"Uh—ah—good morning, Major Connel," he stammered.
"What's going on here, Manning?" barked Connel.
"I—was—talking, sir," replied Roger.
"So I heard! But talking to whom?"
"To whom, sir?"
"That's what I said, Manning." Connel's voice dropped to a deep sarcastic purr. "To whom?"
"I was—ah—talking to Earth, sir."
"Official business, I presume?"
"You mean—official—like here on the station, sir?"
"Official, like here on the station, Manning," replied Connel in almost a kindly tone.