Leaving Kalmus and Judas to play in their wealth, the three youths left the room and moved farther down the corridor to the main control room, the door to which bulged outward. It took considerable ramming to force it open. The disorder of the compartment was in shocking contrast to the neatness of the rest of the _Northern Cross_. Plastic seats were warped, and it looked as if a giant with a padded sledge hammer had gone about recklessly putting dents in the lightweight metal of the walls. An emergency air lock stood wide open, revealing the stars, its door hanging by one hinge. It was on the side away from the _Dog Star_. The huge console that housed the instruments and gauges also showed great depressions, and nearly all the glass dial covers were shattered. “What do you think happened in here, Rock?” Shep asked. “It looks like a high-pressure build-up of gas,” Rock answered. “Probably in the ventilating system. When the pressure got too high, either the air lock was the first to give way or somebody opened it in desperation. I imagine all the men were trapped in here and couldn’t get the door open.” There were no bodies in the room. All four had evidently been swept through the air lock by the rapidly escaping gas. Rock’s companions could read the truth as easily as he had done himself, and they were considerate enough to remain silent. Rock stared about him for several moments. This was so unexpected, not finding his father. He didn’t quite know how to take it. The boys went out to join the others. Kalmus and Judas were chattering over their success, already making plans for the future. Kalmus was not concerned whether Rock had found his father or not. “Let’s hurry up and get this stuff loaded on the _Dog Star_,” was the first thing he said. “Sure,” Rock said absently. As they went aft again, Rock’s mind was full of what they had seen. He was rather disappointed in the way he felt. He had thought he would be jumping in elation when they found the alconite ore. Instead, he was almost sorry. It seemed like a violation of his father’s honor to share his property with these men of greed. The shock of not finding his father’s body continued to disturb him. He had hoped to take it back and give it a decent burial. Yet, as he thought further, perhaps this was the way his dad would have wanted it, because he was first and last a spaceman. Also, his widow would not have to relive the pain of his loss again. Yes, it probably was best this way. The five of them crossed over on the cable again and made preparations for transferring the ore to the _Dog Star_. They would carry it over in regular space transfer crates secured to the cable. An empty crate would be shoved across the gulf, filled up in the _Northern Cross_, and then sent back over to be emptied of its contents.