Good Vibrations

Posted on Tue Mar 17th, 2026 @ 9:09pm by Lieutenant JG Electra Drake & Lieutenant JG Elen Rell

3,495 words; about a 17 minute read

Mission: Prologue
Location: Engineering
Timeline: Early 2389

Elen Rell hummed to herself as she closed the panel, pushing a lock of hair back into place under the scarf she wore to protect the unruly curls from getting snagged in various wires, chips or anything else that may or may not be inside a console. She was halfway through her shift - not that she was counting - and had reached the stage where she had done her list and the rest was just whatever else popped into her head. Very productive today, mostly because there wasn't that much to do right now. She rocked on her feet, hand tapping against her leg as she surveyed the room for a moment. Okay. What now? Just...her eyes went to the console and she touched it. Maybe a diagnostic? No...she didn't have the time. Well, she did, but there were other things and she had done one last shift.

The doors opened to an unlikely pairing. Counsellor Electra Drake and her seven year old daughter. Lex held onto her daughter's hand, who was looking around with wide and curious blue eyes. The hue of their hair was an almost identical dark red, but while Lex wore hers in a neat twist to match the uniform she wore, the girl's hair was loose, resting on the blue, simple dress she wore. Lex brought them to a stop, her eyes falling on the woman she had been looking for, having looked up her file after Connie had suggested talking with her. "Lieutenant Rell?"

"Yup...?" Elen turned her head, looking over at the two of them. She smiled at the kid, tilting her head. Looked about Kaia's age. Maybe a tad younger. Difficult to tell sometimes. "That's me. Although most just call me Elen, it's..." she pushed herself away from the console, tugging on her fingerless gloves for a moment to make sure they weren't slipping down. "Easier. You know, just...Elen."

"Elen," Lex acknowledged with a small smile, nodding in greeting. "I'm Counsellor Electra Drake, and this is my daughter Lucy. We've only just arrived and...well, Connie suggested that you might be able to show Lucy the warp core. She...likes the sound."

Elen looked at Lex with surprise, swallowing at the two things: one, it was a counsellor. Two, her counsellor had suggested her to someone for...something. She found herself nodding, taking in the...vibe. But it wasn't the woman who tugged at that little part of her that felt out of step with people...it was the girl. She looked over at Lucy, her head tilting before she slowly sank to her knees to be more on her level. "I love the sound of the warp core. This warp core's got a really mellow undertone, especially at warp five."

Lucy watched her with a mix of curiosity and shyness. She was close to her mother's leg, holding onto her hand. Her little features were serious as she glanced up to her mother for reassurance before looking back to Elen. "It helps me sleep."

Elen nodded, the smile fading a little before she let out a breath. "Same," she said before she pushed herself up to stand. "You'll get used to the Guinevere's heart. It's...well...come. I'll show you both."

Lucy walked forward, but kept a firm hold of her mother's hand. Her eyes were everywhere though, taking in the glowing lights, the humming machines. It was like something from a holodeck, or an adventure game. "What's it do?"

"So the warp core...powers the ship," Elen said with a smile and touched her own chest, over her heart, tapping her fingers against it in the same pattern as the warm core hum. "It's the heart of the Guinevere, what drives her forward. Sure, we got power stored elsewhere, but this? This is the real spirit of the ship. Now..." she moved to the rail and patted it. "Put your hands here, Lucy...and close your eyes. And...listen. Not just your ears, but the vibrations through your hands..." she reached and pulled off her gloves, letting them fall before putting her bare hands on the rail.

Lucy watched her gloves with fascination for a long moment. They didn't have fingers...so she could still tap screens. She decided she needed a pair. She glanced to her mother taking a moment before finally letting go of her hand. She moved for the railing, lifting her hands to gently place on there as she closed her eyes. And then, the young girl listened, really listened, a frown of concentration on her little face as she tried really, really hard, biting her lip. She gasped as she felt it in her hands at the same time as the thrum from the engine beat, and she looked up to Elen with wide eyes, as if she was some kind of magician.

Elen opened her eyes to look at her, not meeting her eyes, but giving a small nod. "And you can feel this everywhere on the ship. Very faint, but...if you touch the bulkhead on one of the beams? You'll feel it...just...lightly. A whisper."

