The Colludia system was a busy place.  Starships – both vessels of the Fourth Fleet and civilian transports – mingled with shuttles and runabouts across the system, weaving in and out past each other in planetary orbits and through the Scatter.  Orange-ish light glinted off of hulls of myriad hues as bussard collectors and plasma coils glowed, creating a kaleidoscope of color and motion with their carefully-choreographed movements.  Here and there, flashes of light heralded arrivals and departures as craft of various sizes either dropped out of warp on arrival or jumped away with their duties complete.

On the outskirts of the system, one of these flashes resolved itself into the compact form of a Steamrunner-class starship as USS Appalachia slowed to impulse, banking as she turned deeper into the system.  Bathed in the orange glow of Colludia’s K2-type star, her grey hull took on an almost burnt sienna hue, contrasted by the charred black of carbon scoring from battle damage suffered during her last assignment to give her something like a tortoise-shell appearance, albeit in not as concentrated a pattern.  To some she might have looked tired, but to her crew – and to those who truly knew the ship herself – she was worn yet still proud, and for some of those who had seen a number of more pristine vessels coming and going the sight of the roughed-up light cruiser coming in with her metaphorical head held high was a stirring sight.

Wending her way through the thickening traffic – and the Scatter, the system’s asteroid belt – Appalachia steadily closed on her destination, the deep blue marble that was Colludia II.  As she closed in on orbit, an eagerness flowed through her crew as the shore leave which they’d all been eagerly awaiting finally arrived.  Across her decks, officers and enlisted personnel alike moved about, those off-duty packing bags and finalizing plans while those at their stations looked forward to their own chance to beam down.

Commander K’lev was off duty, in his cabin on deck 4.  The Orion officer seemed to be halfway through changing either out of his uniform or into a fresh one, wearing pants but no shirt or shoes as yet.  A duffel bag sat next to a PADD on his bed, mostly – well, partially – packed, an assortment of shirts, shorts, pants, and other clothing semi-haphazardly tossed inside.  Midway through pulling on a shirt, the intercom suddenly sounded.  “Bridge to K’lev,” came the voice of the officer of the deck.

“What’s up?” K’lev replied.

“We’ll be entering orbit in a few minutes, sir,” the officer replied.  “We’ve already been cleared to begin beaming down when ready, and the repair team is standing by to take over up here.”

K’lev nodded, looking somewhat wistfully at a comfortable, casual shirt.  Not yet, he thought to himself, beam down and check in first, right?  He picked up a regulation undershirt and pulled it on, his voice coming slightly muffled through the fabric.  “Sounds good!  Give the repair team – and the traffic controllers – our compliments, and inform the controllers that we’ll begin beaming down after we enter orbit.”

“Yes, sir,” the officer of the deck replied.  “Bridge out.”  With that, the channel closed.

K’lev grabbed a uniform tunic, pulling it on but leaving it open; that way, he could say he was in uniform if he had to, while still starting to get comfortable already.  Finishing packing in short order – mostly just clothing in the duffel, as anything else he needed he could probably get planetside in a pinch, though the bag did make a slight clinking sound that suggested he’d put some sort of glassware in there as well – he zipped up the duffel, then slung it over one shoulder.  Crossing to the door, which swished open at his approach, he stopped in the threshold and turned around, looking back at his quarters for a moment.  He sighed, smiled, then left the room, doors sliding closed behind him with a faint hiss.

Walking casually through the ship’s corridors towards the turbolift, K’lev could see his crew moving about, packing bags and checking plans, as excited conversations carried through hallways and emanated from compartments.  The eager cacophony brought a smile to his face; Appalachia had been fairly busy these last few months and had only had minor breaks for post-mission repairs, and it did his heart good to see the crew in such good spirits.  His steps soon brought him to the turbolift, the car arriving just a few moments after he summoned it.

As most of the crew quarters were on decks five and six, and the transporter rooms on deck 3, when the doors swished open they revealed a lift car with four members of the crew inside, mostly enlisted personnel, all in excited conversation and carrying various bags.  That conversation petered out awkwardly as the quartet looked up and discovered themselves face to face with their captain.  Stepping in, K’lev looked around at them with a smile.  “Hope you’ve all got some fun plans for leave!” he said.  “You’ve certainly more than earned it.”

The four looked at each other in surprise and mild embarrassment as the doors slid closed, then one – a Risian crewman from Appalachia’s science department – spoke up.  “I’ve – well, we’ve – been thinking of trying to get cabins on an island cruise,” he said.

K’lev’s smile widened.  “Y’know, from what I’ve heard those are a lot of fun!   If you do take one, I’d love to know how it goes.”

The crewmen seemed to relax some at that, their postures easing, as the Risian nodded.  “We’ll let you know!” he replied, pausing a moment before hesitantly continuing.  “If I may, sir, do you have any plans?”

K’lev chuckled.  “Nah, not really,” he answered.  It wasn’t a complete truth; he and Lotharys were planning a date day – or weekend – sometime during leave, but they hadn’t yet decided what exactly they would do.  “Bare minimum, some swimming, maybe catch a show or two, visit a bar or three… y’know, the usual stuff,” he finished, his chuckle graduating to a laugh.

