Friday 17th December, 2128

Ayr, Scotland, United Kingdom, Earth

“Oliver Harris Campbell, get yourself down here straight away!”

The thick Scottish accent from his father bellowed through the house like a thunderstorm roaring across the North Sea. Harris Campbell had just walked into the Campbell residence that lived close to Ayr beach. It had been raining for most of the day, so it only added to the anger in his father’s voice.

“Ollie, you’re in trouble,” Robert called after his younger brother from where they were sitting in the family room. The two teenagers were sitting on the long black sofa. Robert with his head in a book while Oliver had a headset over his ears while playing with his handheld game console.

Pushing his headset down after he briefly heard his older brother say something in his direction, the two brothers were sitting across from each other. “What did you say, Robbie?” He asked.

“Dad! You’re in trouble!” His brother whispered loudly as their father walked into the back family room.

Wincing at hearing that and seeing his dad entering the room, Oliver looked up at his dad. “Sorry, dad.”

“Is that all I’m getting, is ‘sorry’?” His father asked, looking annoyed. “I got a call from your headteacher to tell me that my son hit another child during a football match and all I get is ‘sorry’?”

Monday 25th April, 2157

Endeavour NX-06, en-route to Earth

Starring out of the oval window, Captain Oliver Campbell was not focussing on anything particular. It was late in the night, he had not been able to sleep so instead he had tried to use the passing bright lights of stars while Endeavour was at warp to somehow hypnotise him into sleep.

It wasn’t working.

Instead, he had poured himself a glass of Scottish whiskey and was sitting in the armchair near his bed, feet raised on the nearby table, trying to use any other means of falling asleep.

It wasn’t working.

Though it had been almost a week since they left Risa and so far the ship had not encountered any enemy vessels, it wasn’t going out of its way to find any either. The ship’s original mandate of exploration had gone out of the nearest airlock after the Battle of Sol and this ship was now bred for war. If it wasn’t that then it was flying the flag for Earth, rushing to gain his homeworld another ally that would help stand up against the Romulan war machine. These had become the normal mandate for the ship since Oliver had assumed command almost eighteen months ago. Reflecting on his time on Risa, he had been wondering again and again if he had made the right call in basically refusing to bring the Risians into the war effort on their side. Had he made the right call? Could he actually sleep at night knowing that the Romulans could conquer them and all he did in his power was to leave behind two extremely experienced officers to help the Risians come up with some sort of half-hearted defence? Had he made the right call?

The darkness of his room, with the slight low-level lights around the edge that were set on a faint dim which reflected against the wall in a dull turquoise, helped somehow for him to think about his actions and decisions.

Closing his eyes for a moment, he started to recall the conversation he had with Rear Admiral Paulsen. She had listened to his update about his meeting with the Risian leadership, but her reaction was not like her. Normally she was ever so supportive, always on his side, but she didn’t appear to care too much nor did she appear happy to catch up with him. Instead, she had just ordered Endeavour to head home for resupply and minor maintenance. He had been expecting her to order them to Starbase 1, however, that was not the case. Should he have pushed harder with his meeting and prevailed with the great news that while he was on vacation he grabbed another ally for United Earth Commonwealth? He thought he was doing the right thing, trying to be more pragmatic in his encounters with other civilisations. Did he have the right to bring them into their war effort?

Now as the ship hurtled towards Earth, he pondered if he was heading home for a showdown with the top brass. It was for that reason he was starting to get a knot in his stomach. Had Starfleet had enough of his escapades and were they preparing to replace him as Endeavour’s commanding officer with someone more experienced? Was he about to be given the biggest rollicking he had ever had since joining Starfleet? Thinking back to his childhood he still could remember the tone his father would take with him anytime a call home from his school happened for anything he did wrong. He should have been used to it by now. That said there was always that something in the back of his mind that made him feel anxious about it all.

That anxiety started to slip away the moment he felt a pair of two very warm muscular arms slowly slip around his shoulder followed by a chin gently pressing against his neck.

“Babe, it’s like three in the morning. Come back to bed.” Fynn mumbled into his left ear.

“I can’t sleep.” Oliver admitted.

