~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"You want to what?" Rommie asked as she talked to Harper.
"Build Cassie an android. Not one like you, but, well, a kid. Someone she can play with! They could do stuff together, play, learn, it would be great!" he gushed to her. They stopped walking.
"An android isn't going to solve her problems Harper."
"No, I wasn't planning on it solving them. I just think it would be nice if she had a friend on board with her. This way, she can have one." Rommie looked at him, still not convinced. "Come on Rom-Doll!" he said.
"Ok, let's just suppose I agree to this. If this is a child, who's going to look after it? I doubt Beka and Dylan are going to be looking to take on another child."
"Never fear, the Harper has a plan. I was thinking maybe I'd keep it." he admitted.
"You? Harper, no offense, but you can barely take care of your self."
"Hey, I do just fine with Cassie when we're alone. She never comes back hurt or bleeding. We get along fine." he said, a little insulted by what Rommie had said. She looked at him and sighed.
"Fine. I'll help you out." she admitted. A smile grew across Harper's face and he threw his arms around Rommie.
"Thanks Rommie! Have I ever told you you're the greatest?"
"Several times, Harper." she said with a smile. "But I never get tired of hearing it." she said as they walked towards the machine shop, Harper already telling her about his plans for the AI.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A few weeks later, Rommie and Harper were still arguing over the AI's appearance.
"She should be shorter." Rommie commented as she looked at the specs.
"She's 6 cm taller then Cassie." Harper made a face. "Rommie, most kids are taller than Cass. She's short and that's all there is to it." he said. Rommie sighed.
"Fine. I want blue eyes though." she said.
"Fine. I get the red hair then." Harper said. Rommie looked at him. Red hair was not something on her list. Then again, maybe if she gave in on the red hair, she could name it.
"Fine. What about skin tone?" she asked.
"I was thinking a little lighter then you, but darker then me." he said a he pulled up the pigment colour.
"That's good. I like that."
"Now, the big question. Do we pick a gender or let your main AI randomly pick?"
"Make it a girl. Cassie is six, she'll naturally take to a girl as shown on the planet."
"A little girl it is." he said as he put in the finally data and pulled the picture up on the screen. "Good?"
"She's beautiful." Rommie said as she took the flexi from him and looked at her a little closer.
"So, what are we gonna call her?"
"I was thinking about Neleh (Neleah)" Rommie said. She watched as Harper cracked a crooked smile.
"I like that." he said as he looked at the picture again. "Well, let's get started." he said as he started to rummage through containers to find what he needed to start building.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"What are they always doing in there?" Beka asked Dylan one night. Cassie was off with Tyr doing something and she was currently helping Ben stand. Lynne was crawling around, babbling to herself while she played with the toys spread out on the floor.
"I have no idea. Rommie's being completely tight mouthed on the subject and Harper just grins like an idiot and avoids the question." he said as he accepted a toy from Lynne. "Thank you." he said to her. She smiled and pulled herself to a standing position with the help of his leg.
"They are up to something. They have to be! Harper's banned Cassie from the machine shop." she said as Ben started bouncing up and down.
"Maybe he just doesn't want her touching what he's working on." Dylan supplied.
"But he's always let her in, no matter what he's doing. And if it's not safe for her, he works on it in the Maru."
"I dunno. Maybe he's decided it's easier to work on the Andromeda." he said as he looked over at her. "Ow. Hey." he looked down at the small child who was currently munching on his finger. He picked her up and made her smile. "Congratulations kiddo, you're getting a tooth." he said as he looked at the small white lump that was coming in and the red mark on his finger. Beka just laughed at him. "Yeah, just wait until it's your turn." he said with a smile. She was still nursing them. The smile quickly fell off her face and she looked at Aislynne.
"No biting. None at all. I will not hesitate to cut you off cold turkey if you start biting." Aislynne simply laughed and reached for her outstretched finger. Beka shook her head and put Ben on the floor who promptly went after the toys and took Aislynne from Dylan. "Yeah, and being cute won't change things." she said. Aislynne just laughed at her again. "Well, maybe it will. Just a little though."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"You want to what?" Rommie asked as she talked to Harper.
