KGB

The KGB is a secret police agency of the Soviet Union. It was an outgrowth of various other secret police agencies throughout Soviet history, such as the NKVD. During Mikhail Gorbachev's short tenure as Secretary General, the KGB, which had traditionally been given a free reign by Soviet authorities, was often called to account for abuses of power. After Gorbachev's death--in which some have suggested the KGB played a role--the KGB regained its earlier independence.

The KGB planted two agents aboard the Tsiolovsky to ensure that its crew remained politically dependable. One, Oleg Lopatin, was openly known to be a chekist (a term by which secret policemen were known in the USSR). The other, Yuri Voroshilov, kept his identity a secret from all his crewmates till he apprehended Shota Rustaveli warning the crew of the American shuttle Athena that Fralk was leading a Skarmer army across Jotun Canyon into Omalo territory.