"And you say the satellite is three-quarters solid copper?" asked Connel.
"Yes, sir," replied Roger, "at least that's what Loring and Mason told us."
"Where is it?" asked Connel. "I mean, where exactly?"
"I spotted her coming in, sir," replied Roger. "I'd say she was about three hundred thousand miles outside of Tara in perfect orbit."
"By the blessed rings of Saturn," exclaimed Connel, "it's almost too good to be true! The whole Solar Alliance needs copper desperately. And if what you say is true, that's enough to last for a hundred and fifty years!"
"Didn't you have any idea they discovered it, sir?" asked Tom. "I mean, when they took that unauthorized flight on your first trip out here?"
"Didn't suspect a thing, Tom," replied Connel. "I thought they had gotten a little space rocky on some homemade rocket juice and just went on a wingding. Imagine the colossal nerve of those two wanting to corner the market with the largest deposit of copper ever found."
"How do you plan to get it back, Major?" asked Shinny.
"I don't know, Shinny—"
"Mr. Shinny!" snapped the wizened spaceman. "I'm not one of your cadets!"