“Come back to bed and I’ll help you with that.” Fynn said, sounding more seductive than sleepy.

Sniggering at how easily Fynn could take something and turn it into something related to their love life, Oliver never knew where his husband found his strength. “I just want to sleep,” Oliver stated before turning around and pecking his husband’s cheek. “Thanks for the offer though.”

“Don’t be up for too long, I’m missing my extra source of warmth.” Fynn stated as he returned the sign of affection to his other half and kissed him for longer before returning to their bed.

Not wanting to keep Fynn up half the night, Oliver decided to head over to their shared wardrobe (almost a double locker) and took out a black hoodie with the ship’s emblem on it along with a pair of similar coloured sweat shorts. Pulling the clothes over just his boxers, he looked at himself in the mirror. The dark reflection showed his hair either all fluffy in some areas or sticking up in others. Lifting the hood up over his head, he decided that would do as he made his way towards the exit.

“Ollie,” mumbled Fynn from their bed. He pushed the king size duvet off his body to reveal his bare chest, “come to bed.” He insisted.

Shaking his head, Oliver pulled the duvet back over his partner. “I’m going for a run, I’ll be back soon.”

“We could do exercise here, in bed,” Fynn suggested one more time with a cheeky-half-asleep wink. “Come to bed.” He repeated.

“I’m fine, let me go for a run and I’ll be back before you know it.” Oliver replied. However, he wasn’t telling the whole truth as he wasn’t feeling like a run. Rather than a run, he was considering stopping off at the gym to give the punch bag a good pummelling.

“Okay,” Fynn said, giving out with a sigh and returning back to sleep, “but when you come back to bed make sure you’re not all smelly and sweaty.”

“I’ll take a shower.” Oliver said as he headed for the door. He walked out, he was certain he heard another crude comment from his husband about joining him in the shower or something, but he ignored it as he made his way out of their shared quarters and towards the mess hall.

A midnight snack sounded good about right now. Something with chocolate in it tickled his taste buds.

Walking towards the mess hall, Oliver did realise, as normal, how lucky he was and wondered just how many other Starfleet captains were fortunate to have their other halves serving with them. He suspected there weren’t many. At that point, as he took a junction down the corridor he had a slight panic about why they were going home. Had Starfleet wanted to review his situation with Fynn on board?

Knowing he needed to stop asking these questions to himself, he hurried along towards his destination.

When the captain gave the order to set a course for a return to Earth, Randall was caught off guard, but instead of asking questions, he laid in a course, and when the captain gave the word, he set the ship on it’s course, bacck to Earth.

The Endeavour had just started exploring space, why the recall? They just made contact with another new race, the Risians, which had gone well.

The ship was just a few months out of spacedock, so it was basically still brand new. Was the ship scheduled to get an upgrade to it’s weapons and shields? Was the ship to get a new faster warp drive? A new main computer?

He had gotten letters from his friends and family back on Earth. His friends heard rumors about new ships being designed, not NX class, but basically an NX upgrade. Josh knew that rumors about these things were so easily to dismiss…..but this was about the Endeavour….it was personnal to him.

When his shift ended, Josh headed to the mess to get something to eat. It was between shifts, so the mess was empty. He selected a turkey sandwich, and to drink, he got an iced tea from the drink dispenser. He took his food and drink and sat at an empty table. There was just another person in the mess, and he didn’t want to bother anyone. 

He ate in silence, and when he was finished, he headed bakc to his quarters to get some sleep. He was due back on duty in 4 hours.

Surprised to see anyone in the mess hall at this time in the early morning hours, Campbell paused as he saw his yeoman sitting on one of the circular tables. Knight had a desktop computer in front of him and tablets on either side of him as he worked hard at whatever he was doing. He hadn’t heard Campbell enter, so the captain called out to him. 

“Romeo, what are you doing up at this time in the morning?”

Hearing his name, the young yeoman turned around and automatically stood to attention at seeing his captain before him. “Sorry, sir. I wanted to get ahead with sorting out department reports.” 

Gesturing for him to sit back down, Campbell walked over to him. Like him, Knight was wearing his civilian clothes. A pair of grey joggers, a white t-shirt under a dark green hoodie that had the words: LOUGHBOROUGH UNIVERSITY etched across it. “I appreciate the dedication to your work Romeo, but seriously you should be in bed asleep. Can this not wait until the morning?”

