Again much thanks to all of the readers out there who keep coming back!

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CHAPTER EIGHT

8:48 p.m. The evening was still young and peaceful, as Kasper Rossenber stepped down on to the white sand beach just below his humble estate. A tiny satisfied smile played on his lips as his dark hazel-green eyes gazed out at the warm waters, then up at the scattered stars over head that went on endlessly into the depths of the black of space. The smile suddenly quirked in amusement at his own private thoughts of the future of the above cosmos, when the sound of someone approaching from the grounds above brought him back to earth.

"Mr. Rossenber." The voice floated down towards the man with a strange gentleness to it.

Taking in a shallow breath of salt air, Rossenber's head shifted enough that he could see the dark form a few feet from him. "What is it Sinclair?"

"Everything has been moved just as ordered. Talmon guarantees everything will be up and running by this time tomorrow night. And within another twenty four hours the entire operation will be ready to proceed as planned." The voice remained quiet but there was an underlining note of eagerness that made Rossenber halfway smile again.

"Reports of Star Fleet?" Asked Rossenber glancing back out towards the in coming waves. "That last power surge could have been disastrous for all of us."

"My reports say that Star Fleet hasn't made an attempt to thoroughly investigate the power flux problem, viewing it as a simple matter dealing with a number of cadets from the Academy combined with the recent days of adverse weather conditions in San Francisco, disrupting the satellites and all major computer systems. Auxiliary power was delayed by 49 seconds when the last of the overlapping connections were made. When the connection was established it apparently restored Headquarters power at the same time. Talmon successfully managed to make it appear as the auxiliary line itself, causing no suspicion from anyone in Star Fleet engineering or security departments. In all the entire final procedure went off ideally."

"Let us hope it did Sinclair." Murmured Rossenber, his voice half filled with mild aversion at the possibilities that could still occur. "What about communication?"

"I've finished the last of the tests less than an hour ago, Mr. Rossenber. I have found no breaches or oversights. We've completely bypassed into the mainframes of all the computer security implements within Star Fleet primary and subsidiary communication systems." Answered the quiet man sounding extremely pleased with himself, as he allowed his own gaze to drift off towards the dark surf.

Noting the inflection of conceit, Rossenber half turned and stared up at the smaller man with narrowed eyes. "You've earned your paycheck this week Sinclair, if nothing just happens to go wrong. It would be a shame to lose your life over something as stupidly simple as a connection being crossed up between here and Star Fleet Headquarters, because of someone's momentary lapse into complacency, Mr. Sinclair."

Stiffening at the obvious threat, Sinclair glanced down at Rossenber and could make out the baneful expression aimed at him in the limited light. "Yes Mr. Rossenber. Of course. I'll cross check all communication systems again tonight and in the morning as well."

The menace lifted slightly from Rossenber's face as he gave Sinclair one more hard look then moved to face the beach again, mouth forming into a irritated tight line.

He didn't like Sinclair. He hadn't like him the second he laid eyes on him, when the small man showed up at his offices with his orders over a year ago. He had proven he was more than capable at his job, but Rossenber knew better and viewed him as nothing more than a spy. Aware of this, he struggled between keeping the man close and at arm's length throughout the day, somehow successfully managing both through the last year. But as the impending day was within hours of arriving, he was seriously contemplating getting rid of the man once all of the plans were securely implemented. Unfortunately he knew he would be the first suspect in the man's disappearance once it was discovered that he had vanished. Even if he was second in command, his superior would not look upon the decision approvingly, considering he was the one who sent Sinclair out to begin with.

A handful of seconds had ticked by, when he realized that Sinclair hadn't returned to the estate, and was lingering along the edge of the beach with an uneasy stance. Already sensing the anxiety that was bubbling from the problem that Sinclair was sitting on, Rossenber mumbled a quick ineffective curse under his breath before turning to face the man again.

"What is it, now Sinclair?" He snapped before he could catch himself, his impatience very close to slipping away totally.

