Galileo (Battle of the Species) by Meaghan Sinclair Page B

going to be sick,” Renn said.
    The pilot then initiated the gravity and Renn and Adam relaxed into their seats.
    “Better?” Adam asked.
    “Yeah.”
    Renn looked out the window and for the first time saw Earth as a whole, becoming further and further away until it blended with the many specks of light.
    Renn’s hands were still illuminated with a light blue glow and he rubbed his palms at the tingling sensation, while the ship accelerated.
    Adam took Renn’s hand and squeezed. “It’s over. Okay?”
    Renn looked at his dad, as if for the first time. “Dad, why was Mom there? A woman who has never once picked up a communicator to talk to me, even if only to acknowledge my existence? And where are we going? And why was Mindeere attacked? And…”
    “Renn…” Adam said
    “Dad! Why was Mom there?”
    “Agent Akerlund sent word that you were in danger and she came to make sure you got out,” Adam replied.
    Renn glanced at the agent, sitting shotgun to the pilot, then back to his father.
    “What happened to Mindeere?” Renn asked.
    “Mindeere was attacked by the Eminites, those creatures who just attacked Earth. There were still a lot of Mindeerians who got away, but the rest…”
    “Why Mindeerians?” Renn asked.
    “No one knows why yet, Son. Eminites don’t usually explain themselves. All we know is that you're no longer safe on Earth.”
    “So, I'm being hunted?”
    “Yes,” Adam replied, bluntly.
    “But I didn't do anything,” Renn said in disbelief.
    “I know. It isn’t you,” Adam said, struggling for an explanation. “Mindeerians have always been the species one goes to for help, but if you defend someone from someone else, then you’ve made an enemy out of the ‘someone else.’ Needless to say, Mindeerians have made a lot of enemies.” Adam shook his head. “Right now, we’re heading for a port junction where you will take a portal to a school called the Galileo.”
    “School?” Renn asked in shock. It was the most absurd thing he could think of right then. The idea of sitting at a desk and learning could not have been more ridiculous at that moment.
    “You wanted to go to school in space, didn’t you? Haven’t you been asking me for years?”
    “Well, yes, but not at gunpoint!” Renn replied.
    “I’m sorry, Renn. I don’t know what to tell you. The Galileo may be the safest place for you to be right now,” he said.
    “How do you know that?” Renn asked.
    “Most high schools in space are on space stations like the Xavier, orbiting a planet, but the Galileo is a ship, constantly flying. Every few days, it jumps through a portal to another galaxy, and Cybernex randomly chooses the destination, so no one ever knows the ship’s location. The crew doesn’t even know until they get there. The ship runs itself and is monitored by the Quintessence.”
    “You told me if something happens to you to get in touch with the Quintessence. Why?”
    “Because it’s your mom’s ship,” Adam replied.
    “Mom works on the Quintessence?”
    “No, the Quintessence belongs to your mother.”
    “Dad, you’ve never once answered a question about her. Why are you telling me now?”
    “Because we no longer have a choice,” Adam said, reluctantly. “As long as she made no contact with you, they were never supposed to find you. You would never have known who or where she was, so you wouldn’t have gone looking for her…”
    “They were never supposed to find me?” Renn said, shaking his head. “Dad, I’m not an idiot. I may not recognize an Eminite when I see one, but I know that Eminites come from Urland. If they’re not allowed to use portals, then they would have had to travel by ship, which means they’ve known where I was my entire life. They only just got here.”
    “We had no way of knowing that,” Adam replied. “I’m sorry.”
    Renn looked out the window, realizing he could no longer tell which bright spot was Earth.
    “What about my friends?” Renn asked. “I