an insanely large ransom demand

Several things about this page tickle me:

• the Frank Capra timing of Holton Inc. phoning as soon as as they’re mentioned
• relaying messages by sending a “communication pod” between planets — the futurey version of tying a note to a rock and heaving it through a window
• how Anderson is never ruffled in the slightest by anything (except being called “Uncle Chuck”, of course)

[BTW: yes, the set of responses to the amount of money under discussion is a deliberate Austin Powers riff.]