Last evening was much more eventful than I had planned.

The beginning of the evening was promising enough; the food was excellent, and the team seemed to be enjoying themselves. I managed to get a few words in with Damaria, and I hope my words helped smooth things over. I resisted the temptation to lecture - my father always said you can either be right, or you can be happy - and I think the conversation ended well. I told her my plan to tell about my force powers, and I was hoping she would agree to read the team's emotions; I know the power can be somewhat misleading, but if she had, perhaps we could have caught Fox's condition sooner… thankfully it turned out alright.

Via interrupted us; she has certainly been making me increasingly uncomfortable. I cannot really tell if she is flirting, or if her actions are just cultural quirks. She was trying to ply me with drinks and was rather intoxicatingly close to me for much of the evening. I need to have a talk with her soon - it is distracting to me at least.

I gave my prepared speech to the team, and while some, like Sprend, were obviously relieved we finally brought up the issue of the Force (and after our hunting trip I am fairly certain he already knew), others like Dash seemed to not catch on at all. Not his fault - Imperial education and all.

Damaria also shared about her powers, and I was hoping we could all have a discussion to make sure everyone was comfortable and could ask questions they might have, when Fox got up, moved to the door, and collapsed. We rushed over and determined it was poison, so Dash and I sped out to the grey market clinic in the slums while the others tried to stabilize him.

It looked like we did not have much time - Fox was convulsing, and the team sprang into action. I was proud of the way we worked together. This may have been a real turning point.

It turned out quite well; we met a couple of doctors - Spanar from the grey market clinic, and an interesting Neimoidian named Merlyn. The best part is that he has joined our team - he was very willing to fight against the Empire, and alongside Sprend, his “cousin.” He had discovered an ancient facility, and after some excavation and spelunking this morning, we managed to find a connecting tunnel to the Safehouse… most impressive. This will help our cause immensely. My research into ancient Balmorra definitely came in handy.

Jumper, the captured ISB guard, was another pleasant surprise. I need to speak with him further, but he also seemed very willing to help us, since he has also been spending a lot of time in the tunnels with Sprend and the Takkas. I suppose their propaganda has been working on our prisoner - I do hope that this shows the others that we actually can fight the Imps effectively without resorting to their brute tactics!

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Today we spoke with Brown Fox, and while he was weak, he seemed to be in good spirits. And very grateful. He mentioned that he had tried to sell some intel on Sabik - I *hope* that is who poisoned him; an identified enemy is safer than the unknown.

We also finally had a real conversation with the Jedi, Lo-den Xenrad. He is in rough shape, and has aged a lot since we first rescued him. He is clearly strong in the Force, and while I do not trust in the Jedi traditions and some of their philosophies, I accepted his offer to teach us.

We also managed to open that locked chest, and inside were fascinating crystals that appeared valuable, along with “Master” Xenrad's gear. We should study them further - there are so many things about the Force I do not understand.

On the dark side, upon opening the chest, a signal of some sort went off - I could not tell if it was hyperspace-capable or just a local emitter; in any case, if anyone was paying attention, we may be getting more attention. We will definitely need Xenrad's training immediately. And this time they will not be sending a mere trainee Inquisitor like Circe…

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Later this afternoon, I also had a good conversation with Dash at a Bistro down by the Imperial Centre. Not an easy one, but an important one. I hope he gets those feelings out onto a secured journal before the boy explodes. Baron Telmarr happened upon us; he was impressed with Dash, and offered to give him his old (unused and in mint condition) sidecar in exchange for doing some odd jobs and errands. Dash jumped at the chance - I am glad they are getting hooked up. Telmarr can put anyone at ease and put a positive spin on anything!

I had a little training time with Xenrad again. He took me through some meditation techniques, discussed some basic Force principles, and wanted to know my thoughts on my abilities. He seems nice enough, and certainly patient.

Purchase: “The Force is My Ally” - once per session, perform Force Ability as a manuever

More paperwork this afternoon - another round of drafting re-writes for the upcoming legislation around Bin Prime security. I have deep concerns about the direction the director is taking.

This evening I was commed by Via. She wanted to meet me surreptitiously by the Assembly; she said she was being monitored by Agent 63 and wanted to stay away from my estate - fine by me. I suggested a dessert parlor - “66” is a great spot for Chantilly Crème, and that went over well. After a lot of small talk - I discovered her father was actually a bounty hunter, and that is how she became connected to the Merr-Sonn family. It sounds like she spent a lot of time with him, and is trying to make him proud. She didn't know his current location, but is likely on the lower levels of Coruscant, where the danger is.

Her main reason for calling me over, though, is her concern for Brown Fox. She had visited him earlier today, and she is convinced that the incident was not an accident or an assassination attempt. Her theory is that Fox wanted to test us, to discover where our loyalties lay. It seems far-fetched to me, that Fox was willing to commit suicide. She wanted me to get Damaria to search his thoughts, that he basically asked Via to start an investigation - “an almost sub-conscious call for help.”

She was not pleased that I disagreed with her; honestly I think it is something that a Zeltron might do, but I will speak to Fox and see if I can get a sense of where he is at. And I have a feeling Damaria will refuse anyway - she seems reluctant to use her powers on the team. I sometimes think it would be nice if she did - some thoughts I wish I could say out loud; of course, if she tried at the wrong time, she might get a wrong impression.

In any case, I may be a misguided idealist, but I will try my preferred route. I shall have a talk with Fox myself.

I spoke with Fox today. I thought I would bring him a treat, but I am not sure the Candied Jerky went over well. Maybe Kor'al's species database was out of date. In any case, we had a good, direct talk, I think. He certainly did not seem suicidal. Driven and focused, perhaps - I spoke to Compatriot after and she is sure it has to do with his family. Our agent there has been out of contact for a week now, and Compatriot is concerned about a possible crackdown coming within the month. Of course, the Imperials are very touchy right now about everything. Something big is brewing, they say.

Anyway, Fox is grateful, of that I am sure. And I think he authentically enjoys being a part of this family, and that is enough for me. We are Rebels - none of us are perfect or unbroken. Maybe we gain strength if we accept that. The entire galaxy is broken - and it is up to us to try to heal this small part of it.