hasn't shown Ender anything."
"That's possible," said
Father. "But Ender doesn't need us. He's thirteen. He's becoming a man.
He's done brilliantly since he left us, but he also went through
terrible things, and we weren't there. I'm not sure he'll ever forgive
us for letting him go."
"You had no choice,"
said Valentine. "They would have taken him to Battle School whether you
liked it or not."
"I'm sure he knows that
in his head," said Mother. "But in his heart?"
"So I'm going without
you," she said. It had never crossed her mind that they wouldn't even
want to go.
"You're going to leave
us behind," said Father. "It's what children do. They live at home
until they leave. Then they're gone. Even if they visit, even if they
move back, it's never the same. You think it will be, but it won't. It
happened with Ender, and it'll happen with you."
"The good thing," said
Mother, who was crying a little now, "is that you won't be with Peter
anymore."
Valentine couldn't
believe her mother was saying such a thing.
"You've spent too much
time with him," said Mother. "He's a bad influence on you. He makes you
unhappy. He sucks you into his life so you can't have one of your own."
"That'll be our job
now," said Father.
"Good luck," was all
Valentine could say. Was it possible that her parents really did
understand Peter? But if they did, why had they let him have his way
for all these years?
"You see, Val," said
Father, "if we went to Ender now, we'd want to be his parents, but we
don't have any authority over him. Nor anything to offer him. He
doesn't need parents anymore."
"A sister, now," said
Mother. "A sister, he can use." She took Valentine's hand. She was
asking for something.
So Valentine gave her
the only thing she could think of that she might want. A promise. "I'll
stick with him," said Valentine, "as long as he needs me."
"We would expect
nothing less of you, dear," said Mother. She squeezed Valentine's hand
and let go. Apparently that was what she had wanted.
"It's a kind and loving
thing," said Father. "It's always been your nature. And Ender was
always your darling baby brother."
Valentine winced at the
old phrase from childhood. Darling baby brother. Ick. "I'll make sure
to call him that."
"Do," said Mother.
"Ender likes to be reminded of good things."
Did Mother really
imagine that anything she knew about Ender at age six would still apply
to him now, at age thirteen?
As if she had read
Valentine's mind, Mother answered her. "People don't change, Val. Not
their fundamental character. Whatever you're going to be as an adult is
already visible to someone who really knows you from your birth onward."
Valentine laughed. "So
. . . why did you let Peter live?"
They laughed, but
uncomfortably. "Val," said Father, "we don't expect you to understand
this, but some of the things that make Peter . . . difficult . . . are
the very things that might also make him great someday."
"What about me?" asked
Valentine. "As long as you're telling fortunes."
"Oh, Val," said Father.
"All you have to do is live your life, and everyone around you will be
happier."
"No greatness, then."
"Val," said Mother,
"goodness trumps greatness any day."
"Not in the history
books," said Valentine.
"Then the wrong people
are writing history, aren't they?" said Father.
CHAPTER
4
To: qmorgan%[email protected]/fleetcom
From: chamrajnagar%[email protected]/centcom
{self-shred protocol}
Subj: In or out?
My dear Quince, I'm
quite aware of the difference between combat command and flying a
colony ship for a few dozen lightyears. If you feel your usefulness in
space is over, then by all means, retire with full benefits. But if you
stay in, and remain in near space, I can't promise you promotion within
the I.F.
We suddenly find
ourselves afflicted with peace, you see. Always a disaster for those
whose careers have not reached their natural apex.
The colony ship I have
offered you is not, contrary to your too-often-stated opinion
"That's possible," said
Father. "But Ender doesn't need us. He's thirteen. He's becoming a man.
He's done brilliantly since he left us, but he also went through
terrible things, and we weren't there. I'm not sure he'll ever forgive
us for letting him go."
"You had no choice,"
said Valentine. "They would have taken him to Battle School whether you
liked it or not."
"I'm sure he knows that
in his head," said Mother. "But in his heart?"
"So I'm going without
you," she said. It had never crossed her mind that they wouldn't even
want to go.
"You're going to leave
us behind," said Father. "It's what children do. They live at home
until they leave. Then they're gone. Even if they visit, even if they
move back, it's never the same. You think it will be, but it won't. It
happened with Ender, and it'll happen with you."
"The good thing," said
Mother, who was crying a little now, "is that you won't be with Peter
anymore."
Valentine couldn't
believe her mother was saying such a thing.
"You've spent too much
time with him," said Mother. "He's a bad influence on you. He makes you
unhappy. He sucks you into his life so you can't have one of your own."
"That'll be our job
now," said Father.
"Good luck," was all
Valentine could say. Was it possible that her parents really did
understand Peter? But if they did, why had they let him have his way
for all these years?
"You see, Val," said
Father, "if we went to Ender now, we'd want to be his parents, but we
don't have any authority over him. Nor anything to offer him. He
doesn't need parents anymore."
"A sister, now," said
Mother. "A sister, he can use." She took Valentine's hand. She was
asking for something.
So Valentine gave her
the only thing she could think of that she might want. A promise. "I'll
stick with him," said Valentine, "as long as he needs me."
"We would expect
nothing less of you, dear," said Mother. She squeezed Valentine's hand
and let go. Apparently that was what she had wanted.
"It's a kind and loving
thing," said Father. "It's always been your nature. And Ender was
always your darling baby brother."
Valentine winced at the
old phrase from childhood. Darling baby brother. Ick. "I'll make sure
to call him that."
"Do," said Mother.
"Ender likes to be reminded of good things."
Did Mother really
imagine that anything she knew about Ender at age six would still apply
to him now, at age thirteen?
As if she had read
Valentine's mind, Mother answered her. "People don't change, Val. Not
their fundamental character. Whatever you're going to be as an adult is
already visible to someone who really knows you from your birth onward."
Valentine laughed. "So
. . . why did you let Peter live?"
They laughed, but
uncomfortably. "Val," said Father, "we don't expect you to understand
this, but some of the things that make Peter . . . difficult . . . are
the very things that might also make him great someday."
"What about me?" asked
Valentine. "As long as you're telling fortunes."
"Oh, Val," said Father.
"All you have to do is live your life, and everyone around you will be
happier."
"No greatness, then."
"Val," said Mother,
"goodness trumps greatness any day."
"Not in the history
books," said Valentine.
"Then the wrong people
are writing history, aren't they?" said Father.
CHAPTER
4
To: qmorgan%[email protected]/fleetcom
From: chamrajnagar%[email protected]/centcom
{self-shred protocol}
Subj: In or out?
My dear Quince, I'm
quite aware of the difference between combat command and flying a
colony ship for a few dozen lightyears. If you feel your usefulness in
space is over, then by all means, retire with full benefits. But if you
stay in, and remain in near space, I can't promise you promotion within
the I.F.
We suddenly find
ourselves afflicted with peace, you see. Always a disaster for those
whose careers have not reached their natural apex.
The colony ship I have
offered you is not, contrary to your too-often-stated opinion
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