Time Well Spent?

Posted on Thu Oct 1st, 2026 @ 2:04am by Enterprise Officer NPC & Lieutenant Amber Laurell & Lieutenant Joshua Silas

4,234 words; about a 21 minute read

Mission: 11. Recess
Location: Kecemen, Karemma
Timeline: 2439-10-21, 09:30

Josh was whistling softly as he came to a stop in front on Amber's door. They were going on shore leave and he was ready for it and he knew Amer was as well especially after her last mission where she and the rest of the away team had been sucked into a planet's past. It would be good for her to relax. He pressed the chime and waited. He knew Amber would want to shop and sight see. Maybe he could find a nice restaurant for them to spend a good meal together. he didn't know if there were beaches they could go to but perhaps there was a nice park where they could just enjoy the beauty of nature.

Amber had checked in on Aidan and Sherlock, happy that both were recovering. She smiled as she sensed Josh outside the door. “Come on in Josh!” She called, not needing the chime to announce his presence.

Josh chuckled at hearing Amber's voice. he had forgotten about the bond they shared. Entering the cabin he called out "Hi Amber! You ready for some shore leave and to just relax and unwind?"

“Am I ever! If there’s one thing being stuck in a boiling hot chamber will do for you, it’s give you a yearning for cool outdoor spaces!”

Josh nodded in agreement. "I heard that. I am just thankful you and the others were rescued and returned to the proper time period and none of you have any lasting injuries."

“We didn’t even know we were in another timeframe until we returned to the ship, all we knew was we needed to save that civilisation and ourselves.” Amber added with a smile.

"You all certainly did that." Josh replied. "You all should be very proud of what you were able accomplish with what you had to work with especially with a people that distrusted you."

“It took some work but we did it.” She smiled. “Anyway, let’s get off ship and enjoy ourselves for a while, I want to let loose!” Amber grinned. “If there’s one thing having a possible something in your brain will do, it gives you a zest for life!”

Josh chuckled at Amber's exuberance. "I heard that! I am ready to cut loose as well and have a shore leave to remember. Is there anything in particular you want to do once we reach the planet's surface?"

“I’ve no clue!” Amber grinned. “I guess we’ll just see what happens. Besides I definitely want some romantic time alone with you, I wonder if there’s any secluded places by the sea?”

Josh nodded, "We'll just play it by ear and see what comes along. As for some romantic time alone with you, I am all for that." Josh replied happily. "I'm sure we can find a secluded spot somewhere to enjoy each other's company."

Amber nodded. “In that case what are we waiting for? Let’s get going!”

Josh took her hand, his fingers going around hers. " Music to my ears!" he answered as a huge smile came to his face. "Time to get this party started."

~~ Planetside, a while later ~~

Amber stood looking around. “Any idea where to start?”

"Would you prefer to do some shopping or get something to eat first?" Josh inquired.

“Shopping, most definitely shopping!” Amber grinned. Truth be known she wanted to buy a special little piece of lingerie that she could wear as a surprise for Josh. That, and she wanted to buy a few other things as well.

"Then shopping it is." Josh agreed with a ready smile. Truth was he wanted to buy something for Amber to show her how much she meant to him. he just wasn't sure what but he would know when he saw it,

“Great!” Amber grinned. “You know me, I love to shop. Let’s go see what there is on offer shall we?”

Josh grinned, "I do know you and I know your love for shopping and spotting deals. So let's get started and see what we can find."

Heading to the nearest shopping area, Amber was in her element looking around all the local shops. Between souvenirs, local speciality shops, and clothing she eventually saw just what she wanted. “I’m just heading into this one Josh, be right back!”

Josh nodded, he chuckled at Amber's exuberance. "Sure thing Amber. I am not going to move from this spot." he assured her even as he looked around, his eyes searching for a eating establishment that they could both enjoy as well as maintaining a lookout for a special gift for Amber.

Popping into the shop she soon found what she wanted, that special piece of lingerie for evening wear that would make Josh’s eyes pop when he saw it. Once bought and wrapped up well so Josh wouldn’t see it she headed outside to him. “Have you seen anything you’d like?”

Josh smiled cryptically at her as he patted the small wooden box in his pocket. It held a proper engagement ring for Amber to wear. "I have and i already picket it up and you will see it soon enough." He teased.

“Oh really?” Amber gave him a curious look. “In that case I’ll look forward to seeing it. What would you like to do now?”

