We were getting very good at pauses. This one, while not quite pregnant, had certainly been fooled around with. - T. A. Waters

I opposed this (the invasion of Earth)," it (the alien) continued, "having doubts about the validity or usefulness of this continued aggression. In opposing it I was, of course, opposing the Pattern, and for a Triskan to do this was what you would call blasphemy."
"Don't feel bad," I interjected. "Most everyone on this planet is ready to kill and destroy for their local god."
"Yes," the 3V agreed, "and almost without exception, the other races and civilization we have encountered have been quite ready to do violence of all kinds to their fellow sharers of life, so long as they could claim to be doing the will of a higher power, be it a god or a government.

Everybody seemed to be in show business; what the hell had happened to the audience?

All of this did not take long, because when I argue with myself I always have the uncomfortable knowledge that I’m going to lose; therefore I do it fast to get it over with.