Ben joined the Doctor as he walked stiffly over to join the two troopers, raising his hands to show he meant them no harm.  Addressing Roba, he nodded back at the monsters on the dais.  'I take it, young man, that you recognise these poor, unfortunate creatures here?'

'Unfortunate?' Roba looked like the Doctor had just spat at his mother.  'What're you talking about, unfortunate?'

'Well, of course, unfortunate only in that...  Well, they are dead, after all,' the Doctor blustered.

'Wouldn't have them any other way,' Roba hissed.  'Schirr scum.'

The Doctor looked at him sharply.  'Ah, but the manner of their death.  Held in stasis for all to see.  What of that, hmm?'

'Keep quiet,' Haunt said warningly.

The Doctor turned to Shel, whose eyes met his own.  'It's bothering you, sir, is it not?  These creatures are not fake, they are real flesh...'  He turned up his nose distastefully at the crimson mess at their feet.  'And real blood, of course.'

Roba clenched his fists.  'Look, man -'

The Doctor raised his voice, losing patience, acting as if the hulk of a man was just some upstart kid speaking out of turn in the old boy's classroom.  'Surely you don't think all nine of these Schirr creatures stood here on their dais waiting patiently to be shot until the last man retaliated, hmm?'

A thought occurred to Ben.  'And what about that stasis field thing you mentioned, Doctor; he said, pleased to have found something to contribute. He shrugged at Haunt.  'Triggered by you lot coming in here, ain't that right, Doctor!'

Haunt frowned.  'What?'

'Yes, it's quite a mystery,' said the Doctor.  He looked almost amused.  'Not forgetting the concealed exit in this room that Polly must somehow have fallen through -'

Shel finally lost his cool.  'That's enough out of you,' he barked.

The Doctor looked furious at the interruption, but then everyone's attention was taken by something else.  The echo of approaching footsteps began tripping over themselves as, this time, a small, wiry figure burst into the cavernous hall, dressed again in grey and with backpack and metal headband.  Ben was pleasantly surprised to find he was taller than at least one of these space soldiers.  But as the bald, scarred person approached...

'Stone me,' Ben muttered.  'Its another blinkin' bird.'  Just about, anyway, he qualified to himself.  She had a face like the smell of gas.

The woman glanced over at the bodies on the dais, but she seemed far more interested in Ben.  He swallowed.

'Frog,' Haunt snapped.  'You're taking these two back to the ship'

'Yes, Marshal.'

Ben couldn't help himself from smirking at the weird, warbling croak that came from her mouth.  As a frog, she was pretty well-named.

Frog continued to stare at Ben.  'Then shall I keep them under observation for a bit?'

Ben stopped smiling and cast an anxious look at the Doctor.  He was staring into space, apparently oblivious to all.

`Then you'll join the rest of us at the bullring for an emergency debriefing.  Now go.  Hurry.'  Haunt turned to Shel darkly.  'We need to regroup.  Get everyone to retrace their steps, back to the bullring.'

Frog shrugged and indicated with her gun that the Doctor and Ben get moving.  They trudged off towards the pentagonal doorway.  Ben saw the Doctor cast a wistful look at the TARDIS, their ship and sanctuary, just out of reach.

'Marshal.'  Ben heard Shel call over to Haunt, and there was an edge to his usually assured tones.  'I can't raise Joiks and Denni.  No contact.  Just static.'