Cutting-Edge Technology
Because of the superior technology that Boris and his Martian companions apparently possessed at their elongated fingertips, they were able to go anywhere in the cosmos, including back in time. Nevertheless, it was this very technology that led to them exterminating their own race in a nuclear conflict that not even the most intelligent Martians were able to avert.
Boris went back to what he had said when he was seven years old and explained to a group of campers that nuclear warfare on Mars many years ago was what ultimately led to the demise of the Martians. He said this while presenting his story of events with the gathering. This tale was not shared without a justification. The message was intended to serve as a caution to the grownups of Earth.