The Consuming Fire (The Interdependency, #2)

by John Scalzi

This entailed “established practices,” which Lenson had only recently discovered meant giving certain people money and other desirable things in ways that were understood to be not entirely legal.

Lenson was not a very great student in a general sense but found the religion lessons of his study particularly boring.

Reading the prophecies gave Lenson this same maddeningly unpin-downable sense of intellectual dissatisfaction on top of his boredom, so he did the only logical thing he could about it: He fell asleep,

From a galvanizing moment of conversion, it eventually became a quiet source of faith, then an odd event that had led to a life choice, then a story for close friends in the church, then an anecdote for parishioners and finally a punch line at cocktail parties,

it was a shame that his sole moment of religious ecstasy had over time been rationalized down to the residue of a malfunctioning metabolic process,

He was at peace with his practical faith.

And then, quite without meaning to, he uttered the words to encapsulate what he was feeling about each, in this one epochal moment. “Well, fuck,” he said.

They thought of it as a river mostly because human brains, originally designed for hauling their asses across the African savannah and not much upgraded since then, literally could not comprehend what it actually was, so, fine, “river” it was.

the prophecies were proposed, accepted, written, structured, A/B tested and honed before they were attached to Rachela Wu,

When a lie has negative consequences, people dislike it. But otherwise? They move on, and eventually the lie as a lie is forgotten, or in this case, codified as the foundation of religious practice and buffed and sanded into something prettier and more congenial.

Yet we are also aware where ‘loyalty’ can drive the concerned, if they believe the person to whom they are loyal has taken leave of their senses.”

Grayland watched as eight pairs of eyebrows, attached to the other committee members, moved up in varying levels of shock and surprise.

“One does not need visions when one has data. In both cases, however, one does need to be willing to see.

We need to work on your program’s ability to pick up emotional cues.”

Regrettable, yes. Unusual, no.”

but on the inside, where it mattered, he was smacking his face with his hand and dragging that hand down across his cheeks.

That was a real kick to the nether regions, intellectually speaking.

Isn’t that the way science works? You present a hypothesis to your peers, you show them all your measurements and observations and data, and you ask them to make you a liar.

You’re scientists. If I can’t convince all of you with my data, then it’s possible I’ll do even less well with the general public.”

And if having a vision helps where the actual, observable and verifiable science doesn’t, then I’m open to visions.

The Church of the Interdependency and other religions found their places of worship jammed, as the faithful, the newly faithful and the not-actually-at-all-faithful-but-this-is-some-weird-shit-and-I’m-hedging-my-bets came in and, depending on experience, prayed, meditated or wondered what it was exactly they were supposed to do now that they were there.

this was the theological equivalent of shoppers making a panic run at the market, with their new parishioners grabbing at anything and hoping it would get them through.

For a coup to occur, power has to shift.

So I’m an asshole. But I’m an asshole who has a point.

Kiva was never sure if he ever really knew when she was being sarcastic or not and assumed he just chose the straight man lifestyle as a defensive choice.

“This is slightly more important.” “That’s a matter of opinion,”

“Is that what you really think is going on here?” Fundapellonan asked. “Isn’t it?” “Well, yes,” Fundapellonan admitted. “But you’re not supposed to think it.”

“My point is, it was a safe enough opportunity to get laid.”

this emperox who was currently in the process of railroading her sorry ass all around the room.

“This wasn’t a setup. It was a massacre, pure and simple. Your boss made the mistake of assuming the emperox was weak and got stuffed. She got stuffed so hard you never had a chance to make the argument that I should be out of a job.”

“Perhaps you should just tell this person you like them. The worst that can happen is he says no.” “I know.” “And then you can have him exiled.”

Cardenia made a note to try to find that voice later and strangle it, possibly with alcohol.

“May I ask you to put that down, please?” “Why?” “Because if we’re about to have the conversation I think we’re going to have, I’d like to think it wasn’t the booze talking.”

because who needs an actual medical degree in psychiatry when you have a law degree and an oversized opinion of your own importance.”

“That’s the point of rumors. They’re not based on anything, so nothing is very effective against them. Truth is no defense, and the people fielding these rumors know it.”

“Just because that place is dead doesn’t mean it can’t kill you.”

“You don’t strike me as particularly stupid, but you never know.”

Moulton’s Rachela was a religious icon; Pritof’s Rachela was a woman with an agenda.

“This is how I can tell you’re not in academia anymore. If you were still a professor you’d be screaming to be the primary author.”

But he was not a horrible person, or cruel. He was appropriately respectful and affectionate and knew the correct times and place for each, and he was tractable.

the understanding that the plan was not the goal. The goal was the goal, and we were going to get to it however we could. And if it meant changing our plans, sometimes in the middle of executing them, then we would.”

“From a marketing point of view I can tell you that you’re wrong. If you want people to use the title, you should start using it yourself. Or at least start seeding it out there through your propagandists.”

“I have doubts,” Cardenia said. “I did marketing. I know.”

Confidence isn’t about knowing you’re right. Confidence is about knowing you can make it right. You have doubts because it makes sense for you to have doubts. Just like it made sense for me to have doubts. But remember the plan is not the goal.

the Auvergne would be sitting in space, a motionless target for any missiles, beam weapons or harsh language thrown its way.

“We had every intention of returning one day, but then physics happened.”

“Do you like being a ship?” “It’s mostly very pleasant,” Chenevert said. “I miss certain physical things, like eating and sex. Sometimes I debate myself which I miss more. At the moment eating has the edge. But I like still being alive most of all.”

“You could have woken yourself up.” “I enjoyed sleeping. I never did enough of it when I was human. I think I’m almost caught up now.”

Time has a funny way of distorting things,

and in this very formal moment his brain flashed back to Cardenia and him naked in her bed, because brains were like that. He very much hated his brain for it.