I was up early, and had just finished breakfast with Naomi when Mom called. She had gone to the bridge to check on things with the captain, and she had good news.
"We're ready to jump," she told me. "And that's not the best part, D'Argo. Lieutenant Torres sent a probe through to test her shield modifications, and guess what it picked up?"
"What?"
"Leviathan lifesigns! Well, we think that's what it was. The data was a little scrambled by the interference, but…"
"Yeah. I hope so, Mom."
She had Samantha bring me to the bridge when I was finished breakfast. When we got there, we found that the captain had strapped Mom into the main chair. Some of the crew thought that was really funny, but the captain was dead serious. "Didn't want the pregnant woman going through a wormhole without being secure," she said. "Figured my chair was as good a spot as any."
"Than let D'Argo have it," Mom said.
"I'm okay," I protested. "I can just hang onto something like everyone else."
Mom tried to wiggle out of the harness. "I can as well."
"Mom…"
"Sorry. D'Argo, I'm sorry. I…"
"Yeah, yeah, you're the big tough ex-PK. Look, just wear the harness, will you? If that IS Dad on the other side, I don't want him yelling at me for letting you get bruised."
That was the right button to push, and she kept quiet after that. The captain called down to engineering.
"We ready?"
I could feel the wormhole, prickling around the space between us, too small to catch you unless you knew where to aim. But I knew, and I gripped the handrail with one hand and reached for Mom with my mother hand, and closed my eyes and let things ride. There was a whoosh, and a light, and then we were floating free and quiet again. And we were staring at a viewscreen full of pink-and-purple-streaked Leviathan butt.
"Z!" I said.
The captain smiled. "Someone you know?"
"That's Baby Z and probably Jothee! Comm them, comm them, comm them…"
"Audio only," Paris said. "Go ahead."
"Z? Jothee? Guys, it's me! D!"
I heard Jothee exhale. "Thank Cholak. D, are you guys all right?"
"Yeah, Jothee. Is it just you in there?"
"Fraid so, little man. It's harvest season on Hyneria Prime. You know what that means."
"Chi's on holiday."
"Yes sir. And I was on my way to meet her when we got the call from Moya that you and your mom were missing. Caught your beacon's signal yesterday and I was closer, so I brought Z to meet you. She's very excited, she's never won a game of Hide before."
"How much closer?" Mom interrupted. "How far away is he?"
"Hey Aeryn. Um, let's see, two solar days?"
She cried out, and I moved closer so I could squeeze her hand. Poor Jothee had no idea what was going on.
"Aeryn?" he was shouting into the comm. "Aeryn, what is it? Is everything all right?"
"Can he come over?" I asked the captain.
"Of course."
"You better come over, Jothee," I said into the comm. "We have a thing going on right now. Is Moya in comm range?"
"Maybe not for you, but Z can nearly always reach her mom."
"Tell Z to comm Moya and tell her to kick it, Jothee. Mom needs Dad, like, soon. Tell Moya to kick it hard."
There was a pause. "D, your mom IS all right, isn't she?"
"Oh yeah," I said. "Me and her and the baby are just fine, but we don't want Dad to miss the…"
"Whoa," Jothee interrupted. "The baby? What baby?"
Oops. So much for letting him see for himself.