Nicole

“But then the Mandate was all about those neat boxes, those false binaries. Orthodox and unorthodox; his and hers; us and them.”
― Adrian Tchaikovsky, Alien Clay

“They want very specific answers from science. Black and white answers to complex questions. Everything sorted into predetermined boxes.”
― Adrian Tchaikovsky, Alien Clay

“They have full protective gear on, masks included, and gas grenades in case they need to put down a general riot. But most of all, they spark fear. That’s how they get you. How a small group of uniformed stormtroopers can always face down a turbulent crowd. Fear of their weapons, of their discipline, of the brutal force they can mete out.”
― Adrian Tchaikovsky, Alien Clay

“the hardest thing about sacrifice is not knowing if it’ll be worth it. What’s the point in taking the bullet if the person behind you in the charge loses heart, dithers, runs away? You may as well have stayed at home. You only have one life after all. It can be very hard to know when to throw it away.”
― Adrian Tchaikovsky, Alien Clay