You wouldn't guess it from his lazy, playboy demeanor, but Creel Belmont was still a scion of a prestigious family. He had the presence, the looks, and the physique to match. When he put on an Alliance general's uniform and wore a solemn, self-righteous expression, he could actually look quite imposing.
So when he met Yu Lian at an official function and faced the Alliance's massive press corps, with their cameras and microphones trained on him, he kept an impeccable diplomatic smile on his face. Anyone watching would have to say, "What a refined and—ah, no, what a dashing, cultured, and capable young general."
Come to think of it, this guy had apparently once served as the Alliance's trade representative to the Commonwealth. Now he'd joined the military and gone straight to wearing a star on his shoulder. That certainly showed the Alliance's personnel system was no more respectable than the Empire's or the Commonwealth's, but you could still call him a man of both letters and arms.
A female reporter from the Alliance gazed at him with starry eyes. After Creel and Yu Lian had shaken hands and embraced, she asked, "The Alliance has never stated a clear position on the special military operation in the New World, but it has now organized a high-level military observation and advisory delegation. Brigadier General Belmont, as deputy head of the delegation, does your visit represent a clearer political stance?"
"No, no. We have always believed that the New World's Treaty on Restrictions of Armaments is the cornerstone of its peaceful development. One purpose of my visit is to help ensure that the nations making up the expeditionary force at the front do not abuse their military power. Of course, the marauders remain enemies of all galactic civilization, and the Alliance will