Knight slightly smiled before answering. “It could, but I’d prefer to keep ahead of things, sir.”

“Romeo, all work and no play makes Romeo a dull boy,” Campbell stated as he looked down at the tablets to see what he was doing. “Need a hand?” 

“No, it’s fine, sir. I can do the work. Thank you,” Knight answered nervously.

“Romeo, seriously, we’ve known each other long enough now that you know I won’t bust your ass for not doing your work,” Campbell explained. “Listen, how about I fix us up with some drinks and raid the snacks that chef keeps hidden away, and we get this done together.”

 Knight eventually relented and agreed with a nod. “Thank you, sir, that’s very kind of you.” He paused. “The issue is, I’ve had a problem sleeping recently.”

“Oh?” Campbell asked, sounding concerned as he stood up to get some drinks. “Nothing serious, I hope?”

Shaking his head lightly several times, Knight shared what was keeping him up. “I’m sharing quarters with a couple of technicians from engineering who one of them snores and the other talks in his sleep. If I don’t find something to help me fall asleep, then I’m awake most nights.”

“How come you’ve changed quarters?” Campbell enquired as he walked over to the drink dispenser and ordered two hot chocolates. He then proceeded to the hatch, where chef put some snacks out for those on gamma and delta shifts.

“We had to move around due to the damage sustained during the Orion attack. My quarters with Crewmember Merriman are still uninhabitable due to the environmental controls not being repaired yet.” Knight answered. 

“And I take it they weren’t repaired while we were at Risa?” Campbell said after finding two slices of chocolate cake with the thickest chocolate cream on top waiting for him. Picking those up along with the drinks, he carefully balanced the plates on one arm while carrying the mugs in his other hand. 

Knight shook his head. “It’s one of the many areas that were missed out.” He picked up a tablet and showed it to the captain. “The repairs, from what Lieutenant Leclerc says in his report, were pretty basic.”

“That’s annoying,” Campbell said as he sat down and passed Knight his midnight snack. “Well, I’m happy for you to move into one of the guest’s quarters for now.” 

Knight was taken back by that. “Are you sure, sir?”

Picking up his mug, Campbell nodded. “We’re not planning on picking anyone up on our way home. Do it.”

Knight smiled. “I appreciate that, sir.” 

“I can’t have my yeoman falling asleep while in the middle of a briefing,” Campbell said.

Knight chuckled, “No, sir, I’m sure I don’t want to repeat what happened on the Poseidon during my first month.”

Straight away, Campbell chuckled, “Ah yes, I’m recalling a very young, eager crewman wanting to impress their first officer by saying they shared all of the same interests, and after several stints of those interests, he was found by said first officer asleep in a shuttlepod.”

“Not my finest hour, sir, I’d admit,” Knight admitted as he picked at the cake with his fork.

Poseidon (NP-01)

Monday 21st April 2155 

“Ollie, where are you off to at this hour at night dressed like that?” Captain Paulsen asked as she stepped out of main engineering and saw her first officer walking down the corridor. She gestured at his attire.

Commander Oliver Campbell looked down at his appearance; wearing just a pair of sporty-looking shorts, a black vest and a pair of boxing gloves over his left shoulder, he couldn’t see the problem. “I’m off to write a romance novel.” He sarcastically said with a smirk. 

Chuckling a bit at his sense of humour, she lightly slapped his left shoulder. “No, come on; honestly, it’s gone past twenty-one hundred hours. Are you really going to do exercise at this time of night?” She checked.

“I am, and it’s with your new yeoman.” He replied.

“You two seem to spend a lot of time together recently. Should I be worried?” Paulsen said, still with a smirk as they crossed a junction and went down another corridor. “Do I need to remind you that you’re a married man?”

Rolling his eyes, Campbell shook his head. He and Paulsen were close; she adored his husband Fynn and often reminded him how lucky he was. Though right now, things between him and Fynn were pretty patchy. Fynn sent him a letter a few months ago saying he wanted to separate. His need to not be a Starfleet widow was at the forefront of his thoughts. “You don’t need to remind me right now, but there’s nothing wrong with me having a bit of fun.”

