Had Corriston been less agitated he would have felt a little sorry for the officer who had admitted him. The officer had been so impressed by Corriston's gravity and the earnestness with which he had pleaded his case that he had stepped forward and opened the door without question, assuming, no doubt, that Clement would look up instantly and see Corriston standing just inside the doorway. Now the door had closed again, Clement hadn't looked up, and the officer was going to be in trouble. But Corriston had no time and very little inclination to worry about that. What Commander Clement was saying into the speaking tube had a far stronger claim on his attention. "It's the worst thing that could have happened," Clement was saying. "We can't just brazen it out. It's going to mean trouble, serious trouble. What's that? How should I know what happened? When you're carrying a certain kind of cargo a thousand things can go wrong. The ship went out of control, that's all. The first radio message didn't tell me anything. The captain was trying to cover up to save himself. He didn't even want _me_ to know. "You bet it can happen again. We've got to be prepared for that, too. But right now--" Commander Clement saw Corriston then. His expression didn't change, but it seemed to Corriston that he paled slightly. "That's all for now," he said, and returned the speaking tube to its cradle. He looked steadily at Corriston for a moment. A glint of anger appeared in his eyes, and suddenly they were blazing. "What do you mean by coming in here unannounced, Lieutenant?" he demanded. "I gave strict orders that no one was to be admitted. If I didn't know you were suffering from severe space-shock...." "I'm sorry, sir," Corriston said quickly. "It's very urgent. I think I can convince you that I am _not_ suffering from space-shock. I've found Miss Ramsey. She's been badly hurt and needs immediate medical attention." The Commander looked as if a man he had thought sane was standing before him with a gun in his hand. Not Corriston, but some other, more violent man. For a moment longer he remained rigid and then his hand went out and tightened on Corriston's arm. "By heaven, if you're lying to me!" "I would have no reason to lie, sir. It proves I'm not a space-shock case. But that's unimportant now. She's safe for the moment. No one can get to her. I bolted the door on the inside. Unless--" Corriston went pale. "No, there's no danger. I drew the ladder up and returned it to the Selector compartment. Then I threw the lock on the emergency door." "Start at the beginning," Clement said. "If she's in danger well get to her. Take it easy now, and tell me exactly what happened." Corriston went over it fast. He said nothing about the mask. Let Clement find that out for himself. Commander Clement walked to the door, threw it open and spoke to the executive officer who was stationed outside. The officer came into the control room.