young children away, toys in hand. As he left, he answered Niilah's question. "She needed a moment to... collect her thoughts." He answered honestly before allowing himself to go play with the younglings.

Once the trio was gone, he pulled up a chair and sat down. He knew that it was not his turn to speak, but to listen. "She's beautiful you know." Colt said quietly, not able to stop himself from expressing that small sentiment. "Just like her mother." He added softly, mostly to himself. The gunfighter was regretting the fact that, as per his custom, he was armed to the teeth. He wished he had been able to disarm himself before coming into Niilah's home. The tension of the situation was already high and anything to lessen that would have been nice.

If he were asked about it later, he would answer with complete honesty that the moment he caught his daughter in his arms was one of the best moments in his life. It took an incredible amount of self control not to completely lose it and burst into tears at being able to hold the little girl in his arms. Time seemed to stop, until Khaallee spoke again, introducing herself to him. "Achuta me Artemis. Artemis Cantarus." He said softly, willingly using his birth name for the first time in years. He couldn't bring himself to keep up the lies any more, the fake identities and the aliases, it had simply been too long. His thoughts were interrupted by him noticing that Niilah was bringing them somewhere else. "Come my oshi." He said softly, standing up and carrying his young daughter with ease. "Let's follow your mother."

Kenway couldn't help but smile at the fact that his son's Huttese was better than his Basic. Probably had something to do with his namesake (his middle name at least) given the fact that the Jedi himself couldn't speak a lick of the tongue. "Uma ji muna son." Kenway said quietly, smiling at the young boy. "We can fly later, but for now we should follow your new friend and Daddy's... daddy's oldest friend." It was clear that Kenway was also having trouble keeping his emotionless mask up at seeing Colt's reunion with his daughter.