While the service itself wasn’t all that different from the weekly Sunday services aboard the Enterprise, it was nice to get off-ship, take in the fresh air of a planet’s surface, and participate in fellowship with a different church congregation. Some of the church members did recognize me (from the Earth movies I was in before attending the Academy), and I ended up signing a few autographs, but it was refreshing to get to know some of the colony inhabitants with whom we share something in common.
As it turns out, after the service, all five of us were invited to spend the day/night visiting with others in Blue Rose. We were treated to lunch at the pastor’s house, dinner at a local BBQ restaurant, and spent the night in rooms at the local hotel. Earlier today, we were given a tour of the town (including some historical locations in the nearby countryside), and gained a few new friends that I plan to stay in contact with via commship. By late afternoon (today), they wished us well, and we returned to the Enterprise. If I have the chance, I may stop down in Blue Rose again, before the Enterprise departs Qualor III.
When you travel through the stars, your activities are confined to the facilities aboard a starship. From time-to-time, though, you need the fresh air of a local planet to recharge. Visiting the locals (in this case, Human colonists – and the descendants of earlier colonists) reminds us why we’re out here. Space is vast, and there are many wonderful things to explore, but it’s the little enclaves of Earth – like Qualor III, that keep us connected to the home we left behind.
If you have the opportunity to visit Blue Rose, or any of the other eight towns down there, please do so. Qualor III is a beautiful class-M planet, with a colony population of about 50,000 people. It has a temperate climate, a small-town agricultural/industrial feel (similar to the Upper Midwest USA on Earth), and plenty of welcoming people. The planet itself, is a protected Federation colony world, and shares a star system with Tamatal, the Federation member planet and thriving homeworld of the Zakdorn.
The Enterprise will be in drydock for a few weeks. Get out and enjoy the local hospitality while you can, whether that be down on the sparsely-populated Qualor III, or among the eight billion Zakdorn of Tamatal. Be friendly. Be tourists. But most of all, enjoy your shore leave.
-Lieutenant Sam Archer
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August 10, 2365 -- (Original Devron Timeline)