Over the dome, Pat slipped inside Fred Williams' mind again. They thought of the enormous space-ships developed over many centuries and at uncounted cost to give men favorable odds in an unfavorable environment. And of the hazardous shifting of power based on bomb-satellites, and the fence upon fence of security precautions on which Earth and the Solar System depended. Or rather, when they considered it, on which their local population depended. It was not a problem for two Divers but for a team of specialists.
They returned to the Speaker.
"We would like to consult with the original Earth Senators again and perhaps borrow two—housings—for a a short while."
"With the greatest pleasure."
The Senators concerned quitted their housings and floated across the assembly to join them. They all rose together to the outside of the dome, where they would not disturb the debate below.
"One of the questions," Fred said, "is what happens if we died—by accident, for example—while in a borrowed housing."
"You imply a question as to what happens to any of your people, since they have lost the power to detach themselves, or do not make use of it."
"Yes."
"Unfortunately," one or all of the Senators replied, "we do not know. It is said there is a continual production of new minds in the universe, which appear here and there, wherever there are suitable housings. Others disagree but have no real answer. If we lend you housing—a panther-style body for personal racing on the grass steppes, say, or a vast whale-style body for enjoying some of our oceans, and so on, there is some risk. Among certain cultures, we find a return of the mind to a similar vacant housing. In other places, we have found an obscuration of the mind. We think there are parallel universes differing from this as mind-form differs from substance. And we believe each mind continues in these further dimensions. This would be practical if you were unable to leave a dying housing. Our advice is not to get caught in any accidents.
"Should it be advantageous to you, we will keep housings ready for you here. One male and one female, of course. Ah—on one question which you did not ask—you will find our guest housings are a uniform breed which became popular on your Planet among the Greeks and Romans as ideal godlike forms, shortly before we returned here.