Abby Hawk

“Any idea what this thing is?” I asked. Perry answered. “It’s a box.” “No shit.” “Sorry, Van, but we can’t really be more specific. It’s literally a box. Whatever’s inside it is something we’d have to find out by opening it.” “You can’t, like, scan it or anything?” “The Dragonet’s scanners aren’t meant for that sort of work. There are portable rigs that could do it, but we don’t have one of those aboard—and no, we didn’t have one your grandfather bargained away. They’re just pretty damned expensive.”
― J.N. Chaney, Backyard Starship

“Following Bellona tradition: “If it’s beautiful the first time you run it over”
― Michael Chatfield, The Tenth Awakens

“I am the Sword of Mars,” he snarled.”
― Glynn Stewart, Sword of Mars

“No,” she decided. “It won’t let me. I get the sense that… it doesn’t trust us. We’re too primitive, at least that’s what the ship’s computer thinks. To the computer, giving us control of the ship would be like handing a gun to a toddler.”
― Rick Partlow, World War Mars