Nothing happened. She opened her eyes. The view ahead was clear. What had happened?
Then she saw a flicker in a screen inset in the corner. It was a view of the rear. And there was the enemy craft, turning around.
It had avoided her and let her pass it by. Now it was orienting on her tail.
What could she do? "Help!" she cried. "I am Opaline, back from Filament, fifty light years distant. The machines are chasing me. Help!"
"Granted."
Startled, Opaline looked. There beside her was a woman in the uniform of an Amazon. "Flame!"
"Open your mind."
Opaline did, gladly.
"Maintain course. I will take out that boat." Flame disappeared.
Opaline continued forward, slowing. Nervously she watched the vessel behind.
Then it changed course. It veered away from the planet and accelerated into deep space. It was no longer pursuing her. But where was it going?
"Void," Flame said, reappearing. "I adjusted its controls. It will find its destination."
Void. The black hole companion to the star Vivid. The gunboat was doomed. "Relief," Opaline said. "But—"
"I know. It's in your mind. Queen Filia is in your lap. We must take her home."
"I don't know the way. She set the course."
"I do. Give me the controls." Opaline held the cube in one hand while she stood to move over. Flame slid across and put one hand on the panel. "Wormhole," she said.
Then they were back by the giant planet with the roiling clouds. Flame had taken them back through the same wormhole.
The cube in Opaline's hand quivered. Filings coursed out, forming a curtain. Filia was taking form.
Opaline hastily moved over to give the Queen room. Filia took the center seat gracefully.
"Appreciation," she said. "You handled that well, Opaline."
"All I did was yell for help."
"That sufficed." Filia glanced at Flame. "Greeting, Glamor Flame. You are Havoc's daughter?"
"Affirmation," Flame said, moving over. "I felt you would be better off in your own frame, now that the machines' boat has been dealt with. Appreciation for your support."
"Necessary." Filia took the controls. The bubble went through another wormhole and was back at the home planet.
Filia guided the bubble back to the main dome and settled it into its hamper. They climbed out.
There was Havoc. "You lost interest in the test?" he inquired with a straight face. Of course he knew what had happened. "I can handle it alone. Oak continues to score."
"I'll be going now, Havoc," Flame said. "Parting, all."
"Request," Filia said quickly. "Take me with you."
Flame paused, reading her mind. Then she spoke to Opaline. "Take her ikon."
Opaline looked where mentally guided, and found a tiny cube resting on a pedestal. She picked it up. Then she walked to Flame. "Parting, Havoc," she said.
Then Flame put one hand on Filia's arm. Filia shrank into her cube, sitting in Flame's hand. Flame put her other hand on Opaline's arm.
They were back in familiar terrain, in sight of the farmhouse.
The cube Flame held expanded into Filia's human form. This was an alien environment for her, but with her ikon present she was able to handle it.
"I would like to meet Oak," Filia said.
"Regret," Flame said to Opaline. "You must be invisible and silent for this, as my sister still emulates you."
"Understanding." Then Opaline disappeared, unable even to see her own body.
The farmhouse door opened. Oak and Opaline emerged. She was holding his arm, guiding him. He was tall and handsome, his simplicity not showing physically. She was surprisingly pretty, with a cute face and slender yet evocative figure. Opaline realized that what Havoc had told her was correct: with her nature being fulfilled, she was slowly transforming from reasonably attractive to beautiful. Weft was merely emulating her present state.
The pair approached Flame and Filia.
"Greeting, Opaline, Oak," Flame said. "This is Filia, from a culture fifty light years distant. She wanted to meet you."
"Greeting, Filia," Weft said shyly, exactly as the real Opaline would have. Her irises were orange; Opaline realized with a start that she had never seen another fifth so wasn't accustomed to that color. The mirror didn't count; this looked like a separate person.
Weft jogged Oak's arm. "Greeting," he said belatedly.
"Oak, you are doing a great thing for the living cultures," Filia said. "We of Filament appreciate it."
Oak looked at her more directly. His pupils expanded as he noted her beauty. Weft jogged his elbow.
"Welcome," he said.
Filia stepped forward and kissed him. He looked pleasantly amazed. Weft quickly guided him back to the farmhouse, lest he misunderstand Filia's gesture and try to have sex with her. Weft would give him sex instead.
Opaline felt jealous. It was true that Oak did not know he was not with the real Opaline, but the idea of another woman satisfying him bothered her. She had had a monopoly. Now she fully appreciated Flame's earlier statement that she would rather have her man Fifth with Opaline than with Weft. Opaline would rather have Oak with her than with Weft.
"My sister Weft, emulating Opaline," Flame reminded Filia. "He needs special attention."
Opaline reappeared. She saw her body again. The need for her to be hidden had passed. "He is simple," she said.
"But what a talent!" Filia looked at her again. "Still, I am uncertain why such a significant weapon should be handled by a person the machines can read. Is it really a power play?"
"Negation," Flame said. "But it is intricate." She looked at Filia, and Opaline knew she was sending telepathic information.
"Understanding," Filia said. "Now at last I make sense of it." She looked at Opaline. "You are essential. Now it is clear why the machines are trying to destroy you, even though they have been using you."
"Confusion."
"You will direct Oak, when the climactic battle comes," Flame said. "They will block his direct impact on the ships. Then you will have Oak affect the broadcast instructions to those ships. They will track and block that. Then Oak will interfere with the blocking mechanism. So it will continue in a battle behind the apparent one. The machines know they can't be certain to block every avenue Oak will use, so they prefer to take him out before the fact. By killing you, because by himself he is no more threat to them than a defunct machine is to you."
"Intricate," Opaline agreed, seeing it. "But how will I know how to direct him?"
"I will be with you, or another Glamor will be, providing the coordinates of his targets."
"Understanding!"
"Comprehension," Filia agreed. "Now I will go home."
"Opaline will carry your ikon," Flame said. "Then Havoc will bring her home."
"Parting," Filia said, taking Opaline's arm.
"Echo," Flame said.
And they were back in the dome. Opaline set the cubic ikon back where she had found it.
There was Havoc. "Test complete," he announced. "Oak is ready."
"Then you will be done with us for a while," Filia said. Her clothing faded out; it was merely filings in the proper shape. Opaline, thus invited to participate, dropped her clothing. "We are going to make out with someone, and you are the only man within reach."
"Next month?" Havoc asked, teasing them.
They tackled him together, bringing him down on a couch. This time Filia took Havoc's upper section, wrapping her legs about his head so that his face was buried in her crotch, while Opaline got his nether section, sitting on it and taking his rising member in. He climaxed almost immediately, and she followed. Joint sex was new to her, as of this day, but she found she liked it well enough. She liked Filia too; she was made of filings, but she was still some woman.