It made Giskard simply a piece of mobile furniture and Baley felt no embarrassment in his presence. - Not that Giskard had ever intruded on him at an inconvenient moment, Baley thought idly.
Giskard brought a small cubicle with him. "Sir, I suspect that you still wish to observe Aurora from space."
Baley started. No doubt, Daneel had noted Baley's irritation and had deduced its cause and taken this way of - dealing with it. To have Giskard do it and present it as an idea of his simpleminded own was a touch of delicacy, on Daneel's part. It would free Baley of the necessity of expressing gratitude. Or so Daneel would think.
Baley bid, as a matter of fact, been more irritated at being, to his way of thinking, needlessly kept from the view of Aurora than at being kept imprisoned generally. He had been fretting over the loss of the view during the two days since the Jump. - So he turned and said to Daneel, "Thank you, my friend."
"It was Giskard's idea," said Daneel.
"Yes, of course," said Baley with a small smile. "I thank him, too. What is this, Giskard?"
"It is an astro simulator, sir. It works essentially like a trimensional receiver and is connected to the viewroom. If I might add - "
"Yes?"
"You will not find the view particularly exciting, sir. I would not wish you to be unnecessarily disappointed."
"I will try not to expect too much, Giskard. In any case, I will not hold you responsible for any disappointment I might feel."
"Thank you, sir. I must return to my post, but Daneel will be able to help you with the instrument if any problem arises."
He left and Baley turned to Daneel with approval. "Giskard handled that very well, I thought. He may be a simple model, but he's well-designed."
"He, too, is a Fastolfe robot, Partner Elijah. - This astrosimulator is self-contained and self-adjusted. Since it is already focused on Aurora, it is only necessary to touch the control edge. That will put it in operation and you need do nothing, more. Would you care to set it going yourself?"
Baley shrugged. "No need. You may do it."
"Very well."
Daneel had placed the cubicle upon the table on which Baley had done his book-film viewing.
"This," he said, indicating a small rectangle in his hand, "is the control, Partner Elijah. You need only hold it by the edges in this manner and then exert a small inward pressure to turn the mechanism on - and then, another to turn it off."
Daneel pressed the control-edge and Baley shouted in a strangled way.
Baley had expected the cubicle to light up and to display within itself a holographic representation of a star field. That was not what happened. Instead, Baley found himself in space, in space - with bright, unblinking stars in all directions.
It lasted for only a moment and then everything was back as it was the room and, within it, Baley, Daneel, and the cubicle.
"My regrets, Partner Elijah," said Daneel. "I turned it off as soon as I understood your discomfort. I did not realize you were not prepared for the event."
"Then prepare me. What happened?"
"The astrosimulator works directly on the visual center of the human brain. There is no way of distinguishing the impression it leaves from three-dimensional reality. It is a comparatively recent device and so far it has been used only for astronomical scenes which are, after all, low in detail."
"Did you see it, too, Daneel?"
"Yes, but very poorly and without the realism a human being experiences. I see the dim outline of a scene superimposed, upon the still-clear contents of the room, but it has been explained to me that human beings see the scene only. Undoubtedly, when the brains of those such as myself are still more finely tuned and adjusted - "
Baley had recovered his equilibrium. "The point is, Daneel, that I was aware of nothing else. I was not aware of myself. I did not see my hands or sense where they were. I felt as though I were a disembodied spirit or - as I imagine I would feel if I were dead but were consciously existing in some sort of immaterial afterlife."
"I see now why you would find that rather disturbing."
"Actually I found it very disturbing."
"My regrets, Partner Elijah. I shall have Giskard take this away."
"No. I'm prepared now. Let me have that cube. Will be able to turn it off, even though I am not conscious of the existence of my hands?"
"It will cling to your hand, so that you will not drop it, Partner Elijah. I have been told by Dr. Fastolfe, who has experienced this phenomenon, that the pressure is automatically applied when the human being holding it wills an end. It is an automatic phenomenon based on nerve manipulation, as the vision itself is. At least, that is how it works with Aurorans and I imagine - "
"That Earthmen are sufficiently similar to Aurorans, physiologically, for it to work with us as well. - Very well, give me the control and I will try."
With a slight internal wince, Baley squeezed the control edge and was in space again. He was expecting it this time and, once he found he could breathe without difficulty and did not feel, in any way as though he were immersed in a vacuum, he labored to accept it all as a visual illusion. Breathing rather stertorously (perhaps to convince himself he was actually breathing), he stared about curiously in all directions.
Suddenly aware he was hearing his breath rasp in his nose, he said, "Can you hear me, Daneel?"
He heard his own voice - a little distant, a little artificial but he heard it.
And then he heard Daneel's, different enough to be distinguishable.
"Yes, I can," said Daneel. "And you should be able to hear me, Partner Elijah. The visual and kinesthetic senses are interfered - with for the sake of a greater illusion of reality, but the auditory sense remains untouched. Largely so, at any rate."