At this point I ceased argument with Lt. Goforth and shot him in the belly. - C. J. Cherryh

Belief... was its own magic-so long as it was carefully placed, often examined, like a bridge kept in careful repair.

He ventured into the security station to fill in his staff on what he’d learned, and Banichi was there, looking like death.
“You, nadi,” he said to Banichi, “ought to be asleep.”
“A superfluous habit,” Banichi said. “Conducive to ignorance.

That’s why the forms matter. People have to see things done by the rules. We’ve got to make people feel safe again and make them believe that compromises are going to be binding.