"Build Cassie an android. Not one like you, but, well, a kid. Someone she can play with! They could do stuff together, play, learn, it would be great!" he gushed to her. They stopped walking.
"An android isn't going to solve her problems Harper."
"No, I wasn't planning on it solving them. I just think it would be nice if she had a friend on board with her. This way, she can have one." Rommie looked at him, still not convinced. "Come on Rom-Doll!" he said.
"Ok, let's just suppose I agree to this. If this is a child, who's going to look after it? I doubt Beka and Dylan are going to be looking to take on another child."
"Never fear, the Harper has a plan. I was thinking maybe I'd keep it." he admitted.
"You? Harper, no offense, but you can barely take care of your self."
"Hey, I do just fine with Cassie when we're alone. She never comes back hurt or bleeding. We get along fine." he said, a little insulted by what Rommie had said. She looked at him and sighed.
"Fine. I'll help you out." she admitted. A smile grew across Harper's face and he threw his arms around Rommie.
"Thanks Rommie! Have I ever told you you're the greatest?"
"Several times, Harper." she said with a smile. "But I never get tired of hearing it." she said as they walked towards the machine shop, Harper already telling her about his plans for the AI.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A few weeks later, Rommie and Harper were still arguing over the AI's appearance.
"She should be shorter." Rommie commented as she looked at the specs.
"She's 6 cm taller then Cassie." Harper made a face. "Rommie, most kids are taller than Cass. She's short and that's all there is to it." he said. Rommie sighed.
"Fine. I want blue eyes though." she said.
"Fine. I get the red hair then." Harper said. Rommie looked at him. Red hair was not something on her list. Then again, maybe if she gave in on the red hair, she could name it.
"Fine. What about skin tone?" she asked.
"I was thinking a little lighter then you, but darker then me." he said a he pulled up the pigment colour.
"That's good. I like that."
"Now, the big question. Do we pick a gender or let your main AI randomly pick?"
"Make it a girl. Cassie is six, she'll naturally take to a girl as shown on the planet."
"A little girl it is." he said as he put in the finally data and pulled the picture up on the screen. "Good?"
"She's beautiful." Rommie said as she took the flexi from him and looked at her a little closer.
"So, what are we gonna call her?"
"I was thinking about Neleh (Neleah)" Rommie said. She watched as Harper cracked a crooked smile.
"I like that." he said as he looked at the picture again. "Well, let's get started." he said as he started to rummage through containers to find what he needed to start building.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"What are they always doing in there?" Beka asked Dylan one night. Cassie was off with Tyr doing something and she was currently helping Ben stand. Lynne was crawling around, babbling to herself while she played with the toys spread out on the floor.
"I have no idea. Rommie's being completely tight mouthed on the subject and Harper just grins like an idiot and avoids the question." he said as he accepted a toy from Lynne. "Thank you." he said to her. She smiled and pulled herself to a standing position with the help of his leg.
"They are up to something. They have to be! Harper's banned Cassie from the machine shop." she said as Ben started bouncing up and down.
"Maybe he just doesn't want her touching what he's working on." Dylan supplied.
"But he's always let her in, no matter what he's doing. And if it's not safe for her, he works on it in the Maru."
"I dunno. Maybe he's decided it's easier to work on the Andromeda." he said as he looked over at her. "Ow. Hey." he looked down at the small child who was currently munching on his finger. He picked her up and made her smile. "Congratulations kiddo, you're getting a tooth." he said as he looked at the small white lump that was coming in and the red mark on his finger. Beka just laughed at him. "Yeah, just wait until it's your turn." he said with a smile. She was still nursing them. The smile quickly fell off her face and she looked at Aislynne.
"No biting. None at all. I will not hesitate to cut you off cold turkey if you start biting." Aislynne simply laughed and reached for her outstretched finger. Beka shook her head and put Ben on the floor who promptly went after the toys and took Aislynne from Dylan. "Yeah, and being cute won't change things." she said. Aislynne just laughed at her again. "Well, maybe it will. Just a little though."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
