"And our own human history is laced with irrationality," Warp agreed. "Still, I hope there is a rational basis."
"We know it," Arv said. "We accept it. The machines must be stopped, and combining our fleets is a rational way to do it. It is the social aspect that we need to negotiate."
"I am a Glamor," Warp said. "I am interested in sex. Marionette is my ikon holder. She is good at sex. But surely there is more to it than this."
"There is," Arv said. "We are uncertain whether humans are suitable partners, even for mock sex. You need to demonstrate some persuasive emotional qualities. Otherwise your mission must fail."
"Translation," Marionette said. "We need to seduce you. This would be difficult in the absence of your twins."
"You need to make us wish to be seduced, so that we will summon our twins to make it feasible," Arv said.
"Our twins are the romantically expressive ones. We are the practical ones. We doubt you have sufficient ability."
Warp considered, and made a decision. He risked telepathy. They are challenging us, he thought to Marionette. We must rise to it, or fail in our mission.
Agreement. What do you have in mind?
Telepathy. They seem to lack it. Their thoughts are unguarded. They are not the Makers; the naive openness of their minds makes that almost certain. We can make a demonstration.
As you wish, she agreed.
The exchange took only a moment, as mental communication was both faster and more comprehensive than verbal expression. Now Warp addressed the twins.
"I believe we do have sufficient ability," Warp said. "We are prepared to make a demonstration that might be considered offensive if not properly understood."
"Qualification noted," Arv said, smiling.
"It seems you lack telepathy."
"Mind to mind communication? We have no need for it, as our technology suffices, and personal privacy is preferred."
"But other species who have telepathy might take advantage of you. It would be better to protect yourselves from that. Otherwise an enemy commander might read your intentions, and counter them, gaining advantage that could cost you a ship or even a battle."
Now they were interested. "How?"
"Telepathic mind shielding is one technique. We could teach you that."
Arv shrugged. "We are not convinced of the need. The threat is theoretical."
"We will make it direct. We will telepathically summon your twins here. That will give us a tactical advantage."
"Telepathy can do that?"
"When minds are not guarded."
Bath Arv and Osp smiled. "We await your demonstration," Arv said.
They were calling his bluff. Did they know something he didn't? Or did their lack of familiarity with telepathy lend them contempt for its aspects? He would play the hand. I will try for Vra, he thought to Marionette. You try for Pso. Then, aloud: "We are reaching for them now."
The twins waited, satisfied to let the humans foul up their own case.
Warp reached out mentally, orienting on Vra's mind, which he knew from his contact with her.
He had not communicated telepathically with her, but her unguarded mind had been open to him.
He found her. Vra—come to the ship. Your twin is ready. He felt her surprise; she had not expected Arv to be persuaded so rapidly, if at all. She did not question the source of the information; his thought bypassed her critical faculty, lending instant belief.
Marionette caught his eye and nodded. She had reached Pso similarly.
"They should be here soon," Warp said. Because as Glamors they could conjure themselves from place to place.
There was a knock on the door. Then Vra and Pso entered the cabin.
Arv and Osp stared. "You did it!" Arv said.
"Did what?" Vra asked.
"Explanation," Warp said. "We were demonstrating the usefulness and liability of telepathy. We sent messages to you to come here."
"But we are not telepathic," Vra protested. "We have no need of it."
"Correction: you do not normally use telepathy, but your minds are open to others who do employ it. We demonstrated this. We are about to make a deaclass="underline" we will teach you practical defense against such intrusion, and you will lend your space fleet to the common cause."
The four twins exchanged glances. "This is persuasive," Arv said.
Then all four stripped away their clothing. There were four beautiful breasts and two erect half-penises.
Warp and Marionette did the same, baring only half as many breasts and penises.
The twins touched buttons, and two beds slid out from the cabin wall. Vra and Arv lay down on one—and they did overlap. Their upper bodies were separate, and so were their legs, but their midsections seemed to have fused.
Warp didn't hesitate. He mounted the twins, his hard member seeking their juncture. It was there, and in a moment he was thrusting inside an intact vagina. Two legs lifted to clasp his waist, while two more firmly contacted his thighs.
Four breasts pressed against his chest. Two mouths kissed him, one on the left side of his face, one on the right side.
Four arms wrapped around him, stroking his back and bottom.
The overall effect was potent. He went into a sustained orgasm, spurting continuously.
After a heroic eternity he let it end. He collapsed on the twins, who continued to kiss and caress him. Now they were taking turns kissing his mouth as their massed breasts provided a soft landing for his chest.
Finally he hauled himself off them. They lay there a moment more, then separated, becoming two women with half genitals.
Meanwhile, Pso and Osp were finishing with Marionette, two bodies with a common genital region. She was having her fill, literally.
One man, two women. One woman, two men. It was now quite clear how two of the sexual combinations worked.
In due course all six of them were clothed. "You made your demonstration," Arv said. "We will authorize the merger of fleets. Now we want to learn to fend off telepathic direction. We had not realized that we could be subject to it in this manner."
"But it may be best if we do so as separate parties," Vra said. "If we twins remain together, we will soon be eager to breed again."
"This is bad?" Warp asked.
Both looked at him. "You are not sated?"
"I am sated for now. But I suspect that by the time you are eager again, I will be too. I never before had a sexual experience like that, and I hope there will be occasion for future trysts. You are two phenomenally lovely women, and possessing you simultaneously was terrific."
Vra looked at Marionette. "You?"
"I can handle it," Marionette said. "I have had a good deal of sexual experience, but this novelty is intriguing."
"Then we will remain together," Arv said. "But the telepathy—can that be reviewed despite sexual distraction?"
"Affirmation," Warp said. "In fact, it can enhance the experience. But here is the key: you need to develop mind shields. I will project a sample shield to your minds so you know its nature, but you will have to develop your own, and strengthen it until I am unable to get into your minds until you allow it. You don't have to be telepathic; you just have to know how to shield your minds."
He demonstrated, and they caught on quickly. They were after all Glamors. Within an hour all four had passable mind shields. And they had had enthusiastic sex three more times.
"We should have known you weren't bluffing," Arv said. "You're a Glamor."
"Which is an oddity," Warp said. "There seem to be Glamors in many species, not identical, but having perhaps more in common with each other than with the normal members of their species. We have an affinity for each other, and now we know that species is no necessary barrier to sex between us. How can that be?"