The Xiniti had addressed the Soviets at the UN with everyone else after the last Abominators died. They’d made it clear enough that developing Abominator technology could result in Earth’s destruction.

Joe had spoken a few words himself as the Rocket.

Hadn’t the Soviets been listening? On the other hand, it had been a secret session and the USSR’s ambassador had been recalled shortly after. Some faction there might be keeping it a secret from the others.

Idiots, Joe shook his head.

The Xiniti communicator spoke directly into his brain. They’d wanted to implant a computer into his body, but after fighting Abominators for years, no one in the League trusted aliens enough to try it. It puzzled the Xiniti who seemed to view the implant as a privilege and a way to even out a debt.

Maybe Joe wondered if he could have trusted them. For aliens, they’d seemed straightforward and trustworthy—which was good because it looked like he might have to.

He thought back to the communicator, “Hello?”

The voice in his head sounded as if it were speaking the precise English of radio announcers from his childhood, but Joe doubted it, “Honored ally of the Xiniti, are you aware of the intrusion at the Abominator Moonbase.”

Joe assumed they knew where he was. There was no sense in pretending otherwise, “I’m in the middle of the Abominators’… artifact lab. Do you want us to leave?”

“Not at all. The Xiniti High Command commends you for subduing and imprisoning the Abominators’ time-traveling servant. Xiniti standing policy is that all time travelers be captured, killed, or returned to their own time. It recommends you to us that this appears to be your policy as well.

“No, our concern is that humans appear to be heading toward the Abominator armory on your moon. The Galactic Alliance requires us to destroy all life on your world if humans acquire Abominator weaponry and attempt to reproduce it. Given your service to us in destroying the last Abominators and our respect for your skills and character, we would prefer not to.

“Can you keep these weapons out of their hands? We can assist indirectly, but not visibly enough that the Alliance decides they can’t trust us with the fate of this planet.”

Joe restrained himself from nodding as he said, “I understand. I’d like you to be able to continue to assist us when you believe the Alliance is being unreasonable. To get this straight, you want us to get them to leave, however we manage it, and then destroy the weaponry so that they can’t come back and take it later?”

A rumbling of musical tones impossible to make with a human throat came over the comm. The Xiniti said, “If you could make them leave, we’ll destroy the weapons ourselves. If they aren’t there when we are, there’s no risk that we’ll have to fight and no risk that we’ll have to revenge ourselves if one of us dies.”

Joe thought it through, “I think we’d all be better off if there were no chance that one of you would be harmed.”

“Excellent. We agree. Inform us of what you do and its outcome. We’ll be ready,” the voice said and then with no warning, the feeling of connection ceased.

One of these days, Joe hoped to take the comms apart. He’d checked with Isaac. It wasn’t telepathy, but it felt like it. He could use that if he ever had time to figure it out—not that he did now.

“Everyone,” Joe said, “I just got a communication from the Xiniti. It sounds as though your team is heading for the Abominator armory in the base. The Xiniti tell me that if humans duplicate Abominator weapons, they’ll be forced to destroy all life on the planet. Russian Victory, do you have the authority to tell them to stop?”

Alexis’ tenor voice joined with Russian Victory’s bass in laughter. After a moment, Russian Victory said, “No. Not at all. I wanted this to be a civilian mission with scientists and engineers. Instead, it’s mostly soldiers, us, a linguist, and an engineer. Being a hero of the people gets you enough respect to choose a direction to explore. It does not allow you to command the mission.”

“Damn,” Larry said, “you get parades but no power?”

“Not here,” Russian Victory said, “the man leading the mission is no friend to… superheroes.”

Alexis tilted his helmet toward Larry’s Rhino suit, “It is complicated. Your politics are complicated too, eh?”

“Yeah,” Larry looked over to Joe, “but we don’t work for the government. We’re  just concerned citizens.”

Joe felt the explosion through his feet. Muffled by the building and his suit, he couldn’t hear it well, but it had to be big. “Alright, I understand that you don’t have power over those troops, but for their safety, could you help us get them out of there?”

Russian Victory tilted his helmet to look at that floor and then up at Joe, “Yes. We can. The commander is a fool. He will kill them all.”