"You mean the future? Or the past?" Either prospect was weird, all right, but at the mention of the Federation, his face cleared.

"Oh, so you are from the Federation. Gotcha. Well, you know what they say -- you can't make an omelet without breaking a couple eggs. Besides, if they never find out what you did to get back, then you can't get into hot water with the higher-ups. Right?" Yep. It was all about creative interpretation of the law.