Aeyris shook his head. "I didn't know who you were until I walked in here. It's about time I had a pleasant surprise, though."
"Why rescue us then?" Kirrik pressed.
"Because your presence suggests someone official has decided to do something about that lot. We've tapped into their security system, and saw your capture. It's a pity I didn't recognise you there, or I might have tried finding you earlier."
"Thanks," Kirrik muttered.
Aeyris sighed. "It would have been too dangerous to try. I would have had to wait until you had been left alone anyway."
Marchero responded angrily to this. "What about me, though? If you were going to rescue both of us why leave me to go crazy in that pit first?"
"If I had you plucked from the oubliette before I could rescue Kirrik the commotion it would have caused would have probably made rescuing him impossible."
"They might have come and killed me anyway!" she retorted.
Their new captor shook his head. "That particular hole lives up to its name. When they shove people in there they leave them to rot. Just the occasional bit of food and water to prolong it."
Marchero grimaced at the fate she had nearly been left to. "Then they wouldn't have known I was gone."
"They would. They quietly check every now and then to see if you are dead yet." Aeyris sat up straight. "That's enough reminiscing, though," he announced. "Now it's time for you to convince me that saving you is going to save me."
Kirrik groaned. "Look at me. I'm hardly in a fit enough state to do anything for myself, let alone you."
"Too bad," Aeyris replied. "You'll have to pull through, and soon. It won't be long before your absence is discovered, and then its going to be very difficult to do anything."
"I can barely walk!"
"I've enough medical supplies to get you on your feet, if it's absolutely necessary."
"Whatever," Kirrik conceded. "I need a few answers, first."
"Such as?" Aeyris asked curiously.
"Who are we dealing with. What are they doing. What are their goals."
"Supposing I don't know?"
Marchero laughed at him. "They've already tried this one on me."
Aeyris looked suspiciously at her. "What do you mean?"
"When I was dragged into this. His lot," she nodded at Kirrik, "seemed convinced I knew everything, and weren't happy that I didn't. Kirrik was the worst of the lot on the way here."
"Hang on. Who are you? Not with the Navy?"
"I was forced into this by threats, just because I had a vague idea about where this base was. I used to work on a freighter that delivered here."
"Oh, wonderful. What's the use of you, then? I should have left you in the dungeon. Still, we need everyone we can get. Make yourself useful and I'll let you live."
Marchero shuffled uneasily on her seat. "I'll do whatever I need to to get back at them."
"What about my questions?" Kirrik asked pointedly. "Can we keep to the conversation, please?"
"Your pet here is right. I don't know much," Aeyris told him.
"Anything?"
"They call themselves The Gateway. What to, I don't know. They've got some shipbuilding project they seem obsessed with, although they seem to have just about finished with it now. I've access to some of the cameras in its construction hangar."
Kirrik eased himself forward until he was sitting upright. "Can I see them?" he asked eagerly.
Aeyris shrugged. "OK." He talked briefly to one of his guards, who then left the room.
When the man returned he was carrying a hand-held monitor. Aeyris played about with it for a few moments. "Here you are," he said as he passed it to Kirrik.
The monitor showed a large hangar, cranes and gantries hanging from the ceiling. One wall was covered with screens, although what they were showing was impossible to see. In the centre of the hangar stood a strange ship, about the size of a Cobra MkIII. Dull grey in the hangar's lighting, it was roughly rectangular, blunt-nosed and somehow menacing. Scaffolding covered some of it, but robots were in the process of dismantling the metal web.
"Bloody hell," muttered Marchero, who had moved round to stand behind Kirrik and view the monitor.
"That's it," said Kirrik.
"Your Constrictor?"
"Yes. This is not good. I was hoping they wouldn't have had time to map out the ship that completely before it was destroyed."
"If they managed to get the plans away before it was blown up why did they need the pieces?" she demanded.
"How should I know?" he replied, his tone angered.
"Can't you guess?" she replied with some exasperation.
"A complete guess would be that their information was incomplete, or at least needed confirmation. I was expecting them to fit the new parts to an existing design."
Aeyris had been listening curiously to this. "You know what they've got here, I take it. Would you mind telling me?"
Kirrik briefly covered the origins of the Constrictor, and a few of its unique features. He pointed at the monitor. "This thing here is probably a bad copy, though. Hopefully it won't be as capable as the original."