The Helianx Proposition/page 22
In spite of their size the Helianx could never be thought of as a hardy species.
In those early years of the Multiverse, the organic molecules
that are the building blocks of life, were made up of
a finer substance than those in these more recent and denser times.
The computers had been more than aware of this structural frailty and it had been
this that had led inevitably to a solution which had to take this factor into account.
When the computers finally revealed the audacious plan they had concocted, the Helianx were forced to confront the sad truth of what had become of their physical condition. They had become so entranced by the languorous pleasures of nil-gravity space, and by this point in time, were arguably so addicted to spending longer and longer periods roaming the out-of-the-body realms, that they had come to place a decreasing importance on their physical bodies. As with most aquatic species, the density of the medium in which they exist tends to blur the borderline between their bodies and their surrounding environment. It becomes increasingly difficult for them to pay attention to where their bodies end and where the water starts. If such a creature evolves without having to deal with the constant presence of predatory enemies, there is little to prevent it from spending almost all its time free of its body, traveling the subtle dimensions of the Multiverse.
The planetary catastrophe had been the first severe awakening for the Helianx and they had done their best in those early years on the Great Ship to make sure to keep their bodies toned up and physically strong. But, as the millennia passed and their confidence in the space glider grew to a point at which they could engage the autopilot for long periods of time, they reverted gradually to their old ways. They floated free in the astral realms, their enormous, amorphous bodies curled and furled in the security of the nutrient domes. It had been a stern reminder for the Helianx to realize, in the light of harsh cosmic realities, just how physically weakened they had allowed themselves to become.
The fact that the plan the computers had evolved was centrally dependent on one individual Helianx was also of particular concern to the Elders, since in the course of their entire history the Helianx had never been truly separated. The bonding that resulted from their telepathic group-mind tended to de-emphasize their individuality, and when they chose to travel out-of-the-body they preferred to move as one collective identity. Relying for their species continuing existence on anyone single individual, however, seemed to them to be the height of folly. Many of the Elders had strongly resisted the whole idea, until the computers had demonstrated unequivocally that in spite of the obvious risks there was no other way they would have a chance of ultimate survival.
The Helianx understood they were going to have to resign themselves to the hard choice, hope for the best, and trust in the wisdom of their computers to have calculated the odds in their favor.