Paulsen paused and placed her hand in front of Campbell to stop in his tracks. Looking around, she made sure no one was in earshot. “Ollie, I know you and Fynn’s marriage is on the rocks right now, but don’t make it worse.”

“Is that an order as my captain or advice as my friend?” Campbell said for a moment. 

She considered his question before answering. “Both,” She eventually said. “I really like Mister Knight; he is very efficient and dedicated. Unlike some other yeomen I’ve had, he is proactive and knows how to make a blinding mug of coffee.”

“He is good,” Campbell admitted.

“And I like that you’ve taken him under your wing as a mentor, but that’s all it needs to be, Ollie. Are we clear?” Paulsen said as she placed her hands on her hips. “You told me the other day you loved Fynn and want to make it up to him and see what you can repair with him.”

Hating that she was right, Campbell sighed heavy and nodded. “You’re right.”

“For better or worse,” Paulsen said, reminding him of his vows. “Knight is a handsome lad, but keep to just a purely platonic relationship.”

“Okay,” Campbell whined, “I get it. I can’t play with the new toy!” He mockingly said back to her like a child having a strop over not getting their own way.

She chuckled. “Now, that’s not the response I expect from the first officer I’ve trained and moulded these last two years.”

Taking a breath, Campbell knew she was right. “That’s true.” He paused again. “I’m sorry, I should be aware of how I take things with Knight.”

“You’re a leader now, Ollie and a well-respected one here on the ship. It’s nice you two share almost the same interests,” Paulsen said as they carried on walking down the corridor, “though I’m not sure how genuine he was being with you the other day about liking soccer. Did he really understand the off-side rule?”

“He was partially right,” Campbell said. “And who said there’s nothing wrong with him sucking up to a superior?”

Paulsen paused again and gave Campbell a ‘look’ of not being impressed with that.

“I’m joking!” Campbell said quickly in defence. “He’s a smart kid, but you may be right. He may be trying too hard.”

“So, are you really going to do boxing with him?” She asked.

He nodded. “He may change his mind; I said I’d meet him in the hangar bay before we have a little spar.”

“This I have to see,” Paulsen replied as they walked towards Campbell’s destination.

Entering the bay, Campbell called out for Knight, and when he didn’t get a response after the third time, he looked a bit worried. Exchanging the same concern with Paulsen, they both noticed the hatch on Shuttlepod Two open. Stepping over to it, both peered in and soon found Knight sitting at the back, snoring his head off.  

Both officers looked at each other, sharing a grin before Campbell shook the young crewmember awake. “Hey, Romeo, wake up!” He called in a low voice.

Knight quickly sprung to life; the tablets over his chest all fell to the floor as he appeared startled and looked around his settings. “Oh my god, I am so sorry. I didn’t mean to fall asleep here.” He looked to his superiors and tried to stand to attention.

Chuckling somewhat, Campbell indicated for him to calm down with a simple hand gesture. “Romeo, it’s okay. You’ve had a busy few weeks.” He looked at Paulsen, then back to the yeoman. “How about we postpone our session tonight and pick up at another point? You need to head to bed and get some rest.”

Paulsen nodded in approval with Campbell’s direction and response. 

Knight shook his head, “No, sir, I’ll be fine. I promise.” He said, sounding eager.

“Romeo, it’s not a suggestion. It’s an order.” Campbell said with a friendly smile. “We can’t have you burning yourself out.”

“Listen to him, Mister Knight,” Paulsen added. “Go home, get some rest and then why don’t you join us both for breakfast tomorrow at oh-eight hundred hours in my mess hall. We can catch up over some toast and tea.”

Appreciating the offer, Knight nodded. “Thank you, ma’am, sir.” He said to them. He got up and left the shuttlepod straight away.

As soon as he left, Campbell looked at Paulsen, “So fancy going a few rounds?” He said, looking at his gloves.

“Ollie,” Paulsen said as she started to walk away from him, “you wouldn’t last five seconds with me in the ring.” She left the hangar bay, leaving her first officer and chief helm officer behind with that thought to consider.