Becker nodded. “Sounds good to me.” I’ll need access to the Condor’s memory banks.” ML ccua e<) ^u. ccua,” Becker said. “Is that Standard?”Only to the Pallomellese,” Becker said. “It means ‘my house is your house, my ship is your ship.’ Go for it.”During most of this programming, the KEN unit was turned ‘ “ut during the rest, he remained conscious and participated ln e ‘^rk. Acorna was surprised at how natural he seemed. He was not, after all, a particularly new model.Were you originally programmed to feel or display emotlon?” she asked the robot.“No,” he said. And then, half a beat later, he asked with seeming anxiety, “Was that the wrong answer?”She smiled to reassure him. It seemed silly to think that someone who was basically a machine needed reassurance-but, on the other hand, she had heard her uncles talk to their ship, she’d seen Becker talk to the ConSor in the same way he spoke to RK, so there was really no reason to think that machines didn’t respond in some way to emotional input. Particularly machines -which appeared to be human. “I do not think that there is a wrong answer to that question,” she said. “But I’m interpreting your responses as being emotionally motivated. This makes me more comfortable with you.”“I hope you are comfortable with me, miss,” the KEN unit said. “You have taught me a great deal these last few days. I know many more things. I understand a great deal more about the people here, this ship, this universe. Kisia Manjari did not wish me to think for myself.”Acorna frowned. “Kisia Manjari -was a very troubled person. And she had the unfortunate habit of passing her trouble around to everyone she met.”“She was a very difficult user, miss. I believe I perceive what you mean. Captain Becker, on the other hand, keeps me shut off most of the time. This recharges the batteries but does not add greatly to my knowledge.”“I don’t think the captain realized your potential, KEN640,” Acorna said. “I’ll ask his permission to leave you on continually while you are assimilating the data I have added to your banks.”“Miss, I note that the captain, and you, and the other being like you, and even the fur-bearing creature call each other by casual appellations. KEN-640 is my model number. But it is not the same sort of appellation.”“I’m sorry, KEN-640. You may call all of us by our given names. Although Aari calls me Khornya, as do others of my race, my original name is Acorna and I prefer it. Do you wish to be known by a different appellation than KEN-640 yourself?”“Yes, Acorna. I have scanned the selection of names for humanoids of Terran origin, which I resemble, and have decided it would be appropriate for me to be called MacKenZ. Mac means son of, which sounds more human than modeled by, does it not?”“It does.”“And although my model number indicates that I was not the latest or most sophisticated unit made to date, I feel that your programming has put me on a par -with the most recent and updated of my series. And if an “A” indicates the first or earliest model in the Standard alphabet, then Z surely means the most recent upgrade. Hence MacKenZ.”“Fine, MacKenZ. If you’ll accompany me to the bridge, I will reintroduce you to our crewmates.”She did so. After that, Becker readily agreed to leave the MacKenZ operational most of the time and began some programming of his own, teaching MacKenZ some of the important points to remember in collecting salvage. “I think Mac is selfprogramming to some extent anyway,” Becker said, scratching his head. “Otherwise, I don’t see how he could come up with some of the stuff he does.”Becker was nonetheless reluctant to trust MacKenZ at the helm alone, although he didn’t mind tutoring him in Becker Enterprises navigational methods when he stood his own watch.MacKenZ spent much of his time on the bridge, when Becker didn’t have any other specific assignment for him. Acorna -was glad of the company. She used the time to input more data, using the books that Aari had now abandoned in iavor of studying the piiyi.