“Alien Affairs. Bad name I always thought, makes it sound like they're shagging them rather than investigating them.”

“HR?''Human Resources.''In Brussels that kind of department is referred to as the Office for Personkind Enablement. Resources sounds like something you dig out of the ground.”

“The military do so love shiny new technology, there's always so many ways to abuse it.”

“You convinced yourselves we're just a bunch of regular lads who got a bad break in life. Anything else would have cracked your dream open and made you face reality. Illusion is easy. Illusion is the loser's way out. Your way. ”

“This is the age of total digitalisation; everything is online always.''Uh huh, and that's why our politicians are pure and clean, and the world works so well, is it? Because everybody knows everything and there's no hiding place.”

“Are you sure it is trustworthy, Mellanie?" "I'd be dead if it wasn't.""Yes, I suppose that does generate a respectable level of personal confidence.”

“Random Acts of Kindness," he said. "You need some in your life. Everybody does.""No, I don't have much of a rak, but hey, this is the twenty-third century, you can get anything fixed if you have enough money.”