draw plans showing the location of buildings, fields and other visible
features. If you have to, teach them mapping and sketching by
hypno-mech. And then drop about five hundred to a thousand boomerang
balls, at regular intervals, over the whole paratemporal area. When
you locate a time line that gives you a picture to correspond to their
description, boomerang the main square in Sohram over the whole belt
around it, to find Croutha with firearms."

The deputy looked at him for a moment then gulped more coffee.

"Can do, Assistant Verkan. I think I'll send somebody to wake up
Subchief Ranthar, right now. Want to talk to him."

"Won't be necessary. You're recording this call, of course? Then play
it back to him. And get cracking with the slaves; you want enough
information out of them to enable you to start boomerang balling as
soon as the sun's high enough."

* * * * *

He broke off the connection and sent out for coffee for himself. Then
he put through a call to Novilan Equivalent, in western North America.

It was 1530, there, when he got Vulthor Tharn on the screen.

"Good afternoon. Assistant Verkan. I suppose you're calling about the
slave business. I've turned the entire matter over to Field Agent
Skordran; gave him a temporary rank of Deputy Subchief. That's subject
to your approval and Chief Tortha's, of course--"