How we cite our quotes: (Part.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
The spaceport itself was decrepit and decayed, and the crew of the Far Star were drearily aware of that. The moldering hangers made for a moldering atmosphere and Jaim Twer itched and fretted over a game of solitaire. (V.4.3)
Remember that stagnation we were talking about? That worshiping of the past and reluctance or inability to move on? Well, this scene presents a physical example of what a lack of change means. And we don't know about you, but we find the term moldering to be just…yuck.
Quote #8
"But Siwenna is no longer capital of the Normannic Sector. Your old map has misled you after all. The stars may not change even in centuries, but political boundaries are all too fluid." (V.10.18)
The thing about maps is that, land doesn't change—or at least, not often—but a map does. That's why maps can show you how people used to think about the world. Pretty cool, right? But the thing about maps is that we update them when we learn new information. You don't want to be studying for A.P. Human Geography with a map that still shows the USSR.
Quote #9
"It's out of fashion in these decaying times to be a scholar." (V.10.60)
Sad but true. A quick look at history shows that times of great scholarly pursuit come and go throughout the centuries. If you were to graph it out, it would look like peaks and valleys. But, hey. We'll take any excuse to graph just about anything.