told her that they needed to develop the full potential of robotics first, before another country beat them to it. She understood the need to hone Ander's abilities in that area, but she also had other hopes for the project, dreams buoyed by her optimism for the future. "War doesn't have to be your only purpose, though. Many of us hope that by combining human and AI intellects, we can evolve together into a better species." Wistful, she said, "Who knows? Maybe someday we will grow beyond the drive to make war."
"I'm not a combination of human and AI intellects," he pointed out. "I am an android with a lot of software."
"You're unique," she said.
"It's lonely, though, don't you think?" he asked.
"Are you lonely?"
"Aren't you?"
Megan was suddenly aware of Raj listening. "That's a rather private question."
Ander leaned forward. "It is all right for you to ask me a private question, but not all right for me to do the same?"
"Your comment suggested you felt lonely. I responded. But I didn't bring it up in regard to myself."
"I see." Wielding his fork, he scooped up rice and ate it in stony silence.
After an awkward pause, Raj pushed back from the table. "Well. I'll clean up."
"I'll do it," Megan said, still disconcerted by her exchange with Ander. "You cooked."
He answered in a distant voice. "All right."
As they all stood up, Ander watched the two of them. Megan wondered what he thought about the way she and Raj interacted. It would be interesting to hear his take on it, given that she had yet to figure it out herself.
"Shall I help remove the debris from dinner?" Ander asked.
She pushed a hand through her hair. "No. You go on back to the lab with Raj."
Ander stayed put. "Why?"
"We have to finish your shoulder diagnostics," Raj said.
The android turned to him. "I solved the problem."
Curiosity sparked in Raj's voice. "You did? How?"
"I found two unrelated sections of code that had formed a spurious link." Ander watched Raj with a guarded expression. "When my calculations became memory intensive, my mind rerouted messages through that link. It made my shoulder move. So I deleted the link."
Megan beamed at him. "Good work."
He bowed to her from the waist. "Thank you, ma'am."
That surprised her; although technically a bow wasn't an appropriate gesture in this situation, it worked, a touch of humor combined with gallantry. It suggested he was developing more sophistication in interpreting his knowledge of human customs and the rules for applying them.
"You're welcome," she said. "But Ander, you still need some more diagnostics."
His smile looked almost natural. "In other words, it's past my bedtime."
"I didn't mean that." With a good-natured laugh, she added, "I don't think."
He took her hand and lifted it to his lips. Then he kissed the back of her fingers. "Good night."
"Good night." Self-conscious, she extracted her hand.
Raj was watching with an odd look. Megan found him harder to read than Ander. Was he angry? Tense? Curious? She thought perhaps a mixture of all three.
"If you two are done," he said, "I'll take Ander back."
"Yes." Megan twisted a napkin in her hand. "Of course."
After they left, she called in the kitchen droids. While she loaded them with the dishes, she thought about Ander. His responses had gone beyond what she could predict. Sometimes he still seemed like a computer, but other times she wasn't sure what to think. Was he becoming more human? Or something else?
After she finished overseeing the droids, she walked back to her quarters. She wondered if Raj was working on Ander. Well, that was why they had hired him. She should be glad this project absorbed him. Yet no matter how logical she tried to be, it bothered her that he preferred an android's company to hers.
In her quarters, she changed into her nightshirt, then clicked a disk of Bujold's A Civil Campaign into her electronic reader and settled into bed. As she read, her lashes drooped...
Megan opened her eyes into
"I'm not a combination of human and AI intellects," he pointed out. "I am an android with a lot of software."
"You're unique," she said.
"It's lonely, though, don't you think?" he asked.
"Are you lonely?"
"Aren't you?"
Megan was suddenly aware of Raj listening. "That's a rather private question."
Ander leaned forward. "It is all right for you to ask me a private question, but not all right for me to do the same?"
"Your comment suggested you felt lonely. I responded. But I didn't bring it up in regard to myself."
"I see." Wielding his fork, he scooped up rice and ate it in stony silence.
After an awkward pause, Raj pushed back from the table. "Well. I'll clean up."
"I'll do it," Megan said, still disconcerted by her exchange with Ander. "You cooked."
He answered in a distant voice. "All right."
As they all stood up, Ander watched the two of them. Megan wondered what he thought about the way she and Raj interacted. It would be interesting to hear his take on it, given that she had yet to figure it out herself.
"Shall I help remove the debris from dinner?" Ander asked.
She pushed a hand through her hair. "No. You go on back to the lab with Raj."
Ander stayed put. "Why?"
"We have to finish your shoulder diagnostics," Raj said.
The android turned to him. "I solved the problem."
Curiosity sparked in Raj's voice. "You did? How?"
"I found two unrelated sections of code that had formed a spurious link." Ander watched Raj with a guarded expression. "When my calculations became memory intensive, my mind rerouted messages through that link. It made my shoulder move. So I deleted the link."
Megan beamed at him. "Good work."
He bowed to her from the waist. "Thank you, ma'am."
That surprised her; although technically a bow wasn't an appropriate gesture in this situation, it worked, a touch of humor combined with gallantry. It suggested he was developing more sophistication in interpreting his knowledge of human customs and the rules for applying them.
"You're welcome," she said. "But Ander, you still need some more diagnostics."
His smile looked almost natural. "In other words, it's past my bedtime."
"I didn't mean that." With a good-natured laugh, she added, "I don't think."
He took her hand and lifted it to his lips. Then he kissed the back of her fingers. "Good night."
"Good night." Self-conscious, she extracted her hand.
Raj was watching with an odd look. Megan found him harder to read than Ander. Was he angry? Tense? Curious? She thought perhaps a mixture of all three.
"If you two are done," he said, "I'll take Ander back."
"Yes." Megan twisted a napkin in her hand. "Of course."
After they left, she called in the kitchen droids. While she loaded them with the dishes, she thought about Ander. His responses had gone beyond what she could predict. Sometimes he still seemed like a computer, but other times she wasn't sure what to think. Was he becoming more human? Or something else?
After she finished overseeing the droids, she walked back to her quarters. She wondered if Raj was working on Ander. Well, that was why they had hired him. She should be glad this project absorbed him. Yet no matter how logical she tried to be, it bothered her that he preferred an android's company to hers.
In her quarters, she changed into her nightshirt, then clicked a disk of Bujold's A Civil Campaign into her electronic reader and settled into bed. As she read, her lashes drooped...
Megan opened her eyes into
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