David was out of answers, out of hope. He looked ahead to an hour or more of torment from which death would be the only release. The worst of it could all be avoided if he simply gave Maradi everything he asked for. David wasn't naive. He realised he would be killed even if he did co-operate. But his death would at least be a quick, clean one.

This was the moment. This was the test that all soldiers knew they might one day have to face. Honour versus self-interest. Were you a dutiful servant of your country's armed forces or were you, when it came to the crunch, just a helpless, fallible human being?

If, David thought, he held out against Maradi and told him nothing, it was unlikely that this courageous stance would ever become known to the wider world. No one back home would ever be aware of what he had done. And the reverse was also true. If he sang like a canary, would anyone back home be any the wiser? Probably not.

Besides, it wasn't as if he knew anything vital. He had no information that the Nephthysians or the Setics couldn't have found out through their spy networks. Most likely he knew nothing they didn't know already. All he'd be doing was confirming their own observations.

''If I tell you as much as I can,'' he said, ''will you agree to let the other two of my men go, unharmed? Anything I don't know, they definitely won't know.''

''How noble. But alas…'' Maradi shook his head, with what seemed like genuine regret. ''That is not something I can offer.''

''At the very least, you'll finish them off as painlessly as you can?''

''Now this, yes, I think I can manage.''

''Promise?''

''You have my word.''

It was better than nothing. By complying with Maradi, David would gain mercy for McAllister and Gibbs. He wasn't selling himself completely for free.