"The girl. From the last report I received this afternoon, she has found someone to listen to her." Came out the softly spoken words, as Sinclair tried unsuccessfully to keep his stance and ultimately took a cautious step back as Rossenber began to approach him.

Coming to a halt at the top of the beach, Rossenber clasped his hands behind his back while his hard stare fixed on Sinclair's face as if he was pinning down an insect. "Does your report also tell you to whom she spoke with?"

Flinching slightly under the intense glare, Sinclair found enough fortitude within himself to let a spark of resentment reflect in his own eyes, knowing that Rossenber was not going to like the answer and was silently pleased to see his reaction to the answer he was about to give him.

"Admiral James T. Kirk."

Rossenber's face maintained it's expression for merely a milli-second, then an eyebrow arched in a slow thoughtful manner while an odd, almost regaled smile spread itself on to his face.

"Admiral James T. Kirk." Repeated Rossenber the smile flourishing for an instance then dimmed back down, when he caught the puzzling disappointment in Sinclair's gaze. "Admiral Kirk. I'm impressed. I didn't think she'd have it in her."

"It could prove to be dangerous, especially with the plan so close to being put into action." Sinclair pointed out, more than a little put off with Rossenber's response.

An irked twitch ran along the side of Rossenber's face as he glanced back out towards the ocean, then over at Sinclair again. "How so? What can she tell him that would give him just cause to be suspicious? Bit and pieces of rumors and reports that may or may not be true. Nothing more or less. And even with his acclaimed talents, if he is capable of pulling together anything in his own mind, there is no way or enough time for him to prevent the plan from going through successfully. We've gone far out of our way to keep any proof from getting away from us. He would have nothing to show Star Fleet or the Federation as evidence to investigate Dalcrom. And the girl,….he may dismiss her himself, considering her theory as crazed."

Sinclair was still uncertain, and surprised himself by pushing the matter once more, knowing that Rossenber was hardly thrilled with him to begin with. "The girl's father had attended the Academy within the same years as the Admiral. Wouldn't that give the Admiral some accountabilities towards the girl?"

A short bark of laughter came from Rossenber. "Not in this case Sinclair. Kirk and Finnegan were legendary for their contention towards one another. The two men loathed delighted in beating each other senseless at times. Simply because the girl is Finnegan's daughter won't have any bearing on the matter. In fact, it may help in an unwitting way."

Pausing suddenly, Rossenber instantly reconsidered the subject the smile fading another degree or two. "However, the man has an equally renowned trait of being overly susceptible when it came to women in need of assistance of one kind or another."

"Perhaps it maybe an idea to,..." Sinclair began trying to hide his small amount of delight at the touch of resentment in Rossenber's voice.

"You worry about the test's you have yet to run, Sinclair." Snapped Rossenber turning back to the beach and leisurely began to make his way back down to the in coming waves. "I'll let you know when I want you to be concerned about anything else. So, I suggest you get back to those test's before I begin to worry."

A furious ripple swept over Sinclair's face as he stared down at the other man standing on the beach. "Of course, Mr. Rossenber."

Very much aware of the hatred that was being cast upon him, Rossenber couldn't help but let his smile emerge completely on to his face. He knew if there was one thing that Sinclair loathed was the lack of anything to report in the form of betrayal back to their superior. It literally ruined the little man's whole day and with any luck put him that much closer to the dog house for not being able to find anything against Rossenber to begin with. Not that there truly was a scrap that would've been found. Part of the reason he had been brought into this scheme was for his capabilities of concealment of practically anything. Cargo, weapons, money, files, and individuals.

Which brought Admiral James T. Kirk back to his mind, and the smile nearly became a small wicked grin that lasted a little longer than one would've expected. Once he let it silently vanish, Rossenber glanced up at the stars again already concluding in his own mind what the next step had to be and was looking forward to the moment. Still, he knew it would be of the best intent to notify the man of how everything was proceeding and the girl's apparent choice of champion.

A champion, Rossenber reflected as he started back up the beach, that once he heard would bring the man a moment of ironic laughter.

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TBC