So, what could Envoys do? Envoys, who worked for the U.N. Protectorate that governed Earth and all human colonies, were super soldiers trained to be able to withstand the psychological trauma that comes from frequent reskinning (placing your consciousness into a new body). This way, Envoys could "needlecast," or beam their consciousness into a far-away sleeve, more adeptly, and thus travel through the colonies quickly. Normal people would go crazy after needlecasting too many times — so that's why this breed of desensitized, tough soldiers was developed. Over time, Envoys were wiped of feelings of guilt and empathy. They became superhuman.