[Illustration:]

"The more it succeeds now, the worse the blow-up will be when we
finally have to admit that Salgath was killed here tonight," the Chief
Inter-officer Coördinator, Zostha Olv said. "We'd better have
something to show the public to justify that."

"Yes, we had," Tortha Karf agreed. "Vall, how about the Kholghoor
Sector operation. How far's Ranthar Jard gotten toward locating one of
those Wizard Trader time lines?"

"Not very far," Vall admitted. "He has it pinned down to the
sub-sector, but the belt seems to be one we haven't any information at
all for. Never been any legitimate penetration by paratimers. He has
his own hagiologists, and a couple borrowed from Outtime Religious
Institute; they've gotten everything the slaves can give them on that.
About the only thing to do is start random observation with
boomerang-balls."

"Over about a hundred thousand time lines," Zostha Olv scoffed. He was
an old man, even for his long-lived race; he had a thin nose and a
narrow, bitter, mouth. "And what will he look for?"

"Croutha with guns." Tortha Karf told him, then turned to Vall. "Can't
he narrow it more than that? What have his experts been getting out of
those slaves?"

"That I don't know, to date." Vall looked at the clock. "I'll find
out, though; I'll transpose to Police Terminal and call him up. And