Anatole
France, French writer, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in
1921, was born on this date in 1844. 10 quotes from him:

It
is human nature to think wisely and to act in an absurd fashion.
If
it were absolutely necessary to choose, I would rather be guilty of
an immoral act than of a cruel one.
To
accomplish great things we must not only act, but also dream; not
only plan, but also believe.
Only
men who are not interested in women are interested in women's
clothes. Men who like women never notice what they wear.
Until
one has loved an animal a part of one's soul remains unawakened.
Stupidity
is far more dangerous than evil, for evil takes a break from time to
time, stupidity does not.
If
fifty million people say a foolish thing, it is still a foolish
thing.
If
the path be beautiful, let us not ask where it leads.
It
is better to understand little than to misunderstand a lot.
All
changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what
we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life
before we can enter another.
Beta
(Combat Team Series #2)
Steff was abducted by an evil alien race, the Orbs, at fourteen. Used as a weapon for years, he eventually escapes, but his problems are just beginning. How does a man support himself when his only work experience is a paper round and using an Orb bio-integrated gun?
Warlord is an alien soldier who knows little but war. When the centuries-old conflict which ravaged his planet ends, he seeks out another world where his skills are still relevant. There are always wars on Earth, it seems. However, none of Earth's powerful armies want him.
Natalie has always wanted to visit England and sees a chance to do so while using her martial arts skills, but there are sacrifices she must make in order to fulfil her dream.
Maggie resorted to crime to fund her sister's medical care. She uses her genetic variant abilities to gain access to the rooms of wealthy hotel guests. The Ballards look like rich pickings, but they are not what they seem. When Maggie targets them, little does she know that she is walking into a trap.
Hotel owner Hamilton Lonsdale puts together a combat team to pit against those of other multi-millionaires. He recruits Warlord, Natalie, Maggie and Steff along with a trained gorilla, a probability-altering alien, a stockbroker whose work of art proved to be much more than he'd bargained for, a marketing officer who can create psionic forcefields, a teleporting member of the landed gentry, and a socially awkward fixer. This is Combat Team Beta.
Steff never talks about his time with the Orbs, until he finds a woman who lived through it, too. Steff believes he has finally found happiness, but it is destined to be short-lived. He is left with an unusual legacy which he and Team Beta struggle to comprehend; including why something out there seems determined to destroy it.