"Uh huh” Josh replied with a grin. "Don't worry. You will see it soon enough I promise you. As to what to do next, I'm open to suggestions. Do you want to get something to eat or do mre sight seeing, shopping?"

“How’s about we combine two of those? We get some food, then go find somewhere nice to sit and eat it?” Amber offered.

"Now that is an idea I can totally get behind. Let's go get some food and then we can find a nice place to eat and enjoy each other's company and the scenery as well."

A sharp, crisp throat-clearing sound came from directly behind them. Lieutenant Anzai Sulu stood two paces back, holding a PADD tightly against her chest. She was in full uniform, her sharp posture and intense gaze contrasting sharply with the relaxed, casual outfits around her.

"If you two are done planning your afternoon picnic, we actually have a schedule to keep," Anzai said briskly, her Betazoid empathic sensitivity picking up the heavy wave of fondness and unspoken romance radiating between them. She tapped the holodisplay of her PADD with aggressive efficiency, "Command assigned me to coordinate regional transport and site logistics for Operation Group Alpha. According to the preliminary survey brief, we have three commercial districts, two high-end dining venues, and a coastal botanical preserve to log before 1800 hours."

Anzai adjusted her grip on the PADD, her expression a mix of strict Starfleet duty and a subtle, lingering frustration at being tasked with chaperoning a couple on what amounted to a glorified date. "The local shuttle transport I secured is waiting at Sector 4. If we want to evaluate the coastal district's 'recreational suitability,' we need to depart now. Unless, of course, the Navigation Officer and Chief Counselor require a few more minutes to complete their personal shopping?"

Amber sighed. “Great! Just great!” She gave Josh an apologetic look. “Guess we eat later.”

Josh's smile stayed on his face though it had dimmed several megawatts at Sulu's statement. ""Lead the way Lieutenant Sulu. we're right behind you."

Anzai turned on her heel without waiting for them to catch up, her jaw set tight as a sharp wave of mutual annoyance radiated off the couple and spiked against her latent Betazoid senses. She hated this assignment. She was a stellar astrophysics specialist, having just wrapped up a rigorous five-year deep-space tour aboard the Mary Anning, and chaperoning senior officers on a romantic stroll while trying to execute a precise Starfleet survey was an absolute misuse of her qualifications.

"Believe me, I'm no more thrilled about this arrangement than you are," Anzai said over her shoulder, her voice dripping with icy professionalism as she set a brisk, unyielding pace toward the transit hub. "I had my own plans for shore leave today to spend eight uninterrupted hours analyzing stellar emission data from the system's primary star before the Commodore handed down these revised survey instructions and assigned me to be your third nacelle."

“Well if we get on with it we’ll have it done in no time and then we can all get back to enjoying our shoreleave.” Amber added with a smile.

"That assumes, Counselor, that every entry goes according to protocol," Anzai replied, her voice sharing a sharp edge. "I would prefer not to drag this out. As Commander Ransom once so bluntly pointed out during a similar assignment, Starfleet crews are statistically the least romantically committed officers in the quadrant, which means we lack actual married couples to handle 'couples-oriented' travel surveys properly. So, while you two play at being a makeshift couple for this itinerary, I am stuck serving as your unwanted third nacelle," she paused. "The mag-rail shuttle to the coastal district departs in thirty seconds. Boarding now ensures we stick to our strictly allocated fifteen minutes per venue without further delays."

“With all due respect Lieutenant, we’re professionals when on duty just as Starfleet requires us to be. Our personal lives take over when we’re not on duty.” Amber added. “You’re not a third nacelle now, you’re part of a team so let’s get on with it shall we?”

Josh walked beside Amber smiling broadly but otherwise keeping silent until he leaned towards Amber. "Is it okay to smile?" He asked half seriously.

Amber couldn’t help but giggle. Josh always knew how to make her smile. “There’s no harm in that, smile away.”

"Whew!" Josh answered wiping his forehead theatrically as his smile returned in full bloom.

Anzai closed her eyes for a brief, controlled second, taking a quiet, measured breath to push down the persistent buzz of ambient emotion pressing against her Betazoid senses. When she opened them, her expression remained disciplined, but the sharp, abrasive edge in her posture softened.

"Forgive me, Counselor," Anzai asked smoothly. "My intention is not to diminish your professionalism, or your time off, I just want our survey to be as efficient as possible so everyone can return to their preferred activities without delay." She adjusted her grip on the PADD, stepping aside to hold the shuttle's boarding access open for them with crisp, proper Starfleet protocol.

