"Perhaps," he said, "you would care to communicate direct with the Senators who were in charge of your system during the developmental stages. Will the Senators please come forward for contact?" Seven of the minds above the floor of the Senate drifted over to touch peripherally against each other and against Pat and Fred. "When we first undertook that project," one or all of them said, "your system was entirely unpopulated. On the third planet, we found, however, roughly humanoid apes in isolated caves and by selective breeding we succeeded in making that species into a housing identical with those we use on this planet. Unfortunately, only the less stable minds of the Galaxy were prepared to live quite so far out and we eventually lost touch. Is the same housing still used?" "So much so," Pat told them, "that we cannot normally detach ourselves." "You mean you send _bodies_ from place to place?" "Yes. The radio signals you received were from a spaceship containing men in their own bodies." "Remarkable. Naturally, we accept your statement. But this implies considerable technical skill--and a prodigious disregard for the taxpayers' money. You mean there were actually _men_ out there in _bodies_ sending energy transmissions, instead of visiting us in the mind from Earth?" "Yes." "Remarkable. _Very_ remarkable. Can you spare the time to tell us more about this? We can accommodate you with a double housing or separate housing, whichever you prefer." "May I withdraw to consult with my colleague?" Pat asked. "Of course. We will continue our debate." The Senators returned to their forms and the Speaker, sinking back into his body, recalled the assembly to their discussion of agricultural problems. * * * * * 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."