Appeal to Star Trek buffs

[Monte Davis]

Bekah draws our attention to
 
 "Much as I might be inclined to offer our protection," Lindsay had informed
the agitated youth," here on the ground we are constrained by our Charter,
which directs us never to interfere with legal customs of any locality down
at which we may happen to have touched."  
 
I just want to tip my hat to the mad layering of voice (think Woody Allen's
stories or -- for the geezers among us -- Perelman or Benchley), drawing
attention to itself in the last nine words, which are
 
1) grammatically impeccable
2) so literary as to be vanishingly unlikely ever to have been spoken by any
real person in the circumstances 
 
and make their dual contribution to 
 
- Lindsay (as a Gilbert & Sullivan goody-two-shoes)
 
- the Chums of Chance narrator (a fellow who will dish up all the the brisk
action and Chum-ly camaraderie his readers want, but never passes up a
chance at 'uplift')
 
 
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