His smile was the wholly unpersuasive kind that only a professional diplomat could carve. Damned if there wasn’t some pretense of compassion in his v… - Adam-Troy Castro

What do you think about their position? Do you think it's right for sentient creatures to be owned?"
He emitted a short, cynical laugh, driven by the kind of anger that drives entire lives. "We're all owned, Counselor. It's just a matter of choosing who holds the deed.

Like all career diplomats, he’d spent a lifetime sculpting the truth into the shapes that best suited the needs of the moment, and would see nothing wrong with doing the same now.

You know what murder investigators call the ex-lover who says the dead woman slept around?"
"I think I can guess."
"The most likely suspect.