[ It's not that d'Artagnan doesn't sympathise. His problem is more that he sympathises too much. No one needs to tell him that what's happening here is not just, that it's morally reprehensible, or that the CDC needs to be stopped. He knows all of that. If he could take them down here and now, he would do it.

But he has also seen what they're capable of. He's seen them wipe a planet from the sky, he's seen tiny little Gliese fly through Optimus Prime over and over again to leave his metallic frame riddled with holes. The scale of the danger they represent to Earth can barely be measured, so until he has a way to guarantee the planet's safety, he can't be the one to sign their death warrant. He has a duty to protect his world. He won't fail in that.

He nods to Steve. He doesn't want to see his Earth meet that fate either. All he can do is hope he got that message across. Somehow, he doubts it. He hadn't fully accepted the price he was paying until he saw them wipe out Ajna. Steve hasn't seen that, yet. ]

Try. I know how much you hate it, because I hate it. You're allowed to hate. But act against them, and they won't hesitate. That's what they told me.

[ What Armada told him. All he's doing is passing the warning on. ]