Bridget Robles

“Here we have a stopwatch turned on for life, which is why the most valuable thing we have is the time allotted to us by life, which is something that should not be burned in vain.”
― Alexander Morpheigh, The Pythagorean

“We!” he emphasizes, pointing at his crew, “get to be the first link in a new chapter in our history. But I want you all to really consider what is going on here…” He takes the tone of a circus ringmaster. “This is bigger than successfully colonizing Mars and Ganymede. It’s bigger than Columbus or Magellan. It’s even bigger than the first homo sapiens leaving Africa.” He raises his voice even more, waving his arms. “Hell, this is bigger than fish crawling out of the fucking water and growing legs! Think about it!” Everyone is quiet, avoiding eye contact with Calvin. Everyone except Captain Taylor looks at him ambiguously.
“Why not Cook and Vancouver?” Taylor asks.
 “Excuse me, sir?”
“You said Columbus or Magellan, but that’s preposterous. Magellan was a madman who tortured his crew and never made the whole trip, and Columbus, to be honest, is completely overblown. The dignity alone that Captain Cook commanded…”
“Yeah, yeah, OK. Cook and Magellan? Frances Drake? Whoever. The point is…” Calvin walks to the glass and points. “This,” the pudgy showman continues, “is right here, right now. Got it?! Everyone here needs to admit the real reason we want to go down to that mysterious blue planet, figure out the atmosphere, and collect some space plasma. It’s not because it’s our job. No. It’s time we’re all honest and admit we are now part of something much bigger than ourselves. It’s not just our job, it’s our story. It’s our story as human beings, it’s our instinct to explore!”
― Joseph A. Anderson, Eden 2:b

“He smelled of rain, as if he had blown in on the wind, thought Mary.”
― Susan Rowland, The Swan Lake Murders

“I've learned, my dear—never give your heart away to a man who doesn't want or deserve it.”
― Amanda Adams, The Voyeur's Yacht