"More like it," Gramps nodded his head.
Clair said, "Whoever they are, they landed here illegally. And they want our copper...."
I brightened, but only for a moment. "No. I think you're off the beam, honey. If it's our claim alone they're after, why just this stinking little asteroid? There are lots bigger and lots richer, yet they chose this one. They want something else. But what?"
Clair said we'd come back to that later. "First," she said, "just what can we expect them to do? I mean now, or in the immediate future."
I considered. "Well, temporarily at least, they probably won't do a thing. Or will they?"
"You're durned right they won't," Gramps said. "They won't bust this dome up right away to get at us, nossir. First they'll see if they can get us without doing that."
It made good sense. Whatever their purpose, both domes could be a valuable asset, and maybe they'd play with us, cat and mouse, before they applied the disintegrators to our dome.
"Sure," said Gramps. "Just like the old days of the East-West war when it spread out to the planets. An army can't be everyplace at once, 'specially not all over the System. Right?"
"Right," Clair said, and I nodded.
"Hey," Gramps suggested, "you don't suppose they are Ruskies, do you?"