The lift’s arrival at deck three forestalled any further conversation.  Its doors swished open and the five figures departed, K’lev splitting off towards transporter room one and the four crewmen headed for transporter room two.  The corridors of deck three were rather busier, with several groups of crew moving about as they mingled, chatted, and awaited their turns on the transporter pads.  As he walked, K’lev first passed a trio of engineers one-upping each other about the fish that they each planned to catch.  Next, it was a duo – a shuttle maintenance technician and one of the staff from forward weapons control – checking each other’s bags, where a number of tubes of pigment could be seen.

The third group he found, just outside of transporter room one, was composed of the rest of his senior staff.  Most of them were in either casual attire or very informally-worn uniforms; only CPO Levasseur was actually fully in uniform.  Interestingly, K’lev noted, the chief was also the only one without a bag.  “Hey!” he called as he came up the corridor to join them.  “How’re we looking?  Everything ready?”

Levasseur nodded.  “Yes, sir,” he replied, offering K’lev a PADD.  “Transport schedules have been sent to all personnel, and the first groups are gathering now.  The repair team will come aboard first, then we begin to beam down.”

K’lev took the PADD, skimming it quickly before handing it back.  “Sounds good to me,” he answered, then looked Levasseur over.  “You not coming?  Or’re you beaming down later?”

“With all due respect, sir, I would rather stay aboard,” the chief returned.  “I tend to prefer quieter leave, and someone has to keep watch on the repair team.”

Lieutenant Ghimir spoke up next.  “Please make sure you do take some time for yourself, Chief; none of us can keep going forever.”

K’lev nodded in agreement, tapping the side of his nose with one finger.  “Couldn’t’a said it better, Teles,” he said, then turned back to Levasseur.  “Even if it’s holonovels or something, make sure you get some rest in, Chief.  If it helps, consider it an order,” he finished with a laugh, his words drawing raised eyebrows and an agreeing expression from the Cardassian ship’s counselor.

“Yes, sir,” Levasseur replied, tucking the PADD back under his arm.  “If there’s nothing else, then I will wish you a pleasant leave, sirs, and will update you if anything happens.”

K’lev sighed; Levasseur was ever the formalist.  “No, that’ll be all.  See you in a month!”

The chief petty officer nodded, then turned and retreated back down the corridor, leaving the ten officers standing in a bit of a clump.  “Everyone ready for our much-needed break?” K’lev asked.

A series of nods made their way around the group, just as the transporter room door opened and the first group of seven engineers, followed by the on-duty transporter operator, stepped out into the corridor.  “We’re ready to start beaming down,” she announced.

K’lev motioned for his other officers to go first, he and Lieutenant Commander Lotharys – along with Lieutenant Commander Pelix – would beam down with the second group.  They picked up their bags, then began trooping into the transporter room, where the other seven took their places atop the platform.  As a hum filled the room and they dematerialized in a wash of yellow-white energy, K’lev felt Lotharys’s fingers enmesh with his, and the couple leaned gently into each other.  “I needed this,” she whispered, loud enough that only he could hear.

K’lev nodded in agreement.  “Me too,” he whispered back.  “No responsibilities for a whole month… sounds perfect.”

Another hum and glow filled the room as the next group of repair personnel beamed aboard, then the operator motioned for the second group to step up onto the platform.  The needs of transportation necessitated that K’lev and Lotharys’s fingers needed to disentangle, but the touch lingered for a moment before they had to step onto their respective pads.  When all were in place, the operator engaged the transporter, beaming them down to Colludia II.

The group rematerialized on a transporter platform in a well-appointed stone-walled room, open to take advantage of the natural light and the constant sea breeze.  Stepping down, the group split up, the three officers rejoining their seven colleagues from the first group while the four other members of the crew went off about the beginnings of their own adventures.  As the ten meandered towards the concierge and check-in area, their eyes could not help but look around, taking in the first impressions of the resort.

On the whole, one could not help but feel relaxed as one considered the resort.  The sea air brought a light saltiness to the breezes that flowed through the more open areas, cooling sun-baked stone and skin alike.  The sunlight itself was a bit more orange, given the star Colludia itself, which bestowed at least a shade of that hue onto every surface it touched, but accordingly efforts had been made to ensure that the decor complimented the sunlight instead of clashing with it.  Banners hung from colonnades and railings, welcoming guests to the resort and advertising some of its amenities and experiences.  A pop-up bar was going steady business against one wall while a small band played ambient music against another one, and guests – both Starfleet personnel and civilians – walked to and fro, carrying drinks and souvenirs and any other number of things.

Walking up to the concierge desk, K’lev and his officers did not have to wait long before one of the staff turned to them.  “Hello, and welcome!  How can I help you?”

With K’lev himself mildly distracted by the band, Lotharys spoke up.  “We’re from the USS Appalachia, checking in,” she replied, subtly nudging K’lev with one elbow to get his attention back.

The concierge quickly consulted their console.  “Ah!  Yes, I see it here,” they replied.  “Let’s get you checked in, shall we?”

The check-in process itself was simple and incredibly straightforward, amounting to little more than giving their names and getting access codes for their rooms.  The ten then made their way to their rooms, to unpack and settle in before shore leave could truly begin.