Colonel John sat down at the commander's station with Nemo standing to his right and Harv sitting to his left. Nemo spoke up first, "It looks to be an early version of the large PRE battleship seen at the Mars defense. It just came out of the gate near the second world in system ZX-409. It painted us with tracking lasers five minutes after entering the system. It also has telescopes."

"Hicks, get me a comlink with it." Colonel John called out.

Harv advised, "Colonel, they have just changed to an intercept course."

A man with a gravely deep voice came over Colonel John's com channel, "Federation Squadron, this is the People's Republic of Earth Rescue One. We are searching for our Flight Seven Five Niner."

Colonel John tapped the button on his helmet, "Rescue One, this is Federation Six Seventy-Three. We answered a mayday from Flight Seven Five Niner. They had twelve healthy souls, and six fighters we have them on board and ready for pick up at your pleasure."

A very relieved voice came from the other end as Rescue One came back on the channel, "Six Seventy-Three, Rescue One... You have my thanks. We are showing two weeks for intercept with you."

"Rescue One, Six Seventy-Three, we have a problem." Colonel John waited a few moments and then pressed the button on his helmet again, "Be advised we are from fifty years in your future."

"Six Seventy-Three... Rescue One copies." His deep gravely voice sounded pained, "Confirming five zero years in relativistic lag?"

Colonel John closed his eyes, "Rescue One that's a negative. Locals put that number closer to five thousand years, over."

The channel was dead for a long time before Rescue One came back, "Six Seventy-Three confirming that was five K?"

"Rescue One that's affirmative. We could use your help, over."

"Six Seventy-Three, Rescue One, by the old spacer rules?"

"Rescue One, that's affirmative. We'll kick Seven Five Niner loose as soon as they are ready and willing." Colonel John smiled, "Six Seventy-Three out."

Nemo raised an eyebrow, "If I am not mistaken that man was related to Captain Zheng Shuang."

"Oh? How can you tell?" Colonel John started to take his helmet off pressing the condition yellow button.

"Voice analysis." Nemo tapped a few times on the tablet in his hand and then dragged the data onto one of the displays in front of Colonel John.

Colonel John whistled and then thumbed a button on a display in front of him, "Lieutenant Dedmon, bring Captain Zheng Shuang to the command deck."

A few minutes later Lieutenant Dedmon escorted Captain Zheng Shuang onto the command deck. She was dressed in her normal PRE uniform with insignia and rank displayed looking very serious. Colonel John motioned her closer and pointed at one of his displays which was a zoomed-in on image of Rescue One. She didn't show any emotion until Colonel John continued, "We're about two weeks out from them, I'll leave it up to you, Captain, but Seven Five Niner can head out at your command."

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

"We aren't prisoners, then?" Captain Zheng Shuang looked confused.

Colonel John shook his head and said, "I apologize for the cramped quarters and the lack of anything to do, it probably feels the same as being locked up, but these bombers weren't designed for having guests." He took off his gloves and placed them with his helmet under his command chair in their normal storage area, "Captain, we are at least five thousand years away from anyone that could have helped us going forward. That's the reason for the old spacer rules."

Captain Zheng Shuang nodded and then recited a poem, "Life and safety first. Never ignore a mayday. A spacer in need is a friend indeed."

He smiled and nodded, "Exactly so, Captain. Thankfully, the man in command of Rescue One understands the old rules as well."

She had a complicated look on her face and asked, "Colonel, would it be possible for me to speak with the commander of Rescue One?"

Colonel John nodded, "Would you be more comfortable doing so from your own fighter?"

"Is that an option?" Captain Zheng Shuang's eyes grew a little wider.

He nodded and then said to Lieutenant Dedmon, "Take her down to the docking bay so she can talk to her people."

Nemo said to Colonel John, "They don't have any form of communication that I can't intercept, it's silly to make her walk all the way down just to use a com channel."

Colonel John waited until she had walked away before answering Nemo, "You wouldn't understand, Nemo. She wants to feel like she has some privacy is all."

Ten minutes later Captain Zheng Shuang sat in the familiar cockpit of her fighter. She keyed up its systems and then tapped on the com channel, "Rescue One, this is Flight Leader Seven Five Niner, call sign Mantis."

She waited and then a response came back, "Mantis, Rescue One... I read you loud and clear." She could hear the raw emotion in his voice. Tears formed in her eyes.

She hesitated to press the button for a few moments, "Rescue One..." She spoke in Mandarin this time, "You shouldn't have come, Grandfather... I've really done it this time."

The response came in Mandarin as well, "Zheng'er, what kind of man would I be if I let my only Granddaughter suffer alone?" He switched over to common once again, "Mantis, Rescue One, we're two weeks out at best speed. Recommend you stay aboard Six Seventy-Three until we reach your location, over."

"Rescue One, Seven Five Niner leader... Copy that." She cried for a few minutes before composing herself and then regaining her normal aura of stoic military formality.

Lieutenant Dedmon waited for her to climb down from her fighter and then led her back to the cabin she was assigned for her personal use.

Captain Zheng Shuang bowed to Lieutenant Dedmon and said, "Thank you, for allowing me to speak to them."

Lieutenant Dedmon nodded and then said, "We only did what is right."

Captain Zheng Shuang nodded, "Mm, but we both know you didn't have to, and if our roles were reversed our regulations wouldn't have permitted it."

They walked side by side back to Captain Zheng Shuang's cabin. Lieutenant Dedmon replied, "In your future, our past we were at war. The PRE didn't follow the old spacer rules which left many of our friends and loved ones dead when they should have..." She cleared her throat and blinked away tears, "Needless to say, the old spacer rules are important to the Colonel. Important to all of us that lived through those years."

Captain Zheng Shuang nodded and said, "I can't speak of the war you saw, it happened as you say in the future I was not a part of, but I can tell you that my family at least, also believes in the old spacer rules." She stopped at her cabin door and looked into Lieutenant Dedmon's eyes and said, "I was taught that to ignore them, was to ignore my own honor as a warrior."

The two women bowed to each other before Captain Zheng Shuang disappeared into her cabin and Lieutenant Dedmon headed back to the security office.

Over on Rescue One, General Tuxuan Shuang sat on his command chair that stood at the highest point on the bridge of his battleship. Allowing him to view the back of each of his subordinates as they worked in the circular command center. From his vantage point, he could glance at the situation displayed on each of their workstations. Having heard his granddaughter's voice with his own ears he was finally at peace once again. After she had disappeared a month before, he demanded that PRE high command allow him to bring his battle group to her wing's last know position through the gate.

After weeks of demands, they finally relented and allowed him to use his own personal flagship to go on the one-way trip to an unknown sector to locate the missing scouting team. High command already knew it was a suicide trip but allowed him to go as an expensive form of retirement.

General Shuang stood up from his chair and clapped twice loudly which caused the battleships com channel to open for the General, "Our primary mission has been completed. We have located Flight 759. All personnel are safe and accounted for. We will have them on board soon at which point we will enter our secondary mission which is to return to Earth. All sections responsible for mapping the system and searching for the gate begin your tasks... Now!"

A cheer went up from the crew with chants of "Long live the General!"

Like a proud father, he stood on the bridge next to his command chair with his arms crossed behind his back looking at the faces of his crew through his monitors as they cheered over the swift completion of the mission and for the leader they respected.