2 quoted lines
Andrew Mason-> It seems likely to me that the Neigbours in the Whorl are disguised as humans (or indeed fused with humans, in a way akin to possession). If they can transport someone else's spirit into a new body, it's not improbable that they can also transport their own spirits into new bodies.
James Wynn- Well, the fact that they knew Silk's body was soon to be available suggests they are there observing things. You make a good point though that the Neighbors can very well be active on the Whorl without ships or cracking the airlock.
Yes. I think this is getting closer to the heart of the matter. I would ask Andrew about which group, on the Whorl, do we know is able to do "possession", putting their spirits into human bodies. Also, there seems to be some possession going on in the Short Sun stories. It is facilitated by a ring/jewel of the Neighbors. For me the pieces of the puzzle fit together nicely.
I think James also has a sense that Inhumi and Neighbor intrusions into the Whorl were not a product of an outer space invasion through the void. The Whorl likely came with all the pieces we find out about already in place.
I don't think the ecological symbiotic fit of Neighbors, Inhumi and humans that we see on Blue/Green evolved over the course of a few decades. It has been going on for a long, long time.
(this may be what Marc is getting at with his sense of flora and fauna. In BotNS there
is a pelagic/blue water theme, a green theme and feeding off the death of humanity theme.)