Thank you all again for the time you take to read this! I appreciate all of you who are stopping by to see how it is coming along and hope there is an end in sight!

Much thanks to Abibliophobiafor her words. They are encouraging me to keep working towards the finish of this tale!

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CHAPTER FIFTY

There was a grin on Rossenber's face as he started to push himself up from the floor, almost offhandedly waving off the surrounding security team. His whole demeanor had shifted into a strange persona of a requited, enthusiastic boon companion when he stood up, rubbing his sore jaw with an air of respect.

"Did I not say Admiral, that she wouldn't disappointment me." Eyes glinting in a honed fashion, Rossenber let his gaze linger on the face of Liberty before looking over at Kirk. "And here she is, quite prepared to...What? Eliminate myself? Project Dalcrom? Star Fleet? You, Admiral?"

Weight shifting from one foot to the other, Kirk kept his stare fixed on Rossenber's face that had nearly recovered it's mask of satisfaction. However, the Admiral wasn't about to give him that a brief smug glory that he was wanting. Out of everything he had gleaned from the encounters of men such as Rossenber over the year, Kirk knew that they, like all flawed beings, did have an Achilles heel.

An innate streak of egomania that had a difficult time of grasping the slightest notion that anyone, from the highest raking individual in Star Fleet to the lowest moss suckers in the depths of a Klingon max. prison, didn't perceive him in the same light.

Yet, Kirk had this flicker of a notion in the back of his mind that told him that Rossenber was more than aware of this imperfection. What's more he also seem attune to the fact that other's knew this about him. That was something about Rossenber that set him above his peer's. Part of his ego had accomplished the skill of controlling his own reactionary conceit. He found humor in it instead. Albeit his own humor.

When the Admiral had refrained from taking the bait, Rossenber let the grin tone down to a cryptic smile when he looked over at the contentiously set face of Liberty.

"The Admiral has been harboring his own inner debate. He has been trying to determine if he should follow his Star Fleet guidance and believe that you may actually have something to do with all of this, Liberty.

With a quick flare of her nostrils, Liberty's eyebrow gave an inclination of moving a half a millimeter. "Somehow I find that very hard to believe. Even though we are talking about a Star Fleet officer, I still find it doubtfully. You see Jarrod, the Admiral has the inclination of speaking his mind when he thinks it's necessary. As in calling a spade a spade. Such as anyone who may be carrying the tinge of the stink of this contamination of yours. And inasmuch he hasn't said that to me, specifically to my face, I don't think I have to be too concerned with that idea. Do I J.T.?"

"Actually Liberty, you were the far from my mind at the moment." Grunted Kirk, his gold flecked gazed flashing in the woman's direction once before fixing his eyes back on Rossenber. "You could say I've been a little preoccupied as of late."

If Rossenber heard Kirk, he never let on. His attention was trained on Liberty, as it had been for the last minute. The gaze narrowed followed by a nerve pulsating once at the name that she had used. One couldn't have called it anger, merely hostile regret at hearing a name that he had apparently thought dead.

The reaction brought a cruel little glint to the turquoise stare, as Liberty moved her gaze over to Kirk. "We've all been a little preoccupied lately. Some of us so much so, that we've been slipping in our usual overly vigilant persona. That's the only explanation I can come up with since I can't imagine you being ass enough to hire someone who is actual able to outwit you, Jarrod. I mean, how is that going sound once it's bounced around the universe a couple of times?"

Glancing back at Rossenber from the corner of her eye, an acidic shade touched Liberty's lips as they pursed into a minuscule smile.

She was waiting, Kirk quickly determined. Not for a physical reaction, but a mental one. A reaction from Rossenber that dealt with his silent deliberation. But what the matter was truly about, the Admiral had a suspicion he only knew half of it.

Again, Rossenber found his inner composure and pulled himself to his six feet three inches while lips moved to a decisive angle. Hazel-green eyes remained pinned on Liberty's face until he abruptly whirled on his heels and headed for the door, pausing long enough to bark over his shoulder.

"Before she moves an iota, remove her jacket and search thoroughly. Shred it if you must. I'm sure she won't object."

Liberty's expression barely changed as she glanced from the door over to Kirk, save for a wiggle in the end of an eyebrow. Behind her a pair of the security men were already trying to wrench the leather jacket she wore off her back. Pulling away from the violent motion, she whipped around and scowled at the pair of men as they immediately brought forth their phaser again.

"It's amazing boys, but if you'd try a little politeness you might find that people might actually like ya." She sniffed while tugging off on sleeves of the jacket, her rigid stare taking in the faces of the small group surrounding them. "Then again, if you were worried about that you wouldn't be working for the people that you are. Just like you J.T."

In spite of himself and the impending cloud of death clinging to them, Kirk couldn't help rolling his eyes heavenward.

"I'm glad that you still managed to maintain your humor through all of this, Liberty." He sighed giving the phaser waved in his face a sour look.

"I speak nothing but the truth, Admiral." Replied Liberty casting the jacket into the waiting arms of the closest security man. "I can't help it if I'm the only person in this room who doesn't have flawed choice skills when it comes to picking employers."

"That doesn't explain your other choice skills." Kirk grunted as he folded his arms in front of him, and watched another of the guards quickly give the woman a pat down.

A curve appeared again on Liberty's lips, yet lacking any real amusement while jerking a thumb toward the shut door. "You mean,...Please! I'm sure you yourself have many, many times run into people that you're 'acquainted' with that you wouldn't want any of those high minded yahoo's back at Headquarters to see you with. Mudd comes to mind right away."

"You two can chew the fat back in your room for now."

Both Kirk's hesitated as they stared in the direction of guard who spoke, causing the man to blink and swallow at their duplicate frosty glares.

After giving the smaller man a swift look up and down, Liberty sighed then glanced in the direction where her beloved leather jacket was unceremoniously having it's innards ripped out by another guard.

It was the only moment so far, that Kirk saw a glimmer of dejection in the turquoise slits that flitted over the ravenously thrashed jacket.

"I doubt I'll be wanting that back, even if they offered it to me." Sighing loudly, she moved a shoulder then sucked in a breath before recovering to her full lanky height and turned her attention back to Kirk. "So, I suppose we might as well do what the man says."

TBC