Metafire

"Yes. But I'll disarm it when we reach the Metafire colony. I don't want anyone to get hurt. I'm unsure of its power. I doubt it would do much damage in any event. I'm relying on them not be able to find it, and, if they do, not be able to analyse it, in the next few hours."

Michael responded, "I'm glad you said that, Kennedy." Kennedy looked like somebody who didn't care whether he hurt or killed you. It was particularly comforting to hear him say that wasn't his intention. Michael Yatchiv had had experiences in L'viv, growing up, where he came to understand the reality of people who liked to hurt people. He and his brother had been beaten badly by a gang, a local brotherhood, who extorted money by delivering pain.

It took forty five minutes to travel the ten miles. They noticed the tug with the capsule attached. They also watched as a smaller craft seemed to drift toward the tug. It was the AMROC rocket. Once close to the tug, the tug turned its forward window away from them and nuzzled the rocket until the rocket and tug were clasped together. Inside the tug, Scooter and Jim opened the hatch and started extracting gear. Some of the gear required external mounting on the tug. Over the Internet, the various instructions had already arrived. The instructions included video clips that showed how the different instruments and weapons were to be re-assembled, mounted, and wired. There was one extra-vehicular spacesuit in the capsule. They would use the Bluebird capsule as an interlock. No one had training, but Steven, having been the fighter pilot, volunteered for EVA work.