"Oh." For a long, long moment Boone stood very still. And then: "I see."
"He might still be at his office, sir. Maybe if you was to talk to him...."
"Thanks." Stiffly, Boone turned and walked back the way he'd come, past silent warehouses and noisy shops and rattling, rumbling surface carrier units.
Then he was in front of the blank-faced central administration building.
For the fraction of a second only, he hesitated. Then, turning in, he strode through the deserted passageways.
Krobis' office. Another guard. "Mister Krobis is busy, sir. He left orders that he wasn't to be disturbed till after the Titan ship gravs off."
Again, a long, long, moment of decision. Then, very gently, Boone repeated, "I want to see Krobis."
"I'm sorry, sir—"
Boone brought out the nerve-gun in one swift motion, leveled it at the man's belly. "Maybe you didn't understand."