"That's just the start. Before he gets done, Don will have every ship capable of answering back. I've found that you can catch him off base just once. He's a genius—one of those men who never make the same mistake twice. He'll never again be in a position to be on the listening end only."
"Don's answer should be on the way back by now," said Arden. "Could be you're right. Something should be done."
"Sure I'm right. Look at all the time that's wasted in waiting for a landing to answer 'grams. In this day and age, time is money, squared. The latter is to differentiate between this time and the first glimmering of speedy living."
"Was there a first glimmering?" asked Arden sagely. "I've often thought that the speed-up was a stable acceleration from the dawn of time to the present."
"All right, go technical on me," laughed Walt. "Things do move. That is, all except that message from your loving husband."
"You don't suppose he's squelched?"
"I doubt it. Squelching Donald Channing is a job for a superbeing. And I'm not too sure that a superbeing could squelch Don and make him stay squelched. Better check on Mojave."
"Gosh, if Don missed the Solar Queen and I've been shooting him all kinds of screwy 'types every hour on the hour; Walt, that'll keep him quiet for a long, long time."
"He'd have let you know."
"That wouldn't have been so bad. But if the big bum missed and was ashamed of it—that'll be the pay-off. Whoa, there goes the 'type!"