Excerpts from private datalog

35:02:01 19:28

Interesting… the Baron has invited me to a banquet on the 4th, and I think I'm actually looking forward to it. It's for the government, so we'll both likely have to deal with some associates good & bad (fine, on my side, it'd be mostly bad at this point, but I don't have to let THEM know that). Still, it's a free dinner (worth more than usual, as I'm still waiting for my pension payment to come through), and the company should be… entertaining.

Oh! And apparently it's formal attire – THAT should be fun, time to dig into some of the fancier casino clothes. I wonder what Mr. Swift will think of that… and this time I won't have to worry about security droids or Sprend suggesting a “pat-down.”

35:02:05 07:45

“Interesting” didn't quite do justice to the banquet, it turned out. The Baron seemed a bit flummoxed when he first saw me (mission accomplished), but he recovered well and I enjoyed the proffered compliments. Still, it sounded as if he had more on his mind than a simple evening out… there was an undercurrent of nervousness about some of the guests that would be there (well-placed, as it turned out). Still, I was determined to make the most of the night off, and Swift seemed game as well.

The banquet was most impressive – beautiful mansion, stunning decorations, dazzling people, and succulent food. And Fyor'in Telmarr - now THAT was a curious fellow. An old friend of Swift's apparently, and quite the ladies' man. The perfect genial host for an evening like that - even more fun, that he seemed quite capable of embarrassing Swift. I'll have to try and talk with him more another time, I imagine he has quite a few stories to tell.

Less enjoyable was meeting Commander Larness, Imperial Head of Security for Bin Prime. Was I that arrogant and annoying? Stars, I hope not. And D'Gane on his arm to boot - another “secretary” on the other arm as well, but a quick probe at her showed she was as vacuous as she looked, nothing to worry about. D'Gane's presence worried me though… she's seemed trustworthy so far, but if she has the ear of Larness we could be in more trouble than thought if she's not.

Thankfully that encounter didn't last long, and then it was time for dancing. Another chance to surprise Swift; the expression that flashed across his face as I whispered in his ear and the Force washed over him & connected us was priceless. I just wish there were more chances for times like that, the pure joy of music and movement! I suppose that's in a way what we're fighting for though…

And as it tends to do, the joy stopped abruptly. Larness insisted on the next dance (hoping to score another pretty trophy, I'm sure), right as D'Gane ensnared the Baron. I suppressed the first reaction that came to mind and instead politely smiled and took Larness' hand.

He was, indeed, clearly trying to impress me, and it wasn't hard to get him talking about his importance and his work - especially given the whiff of Corellian ale that I caught off his breath. He droned on about how quickly he'd clean up Bin Prime, the wonder and power of the Empire, etc… shades of the same speech I've heard officers give hundreds of times. More interesting (and worrying) were the undercurrents I caught from the Force as I tried to catch his thoughts as he talked. An image of Swift tinged with traces of fear and frustration, hatred of non-humans like Telmarr in the goverment… then it got fuzzier. I think I caught a glimpse of some kind of old ground transport right as Larness talked about the plans he had in place… and then the faint afterglow of a red light, a vertical flame, and a sense of looming dread.

And then nothing, his mind closed like a trap as he snapped out of his revelry, an oily grin crossing his face as his hand dropped FAR lower down my back than I cared for. It took all my discipline to not stop and break that hand right there in the middle of the dance floor!

Thankfully the dance ended and Fyor'in was nearby… a quick curtsy and spin over got me away from Larness and into far more interesting conversation. It wasn't hard to catch the teasing innuendo Telmarr wove through his stories of Swift either, with pointed looks at me. Well… we'll see, Fyor'in. Life is complicated right now. All right, fine, it's pretty much ALWAYS complicated I think.

A few dances later I pardoned myself from Telmarr, as I'd noticed Swift was in some “trouble” with D'Gane and the other “secretary” (I'll admit, I let him stew in it for some time first… petty? Perhaps.) There was an INN reporter hounded him too - Renee Wazertiz, by the looks of it. He HAD gotten himself in a bit of a bind, with those three ladies hounding him in their own ways! A few sharp glances at D'Gane and a polite demurral towards Renee broke the spell, and we headed back to the dance floor to unwind.

The rest of the banquet was comparatively quiet, which was fine for both of us I think. I gave Swift the rundown of my encounter with Larness, apparently confirming some of his worries. Still, we managed to mostly enjoy the rest of the evening, and then took our leave of Telmarr's residence much later.

I'm not quite sure what came over me when we arrived outside my apartment… I'd chalk up the kissed to Swift's cheeks as a simple result of the intoxicating (literally, to some extent) evening and good company… but also admittedly a desire to tease the Baron a bit as well. And… well, I don't know if there's more or not. Like I already said… life's complicated.