"The mag-rail shuttle departs in twenty seconds," Anzai added, offering a brief, formal nod. "After you, Lieutenant. Counselor. Let's clear Sector 4 so we can keep to the schedule."

Amber nodded. “Fair enough Lieutenant, we’ll get this done.”

Josh followed behind, "Right, Let's get this done."

Anzai paused as the shuttle smoothly glided onto the elevated rail track, her eyes flickering across the updated assignment parameters on her PADD. A faint, rare flush touched her cheeks as she realized Counselor Amber was leading the team to evaluate romantic venues for Starfleet couples.

"My apologies, Counselor," Anzai said, adjusting her posture with crisp, respectful professionalism. "I misread the command structure of this itinerary. As team lead evaluating couple-oriented locations, I defer to your direction." She tapped her PADD, displaying the map to Amber and Josh. "Sector 7 offers secluded beach pavilions, waterfront dining, and the botanical preserve. Lead the way."

Josh didn't say a word as Sulu admitted she had erred. He did however smile broadly as he waited for Amber's reply.

Amber smiled. “No offence taken Lieutenant, but thank you.”

"Thank you, Counselor," Anzai said quietly, her voice losing its sharp edge as her Betazoid empathic senses catching the genuine, unresentful warmth radiating from the Counselor. "I appreciate your patience. The mag-rail drops us directly at the Coastal Botanical Preserve, which features secluded walkways, native flora, and oceanfront pavilions... the highest-rated environment on the planetary list for couple-oriented leave. Transit time is four minutes," Anzai added with a brief, formal nod. "Once we arrive, I will survey the outer perimeter for lighting, security, and noise levels, allowing you two to evaluate the primary pavilion area without feeling monitored."

"Thanks mom!" Josh said with a smile.

“Sounds like this isn’t going to be that bad after all” Amber smiled warmly. “We’ll survey the area with both the viewpoint of a couple, and that of Starfleet officers doing their job.”

"Not bad at all." Josh agreed. "It will be interesting to see just what is available to couples."

“Indeed, it’s something we can then recommend to others if we find it suitable.” Amber added.

"Doing our part for the crew to relax and unwind." Josh added.

The lush, manicured pathways of the Coastal Botanical Preserve sloped gently toward the glittering turquoise sea, the air thick with the fragrant scent of native Karemman flora. Josh and Amber walked side by side along the stone path, their fingers still intertwined, enjoying the sudden quiet as the mag-rail shuttle hummed away in the distance. A few paces behind them, Lieutenant Anzai Sulu maintained a strict, vigilant escort posture, her eyes scanning the surrounding foliage while her PADD softly chirped as she logged environmental metrics.

"Lighting levels: optimal," Anzai murmured, tapping the screen with practiced speed. "Sub-surface ambient temperature: twenty-two degrees Celsius. Noise pollution from the commercial sector is down forty percent. Statistically speaking, this location meets all baseline metrics for..."

She cut herself off as her Betazoid empathic senses suddenly flared, catching an abrupt, sharp spike of anxiety, urgency, and sheer panic cutting through the calm, romantic atmosphere of the preserve. Before Josh or Amber could comment, a figure stepped rapidly out from behind a tall, flowering canopy ahead.

It was an Efrosian officer wearing the deep-red command shoulders of a Lieutenant Commander. His thick white mane and mustache were slightly unkempt, and his pale eyes darted nervously between the trees, the path behind him, and the three Enterprise officers.

"Starfleet... thank the Maker," the Efrosian breathed, his voice a harsh, rushed whisper as he closed the distance between them.

Amber’s senses had also caught the emotions as they flared. As the Efrosian appeared she stepped forward. “I’m Amber Laurell, Chief Counsellor of the USS Enterprise, how can we help you?”

"Commander K'Nera," the Efrosian replied quickly, his chest heaving as he cast a nervous glance over his shoulder. "Diplomatic attaché assigned to the U.S.S. John Kelly. I bypassed Captain Tazari's communications blackout to find you."

Anzai stepped forward, her hand instinctively hovering near her utility belt as her Betazoid senses picked up the rising wave of panic radiating from him. "How did you locate us, Commander? This survey route was secured."

"I pulled your away team telemetry from the orbital registry," K'Nera said urgently, stepping closer toward Amber and Josh. "Please... you have to listen. Captain Tazari is covering up a disaster. Three days ago, our senior diplomatic attaché, Lieutenant Commander Tharl ch'Rhirhr, was arrested in secret by the Karemma Ministry of Trade for the murder of a prominent Dosi merchant patriarch."

