Save Ancestor Uncle or Perish! A Time Travel Story

This is totally a story of Ancient China, but one that starts in outer space. It all begins with a little cadet, of a prestigious military family. Such a glorious military tradition, one hundred and eight generations, unbroken bloodline of valiant men and women - all stops with this small, disappointing cadet, sent to the furthest regions of the known galaxy - the outer, outer space. The edge of the Milky Way, the furthest outpost from home planet Earth. She's been assigned there to "protect" and "guard" the borders from possible alien invasion.

A very unlikely invasion, that can only happen in theory, as there has been no confirmed proof of alien life. Yet! But you never know. Just barely graduating military school, with the secret help of her very power an influential family, Wei Li Na actually qualified to graduate. But even with family clout, she was unable to get any good postings for military service.

"I'm sorry Little Li Na, Daddy tried really hard. But all your Uncle Generals are busy pushing their own children into the best postings. This assignment is not bad, ah!"

"Daaaa!!! It's in outer-outer space!" That was equivalent to being assigned a posting in the middle of the ocean to watch the waves, or posted on top of the highest and loneliest mountain, to monitor the movements of the clouds above and below. Only much worse, because it was in outer-outer space, to watch space dust.

A quick hand smacked her behind the head, and not in a gentle way. That offending hand belonged to Wei Li Na's Second brother, the tall, irreverent and brilliant Wei Ling, who never had difficulty with exams. "Who told you to get such abysmal grades! I can't believe you skipped over the back pages of the exam papers of your finals and failed close to 50%!!! Is it even possible to be so stupid?" Indeed, your final marks determine your job prospects. This is even more true, in regards to government jobs.

Father Wei gave Wei Ling a stern look, a silent warning to his son that said: don't-make-it-worst! There was nothing Wei Li Na could do, but accept her fate with as little resistance as possible. Military service was mandatory, especially after freeloading on top quality, government funded, military education for ten years. It was already a blessing to still have a posting, that was not a war zone.

Eldest brother, Wei Long, also known as the Dragon of the Barracks, had just gotten promoted so quickly right after graduation. Second brother, that bastard, brilliant, peerless beauty only seen once in a generation, was accepted into the most elite, special forces. Yet this humble daughter of Wei family, has to go train in vocational Space School, for a few months before getting on a rocket ship to float around in a spaceship, all alone to watch space dust for two years. That is all the military required of her. There was a huge sacrifice for this assignment, that made it undesirable to most military personnel.

She didn't need to spend a lifetime in service, because two years in the outer reaches of the Milky Way Galaxy equals to twenty years on home planet Earth. That's right! There's a huge distortion in time, in relation to speed and distance. Those on the home planet move at a faster speed, and a faster time. But in the outer reaches of the galaxy, time is so much slower. Wei Li Na would only be twenty two when she returns to Earth. But more than twenty years would have already passed for her parents and her brothers.

Dearest Mother and Dearest Father would be retired when she got back. Her pain-in-the-butt, bastard brothers would be middle aged men, with their own wives and children. Established in their careers, when they meet again, while she's still the age of a newly graduated, tender and green sapling. Maybe her Big Bros will give her a part-time job, baby-sitting her nieces and nephews. She can do housekeeping, too. Who knows? At least she'll never be unemployed and can rely on her Big Bros to live a semi-parasite life. She'll also have pension, basically a retired veteran at the age of twenty-two!

Wei Li Na speculated on her future prospects, when she returns to the home planet in a few Earth months. She'll settle back into normal human life - that includes normal gravity, normal air, and normal sunlight. Her skin hasn't touched natural sunlight for so long, she was now as pale as a dead fish. There was a lot to look forward to, all these little things taken for granted where cause for big celebration for Wei Li Na. In a way, it is a kind of tragedy to miss out on the prime growing years of your family and friends. But she doesn't have many friends, and Wei Li Na reckons her brothers would outgrow their bullying tendencies in their middle age, by the time she got back. As an optimistic girl, Little Li Na liked to see the rainbow after the rainstorm.

Little space cadet Wei Li Na squats on the bare metallic floors of the simulation room. It's cold, and she isn't wearing any clothes, not even underwear. Wei Li Na has long given up on the normal conventions of polite society, such as wearing clothes. She's all alone in outer space, who cares! She's watching an old documentary on the lives of wolf packs, as they get rehabilitated in artificial forests on planet Mars. She's damp with sweat, after three hours halberd sparing in the simulator. Wei Li Na had already made a quick scan with her Divine Third Eye, 3,000 parsecs in all directions. Just like the last six hundred and sixty-six days, the result was the same - No! Alien! Life! She sends her report back to the mother ship, and resumes the documentary on rehabilitated wolves on Mars.

"Young Mistress Li Na... There's an incoming message from Elite Commander Wei Ling. Please confirm" The voice of Dave echoes in the empty simulation room. Dave is her ship's central computing system, a very advanced artificial intelligence, and her only friend. Boyfriend Dave, has a soothing, masculine voice which Wei Li Na personally programmed to sound like her favorite K-Pop Oppa. Dave even speaks with a Korean accent, it is so sexy.

"OK, Dave Oppa... Send it in!"

The screen randomly popped up in front of her. The matured face of Second brother Wei Ling appeared, still very handsome despite the wrinkles around the eyes and the hairline pulling back like waves at low tide. He should be around 38 now. Wei Li Na sneers in her heart, men really keep their looks and appeal into older age, unlike women.

"Ahhhhhhhaa!!" That peerless, handsome face immediately contorted like a crushed paper bag. Second brother Wei Ling covered his eyes with his hands and started gagging! "I saw everything!!"

"Whattt!" Wei Li Na's pupils constrict. Her arms immediately covered her chest, she pulled her knees together and covered that part too! Her actual brother saw her "everything" spread out like a starfish! Oh the humiliation! Mentally knocking her head against the metal floor!! Wei Li Na didn't bother putting on any clothes, because she only ever received messages. She was simply too far out to receive any real time Live Chats. But this time, Second brother is in communicating range, not near but not so far either. This is her first live conversation in so many years!

"Forget it! Don't bother looking for clothes... Little Li Na! This is a family emergency!!"

Wei Li Na still had her arms across her chest, but she had forgotten her embarrassment, hearing the urgency and panic in Second brother's voice. She was put on high alert, it felt very serious!

"They're all gone... Mother, Father, arrogant Eldest brother and his arrogant wife... my wife, and my kids. Little Li Na, all gone! You're the family's last hope!" Looking closely, Wei Li Na noticed Second brother's face, streaming with glistening tears. She didn't clearly hear her brother's words, because she was too astonished by the sight of that valiant and noble face, actually wet with tears. When has older brother ever cried?