Lucy immediately lowered herself to her knees, bending down to press her hands and ear to the deck. She listened carefully, but felt it just as much as heard it. She bit her lip against a soft giggle, her nose wrinkling with holding it back.

Elen smiled, crouching down with her hands bracing on the deck. She nodded, considering it. "In the lounge....the table to the left by the window when you go in? If you touch the bulkhead there, just where it meets the corner? You'll really feel it there. Almost as strong as here."

The girl tilted her head to watch her, nodding slightly as she tried to tuck away each bit of the instruction to remember for later. "How'd you know all this?"

Elen smiled, eyes on the warp core as she considered it. "I like knowing stuff, so...I figured it out. Something to do, to focus on....I sleep best when I can hear the core in some ways."

"Feels wrong without it," Lucy sat up to kneel, frowning seriously as she watched her, looking at her hair scarf. "And...this one's different from last time."

"What no one ever tells you is that even if the make of warp core is the same...it's the ship that tells you how it hums," Elen said and shifted to just sit on the deck. She pulled a leg to hug, her chin resting on it, her hand absently worrying the charm on her toolbelt. "The way it is built...the seals...all of it. So every ship, even the same class, sounds slightly different because...well, nothing is ever identical. Unless replicated. And ships aren't replicated."

"They make them...in the ship yard....like a giant jigsaw puzzle..." Lucy nodded gently, pleased to be able to share a piece of information with her in return. For the young girl whose world was built on knowledge and maps, offering facts to people was like offering a hand.

Elen smiled as she nodded, her head tilting a little. "I think that is amazing," she said, taking a slow breath. "But it's why they sound different...and you need to get used to this one."

Lucy nodded at that, biting a little nervously at her lowerlip as she glanced around. "It's bigger," she finally added.

Elen nodded before she looked up at the warp core. "Yes...it is. And here you can really hear it cleanly..." she glanced at her, for a moment. "If it's a bit much, seeing it like this...I got a space that is smaller where you still hear it. Just less...staring into it."

"Can I see?" Lucy asked with hope, kneeling up closer to her with a burst of excitement.

"Sure," Elen said and grabbed her gloves, standing and tugging them on, her eyes going briefly to Lex. "It's my favourite little place to...hide and do some work. When it gets...well..." she shrugged and worried a piece of wool that had pulled from where she had sewn it into the glove. "You know. Busy." She motioned for them to follow, but moved slowly so that Lucy didn't have to rush.

Lucy looked up to her with curious blue eyes and a content expression, reaching to take a hold of her hand so they could walk together. The feel of the wool reminded her of the clever gloves and she looked back to them to study. "I need these..."

Elen looked at her with surprise before she smiled. "I can make you some," she suddenly said, nodding. "It's...quick for me to do. Need to keep my hands busy..." she glanced over at Electra, question in her eyes at that. If she was allowed.

Electra chuckled softly, shrugging as if helpless to the girl's whims and shaking her head, to indicate she wasn't sure why she wanted them.

"They keep your hands safe and cosy...but you can still tap and draw..." Lucy smiled softly up to her, the first real smile she'd shown so far. Elen had a gentle voice and warm smile, and was clearly a very clever bunny.

Elen chuckled warmly at that, nodding as she led her to the easy to miss door to what she called her little sanctuary...even if it was just a maintenance room with a console that showed exactly the same stuff as the main one in Engineering. "These are with a special yarn I made. They...help absorb radiation. Idea is that it'll...keep it away from the rest of a person. Not field tested. They also withstand high temperature and that is good for someone like me..." she lowered her voice, so it was just between the two of them. "I can be clumsy."

Lucy giggled softly at the words, unable to help herself, and relaxing by the minute in Elen's company. "So...they're like...magic science gloves..."

"Yes, magic science gloves," Elen smiled as the doors opened and she led Lucy and Electra inside. There was a console. A chair. A toolkit with stickers on that clearly was well loved. A crate of something slid under the console, lid secure. "Here we are...sit yourself down, Lucy...and listen..."

Lucy settled cross-legged on the floor, placing her hands flat on the deck to feel. She looked to Elen with wide eyes, nodding in time with the vibration. "You were right!"