“What?” Amber looked at her companions. “We need to get this news to the ship, better still we need to get you to our ship where you’ll be safe. You can explain everything to Commodore Targaryen.”

"We need to get out of the open in case the commander was followed." Josh replied looking around the area to see if there was anything out of the ordinary. "Then get him to the Enterprise and the Commodore."

K'Nera shook his head frantically, his pale eyes wide with an edge of absolute paranoia as he glanced back into the shadows of the preserve. "No, going to the Enterprise directly is too dangerous; Tazari has sensors monitoring your ship and crew since the moment you dropped anchor! He's a Zakdorn, calculating every variable three moves ahead. If he detects an unscheduled beam-up from my exact location, he'll lock down the John Kelly's comms array and file formal diplomatic interference charges before we even reach Commodore Targaryen's office."

He thrust an encrypted Starfleet Isolinear Chip into Josh's hand, his fingers trembling slightly. "Tazari treats this whole murder as a tactical equation to be solved quietly, and he's willing to sacrifice Tharl to keep the Karemma treaty on track. Tharl is being held in a jail in Kecemen, awaiting the Grand Arbitration. If Tazari catches me talking to you, he’ll have me confined to quarters for 'breaching diplomatic protocol' before I can say another word."

"He's not exaggerating, Counselor," Anzai said as her Betazoid senses verified the overwhelming, unvarnished fear radiating off the Efrosian officer. "If Captain Tazari has already established an orbital communications blackout, any attempt to transport Commander K'Nera directly to the Enterprise will trigger a priority automated alert on the John Kelly's Bridge. We need to fall back to a public sector first, hide the chip, and route the message through a scrambled subspace relay."

K'Nera took a step back, melting into the dense foliage. "Take the data. Represent Tharl in the Arbitration before Tazari lets the Karemma trade him away!" With one final, anxious look around, the Efrosian slipped into the shadows and was gone.

“Right” Amber looked at her companions. “Let’s get back to the public sector and get that chip hidden. Then we’ll contact the ship. Anzai can we duplicate that information for safe keeping? Just incase anything happens to the chip?”

"I can't copy it," Anzai said, her voice dropping into a low, tense whisper as she typed on her PADD. "The chip is locked behind a high-level diplomatic security cipher with an active write-lock and quantum trace signature. If I attempt a local mirror or route the telemetry into a storage partition, it'll trigger an automated lockout and purge the drive contents entirely." She secured her PADD against her uniform jacket, "We have one shot with this drive, so we need to head directly toward the high-density transit corridors in Sector 4. The heavy civilian traffic will help mask our movement while I attempt to bypass the local blackout and send a scrambled, low-yield tactical ping directly to Enterprise."

"We need to get moving and get this to the Enterprise without delay." Josh pointed.

Anzai tapped her PADD, her jaw tightening as she brought up the sub-space channel diagnostics. A low, frustrated sigh escaped her lips when the screen flashed a persistent red signal-lock failure.

"The problem isn't just local to Sector 4," Anzai said, her Betazoid empathic senses picking up the sudden shift toward high-alert tension between Josh and Amber. "I'm running a wide-band sweep. Captain Tazari's blackout isn't just dampening orbital pings from the John Kelly... it's actively scrambling the planetary repeater arrays. Sub-space comms to the Enterprise are completely dead."

She adjusted the PADD's encryption parameters and glanced back toward the bustling concourse ahead. "We need to keep moving toward the high-density trade sector. The heavy electromagnetic interference from the commercial grid will give us cover while I try to punch a localized, frequency-hopped burst through their dampening field."

“Right, let’s keep moving. The sooner we get this sorted the better.” Amber added. “What’s our plan B if we can’t reach the ship? It’s not like we have a shuttle we can take back.”

Josh paused at Amber's question. "Um, we rent a shuttle to take us to the Enterprise?" He suggested.

Anzai stopped abruptly in the transit promenade, taking a deep a breath to master her temper before pecking at the controls on her PADD. "If we want to clear this up, we need to focus on the prisoner himself. K'Nera said Lieutenant Commander Tharl is an Andorian and an Andorian Starfleet officer facing murder charges in a foreign court isn't going to just sit quietly, and if he was framed, he may have secured or hidden evidence before his arrest."

She displayed a localized grid map of the area on her screen. "The local authorities are probably holding him in a holding facility in Kecemen awaiting arbitration. I suggest we go straight to the holding sector in Kecemen to find Tharl directly. If we can get to him before Tazari or the Karemma lock down the facility, he can tell us exactly what happened."

