Quite so. [He leaves out the reason for the space maximization, the hungry war-machine that men like him and Cain must direct to a positive purpose.]
Hive planets tend to be among the earliest colonized by man, some of them dating back before the Dark Ages of technology, even.
[He seems quite cheerful, even talking about a somewhat grim subject. Gaunt is something of a natural teacher, and greatly enjoys explaining his world to people in this strange prison. Even the xenos, though he'll never admit that out loud.]