His visit to Ector V had come to an end.
When Ves looked back at the aquatic-themed city, he certainly did not intend to go back anytime soon.
A lot of stuff had happened while he stayed on the planet. While the sum of it all resulted in a clear net positive gain to his interests, Ves actually preferred it if he hadn't been put on the spot.
Was the Red Collective necessary? Yes.
Did he have to be the one to stick his neck out and propose its formation? No.
Ves missed the days where he could still somewhat fly under the radar. All of the fame he earned from designing excellent second-class mechs never generated much of a storm in the past because all of the high-and-mighty mechers and fleeters never paid that much attention to space peasants in the first place.
