Galileo (Battle of the Species) (39 page)

“Please notice the tunnels in the ice you see there,” Professor Zaneer said, pointing to a tunnel. “Some are vertical, while others are horizontal. The vertical tunnels are usually made by Crystallians in order to access the water. The horizontal tunnels are all made by a species called Orlos. Please use your tablets to illuminate an Orlo for your reference.”

Renn fussed with his tablet, until finally resolving to look over Dylan’s shoulder instead. The slick, white Orlo had tiny ears, and a rather muscular body. It stared back at the boys with startling blue eyes. Dylan tapped on the illustration and the Orlo animated, snarling.

“Looks friendly,” Dylan said.

“Orlos are the species that give Crystalline a Class Two classification, besides the severe weather, of course.
They live underground and are carnivorous; eating any species they come across. They aren’t able to breed as consistently as other species though, which keeps their numbers down. But when they hunt, they hunt in packs as a family, overpowering the Crystallians within minutes. I doubt any of you should worry about running into a pack of Orlos, but please remember to stay as a group, near the village, just in case,” Professor Zaneer warned.

When they climbed the steps back to the surface, the students were divided by sleep patterns and those requiring eight hours of sleep within twenty four hours were told they would first have supper with the others, and then were to proceed to their tents to sleep.

Dylan and Renn looked up into the bright sky. “Is it really going to be this bright the entire time?”  Renn asked.

“Yup,” Leo replied. “It won’t get dark for a few more months.”

Not helpful considering they would be leaving the next day, Renn thought.

They took the sleds back to the shopping center and were taken to a restaurant where Renn was happy to see waiters. He smiled as the Crystallian took his order, enjoying being waited on for the first time. Earth didn’t have restaurants. No farmer would have wanted be seen in public buying anything more than ingredients to complement the food he had either butchered or grown himself.

Leo had eaten with Renn and Dylan for more than half a year and the three thought he had the best chance of getting close to what they’d like. Leo rattled off a list in Crystallian, occasionally hiding his face when Crystallians walked by.

When the waiter returned, he looked miserable carrying the hot food on the crystal dishes and advised them to eat them before they cooled like he had been trained to do.

Renn and Dylan devoured grilled fish, arguing what a similar taste might be. Dylan insisted it tasted like tuna, but Renn was adamant it tasted like halibut. After a few minutes, Leo shut them both up by informing them they were eating two different kinds of fish and they were probably both right.

They each ate a fresh bowl of salad, consisting of fine seaweed, both of them mumbling something about wanting to order it when they got back on the ship. At least that’s what Leo thought he heard, listening to Renn and Dylan talk with their mouths full of the greenery. Luckily, Dylan and Renn had gotten used to Leo’s diet of live coldwater fish, consuming them whole while they twitched and squirmed. At this point they could go through an entire meal without dry heaving once.

They got back on the sleds and the students were separated by sleep patterns, with one caravan heading towards the hills, another towards the ocean, and the last towards a large tent that had been set up for the students.

The tent had solar panels on the roof, heating the inside, and insulation below, to keep it from melting the snow beneath. Leo found himself having to put his Prodlinhide suit back on, just to stand the temperature in the tent.

The tent was aligned with beds on each side and the students were segregated with males on the right and females on the left. The students ran for the beds, doing their best to try and situate themselves opposite their crushes, far from their enemies, yet next to their friends. It was quite complicated and took some planning. Renn was pleased his bed was opposite Meta, between Leo and Dylan, yet far from Jonah.

Shelly was able to knock Holly out of the way, to get a bed opposite Desh, who wasn’t too thrilled about what she was hoping he'd do with her when the lights went out.

Just as Leo finished putting on his suit, the students heard a ruckus outside. Professor Zaneer and a Janiun physics professor walked out the front door, asking the students to stand back.

Dylan leaned over to Renn. “Hey man, use that mind-stuff and figure out what’s going on.”  But before he could answer, Leo spoke up.

“I know what it’s about,” Leo said, taking his suit back off. The door opened and a tall bearded Crystalline stood there yelling at the Janiun, while the professor tried to calm him down.

