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.The channel was open, the receiving equipment ready, but only an audio signal came through from the stranger.The voice it carried was an instrument that seemed to have been carelessly assembled, out of broken shards and discarded bits of sound.Gregor, listening, thought that whoever had cobbled it together felt great contempt for everyone who would be forced to listen to it.The harsh voice came through abruptly.“I await your response to my proposal of alliance.”The politician began to instruct Homasubi on what he should say.The first spacer firmly put him in his place.“I am in command here.You are not.”Then he and the stranger argued.It still refused to provide any video of what it looked like.The first spacer raised the question of the Huvean hostages.The machine said it would be glad to restore them, as soon as it could find them on the surface.But to conduct a successful search, it needed more details on the personal appearance and background of these specific life-units.“And your own personal appearance? What of that?”“We must move on to another topic,” the ugly voice assured him.“Cut off video output to the stranger.” That was the first spacer’s immediate reaction.“If it offers none, it gets none from us.”“Aye, sir.” The grayish void remained in place, filling its assigned section of the table.Lady Constance from Earth leaned slightly forward, so that her clasped hands seemed to rest on the virtual tabletop.She took advantage of the momentary pause to politely voice an offer to withdraw, so the first spacer could speak privately to the thing.“If our absence would enable you to focus more thoroughly on the problem at hand, First Spacer Homasubi?”Page 129ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlThe Huvean political officer was about to speak, but Homasubi silenced him with an abrupt gesture.To the Earthwoman he said: “Diplomatically phrased, ma’am.But no, I do not wish any of you to withdraw.Most definitely not.”Now it was necessary to respond to the offer somehow.After a momentary pause for contemplation, Homasubi turned slightly in his couch, so that that he directly faced the empty space where the berserker’s image ought to have been.He stared grimly into that shadowy void, though he knew (with at least ninety-nine percent certainty) that whatever presence lurked behind it could no longer see him.He said: “If you are seriously proposing an alliance, and not merely having difficulty with our language, I must repeat that I have no authority to make any such arrangement.Only my government can do that.”Evidently the entity at the other end of the transmission beam could still hear him without difficulty.Its answer came back at once, the voice cracking and squeaking as before, as if ready at any moment to break out in a maniacal laugh.The craziness of the tone made it easier to believe that the words were crazy too.No wonder the people it had attacked had chosen the name for it that they did.“Then I must establish formal relations with your government.Where is it?”The sudden loss of video had provoked no objection and no comment from the thing, the machine or creature, over there.Whatever or whoever it was, it was no polished diplomat.Homasubi thought quickly.He said: “In this solar system, I am currently representing my government in all matters.Where is yours?”Waiting for a reply, the Huvean first spacer cast his gaze around the circle of other humans, all of them watching him.From some of those who were solidly in his presence he could hear quick breathing.Judging from their faces, he thought that nothing he had said so far was downright horrifying.His last question still had not been answered.It was time, he thought, that someone made demands of the berserker: “Before providing any additional information about my government, Iinsist on knowing what world or worlds, what people, you represent.”This time the answer was as quick as ever.“I do not understand the question.”Gregor was still in his couch at the admiral’s right side, physically aboard the battered, groaning Morholt, though the display showed his virtual image seated at the common table.He had the impression that the patchwork voice, with its discordant recorded syllables, seemed to have been designed for taunting, mocking whatever humans might be forced to listen to it.Homasubi rocked gently in his combat couch, whose force-field buffers, as always, cushioned his armored suit superbly.The movement was a habit that the first spacer had developed when thinking intently, and he tended especially to fall into it when he was angry.Partly, he realized, his anger was because this ugly thing had deprived him of his long-cherished opponent, the Twin Worlds force against whom his destiny had been to win great glory.But his face was still a mask.He said: “I will repeat it in a different form.Where do you come from? What solar system and what world?”No answer.“Very well.To try to establish a solid basis for our talk, going even farther back, can we agree on a system of Galactic coordinates, to specify locations?You have captured Twin Worlds vessels, and I assume have studied the contents of their data banks.”“I do not understand those questions either,” the disembodied voice came back.“Doubtless my knowledge of your language is imperfect.”“Then I must keep trying to come up with questions that you can understand, how about this?You must agree that we have never met before, yet you say that we are allies.Therefore I ask:What do we have in common?”“That is obvious,” it squeaked and scraped.“We are both enemies of the Twin Page 130ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlWorlds.The enemy of my enemy is my friend.Where is your Huvean government?”“I must communicate with my superiors, privately, before I can tell you that.Why do you still decline to transmit any video signal to this ship? Are you afraid to show us an image of yourself?”“I am afraid of nothing.That is one of the traits that will make me a strong ally.” Again the voice seemed on the verge of a mad cackle.“Are you and your government afraid of me?”The first spacer drew a measured breath.“It has been my experience that only the insane, the dead, and robots have no fear.”No comment.The first spacer prodded: “If you fear nothing, you will not hesitate to show us your image.”“I am far more than an image,” answered the squeaking voice, and then broke off abruptly.Homasubi felt instinctively that he had gained some kind of an advantage.He tried to press it.“What is there about you, I mean about your simple, physical appearance, that you are reluctant to let us see?”No response.Only a faint crackle, as of some kind of static, in the dark cave of the dedicated holostage.Homasubi looked around at the human faces assembled near him, real allies, potential enemies.None of them, as far as he could tell, were still holding their breath.None seemed to be strongly disapproving of the way he had conducted the dialogue so far, none of them, that is, but his own political officer, who tended to disapprove of everything.As Homasubi watched, one or two of his guests opened their mouths as if to interject some comment or question, but then changed their minds and kept silent.The dark niche dedicated to the berserker still occupied its assigned space at the virtual table, indicating that the communication channel was still open.Homasubi once more faced that way, and added: “If you must talk to my government, it is only fair that I should talk to yours.”No answer
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