Elysium Fire (Prefect Dreyfus Emergency #2)

by Alastair Reynolds

Detective-Marshal, I’m sure our respective organisations will rise to the challenge. Unless there’s some particular difficulty that I can help you with immediately?’ ‘I’d hate to put you to any trouble, Supreme Prefect, knowing how busy you are.’ ‘No trouble at all, Detective-Marshal. How may I be of assistance?

‘Don’t get an inflated sense of your self-worth.

‘That isn’t how it’s meant to happen.’ ‘Story of our lives.’

‘The problem would go away, if we ignored it long enough?’ ‘That’s a little unfair.