“Leo?”  Professor Zaneer beckoned. “I’m sorry, could you come here, please?”

“Yeah,” Leo said, walking out in his bare feet. He got outside and walked up to a small Crystallian woman, but kept his eyes focused on the seething male next to her.

“Hi, Mom….Dad…” Leo said.

“You're on Crystalline and you don't even tell me?” Leo's father yelled. “We haven't heard from you in months. Then I hear from Pathot that he saw you at Starbucks. How do you think that made me look?”

“Dad, it's just a class field trip and they didn't tell us where we were going. I couldn't just leave. I'm still in school,” Leo said.

“Learning about what? Crystallians?”  Leo's father asked, flabbergasted. “I think you know enough. You'll come home until they board the ship.”

“But Dad, I want to stay with my friends,” Leo said.

“You have friends?” the mother asked in delight. “Warm-blooded friends?  Sweetie, that's remarkable!” She smiled until she caught sight of her husband, who scowled at her in disgust.

“Why not befriend fire and get it over with!” Leo’s father snapped. “I'm not going to have it. You come home, right this instant!”

Leo looked back at Professor Zaneer who remained by the tent. “Professor, don't I have to stay with you?” he asked with a pleading look.

“I’m sorry Leo, you know the school rules,” Professor Zaneer replied. “We can’t override a species unless they’re harming a student, which this isn’t. We’ll meet back at the portal at seventeen hundred hours.”

“I’ll just grab my things,” Leo said, walking back into the tent. He cringed at the blast of hot air he received when he entered and packed his Prodlinhide suit in his duffel bag. 

Dylan, Renn, Lux, Meta, and Joss waved solemnly as he walked out. Leo never seemed to be able to catch a break.

Leo’s absence left the bed next to Renn vacant and for a moment it looked like Desh was picking up his things to take it. Ivan, however, got there first and Desh settled back into his spot. It was the first time Renn was happy to see Ivan, that is, until he started talking. He seemed to ramble on and on about how he would one day be a news anchor for the Federation. He thought he would be perfect for the job and could easily handle the pressure, even if his audience amounted to a quadrillion viewers. “Trillions upon trillions of species will see my face…” which was the point in the conversation when Renn switched channels and tuned him out.

Renn excused himself to get something to eat, walking to the end of the tent to rummage through cans of soup and packets of granola the school had provided for snacking.

“You read my mind,” Meta said behind him.

Renn looked up and smiled as she sat down next to him. “I just had to get away,” Renn said, glancing back at Ivan. “I’m actually not that hungry.”

“Me neither, we just haven’t had that much time to talk since we got here,” Meta said. “Maybe we can share a bag?” she asked.

“Yeah, that sounds great,” Renn said, finding any excuse to be near her to be a brilliant idea.

As they talked, Renn could see Desh out of the corner of his eye, occasionally glancing over.
Don’t even think about it
, Renn projected to Desh. Desh, however, kept the projections to himself.

While Renn was in the middle of telling Meta about Earth, their sleep regulators beeped, warning them to get to bed, whether they wanted to or not. They said their “goodnights” and lay down, while the professors dimmed the tent walls with the push of a button.

Desh couldn’t sleep and waited for the second beep from his regulator to do it for him. In the dorm room on the ship, the lights dimmed until the only light left in the room was the outline of the beds and the doorways. As much light as they blocked out of the tent, he could still tell it was bright outside. He tried to hear Lux's thoughts, but heard only static. He listened for Renn, but couldn't hear anything. Desh bolted up in bed, thinking he might have left, but saw Renn asleep.
He’s learning well
, Desh thought, and then realized he was being watched.

He turned his head to see that Shelly was not only awake, but staring at him, smiling. He scrunched down deeper under the blankets and pulled the cover up to his chin. He closed his eyes, thinking if he just lay there, he’d fall asleep, but a few minutes later he felt feathers ruffling his cheek. He looked over and saw Kia sleeping on his stomach with his wings spread out, flapping over Etienne, who slept right through it. Desh looked to see what Kia was dreaming about.

