He felt the same way.
He was a Guardsman, and it was good to be back home!
[Illustration]
CHAPTER 14
Major Connel paced nervously in front of the group of spacemen. Tom,
Roger, Astro, Alfie, and Mr. Shinny were lounging around the small
clearing between the _Polaris_ and the _Space Devil_. A piece of thin
space cloth had been stretched between the two ships to shield the men
from the blazing sun. Connel stopped in front of Roger and Shinny.
"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.
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