Metafire

Within twenty minutes, the Russian tug pilot radioed Frank. The radio transmissions were being overheard by Jim Edenfield on board Bluebird, and, by relay, by Major Henderson and the group in Washington DC.

"Da. Da. We connect now. Now." The Russian pilot made a smooth connection with the capsule and swung it around toward Metafire. Within minutes, the people on Metafire felt the jolt. Then there was the sound of a closing latch. The entire Ukranian crew was in the Russian capsule. Within a minute of the closing latch, Andrei screamed, "We're in!"

A number of people clapped but the clapping rapidly subsided. Frank then contacted the Russian tug, "We have entry. Systems OK. Please connect the tug capsule. Thank you."

This took an hour, and again, there was the shimmer of the colony and the sound of the closing latch. Now the entire tone of the group changed. The Ukrainians started to move with more confidence. Angela and Beth noticed how these people now seemed to have a sense of purpose. They worked with a military-like purpose, but it wasn't military. It was a kind of hardening of resolve. These were Ukrainians that had excelled among the Russians. They knew how to be Russian. This was very strange for the Americans. These people were not pausing except to wait. They were not talking except to order or reply.