It took Yu Lian nearly five minutes to get back to the bridge, and the task force's official commander, Admiral Paul Ferragut, had been waiting for him online the whole time.
To be fair, if Ferragut had been the sort of petty, narrow-minded leader who let a little power go to his head, five minutes would have been more than enough to make the two of them enemies.
But Admiral Ferragut showed no sign of displeasure—not that Yu Lian could see, anyway.
The portly general saw Yu Lian and immediately broke into a warm, kindly smile like Santa Claus. "Sorry, sorry, General Yu Lian. I was too impatient. Ahahaha! Spend a little time around me and you'll see—I'm just an impatient sort of fellow, but I really don't mean any harm. If I've offended you in any way, you must tell me to my face."
"You're far too kind, sir. I'm ashamed. I'll do everything I can to support the task force's preparations for the journey home." As a mature adult, Yu Lian naturally put on a suitably professional smile.
Admiral Ferragut was satisfied. He didn't expect the young, celebrated prodigy to be wholeheartedly convinced by him. A respectful attitude was all he needed.
After all, they would only have to put up with each other for the short time it took to lead a task force of four Main God-class ships home. They should be able to maintain a surface-level harmony for that long.
His smile grew even brighter, until even his gums showed.
Admiral Ferragut was seventy that year. Perhaps because he'd put on weight in middle age and spent his days well-fed and idle, he was indeed the fattest soldier Yu Lian had ever met. Fortunately, he was still merely obese. If you squinted and rounded generously,