"Which is odd," said Valentine, "since centrifugal force is also inertial, and you'd think it would also be suppressed."
"The suppression is highly directionalized, and affects only the forward movement of the ship," said Morgan. "I apologize for ignoring you so nearly completely, Ms. Wiggin. I'm afraid your brother's fame and rank have distracted me and I forgot courtesy."
"None is owed to me," said Valentine with a light laugh. "I'm just along for the ride."
With that they separated and Ensign Akbar led them to their stateroom. It was not a huge space, but it was well equipped, and it took the ensign several minutes to show them where their clothing, supplies, and desks had been stowed, and how to use the ship's internal communications system. He insisted on setting down both their beds and then raising them up again and locking them out of the way, so Ender and Valentine had seen a complete demonstration. Then he showed them how to lower and raise the privacy screen that turned the stateroom into two sleeping areas.
"Thank you," said Ender. "Now I think I'll take the bed down again so I can sleep."
Ensign Akbar was full of apologies and took both the beds down again, ignoring their protests that the point of his demonstration was so they could do it themselves. When he was finally done, he paused at the door. "Sir," he said, "I know I shouldn't ask. But. May I shake your hand, sir?"
Ender thrust out his hand and smiled warmly. "Thank you for helping us, Ensign Akbar."
"It's an honor to have you aboard this ship, sir." Then Akbar saluted. Ender returned the salute and the ensign left and the door closed behind him.
Ender went to his bed and sat down on it. Valentine sat on hers, directly across from him. Ender looked at her and started to laugh. She joined in his laughter.
They laughed until Ender was forced to lie down and rub the tears out of his eyes.
"May I ask," said Valentine, "if we're both laughing at the same thing?"
"Why? What were you laughing at?"
"Everything," said Valentine. "The whole picture-taking thing before we left, and Morgan greeting us so warmly, as if he weren't preparing to stab you in the back, and Ensign Akbar's hero worship despite your insistence that you were just 'Mr. Wiggin'--which is, of course, an affectation too. I was laughing at the whole of it."
"I see that all of that is funny, if you look at it that way. I was too busy to be amused with it. I was just trying to stay awake and say all the right things."
"So what were you laughing at?"
"It was pure delight. Delight and relief. I'm not in charge of anything now. For the duration of the voyage, it's Morgan's ship, and I'm a free man for the first time in my life."
"Man?" asked Valentine. "You're still shorter than me."
"But Val," said Ender, "I have to shave every week now, or the whiskers show."
They laughed again, just a little. Then Valentine spoke the command to bring down the barrier between their beds. Ender stripped down to his underwear, crawled under a single sheet--nothing more was needed in this climate-controlled environment--and in moments he was asleep.
CHAPTER 8
To: GovDes%
[email protected]/voy
From:
[email protected] Fwd: Report on Planet Making
Dear Ender,
I was conflicted about whether to send you this. On the one hand, it is fascinating, even heartening; on the other hand, I know you have suffered greatly because of the destruction of the formic home world and reminders might be painful. I risk the pain--your pain, so it was not much risk to me, was it?--because if there is anyone who should be receiving these reports, it is you.
--Hyrum
Forwarded Message:
To:
[email protected] From: LPo%
[email protected]/bda
Subj: Report on Planet Making
Dear Hyrum,
I'm not sure you're in the need-to-know loop, since it will be a long time before the subject planet will be ready for colonization, but since there is also no further enemy presence there, I thought you'd want to know something of the aftermath--our official "damage assessment" reports. (You'll note that in my new assignment, I do NOT get to follow normal military abbreviations and call my area "DamAss" or "AssDam." We have to use mere initials, BDA. As the kids say, kuso.)
[email protected]&!a***********bdA.gov
I've set it so your full name is a nonce password for the next week.
In case you don't have time to read the whole report at the above site, here's the gist: The former formic home world, destroyed last year by molecular disruption, is re-forming. Our follow-up ship, instead of trying to salvage a losing battle, is finding that its mission is astronomical: to watch the formation of a planet out of, quite literally, elemental dust.
Since the md field broke everything into its constituent atoms, it is coalescing with remarkable quickness. Our observer ship has recently been in a position to see the dust cloud with the star directly behind it, and during the passage sufficient spectrometry and mass measurements were taken to assure us that the vast majority of the atoms have re-formed into the common, expected molecules, and that the gravity of the cloud was sufficient to hold most of the material in place. There has been some loss from escape velocity and further loss to solar gravity, solar wind, etc., but our best estimate is that the new planet will be at no less than 80 percent of the original mass, and perhaps more. At that size, there will still be atmosphere, potentially breathable. There will also be molten core and mantle, ocean, and the probability of tectonic movement of thicker areas of crust--i.e., continents.
In short, while no artifacts of the former civilization can possibly be found, the planet itself will be back in a nice wad, in stellar orbit, within the next thousand years, and perhaps cool enough to explore in ten thousand years. Colonizable in a hundred thousand, if we seed it with oxygenating bacteria and other life as soon as the oceans are fully formed.
We humans can be destructive, but the universe's thirst for creation goes on unslaked.
--Li
Public spaces were few on the "Good Ship Lollipop" (as Valentine called it), also known as "IFcoltrans1" (which was painted on its side and broadcast continuously from its beacon), or "Mrs. Morgan" (as the ship's officers and crew called it behind their captain's back).
