Mars
Two men were staring at each other through the bars of a cell, each considering the other to be a traitor - while acknowledging that they had to tread the same path in the short term.
In Talbot's view Rip Hunter had betrayed humanity by sending the device intended to protect it hurtling into the depths of space. He and the rest of his team had fully accepted that they wouldn't be coming back - they had been given tablets to spare them the worst of what lay ahead. They had signed agreements with their employer under the terms of which their families would be well-provided for. He had even brought extra tablets that he was prepared to give to those humans whose presence on Mars was unauthorised, should the chance arise.
Now Hunter had wrecked the primary purpose of their mission. They would have to pretend to be the negotiating team that had been their cover story - and Talbot fully intended to offer the hard terms that had been suggested to him. He guessed he would have to compromise. He'd take whatever counteroffer was made back to Earth with him - at which time Hunter could be dealt with as a traitor. In the meantime, he would need to get the prisoner's agreement to keep silent. The only good point was that, in Hunter's twisted view, he had been defending humanity from a possible counterattack. It might be possible to persuade the man to keep silent about the EMP device.
Rip's view was that this plan had actually put humanity in a worse position. The Time Master part of him knew how difficult it would be to destroy the whole of an advanced technological species such as this. There was a strong possibility that some of them - and some of their ships - would survive. They might well be able to rescue some of their fellows. Then they would be out for blood - human blood. For the moment, he had no choice but to accept his position as a prisoner and say not one word about EMP. Once he got back to Earth, it would be a different story - and he would have Leonard to work with him on that.
''Obviously you have my word'' he told Talbot. ''A war between the two species would be the end of us. Your bosses should consider that fact.''
''I doubt that'' Talbot said coldly and stalked off.
X
Getting to actually put his proposals to this King of theirs turned out to be a complex process. First, he had an interview with two of the King's advisers. One - apparently the senior one - was a fur-covered alien (an oddity among such a human-looking species). The other one actually was human, a young Hispanic woman who was on the Arrest on Sight list he'd been shown. No chance of that here - and how the blazes had she become an adviser?
He'd brought a letter of authority that he held out to the human adviser. The furry one took hold of it.
''I have spent time on Earth'' a female voice. ''I know several of your languages.'' She read through the document and passed it to her companion. ''What message do you bring with you?''
''That's for the ears of your leader -your King'' he told her.
''I'm afraid you will have to convey your message through us'' After that, she simply sat and waited. The human one looked to be in no greater hurry either.
He told them. The furry one didn't react. The human one laughed.
X
So now he had his audience. He and his group were in the centre of the room, facing King Mallam and his two advisers. They weren't alone. To his right were people he could identify as Stein, Jackson, Rory and Hervey, together with an unknown woman. On the left was the Kaznian who gone missing recently, along with three women, apparently, they were all going to be heard.