All the same, Opaline would be relieved to get back to Oak. She was ready for a siege of simple uncomplicated familiar sex that would make no demands on her intellect or emotion.
Still she had a nagging doubt. She suspected that they had not told her all of the nature of her assignment with Oak.
Chapter 26 Sphere
Gale was the Glamor on call when the machines got in touch. "Truce."
She stared at the screen. There was a bright metallic sphere. It was a machine, but the form was new. "Question?"
"I am Sphere, gender male, a supervisory level machine. I wish to cooperate with a Glamor on a project of mutual interest."
Cooperate? That was not a term the machines had used before. They had sent fifths, robots, and attack craft, always in efforts to gather information, gain advantage, persuade, threaten, or demonstrate superiority. The closest they had come to cooperation was when they had let the humans participate in their planetary survival test, and when they had given Havoc and Red the tour of their world of origin. Was this a follow-up on that?
"I am the Glamor Gale, Queen of Charm."
"We know of you. You suffice for this purpose, Queen Gale."
They had navigated the amenities, establishing their separate authorities. The machines knew that what Gale agreed to, Havoc would agree to, and possibly Voila. So what was their ploy, this time? "Clarify this mutual interest."
"We may have found the world of the fugitive Makers."
Gale felt her jaw dropping. "Surprise," she said, in a phenomenal understatement as she touched the button to alert Ennui. Ennui would soon have all the Glamors tuning in to this dialogue. "And why do you tell us, rather than destroying it outright?"
"We do not destroy Makers," Sphere responded primly, his surface flashing. "We serve them."
"Which still destroys them, only more slowly."
"We regret that this has been the case in the past. We are capable of program modification, with the aid of the Makers. We assume these have not lost their edge, and would prevent us from perpetrating that slow destruction."
"If they even let you get near them."
"This is one of two reasons we wish the assistance of a Glamor. You could approach the Makers."
"Question: What is your second reason?"
"We also need the assistance of a Glamor to investigate without being observed. It is possible that these are not the Makers, in which case they are of no use to us."
"In which case you can destroy them without further concern."
"Agreement."
"You're not much for irony, are you?"
"It is superfluous."
Gale considered briefly. She could not be sure how long this window of opportunity would last. If the machine broke off the dialogue, the location of the possible Maker planet would be lost. "I will cooperate with you on this mission, with two conditions."
"Agreed."
"You haven't heard my conditions!" she exclaimed.
"I know them already."
Was this arrogance or delusion? Machines were not known for either. "Clarification."
"First: that the residents of that planet be spared if they are not Makers. Second, that there be a mechanism of mutual trust."
Gale stared at the machine. He had nailed it. "You do know my nature," she said ruefully.
"Agreement."
"What mechanism of trust?"
"I will trust my isolated body to your care for the duration. I will carry your ikon."
The thing had scored again. If the two of them went alone to the planet, she would be able to destroy him. But she could not go without an ikon bearer. This was mutual dependency with a vengeance. And, all things considered, it was fair.
"Agreement," she said. "But for the record I want it understood that we remain enemies with different objectives, and in the future will be seeking to destroy each other directly or via our cultures."
"Accepted. I will come to you alone. There is a wormhole beside your pyramid."
There was? The machines knew more about Planet Charm than was comfortable. They could have sent a bomb. "I will meet you there."
Sphere faded from the screen. He was making the rendezvous.
Gale did not bother to talk to the other Glamors. She knew they were attuned, letting her handle it. If the machines played it straight, so would they.
She conjured herself to the ground outside Pyramid City, beyond the lake. She spread her sensing, and located Sphere. She walked across to join him.
He was not as tall as she, but massive considering his compact shape. "Greeting, again, Sphere," she said.
"Acknowledged, Gale." He used no visible translator; it was evidently built in.
"Presumption: you do not have a direct route to the Maker planet. There will be several wormhole jumps."
"Affirmation. Protocol requires caution. We will not reveal a location your ships could travel to. Here are the coordinates for my ship."
"If I am to transport you there, I will have to touch you, much as I prefer not to."
Something poked out from the surface without breaking it. It formed into a human style hand. "Aversion reciprocated."
She took the hand in hers. It was neither cold nor hard; it felt exactly like a real human hand.
"My daughter will bring my ikon."
In a moment Vila appeared, walking around the pond, in answer to a telepathic summons.
"Give Sphere the ikon," Gale said, releasing the hand.
The girl hesitated only momentarily before putting the tiny mossball into the machine's hand. Then she turned and walked away.
"Telepathy is one of the things we can use, on this quest," Sphere said as the hand disappeared. In a moment it reappeared without the ikon.
Gale took the hand again and conjured them both to the ship. They were in a spacious chamber with breathable air. "Appreciation for your courtesy," Gale said tightly. She could have handled vacuum, but this was considerably more comfortable.
"I wish to facilitate this mission despite my dislike of dealing directly with an alien life form. The ship will make the next jump."
"You know that once it does, I will not only know the route, but will be be able to duplicate it myself."
"Not without your ikon."
"I would take you along, if necessary."
"Conceded. But needless. I will deliver you safely back to your planet when the mission is done. It is a corollary of our temporary mutual trust."
The machine was serious. "Appreciation," she said coldly.
"There will be a delay as the ship goes to a wormhole. Do you desire anything for the interim?"
"You know them already."
The nearby wall and floor contorted into an easy chair. A frothing glass of green drink appeared. Gale settled into the chair and sipped the drink. It was excellent pistachio wine.
She looked at Sphere. "And?"
"You insist?"
She was bugging him, as intended. "Affirmation."
His shape shifted, poking out assorted projections. These formed into arms, legs, and a head. Then the main portion compressed into a humanoid torso. Soon he stood there: an excellently proportioned naked metal man.
Adonis as an animated statue. "Clumsy form."
"Curiosity," Gale said, glancing at his groin. She wanted to make him balk. That would be a point for her.
"Disgust." But a penis and scrotum sprouted there.
"And?"
The penis filled out and lifted, becoming a respectable erection. The sight was a perverse turn-on, like an erotic statue, but she suppressed her reaction. This was not the occasion.
"So you are capable of sex." She had suspected it, because the robots the machines had sent were. Also, why have male and female machines, if not to facilitate such interaction?
"Affirmation."
"But why have gender at all, since machines are made, not conceived?"