"You say an awful lot about yourself Professor" Gaunt said, delightedly overemphasizing his title. "But you seem to be purposefully leaving out all the important details. I have no doubt you have your uses. I would expect any super-villain worth his salt to claim as much as you. What I want to know is why the rest of this group is so worried about you. They obviously know something about you that goes beyond usual self-centered villainy. All the same I appreciate you speaking so plainly."

"Need you do we?" Gaunt continued. "I wonder why you seek our approval. You talk of us casting you out, so you seem more than prepared to go it alone as it is." Gaunt smiled broadly, but it was a sharks grin. All teeth and maliciousness. "Do you know what I think? I think you need us and you don't want to tell us why. Making blasters out of scrap! No doubt such things will be of great use against that!" Gaunt pointed towards the speck in the sky.

"You are a survivor, I don't doubt that at all. But a life-boat?" Impossibly, Gaunt's smile widened. "That is one of the best jokes I've heard in a long time and I REVEL in them! No, I would not trust to even walk to the end of this block with you! Not unless everyone else begged to go with you."