Elen smiled as she nodded, settling down as well. She pulled the crate out, opened it, grabbed a crochet hook and some yarn before she looked at Lucy's hands. Judging the size. "I like it here. It's...not as crowded as out there, and I get to be close to the core and sound without the...you know...the big blue light."

"The light is nice too...just...big..." Lucy watched with curious eyes, leaning to try and see what she was doing. "Whatsit?"

"I'm making you these..." she held up her hand to show the glove she wore. "I hope you like purple, because...it's that or teal."

"I love purple...it is blue and red..." Lucy offered her in return, her smile shy as she glanced up to her mother.

Electra nodded reassuringly to her before smiling gently to Elen with gratitude. "Only if it's not too much trouble," she checked firmly, not wanting the woman to feel obliged out of kindness. Because it was clear she had a very kind heart.

"Not at all, I am always after new projects..." Elen said as she started a chain, even as she talked, not looking at what she was doing. Her hands knew and her mouth ran. "My favourite's...orange. I know, it's very loud. But it reminds me of...sand...and sunsets...sunrises..."

"Tigers...crispy leaves...melon...butterflies...pumpkins...fire...fish....crabs...er....cats...." Lucy was enjoying listing orange things off...until she hit the barrier at nine things...and the smile was replaced by a frown, because it bothered her not to get to ten.

Elen looked at her, seeing the look...sort of knowing it, even if she wasn't sure why. She felt the wave of it. "Amber," she suddenly said, blinking as the word tumbled out. She grimaced, in case Lucy had needed to get there herself. "Sorry..."

The smile brightened Lucy's face and she nodded firmly. "Amber," she agreed, clearly having heard of it. She didn't notice her mother's hand slide off of her shoulder, where it had silently landed when she'd been stuck.

Elen nodded, giving her a genuinely warm smile before she glanced down at what her fingers were doing. Yep, already working on it...it wouldn't take long to make them. Her eyes went back to Lucy before she looked around. "If you want to...maybe we can look into...I don't know, getting something that makes you hear the warp core louder in your room?"

"Yes...or...or when I'm somewhere else and can't hear it at all," Lucy frowned at the prospect, clearly troubled by it. "Maybe I should sleep in here...Mummy, can I sleep in here?"

"No, Luce, this isn't a sleeping place, Elen needs to be able to do her work here," Electra shook her head with a small but gentle smile. She admired her trying though, it was rather inventive.

Elen nodded at that, biting her lip for a moment before she changed to trebled, her fingers moving smoothly as the glove started to take shape. Ribbed at the bottom and then almost fans where it would go over the hand. "And besides, sometimes other people come here. It's not a good place to sleep..." she admitted before she gave a small smile. "And I've tried. Let's...get you something proper. That you can carry with you, Lucy...so you got the ship's voice in your pocket."

"In my pocket?" Lucy wrinkled her nose as she watched her thoughtfully, biting on her lip absently. "Like Mummy's spacebadge?"

"Just like that, just...different looking maybe, if you mean this..." Elen flicked her finger to her own commbadge before she looked down as she worked on the thumbhole. Her lips moved with her counting, just for a moment before her fingers found the flow again. "But if you want it...we can sort that. It's important to...feel good when you go to sleep."

"How'd you do this?" Lucy motioned to the gloves that were coming together with awe, leaning in closer. "Baby chains..."

Elen looked at her with a warm smile before she shifted, slowing down so she could see. "I'm...using the hook to pull it...and put it through...." she let her see, smiling as she changed the stitches again...this time, puff stitches, that stood out a little and looked like flat pompoms. She liked how they felt against her hand, or cheek. "If you want to, Lucy, I can teach you...I was your age when I learnt."

Lucy looked to her with wide eyed hope at the offer, the excitement shining in her eyes. She nodded repeatedly, even as she spoke, unable to stop with how pleased she was. "Yes, yes please! Wool loop-de-loops..."

Elen laughed softly, at the excitement, at feeling the wave of it. It made her grin. "It takes a while to get good at it...just so you know," she said, not a warning, just a fact. Her eyes went to Lex and she realised she might be overstepping. She shifted a little where she sat. "I mean...if...it's okay, ma'am...?"

