His skin was bronze, his short hair grizzled but stiff as steel bristles, and his average height was matched by a notably sturdy build. A thick, rugged beard framed his square face. Finally, there were his steadfast, dark brown eyes.
That was the portrait of Fuxi's captain, Commodore Serral Tovey. He was the spitting image of every stereotype people had about an "old captain."
In fact, his life story fit the mold even better. He was a typical old sailor who hadn't come up through the officer corps. Starting out in the most ordinary damage-control crew, he worked his way up to gun captain in the secondary battery, then spent some time as an observation assistant at the main guns.
It wasn't until he was over forty that he made it onto the bridge as chief of a cruiser's engineering crew. From there, he gradually worked his way up from third officer to captain.
He had served in the space fleet for almost as long as Yu Lian and Feifei had been alive combined.
A captain who'd risen through the ranks might not have much of a prestigious academic background to brag about, but he had ample hands-on experience in nearly every department aboard a warship. His ability to command one was beyond question.
Throughout the many fierce battles they'd fought, Yu Lian had trusted Commodore Tovey to take full responsibility for Fuxi, leaving him free to devote all his attention to commanding the fleet.
When Yu Lian boarded his loyal Fuxi with Feifei and his other aides, the seasoned captain watched them with bright eyes and declared in a steady, ringing voice, "Other than Your Excellency, Fuxi would never receive another general with the honors due a commander."
Yu Lian found that quite gratifying.
"Indeed. We wouldn't accept anyone