Kassia had finished up her appointments and was wrestless. She completed the rest of her taskes and then left the deck, heading toward the promenade. She reached her shop in no time.
"Hey!" Danni greeting, with her usual bright smile," Are we all still on for dinner next week?" she asked. "Len and I have been planning this with you guys it seems like forever!"
Kassia laughed softly. "We are still on, I promise!" she replied. "I'm going into the back and change, then I expect you to go. I'll take over for awhile. Then I'm closing shop early."
"But what about -"
"No, it's okay... I think we're allowed to close shop early every now and again," she replied. "Besides, I think you and Len could use some time together."
Danni's smile grew as Kassia went into the back and changed. She emerged in a solid black body suit that seemed very comfortable.
"All right," she said to Danni,"Time for you to go!"
Immediately, she went to Kassia, embraced her warmly and left. As Kassia tended her shop, she felt at ease. This was her place to center herself, though she had done some very difficult things there, and was bound to do very more difficult things. But there was something about her shop... She took a deep breath as she watched a man enter her store. He was tall, with dark hair and dark eyes. She also noticed his mechanical hand. He immediately went to the books, and scanned the titles she had. She sensing he wasn't finding what he was looking for, she went to him.
"May I help you?" she asked with a gentle smile.
"Maybe," he replied. He rubbed his chin with his left, real hand. "I'm looking for a very precise book." He paused, and took a look around the store at the different oddities around the store. "I figured this might be the right place."
"And you are looking for... ?" she inquired.
"A book called the Necronomicon." He went back to scanning the titles again. "It could just be me, but I'm not seeing it up here."
"Hmmmm... Very interesting choice," she replied, as she walked straight to another shelf and pulled it down. She handed him the book. "Are you interested in Babylonian myths and magic?" she asked.
He grinned. "It's for a 'friend.' This little beauty is gonna help me get some more equipment that I need for my ship." He accepted the book from Kassia and began to thumb through it.
"Hmmmmm, you are a very interesting person," she smiled with a laugh. "Let me ring that up for you and package it." As she reached for the book her hand touched his. In that instant, she was hit with the strongest vision she had ever had. Usually she saw visions, but this hit her like a freight train and almost make her collapse.
The image at first was hazy, but she recognized the man before her - Ashton. She now knew his name. He was standing in a ship. Something had gone terribly wrong and though she could see his cool exterior, she could feel his inner emotions. His weapon had been taken from him. His only chance was to try to grab his guard's phaser. As he lunged for it, he was struck by several other blasts. Immediately he crumbled to the floor. A woman came up to the body, as if to assure herself he was dead, kicking him once. "Good-bye Trader..." She smirked and nodded for her people to take the body away from her.
As Kassia pulled herself from the vision she was pale and a bit shaky.
"You alright there?" Ash asked, noticing that Kassia was bcoming pale. He grabbed her arm with his artificial hand as he noticed her starting to tip over. "You gotta lay off the insence there sister," he said jokingly.
She smiled softly at the joke, but she couldn't shake the images of what she saw. As she took a deep breath, she allowed him to help her to a chair. "Thank you, Ash," she replied. "I have to tell you... You're in danger," she finally said, her green eyes glittering with her concern.
"I guess you haven't heard of me yet," she smirked for a moment. "I'm Kassia. I'm the resident telepath/empath/psychic in these parts... When I reached for the book we touched. I received a premotion. With that premonition, I also received certain knowledge, like your name.
His eye narrowed. "Yeah, and I'm a Chinese fighter pilot." He picked up the bag. "If that's so, what's the name of my ship?"
"The Remmington," she replied without missing a beat. She met his dark eyes. "Please, you have to listen to me. This could mean your life..."
"All right, suppose I do buy you're a psychic. Why should I listen to this mumbo jumbo you're telling me?" He folded his arms across his chest. "What is it you're seeing?"
She swallowed at the lump in her throat as she continued to look into his eyes. "I saw your death... What I saw was you on a ship. There was a woman with many guards. She seemed to be in command. Something seemed to have gone wrong for you. I don't know what... You made a lunge for one of the guard's phasers, but the others shot you down... " she put her head down as she saw the image again in her mind. "She went to you to make sure you were dead and kicked you... I don't know who she is. I can't see her clearly so I can't even tell you what species she is... But I can tell you this will happen," she said. Again, she met his dark eyes with her own stare.
Ash was quiet for a long moment, taking in the information he heard. Several possibilities ran through his head as to who it could be. That, and who might have put a bounty on his head. "I don't suppose you could give me a time frame here."
She shook her head. "No... I didn't pick up one this time... Things like that are a bit fuzzy... But chances are it will be soon . . ." she said still filled with concern. "Please be careful... Take heed of this..."
Ash placed his hand under Kassia's chin, lifting it up. "Cheer up there kitten. I'll keep my nose out of trouble." He gave a confident smile. "At least, trouble I can't handle."
Kassia smiled softly, but the worry wouldn't leave her eyes. "I hope so..." Suddenly she stood up. "Are you in a hurry to go anywhere?" she asked.
Ash stopped, mid stride. "Why do you ask?"
"I thought perhaps you'd stay for awhile. Maybe have a drink with me . . . and talk..." she said. "Don't get me wrong, my intentions are to become friends... I have a sense that this is what is suppose to happen," she smiled.
Ash looked over the black body suit once more. "I guess I can be persuaded to stay." Kassia gave him a mock stern look. Ash threw up his hands in defence. "I'm joking. I'd love to get something."
"Good," she replied. "Follow me, I have a better place to sit back here." He followed her to a back room where there were other chairs. "So what would you like to drink?"
"Partial to a good lager myself. I don't suppose you might actually have anything from earth?"
"I don't have anything on stock, but I think you'll be surprised at my replicator..." she smiled. She disappeared a moment. When she returned she had a tall glass of lager and a large glass filled with a combination red and orange liquid. She haned him the drink. "I hope this tastes good. Tarik seems to like the Romulan Ale I've been able to replicate," she smirked.
Ash accepted the glass with a nod, and tasted the drink. "It's Romulan Ale, alright, but this is more of a hybrid..." He looked inquisitively at the bubbles in the glass which were rose in the center, and cascaded outwards, and they then started cascading downwards. "Odd..." he said quietly to himself. As he looked around the room, he noticed some more memorabilia. His eyes came to rest on rest on a picture which looked familiar. Then it clicked. "Tarik. You mean the same Colonel Tarik I'm assuming?"
Kassia's smile brightened as she sat down. "Yes," she replied. "The one and the same."
Ash leaned back in his chair. "Oh, no reason," he said, unlatching the leather holster on his phaser pistol. Quickly, he unholstered, and took a snap shot at an object on the wall. It was a small sculpture with a few small triangular patterns. He holstered the phaser, and walked over to inspect the damage.
Kassia got up and followed him. "What is this?" she asked, her mind reeling a bit.
"This, my psychic friend, was a Ferengi Class 3b23a surveillance device." He took the remaining piece of the device off the wall and gave it a look. "I noticed another in the main part of the store. There are also a few others placed throughout the station. You'd be surprised how people overlook these." He looked closer at another piece of the device and noticed a fraction of a registry number. "Hmmm..."
"Captain Mallory should be informed," Kassia said immediately, realizing the impact of what he'd just said.
"Good idea. In the mean time, I've got to get some answers. Thank you for the ale Kassia." He gave her one of his patented grins, and made his way out of the store.
She looked after him. Something ate at her... as if something was wrong. But not knowing what, she decided to close the shop and head home.