New Discoveries

Posted on Mon Jul 27th, 2026 @ 6:05pm by Lieutenant Evy McCauley & Lieutenant JG Elen Rell

1,314 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Prologue
Location: Main Engineering
Timeline: 2388

Evy had just left Main Engineering after dropping a lovely stack of PADDs that had the latest information on the inefficiencies of the computer core. While as the Operations Chief, Evy had the purview to do the work herself. However, that just wasn't the way that she ticked. She honestly preferred to make it a joint effort. The way that the Operations Officer saw it was that it would help strengthen the Bridge between Engineering and Operations, while simultaneously keeping the lines of communication open and free flowing between the two departments.

The assistant she had found told her to find a Lieutenant Elen Rell to help her with her upgrade efforts on what she wanted to do to the computer core.

"Computer, locate Lieutenant Junior Grade Elen Rell, please."

"Lieutenant Junior Grade Elen Rell is on Deck 14," the computer's voice was calm and collected. "Towards the stern."

Evy had the one last PADD in her hands and went to find her way to Deck 14 to find the location near the stern. She was surprised to not have a location called out so she wasn't that sure to find what she was looking for. However, since the computer did not call out a specified room or location, she assumed it was going to be somewhere in the corridor perhaps. Though, she had come accustomed to the ship having bulkhead numbers throughout. The woman would soon find whom she was looking for one way or another; it wasn't like she couldn't just continue to harass the computer, or use her old ways and cheat the matter at hand.

She started walking towards the stern side of Deck 14, not sure whom she was looking for. Until she finally found someone looking out a window overlooking the nacelle. "Knock knock?" she asked lightly. "Are you Lieutenant Rell?" her line of questioning continued.

"Err...who wants to know?"Elen asked as she focused on her crochet hook. Why had she done tiny? 0.6mm hook was too tiny for her, what did she think she wad going to do, make a crochet hat for a baby tribble? Her tongue had poked out as she worked and she finally groaned and tipped her head back. "Traitor hook..." she looked over at the woman, blinking, before her smile changed. "Sorry. Yes!" the words finally penetrated her brain enough to realise exactly what was being asked. "I'm Elen Rell. Yes, Lieutenant Junior Grade but we try not to mention that too often..." she put her yarn and hooks to the side and stood, brushing down the uniform. The crochet cuffs were bright aquamarine, matching the shawl she had used to tie her hair out of her face. A little charm, also crochet, but with a little knitted warp core charm, sat on the toolbelt she still wore. Elen was off duty, yes, but she hadn't quite made it back to her quarters from Engineering.

Evy had been intrigued by what the woman was working on, that and the scattered thoughts she seemed to be having with herself as she had appeared to be distracted with what she was working on more than the Ekahl woman's appearance. "Yes, thank you. I'm Lieutenant Evy McCauley, the Chief Operations Officer. I have a project I am working on to increase the efficiency of the computer core. Someone in Engineering mentioned you might be available to work on it from the Engineering side with me."

Elen blinked before she smiled, her hazel eyes shining with it, the systems around making them appear more green. "Yes! Oh I am there for that. When I came here in '87, I tried to optimise all systems here but it's been a spot and things change, workflows, the way the computer thinks...It learns, you know. Anyway, I struggled with some bits including Operations because everything's so rigid where it needs to go, so...I am ready for round two," she nodded before she grimaced. "And...you a Ma'am, a Sir, a Lieutenant or...am I okay using Evy or McCauley? I've been told I'm not always great with the procedures and...well, I feel like I need to try."

"Uh, I pretty much respond to anything and everything," Evy replied with a smile. The woman was quite bubbly, something Evy had found herself sometimes envying. "So you don't need to really worry about the procedures with me."

"Oh good, because I am not very good with those," Elen admitted as she shook her head, smiling to Evy with interest. She was curious, had questions...like, that hair. It was beautiful. She pushed it aside. It was also irrelevant. "So when do we start? How do we start? Do we start now?"

"Oh we don't need to start now, how about tomorrow?" the operations officer asked. "I just wanted to find someone that I could work on this project with no sense of urgency. It's a would like to have situation. The ship would definitely benefit from it yes."

"Oh, okay," Elen nodded as she considered it, watching the other woman closely before she tilted her head. "Nice to have, not must have. But would be best to get it sorted, right?" She motioned to the bench and retook her seat, pulling the bag into her lap.

Evy noticed her motioning to the seat, and the operations officer followed suit and took a seat. "Yeah, something that we should get it sorted, but not something that we need to drop everything and work ridiculous amount of hours to get it done yesterday," she commented. After pausing for a moment to see what the woman was working on, the Ekahl was curious. "What are you working on?" she asked. "if I can ask?"

"This?" Elen looked down at the bag and then carefully pulled out the yarn. The crochet hook slipped off, hitting the deck with a ping, as did a measuring tape that rolled out and unravelled itself. She grimaced on reflect them her eyes met Evy's. "It's a shawl. Well, it will become a fine shawl...I'm using silk. I keep...starting and stopping it. Tiny hook needs big focus."

"It's fascinating, and quite pretty even though it's not yet done. How does one use the hook to make it look like that?" the Ekahl woman asked. It was quite intriguing to her as she had never seen anything like it. They had mass production of items back on Ekahl and the replicator creativeness was still the most fascinating thing to her even though she had been in Starfleet for some time now.

"Oh, it's..." Elen looked at her before she dug into the bag, pulling out some more yarn and more hooks. "Sit down, I can show you the basics. This is better for your blood pressure than Vulcan meditation, trust me!"

Evy laughed lightly. "I've never been able to settle long enough for Vulcan meditation, so let's see what this is like," she replied as she took a seat next to the exuberant woman.

"Well...this is far more tactile," Elen said and smiled, offering over a skein and a crochet hook. "And by the end of this, you'll either hate this and me, or you will...like it."

Watching the woman move the hook around the yarn and turn it into loops and then combined it all together and made the things get into a neat row made Evy impressed. "Sure," she commented, knowing that she would probably look more into this later if she liked it to make sure she knew what to do. She took the hook and looked at the skein of yarn that was provided to her. "So... how do I start?"

Elen smiled at the words, with a nod. "Okay, so we start with a slip knot..." she started, excitement in her eyes at the idea of teaching an adult this.

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