Amber wasn’t so sure. “If we just turn up there then they’ll know someone has spoken to us. How else would we know he’s there? Without backup, or contact with the ship we could find ourselves in just as much trouble. We need to get in contact with the ship, and go from there. At least then the Commodore will be alerted.”

"I'm with Amber. We can't let the authorities know we know something is amiss. We need to proceed carefully here. Our priority is to alert the Enterprise of this, get the Commodore involved." Josh replied calmly.

Anzai nodded curtly, her posture rigid as she processed their decision. "Understood, Counselor," Anzai said, adjusting her grip on her PADD. "If our primary objective remains contacting the Enterprise without triggering Captain Tazari's orbital sensors, staying out of Kecemen is the most logical option."

She tapped the display, switching the map overlay from the judicial district back to the high-density commercial thoroughfare. "The Karemma central trade concourse is three minutes ahead. The sheer volume of localized power grids and merchant sub-relay traffic will give us enough electromagnetic cover to hide our signatures. I can attempt to splice a narrow-band, frequency-hopped ping through their commercial repeater array."

Anzai stepped into step behind them, her eyes scanning the approaching crowd with practiced vigilance. "Lead on, Counselor. Let's find a crowded sector and get a signal through before Tazari realizes K'Nera reached us."

Amber nodded and started walking finding a busy area wouldn’t be difficult, but getting a message to the ship would be a different matter. “We’ve got more people on the station if we could find them we’d have some help at least.”

"Finding the rest of our team would certainly improve our security," Anzai agreed, her tone measured as she glanced down at her PADD. "Lieutenant Blake and Ensign Barbax were scheduled to evaluate the central park district adjacent to this sector. If we..."

She abruptly cut herself off, stopping dead in the center of the walkway. Her brow furrowed as her Betazoid empathic sensitivity flared, catching a sudden, sharp ripple of frustration and disorientation through the ambient emotional noise of the crowd.

"Wait," Anzai whispered, raising a hand. "Over there." She pointed toward a stone park bench situated near a manicured patch of native Karemman flora, where Dylan, Urvasi, and Barbax were seated.

"No, look closely," Anzai interrupted when Josh offered to go over, her voice dropping into a tense whisper. "Barbax isn't scanning the environment. He's trying to force a diagnostic sweep through a completely jammed frequency." Anzai's jaw tightened as Barbax quietly explained that the local civilian grid was completely fine and that only Starfleet hardware was being targeted.

"Captain Tazari," she muttered, her Betazoid senses picking up the mounting spike of concern from the reunited team. "He hasn't just blanketed orbital comms. His tactical team has deployed a targeted dampening field across the regional grid specifically tuned to Starfleet telemetry."

“Right, so how are you with patching us through using a civilian network?” Amber asked. “I know it’s not the done thing, but we don’t have a lot of choice. We have to get through to the Commodore and let him know what’s happening. The only thing I can think of is telepathic contact, but I’ve never tried that from this distance.”

"Splicing through a civilian network is technically a breach of local laws, Counselor, but given the circumstances, it's our only viable option." She adjusted the encryption parameters on her display, keeping her voice low, "If I can slave my PADD's localized transceiver to a Karemman commercial datalink, I can re-encode our Starfleet signal inside a standard merchant transaction payload. It'll look like routine market telemetry to Tazari's sensors, allowing us to bypass his dampening field and reach the Enterprise without triggering an alert. We just need to get a little closer to one of their transmission antennae."

“Then let’s do it” Amber nodded. “I’ll take full responsibility.”

"Whatever we're going to do, we need to do it." Josh pointed out.

Anzai kept her stride steady, but her Betazoid senses picked up a sudden shift as Ensign Barbax’s eyes locked onto their group from across the park. "Counselor," Anzai murmured, tapping her PADD without breaking stride. "Don't look now, but Barbax just spotted us. They're heading our way now."

“Well at least we’ll have numbers on our side” Amber added with a shrug of her shoulders. We can compare notes, but we still need to get in touch with the ship.”

"Maybe he know more of what is going on." Josh suggested.

Anzai caught sight of Urvasi stepping out from the group and waving her arms directly at Counselor Laurell.

"That's Urvasi," Anzai said, raising a concise hand to signal back. "It looks like the rest of our team is gathered by the park grid."

She stepped briskly toward Urvasi, keeping her posture rigid as her latent Betazoid senses picked up the ambient tension.

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