Metafire

"That may be bad, Major. We might want to plant something in those capsules."

"Quite frankly John, I'll bet they might want to plant something in those capsules, too. I don't think there is going to be a problem here."

"Check all that out, if you can. We'll need to get to those capsules very soon. Jill, see when the next capsules are being launched. We may want to temporarily use some of their space. It shouldn't be heavy, no more than fifty pounds, I would think." Ferguson knew weight would be a sensitive issue. He also knew that they had to move fast if they were going to bug and booby trap these guys.

The remainder of the day was spent in arranging for a radio bug and an explosive sleep gas cannister to be assembled by their technical guys. The earliest they could have the stuff finished and in space was determined to be a week. This could cause real problems unless they could come up with a means of delaying Metafire. John knew that his best delaying strategy was to pace the communications. He could wait comfortably until the next morning.

During that afternoon on Metafire, Janet went over to Steven to talk to him. "Steven, we don't like tying you up like this, but you are a pretty dangerous fellow."