She was just about to call for Vishal when Nielsen straightened. Her eyes were watery, and her expression was tight. “Dammit,” she said in an undertone. Then, louder: “It’s okay. I’m fine.”

“Like hell you are,” said Kira. “You couldn’t even move. That’s more than just cryo sickness.”

“Yes.” Nielsen leaned back against the wall behind the bed.

“What is it? Cramps?” Kira couldn’t imagine why the other woman would have her periods turned on, but if she did …

Nielsen uttered a short laugh. “I wish.” She blew on her tea and took a long drink.

Still on edge, Kira returned to the chair and studied the other woman. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“Not particularly.”

An uncomfortable silence developed between them. Kira took a drink of her own tea. She wanted to press Nielsen harder, but she knew it would be a mistake. “Have you seen all the stuff we’ve found in the system? It’s amazing. We’ll be studying it for centuries.”

“As long as we don’t get wiped out.”

“There is that small detail.”

Nielsen peered at Kira over the top of her cup, eyes sharp and feverish. “Do you know why I agreed to this trip? I could have fought Falconi on it. If I’d tried hard enough, I could have even convinced him to refuse Akawe’s offer. He listens to me when it comes to things like this.”

“No, I don’t know,” said Kira. “Why?”

The first officer pointed at the holo of the kids on the desk. “Because of them.”

“Is that you and your brothers?”

“No. They’re my children.”

“I didn’t know you had a family,” said Kira, surprised.

“Grandchildren, even.”

“You’re joking! Really?”

Nielsen smiled a little. “I’m quite a bit older than I look.”

“I never would have guessed you’d had STEM shots.”

“You mean my nose and ears?” Nielsen touched them. “I had them fixed about ten years ago. It was the thing to do where I lived.” She looked out the window overlaid on the wall, and her gaze grew distant, as if she saw something other than the clouds of Venus. “Coming here to Bughunt was the only thing I could do to help protect my family. That’s why I agreed to it. I just wish … Well, it doesn’t matter now.”

“What doesn’t?” said Kira, gentle.

A sadness settled over Nielsen, and she sighed. “I just wish I could have talked with them before we left. Who knows what it’s going to be like when we get back.”

Kira understood. “Do they live at Sol?”

“Yes. Venus and Mars.” Nielsen picked at a spot on her palm. “My daughter is still on Venus. You might have seen, the Jellies attacked there a while back. Fortunately it wasn’t close to her, but…”

“What’s her name?”

“Yann.”

“I’m sure they’ll be fine. Of all the places they could be, Sol is probably the safest.”

Nielsen gave her a don’t bullshit me look. “You saw what happened on Earth. I don’t think anywhere is safe these days.”