As I looked out at the glittering waters of the Pacific I was seeing for Carl. He knew that it's not for any one generation to see the completed picture. That's the point. The picture is never completed. There is always so much more that remains to be discovered.

A blade of grass is a commonplace on Earth; it would be a miracle on Mars. Our descendants on Mars will know the value of a patch of green. And if a blade of grass is priceless, what is the value of a human being?

All what we think and know is an illusion. Nothing exists. Everything is an opinion.

Alex peered behind her to see Noah fussing over a scrape on Kennedy’s cheek. “Unless someone’s bleeding to death, first aid will have to wait. You’ll want to strap into the jump seats.

“This could get interesting, and that’s before we get clear of the station.

This is really a golden age of space exploration and discovery. But I can't go there with my field boots, so the next step is to send even smarter robots instead.

What do you want me to do? Arrest them all?”

“When you can, absolutely.”

“And when I can’t?”

“Do whatever is necessary to remove their ability to act against us—against humanity.”

“You mean kill them.”

Her expression darkened in what he sensed was sorrow, but her shoulders rose. “If that’s what it takes.