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1 " Perfection,” Inigo said, “is what we strive for; it is never what we should achieve. There is no such thing as utopia. Life by its nature is a struggle. Take that away and you take away any reason to exist. "
― Peter F. Hamilton , The Evolutionary Void
2 " Most people who have failed miserably in life itself have one last resort left available to them, they become a politician. "
3 " So how big an interest have you been taking in the Pilgrimage?’ ‘Big. That idiot Ethan really could trigger the end of the galaxy. I’d have to move.’ ‘How terrible. "
4 " True life is the understanding and support of other people, of selflessness, of charity, of kindness. "
5 " It is the epitome of entropy, the final enemy of all things. "
6 " Every Navy warship assigned to the Sol protection fleet flashed in towards Earth, knitting together in a defensive formation that extended out beyond lunar orbit. Weapons platforms that had spent decades stealthed in high orbit emerged to join the incredible array of firepower lining up on the Swarm. All over the planet, force fields powered up, shielding the remaining cities. Anyone outside an urban area was immediately teleported in to safety. The T-sphere itself was integrated into the defence organization, ready to ward off energy assaults against the planet by rearranging spacetime in a sharp curve. "
7 " I’ve only been out a few days. I’d forgotten how fucking useless meat bodies are. There’s barely enough neurones to run a walking routine, let alone something complicated like tying your shoelaces up. I’ve had to run an expanded mentality in the habitat’s RI systems just to keep thinking properly; and that hardware isn’t exactly young and frisky any more. "
8 " They would have thought me mad, even Kristabel. Flying carriages. People who live forever. Hundreds of inhabited worlds. Machine servants instead of genistars. Cities where Makkathran would be naught but a small district. A civilization where justice was available to all. Aliens. More stars in the sky than it is possible to count. No, such marvels of my fevered imagination were best kept inside my skull. "
9 " Most people who have failed miserably in life itself have one last resort left available to them. They become politicians. "
10 " Some believe that we will eventually sink back to the more simple-minded creatures which we evolved out of and the planet will bring another mind forward.” “Isn’t that the opposite of evolution?” “Only from a single-species perspective. A planet’s life is paramount. It is such a fragile rare event, it should be treasured and nurtured for the potential it brings forth. If that means abdicating our physical dominance for our successors, then that is what we will accept. Such a time is a long way in our future. In terms of evolution, we have only just begun such a journey. "
11 " That’s a huge gamble.” “We’re long past the time for careful certainty. "
12 " Typical case, educated way, way beyond her IQ, with ambition stronger than ability. She’s just another cause fascist, son, and that’s the worst kind; they always know they’re right. Anyone who dissents for whatever reason is evil and an enemy, existing only to be crushed. "
13 " There it was, plain and beautifully simple, five generations down the line. :) "
14 " The biggest victory they can have is to change our lives. I am going to carry on exactly as before. Anything else is allowing them to win. "
15 " He knows it never works, so why does he always go for the same type? “Optimism! "
16 " Secrecy is like oxygen to politicians and defense forces; there’s always got to be some of it to keep them going. "
17 " A large part of evolution is interaction. Isolation is not evolution; it is stagnation. "
18 " But then, ephemerality was the summation of most human activities. The trick was to enjoy the time when things were going right. "
19 " Alert> Five Chikoya approaching, open assault formation. Multiple target acquisition. Armed> Disruptor pulse. Maximum power rating. Sequential fire. U-shadow update: landing exit capsule behind Building-D. Armed> Neutron lasers. Maximum power rating. Sequential fire. U-shadow update: decoy capsules on collision vector. Mach eight. Accelerating. Armed> Microkinetics. Enhanced explosive warheads. Free fire authority. Armed> Ariel smartseeker stealth mines. Chikoya profile loaded. Dispense. Alert> New targets. "
