He clambered up the final ladder, his hands unsteady on the rungs. The control room door was closed. He tensed, listening, wondering how many of the enemy were inside. He knocked, his knuckles brittle on steel. He thought, in that fleet second, of Lauri. He wondered dimly, if she had found the comset. "Yeah?" "I've got Kal out here, sir!" Parr said briskly, hoping to imitate the orderly's voice. "What the hell!" a voice from inside roared, "I thought we told you to take him down to the Commander's office." Parr held his breath. He heard an indistinct mutter of voices inside and he knew that one of them must be on the inter-phone to the Commander. "Something screwy here!" the voice roared indignantly. Parr hit the door and it crashed inward with an echoing clang. He catapulted into the congested control room. In a glance he saw there were only two Knougs. One was at the control banks, half turned in surprise. The other held the phone limply in his left hand, his eyes staring. Parr kicked the door shut viciously and the sound rang in his ears. He launched himself at the Knoug with the phone. He felt his head meet a soft stomach and he heard explosive air pop from the man's lungs. The Knoug went over backwards, down hard. The other one roared an oath. * * * * * Parr walked on the fallen one's face. He stomped the face and it gurgled. He stomped again in fury as all his frustration and new bitterness found an outlet. He locked the other Knoug in mental battle, but the mind he met was strong, catching him off guard. The Knoug dove for the huge comset to warn the Fleet. Parr could hear, from the receiver of the dangling phone, the Commander saying over and over again, "What the hell's going on? What the hell's going on?" Parr brought the remaining Knoug to his knees with a mental assault. Parr backed toward the door. As he fought mentally, he managed to slide the force bar across it. They'd play hell getting him out, at least. His enemy was down, quivering. Parr panted desperately, and then from beyond the door, he felt the growth of mental assault force. Three minds hurrying toward him! Two more minds came in and he staggered and almost fell. Then he was down, as if from a hammer blow to the chin. He fought, sickened. He began to crawl toward the control board. And fighting, he struggled up, as if under a great weight. New minds came in. And still he could fight. But he was almost down again. (Five minutes, he thought.) He found the right lever, pulled. There was the crackle of the heterodyne mind shield. And the control room was isolated by a high, shrill whine. He winced, recovering, and smiled inwardly at the careful devices Knoug officers had to protect themselves against a mutinous crew.