Getting support for the second step, the longer expeditions, territory gained rather than just defended as he wanted, depended entirely on the first.
On being followed from real trust rather than reputation.
And the first step was proving more complex to execute than he had expected. Not because it was too difficult, because it required thinking in a way that was different from how he thought when the problem was power or mathematics or geometry.
The social calculation was a different kind of problem. His humility and generosity had always opened doors, but that was different from deliberately building something…
Social interaction wasn't his strong suit.
Though if there was a way to solve things that aligned with Ren's values, it was usually through doing something useful for the people around him.
And the veterans of the southwest sector had a consistent grievance.