He was on Torres, flying above a dense forest and skimming leaves with his fingers. Desh took over the dream and landed him on a tree branch, until Kia started to reject it, wanting to fly. Before he could take flight, a soft female voice called out behind him singing, “Kia.” Kia turned around on the tree and saw a beautiful Toran girl with long blonde hair and jet-black wings. She smiled at him, motioning him towards her with her finger.

Kia continued snoring, retracting his wings, and settled into the dream he wouldn’t reject. Desh grinned and then heard his sleep regulator chime. Shelly’s sleep regulator would have gone off too, he thought, grateful for the device’s indifference to the girl’s hormones. He closed his eyes, making his way towards REM.

The next morning, the sleds took them around to view more landscape and crystal structures. After a few hours, the students began to complain about the cold and the professor ordered the drivers to head back to Crystalline’s portal station.

“All right,” Professor Zaneer announced once they had stopped in front of the shopping center. “Feel free to wander around, but please be back to leave in three hours.”

Renn and Dylan told the girls they would meet up with them later and took off.

Ivan had been standing near them when they said it and somehow included himself in the “we.” He wouldn’t stop following Dylan and Renn around, going on and on about how the three of them were best friends. Dylan and Renn communicated telepathically to one another, giving the illusion that they were listening, not wanting to be rude.

They went shopping and waited while Ivan bought a necklace with a crystal skull on it. Dylan had found a cool hunting knife made of crystal with a black leather braid wrapped around the handle for good grip. Ivan gave up and left to go find Rudy, while Renn and Dylan searched to find a matching knife holster Dylan could wear on his thigh.

After they had found one that held the knife, they headed back to the restaurant. Along the way, Dylan pointed out an elaborate clock in one of the shop windows. It was made of crystal, showing the inner workings made of polished silver. Renn walked in, turning the clock around, and ran his finger over the markings that were in the Crystallian language.

“They’re prayers,” Renn heard a soft voice say behind him. Renn turned around and saw a beautiful Crystallian female in her early twenties walking up to him.

“I’m sorry?” Renn said.

“The markings,” the girl replied. “You set the clock for the location of a loved one and the prayers are to keep them safe, every minute of every day.”

“Safe…” Renn said under his breath, staring at the clock. “I’ll take it,” Renn said, handing it to the girl, and tried to avoid touching her for fear of burning her hand and getting frostbite on his own.

The girl took it behind the register and called out a name Renn couldn’t pronounce. A child Sensatus, only seven or eight, came to the front, bundled in thick winter clothing. The girl looked back at Renn and said, “He’ll set it for you. Where is the loved one located?”

“Maine, United States of America, Earth…” Renn said.

“I know where Maine is, thank you,” said the Sensatus with a ting of annoyance.

Renn and Dylan exchanged smiles. Even a child Sensatus seemed to know everything.

Renn put the clock in his duffel bag and he and Dylan continued towards the restaurant. When they got there, they found Desh and Kia standing in front of it, looking around, searching for someone, but Etienne was behind them eating in the restaurant with Katie.
Only a half hour left and we’ll be back on the ship
, Renn thought.

“What do you want to do?” Dylan asked, watching Desh and Kia.

“Let’s get out of here and just go to the portals on our own,” Renn said.

Dylan agreed and the two slipped out a side entrance.

Renn glanced behind him when he heard the side door open and caught a glimpse of Desh’s face.
They’re following us!
Renn projected to Dylan.

It was starting to snow and the wind was picking up pace. Dylan and Renn picked up their speed, walking through the village. They turned behind houses, walked over a bridge, and down some steps, trying to lose Desh and Kia.

“Now they’re clearly after us,” Dylan said. “This isn’t simulation and I don’t have a bionic suit or lives to spare, man.”

“I know, let’s just keep moving,” Renn said.

“Brother or not, he charges, I expect you to stop him, you got me?” Dylan said.

“Yeah,” Renn said.

They hid in an icy barn, full of the large beasts that were trained to pull sleds.

“Clear your mind,” Renn whispered. “He’ll be listening for thoughts.”

Dylan closed his eyes, trying his best to not think of anything, but Renn could hear a flurry of thoughts like,
Clear my mind; Don’t think about anything
;
I’m not going to think of anything…