Harper laughed. "Hey, Beka, how's Granny?" Harper had honestly tried to be
good but...well...he's Harper.
Beka glared at him. "Keep it up, Seamus. I will kill you. I'm running out of patience."
"Sure, boss. See you later. Say hi to Granny for me." He ran out of Command before she could catch him.
She sighed and turned back, staring out at the stars. Holo-Rommie appeared in front of her. "Are you all right, Beka?"
"Yeah. I just wish there was a way to get everybody off my back. It's just a coincidence that Melody and I have the same last name. WE ARE NOT RELATED!"
Holo-Rommie was rather startled by Beka's outburst. "O.K., Beka. Calm down. It's not that big a deal. They're only teasing and having fun because they know it bothers you. If it were someone else, you'd be doing it too."
Beka didn't want to hear that. Especially because it was true. "But it's not someone else; it's me."
Holo-Rommie grinned and arched her eyebrows. "Yes, it is."
Beka blushed. "O.K. I get your point. Doesn't make it any easier to deal with."
"Would it really be so bad if you and Melody were related? She's a sweet kid."
"And she's stupid. She doesn't even know enough to tell when she's being insulted. Rommie, to even suggest--."
"So, insults don't bother her. Is that such a big deal? Besides, she might not be as stupid as everybody thinks." Rommie was thinking of the conversation between Melody and Trance in Hydroponics.
"Oh, give me a break. The whole "still waters run deep" doesn't apply here and you know it. She's stupid and there's no way the savvy Valentines sprang from her. End of story."
"All right. But you seem to be getting along better with her."
Beka wasn't going to go into the conversation she'd had with Melody on the Maru. "Well, she's likeable. I never said I hated her, just that I wasn't descended from her. There's a difference." Beka wasn't going to elaborate.
"O.K. But it also wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that if she was your ancestor you'd be a mudfoot like Harper."
"No. I. Am. Not. A. Mudfoot. Now go away." Holo-Rommie blinked out. The planet was irrelevant. Humans had originated on Earth, so if you wanted to get techincal, everyone was a mudfoot. Even Tyr. But that had nothing to do with anything. Earthers weren't mudfoots in Melody's time. Besides, it was all irrelevant anyway, because she and Melody weren't realatives. They were only friends.
Beka glared at him. "Keep it up, Seamus. I will kill you. I'm running out of patience."
"Sure, boss. See you later. Say hi to Granny for me." He ran out of Command before she could catch him.
She sighed and turned back, staring out at the stars. Holo-Rommie appeared in front of her. "Are you all right, Beka?"
"Yeah. I just wish there was a way to get everybody off my back. It's just a coincidence that Melody and I have the same last name. WE ARE NOT RELATED!"
Holo-Rommie was rather startled by Beka's outburst. "O.K., Beka. Calm down. It's not that big a deal. They're only teasing and having fun because they know it bothers you. If it were someone else, you'd be doing it too."
Beka didn't want to hear that. Especially because it was true. "But it's not someone else; it's me."
Holo-Rommie grinned and arched her eyebrows. "Yes, it is."
Beka blushed. "O.K. I get your point. Doesn't make it any easier to deal with."
"Would it really be so bad if you and Melody were related? She's a sweet kid."
"And she's stupid. She doesn't even know enough to tell when she's being insulted. Rommie, to even suggest--."
"So, insults don't bother her. Is that such a big deal? Besides, she might not be as stupid as everybody thinks." Rommie was thinking of the conversation between Melody and Trance in Hydroponics.
"Oh, give me a break. The whole "still waters run deep" doesn't apply here and you know it. She's stupid and there's no way the savvy Valentines sprang from her. End of story."
"All right. But you seem to be getting along better with her."
Beka wasn't going to go into the conversation she'd had with Melody on the Maru. "Well, she's likeable. I never said I hated her, just that I wasn't descended from her. There's a difference." Beka wasn't going to elaborate.
"O.K. But it also wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that if she was your ancestor you'd be a mudfoot like Harper."
"No. I. Am. Not. A. Mudfoot. Now go away." Holo-Rommie blinked out. The planet was irrelevant. Humans had originated on Earth, so if you wanted to get techincal, everyone was a mudfoot. Even Tyr. But that had nothing to do with anything. Earthers weren't mudfoots in Melody's time. Besides, it was all irrelevant anyway, because she and Melody weren't realatives. They were only friends.