"I think it would be a wonderful idea, so long as you have the time," Lex replied, meaning it as she met her eyes. She was already being so kind, she didn't want her to feel as though she had to. But she hoped it would be okay. Lucy could sometimes struggle to connect and trust people, but she'd taken to Elen so well.

"Oh I got time," Elen said and looked over at Lucy. She stopped crocheting, putting it down. "But first things first, and that's making sure you sleep well...so..." she stood, stretching her body and grimacing at a slight pop in the shoulder, before walking to the toolkit. "Let's make sure you get the warp core hum as your bedtime song."

"And you can use it too," Lucy pointed out with a shy smile to her, pushing herself to stand, wanting to see what she was doing.

Elen smiled as she crouched down and opened the toolkit, finding what she'd need. It wasn't going to be that hard, not really. She was pretty sure she had half an audio loop somewhere in here if she searched deeply enough. She glanced at Lucy, her brain catching up to what she had said. "Yeah...yeah, I can. But this one will be yours. I'll need some time to work on it...think you'll be okay for one more night?" she asked, but there was a softness there, a genuine concern in the question.

Lucy hesitated, looking to her mother before her lips pressed together with resolve. "I can do that," she agreed softly. It wasn't too bad...she could still hear it if she tried really, really hard. It was just far away from how it used to be.

Elen nodded, serious as she looked at Lucy. "So tomorrow, before my shift, I am going to come to your quarters with it. And you can test it. If you want anything changed, you can let me know. Agreed?" she asked, taking a slow breath with a small smile. Because she wanted to make sure Lucy was okay with that.

"Agreed," Lucy smiled brightly, clearly more relaxed than when she'd arrived. She cast her eyes down with a touch of bashfulness, biting on her lip before asking her question. "Can...it be orange please?"

"Yeah, I need to replicate a casing...so yes, it can be orange," Elen said with an eager smile, at Lucy wanted something in her favourite colour rather than one that she was drawn to. It...meant a lot. More than Elen could say.

"Come on, Luce..." Lex stepped up to the girl, setting a grounding hand on her shoulder, the other caressing the dark red hair. "We should let Elen get on with her work now. She has hours she has to work, like your school day."

Lucy looked up to her mother with a disappointed frown. For a moment, her jaw set, as if there was a grain of stubbornness ready to kick in....but the words sank in. She understood school time rules. "Do you get play times?"

Elen looked at her with surprise before she smiled, nodding. "Sort of..." she said, tilting her head a little. "I remember them being a lot more fun when I was your age though."

"We should meet at playtime," Lucy declared with all the certainty of childlike logic. "See you tomorrow, yeah?" she checked, almost as if binding a promise.

"See you tomorrow. It will be early," Elen said with a smile, nodding at that before her eyes went to Lex. She swallowed, giving her a nod as well. "Thank you." And it was for more than just....being there. It was for letting her just speak to Lucy.

Lex watched with mild surprise at the reaction, not having expected it. "No, thank you. Not many people...get it so quickly," she said said softly, with gratitude.

Elen looked at Lucy before she smiled, shaking her head. "I know my people," she said, as if it said it all. Maybe different aspects, but...she knew someone not falling into the same waves as the general populous when she saw them.

Electra nodded gently with a small smile. She knew Elen was the officer that Connie had recommended as a patient, considering her neurodiversity. But this wasn't the time or place. She'd message her separately, create the professional space for it. "See you tomorrow."

"Bye bye, Elen..." Lucy reached for Elen's crocheted cuff, tugging it fondly as she looked to her with a shy smile. "Wool comes from sheep," she offered with a firm nod before taking her mother's hand to leave.

"Yes..." Elen smiled and waved, her eyes shining. "Bye, Lucy..." she let out a soft breath, her fingers tracing over the cuff, tracing stitches for a moment as she listened to the warp core. Just for a moment. Just while they were going. And when they were gone, closed her eyes, took a deep breath...opened her eyes and reached for what she need to build something that could both record and receive the sound of the warp core....preferably at warp 5.

---

Lt. JG Elen Rell
Engineering Officer
USS Guinevere

Lt. JG Electra 'Lex' Drake
Counsellor
USS Guinevere

Lucy Drake
Civilian Child
USS Guinevere

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