Only those with ill intentions feared detection.
More and more people arrived at the space station and began to mingle with each other in one of the many halls and gardens.
The children ran off to chat and play with the children at one of the playgrounds especially prepared to keep rambunctious brats occupied.
"Meow!"
"Miaow miaow!"
Lucky and Clixie ran off after the kids, finding it far more interesting to play with them as opposed to keeping the boring parents company.
Their nanny strolled after them in order to supervise their behavior.
Gloriana drifted off shortly after that in order to connect with other women, leaving Ves alone for the time being.
Meanwhile, Ves approached a familiar face.
"Master Goldstein. It is good to see you again. I did not expect you to go out of your way to enter the Terran Alliance and travel all the way to this location."
"The journey did not take too long. Modern superdrives are a gamechanger, and the Red Ocean is nowhere near as expansive as the Milky Way." Master Vayro Goldstein turned around and responded. "I have many reasons to be here. We have heard unsettling rumors about what the Terrans have done and are about to unveil."
That caused Ves to sharpen his gaze. "Do you know what the Terrans have done?"
The bald Master Mech Designer hummed. He did not deign to respond right away, which signified that even the Red Association experienced unease at the latest antics of the Terran Alliance.
Not a lot of mechers chose to attend the big gala.
Ever since the Terran Alliance and the Rubarthan Pact broke away from the hegemony of the Red Two, the latter had been forced to withdraw most of their assets to the Red Ocean Union.
It was impossible for the mechers and the fleeters to haul all of their fortifications and strongholds in a short amount of time.
However, they had moved quickly enough that their active presence had dropped by at least 70 percent.
The remaining members of the RA and the RF could not wait to leave as well. Though the Terrans and the Rubarthans had not outright launched any attacks, they had done their best to irritate the unwelcome houseguests in many different ways.
The Terrans deliberately limited the number of invitations sent to the Red Association. In fact, the mechers should feel lucky that they received them at all considering how much bad blood existed between the two groups.
Master Goldstein therefore carried himself as an ambassador visiting a hostile state. No Terran stepped forward to greet him and not even the servants were willing to cater to his needs.
Fortunately, the man was made of sterner stuff. He came because he sought to fulfill a mission. Duty called him to witness the ambitious plan hatched by the Terrans.
After a lengthy moment of silence, the Master Mech Designer finally chose to respond.
"We have heard… rumors about what the Terrans have in mind. None of them are solid or detailed. Our presence in the Terran Alliance is not as great as before. The advent of new methods and technologies has further complicated our means of monitoring the activities of these people. We would not have been able to glean any information if we were not as powerful and advanced. What little intelligence we have managed to gather so far has generated unease up to our highest ranks. That should tell you how significant this event has become. As the lead developer of the Arboreal Project, you will undoubtedly get caught in this brewing controversy."
That caused Ves to frown. He already received hints from others that the Terrans had something ambitious in mind, but did not like the implication that he would bear the blame for whatever crazy stuff they were about to unveil.
Why didn't Terrans inform him in advance!?
Couldn't they fill him in on their big secret so that he could prepare for the inevitable backlash? Why did they keep him in the dark?!
Master Goldstein adopted a rueful smile and gently patted Ves on the shoulder.
"I can see that you are not pleased by your current collaborators. You do not understand the Terrans well enough. It is not without good reason why we have imposed restrictions on them for so long. The Terrans are an incredibly prideful people. They are also scared of failing to live up to their supposed illustrious heritage and traditions. This makes them prone to devising grand plans just so that they can maintain the impression of superiority in everyone's minds. The Survivalist Faction has long suspected their leaders for harboring megalomaniacal ambitions, and it has only taken less than a standard year for them to realize one of them. The only compliment I can give to them is that they have made the right decision to limit your involvement."
"How so, Master?"
"The Terrans are making it clear that they are solely responsible for what they are about to do. No matter how you are related to their latest plan, you are at most an accessory to them and not a core collaborator. That will be an important distinction in the times to come. We know you well enough to understand this truth, and we will help you make this clear to others as well."