"No, but—"
"Uh-huh. Now we go back to the barter and exchange."
"Golly!"
"Furthermore, chum, what are you going to barter with? A ton of pure gold is the same value as a ton of pure silver. That is, aside from their relative technical values. A ton of pure radium won't bother us at all, and if we want Uranium 235, we make it by the ton also. Oh, brother, you've really screwed the works this time."
"Now what?"
"You and your crew start looking for something that is absolutely un-reproducible. It should be a light, metalloid substance of readily identifiable nature, and it should be ductile and workable. We need a coin-metal, Channing, that cannot be counterfeited!"
"Yum. That's one for the book. Meanwhile, we'll retrench on Venus Equilateral and get set for a long, long drought."
"Check. I'm about to do likewise with Interplanet Transport. You don't know anybody who'd like to buy the major holdings in a spaceline, do you? It's on the market, cheap. In fine condition, too, in spite of the depredations of Hellion Murdoch."
"Might swap you a communications company for your spaceline, Keg."
Johnson smiled. "No dice. I'm looking for a specialized business, Don. One that will pay off in a world where there is no money!"