"I want your favor more than your sex."
"You have it," Shee said, responding as Gale would have. But Shee herself was coming to appreciate the qualities of this high class machine. Sphere was her equivalent, as sophisticated as they came. Only her Glamor status put her beyond him. "Set course for the Citadel, and I will entertain you during the journey."
"Course set," he agreed.
She brought out Gale's hammer dulcimer and put on the finger hammers. "Do you appreciate music?"
"Confirmation. This is part of my crafting, to be ready to entertain a Maker should the need ever arise."
She played a simple accompaniment, staying well within her competence with this instrument, and sang one of the ancient human humorous classics.
Sphere was confused. "I have a problem with terminology."
"In the earlier years of planet Earth, the source of the human culture, they commonly traveled by animal drawn coaches guided by coachmen. They could be a rowdy bunch, celebrating with intoxicating beverages during their off hours."
"Understanding," he said. "Shall we celebrate similarly?"
"Can a machine get intoxicated? As a Glamor I can't."
"Disappointment."
"Perhaps we could fake it."
"Pretense? Agreement."
They drank from imaginary mugs, and soon pretended tipsiness. Then Shee resumed the song.
"Delight!" Sphere said. "Are you such a girl?"
"Yes, except that I will not be a mother again."
"Understanding."
She moved into another round of sex with him, this time kissing him repeatedly in an indication of affection that was not wholly feigned. Gale had been coming to like him; so was Shee. Meanwhile she pondered the first problem: no need for new machines in a century.
And found an answer. "Machines are governed by programs," she said. "A machine can't change its program. But a Glamor could. If you teach me exactly what aspect to change."
"This would be dangerous to teach an enemy agent."
"I made my oath. I will not use this against you or the Citadel. I will of course share it with my people after the mission, but we will not then be within range of the Citadel."
"Accepted."
"You accepted too quickly, again. You might have wrested further favors from me."
"I am not apt at this type of negotiation."
She resumed kissing and stroking him. "I like your naivety." And she did. He taught her the necessary codes.
Meanwhile they traveled to the manufacturing complex that served the region of space that included the Citadel.
This was an impressive development. The entire planet was filled with industrial structures, and there was constant spaceship traffic. All of it was automatic, in the sense that no living creature supervised, only a governing machine that specialized in this one endeavor.
They docked as visitors. Sphere had authority to check for hidden Makers, and did so. There were none.
Meanwhile Shee ranged out with her mind, located the precise program in a logistic supervisory machine, and made a small modification. Clairvoyance and telekinesis: extremely useful, provided the range was not great. This might have been more of a challenge for Gale, but Shee had a better understanding of machines and of matter itself. Gale was right: Shee was better equipped for this mission.
In due course two mining machines were loaded into the cargo hold of Sphere's ship. They were to be delivered to the Citadel base planet.
They departed, setting a wormhole course for the Citadel. "I have not believed that the living cultures had any significant chance for survival against the machines campaign," Sphere said. "They are too vulnerable, in their constant need for food, air, and a controlled environment. But I am beginning to believe. Your Glamor powers over programming, and your sexual power over me, are persuasive."
"Appreciation," she said, commencing another sexual episode. "We seem to be an effective team."
"Request," Sphere said.
"Speak."
"This humanoid form is not my natural one. I adopt it in order to relate to you. When you kissed me on your planet, you seemed to care for me regardless of my form."
"You want sex in your natural form?" She hadn't thought of this.
"If you are not disinclined."
How would Gale react? She knew. "We'll try it and see."
"Gratitude." He shifted back to the sphere shape.
"However—" she began.
Two hands extruded from the top of the sphere. Then a penis, a quarter of the way around.
She took hold of the hands to steady herself. Then she fitted herself onto the penis. She knew Gale had done something similar with a giant flower once, so this remained in character. She took it all the way into her, then brought her body down to press against the surface of the sphere, especially her belly and breasts. She kissed the reflective metal, which formed a mouth to meet hers.
The penis jerked, responding to her caress. His form was not remotely human now, but he was really turned on by her form. "Beauty and the beast," she murmured.
"Question?"
"Ancient Human Culture fable. Lovely woman falls in love with an ugly beast, appreciating his other qualities."
"Appropriate."
She continued to caress his surface, while squeezing his member, and soon she felt his orgasm throbbing, not only within her, but all around his perimeter, which was now glowing in pulses.
There was something about this unusual conjunction that stimulated her.
She went into her own orgasm, clinging to the sphere. His arms lengthened so that his hands could press against her back, holding her close as she panted and clenched. It was just as good a climax as when he had been in humanoid form.
At last she lay strewn across him, sexually surfeit. "You gave me pleasure in your own form," she said.
His whole surface warmed appreciatively.
Thereafter they slept, embraced. For him it was merely a lowering of awareness, but she was able to actually lose consciousness. She woke to find herself still on him, but not uncomfortable. His two hands and his embedded penis were three points that held her conveniently in place.
"Love," he said.
She did not respond verbally. He knew the constraints of their association. But she squeezed his hands and his member. She knew she was giving him phenomenal satisfaction, and it pleased her to do that. Even if she wasn't the one he thought. He was a machine, but it pleased her to dominate him in her fashion, having evoked his sexual appetite.
Eventually they separated. She had food to eat and wastes to eliminate, following the living lifestyle of Gale.
When the wormhole deposited them in the vicinity of the citadel, Shee wondered whether there was a mistake, for that region of space was entirely blank. There was no star, no planets. "Question?"
"We are a Type Two culture," Sphere reminded her. "We can utilize all the energy provided by a given star. We don't do it with all stars, but do with several thousand useful ones. It seems as though there is nothing because no energy, including light escapes."