John is dressed in a button-up shirt crafted from a breathable blend of linen and cotton, designed to capture the effortless elegance of a Mediterranean seaside outing. The fabric is light and smooth, allowing it to flow gently in the coastal breeze, while its tailored yet relaxed fit ensures a polished appearance without sacrificing comfort. The shirt is rendered in soft pastel tones, such as sky blue or delicate lavender, evoking the serene hues of the sea and sunset skies. It is adorned with subtle details, including mother-of-pearl buttons, and he wears it open over a white tank top. He sits at a table by the seaside, completing the picturesque scene.

LtCmdr John Tolly
Chief of Operations/Second Officer

Tello entered the holodeck on time, unaware of the precise program she was walking in to. John had told her to dress for a Mediterranean afternoon, so she wore a turquoise bikini with a long, colorful gauze skirt over it. A thin, gold chain adorned her waist and she’d left her hair down. Sandals and a couple of bracelets completed the look.

As soon as she crossed the threshold she was looking for John and spotted him at a table. As she walked in his direction, Tello smiled at how the sand felt between her toes. “Hey you, this is beautiful!”

LtCmdr Tello Anaar
Counselor

John stood up “I could say the same thing about you* he said as he offered her a seat at the table “you look amazing”

LtCmdr John Tolly
Chief of Operations/Second Officer

Pushing windswept hair out of her eyes, she sat down. “Thank you, you don’t look so bad yourself. It’s funny how different some of the crew look without their uniforms, isn’t it?” It was probably because you got to see a little bit of their individual independence in clothing choices. The activity Tello enjoyed the most involving the crew without uniforms, was when there was a formal affair where gowns and black ties announced personal preference.

LtCmdr Tello Anaar
Counselor

He pulls the chair out for her, motioning for her to join him. “Welcome to Alpha Centauri,” he says, gesturing toward the seaside, “or at least a holographic recreation of it,” he admits with a slight chuckle. “This was one of my favorite places to visit when I was a child,” he continues as he takes a seat across from her. “My grandparents used to have lunch here almost every day, while the other children and I would collect small crabs to give to the chef.” He points to a small cove and adds, “Right there.”

LtCmdr John Tolly
Chief of Operations/Second Officer

She noted how John looked more alive there in the holodeck with his pastel shirt and sunshine in his face, than he had in the lounge. He was a nice looking man, especially when he smiled. Looking over to the cove he pointed at, Tello grinned. “Do you suppose we could do that today? Are crabs programmed into this holo sim?”

LtCmdr Tello Anaar
Counselor

John smirked and raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure about this? Crabbing isn’t exactly a clean sport, you know. You’ll have to dig into the sand and mud down by the shore,” he said, his tone dripping with mock concern. Leaning back in his chair, he added with a cheeky grin, “So, Counselor, are you ready to get dirty with me?” He finished it off with a playful wink, clearly enjoying himself.

LtCmdr John Tolly
Chief of Operation/Second Officer

Tello was smiling at the innuendo. “I’m okay with getting dirty and/or wet. It isn’t like it will last forever. Once we leave the holodeck we will be dry and sand free because this is really all an illusion—a really good one, but you know what I mean.” She’d never been “crabbing” and was eager to see what it involved. Also, she was in no hurry to escape the company of the man sitting across from her. “What kind of tools do we need to be successful at this?”

John smiles and says, “Follow me,” as he leads her down a set of stairs to the seashore. Along the way, he picks up a pair of small shovels, a couple of buckets, and what appears to be a shallow box with a mesh bottom. He guides Tello to an area beneath the pier, remarking, “They like to congregate under here.” Taking a shovel, he digs into the sand, depositing it into the bucket. After a few shovelfuls, he empties the contents into the mesh-bottomed box and carefully submerges it in the ocean. Gently shaking the box back and forth to rinse away the sand, he lifts it up to reveal several dozen small, brightly colored green and red crustaceans, most no larger than an inch. “We call them biters because they are no more than one bite each,” he explains.

LtCmdr John Tolly
Chief of Operations/Second Officer

Once at the bottom of the stairs, she watched every step John made and laughed with surprise when the small crustaceans were revealed. “Wait…you eat them just like that?” She’d never seen such small crabs. How would you even get any meat off of them? Their many legs were no bigger than a wooden match. “You can’t eat the shells, right?” Her eyes were bright with wonder and a little humor. What a unique experience he was sharing with her. She picked one of the ‘biters’ from the mesh bod and laid it in the palm of her hand where it raised its front arms in a threatening manner, as if it was warning her off. “What a brave, little thing you are.”

LtCmdr Tello Anaar
Counselor