There was the mess hall, where no one could linger long, since one dining shift or another started every hour. The library was for serious research by ship's personnel; passengers had full access to the contents of the library on their own desks in their staterooms and so were not particularly welcome in the library itself.
The officers' and crew's lounges were open to passengers by invitation only, and such invitations were rare. The theater was good for viewing holos and vids, or for gathering all the passengers for a meeting or announcement, but private conversations tended to be shushed, with some hostility.
For conviviality, this left the observation deck, whose walls offered a view only when the stardrive was off and the ship was maneuvering close to a planet; and the few open spaces in the cargo hold--which would increase in number and size as they used up supplies during the voyage.
It was to the observation deck, then, that Ender betook himself every day after breakfast. Valentine was surprised at his apparent sociability. On Eros, he had been private, reluctant to converse, obsessed with his studies. Now he greeted everyone who entered the observation deck and chatted amiably with anyone who wanted his time.
"Why do you let them interrupt you?" asked Valentine one night, after they returned to their stateroom.
"They don't interrupt me," said Ender. "My purpose is to converse with them; I do my other work when no one wants me."
"So you're being their governor."
"I am not," said Ender. "I'm not governor of anything at the moment. This is Admiral Morgan's ship, and I have no authority here."
It was Ender's standard answer when anyone wanted him to solve a problem--to judge a dispute, to question a rule, to
ask for a change or a privilege. "I'm afraid that my authority doesn't begin until I set foot on the surface of the planet Shakespeare," he'd say. "But I'm sure that you'll get satisfaction from whatever officer Admiral Morgan has delegated to deal with us passengers."
"But you're an admiral, too," several people mentioned. A few even knew that Ender had a higher rank, among admirals, than Morgan. "You outrank him."
"He's captain of the ship," said Ender, always smiling. "There is no higher authority than that."
Valentine wasn't going to settle for such answers, not when they were alone. "Mierda, mi hermano," said Valentine. "If you don't have any official duties and you're not being governor, then why are you spending so much time being--affable?"
"Presumably," said Ender, "we will arrive at our destination someday. When that happens, I need to know every person who will stay with the colony. I need to know them well. I need to know how they fit together in their families, among the friendships they form on the ship. I need to know who speaks Common well and who has trouble communicating outside their native language. I must know who is belligerent, who is needy of attention, who is creative and resourceful, what education they have, how they think about unfamiliar ideas. For the passengers who are in cold storage, I had only a half hour meeting with each group. For those who are making the voyage awake, like us, I have much more time. Time enough, maybe, to find out why they chose not to sleep through the trip. Afraid of stasis? Hoping for some advantage when we get there? As you can see, Valentine, I'm working constantly out there. It makes me tired."
"I've been thinking of teaching English," said Valentine. "Offering a class."
"Not English," said Ender. "Common. It's spelled better--no ughs and ighs--and there's some special vocabulary and there's no subjunctive, no 'whom,' and the word 'of' is spelled as the single letter 'v.' To name just a few of the differences."
"So I'll teach them Common," said Valentine. "What do you think?"
"I think it'll be harder than you think, but it would really help the people who took the class--if the ones who need it take it."
"So I'll see what language-teaching software there is in the library."
"First, though, I hope you'll check with Admiral Morgan."
"Why?"
"It's his ship. Offering a course can be done only with his permission."
"Why would he care?"
"I don't know that he does care. I just know that on his ship, we have to find out if he cares before we start something as formal and regular as a class."
As it turned out, the passenger liaison officer, a colonel named Jarrko Kitunen, was already planning to organize Common classes and he accepted Valentine as an instructor the moment she volunteered. He also flirted with her shamelessly in his Finnish accent, and she found that she rather enjoyed his company. With Ender always busy talking with somebody or reading whatever he'd just received by ansible or downloaded from the library, it was good to have a pleasant way to pass the time. She could only stand to work on her history of Battle School for a few hours at a time, so it was a relief to have human company.
She had come on this voyage for Ender, but until he was willing to take her fully into his confidence, she had no obligation to mope around wishing for more of Ender's soul than he was willing to share. And if it turned out that Ender never wished to take her into his life, to restore their old bond, then she would need to make a life for herself, wouldn't she?
Not that Jarrko would be that life. For one thing, he was at least ten years older than she was. For another, he was crew, which meant that when the ship was loaded up with whatever artifacts and trade goods and supplies Shakespeare was able to supply them with, it would be turning around and heading back to Earth, or at least to Eros. She would not be on it. So any relationship with Jarrko was going to end. He might be fine with that, but Valentine was not.
As Father always said, "Monogamy is what works best for any society in the long run. That's why half of us are born male and half female--so we come out even."
So Valentine wasn't always with Ender; she was busy, she had things to do, she had a life of her own. Which was more than Peter had ever given her, so she rather enjoyed it.
It happened, though, that Valentine was with Ender in the observation deck, working on the book, when an Italian woman and her teenage daughter walked up to Ender and stood there, saying nothing, waiting to be noticed. Valentine knew them because they were both in her Common class.
Ender noticed them at once and smiled at them. "Dorabella and Alessandra Toscano," he said. "What a pleasure to meet you at last."
"We were not ready," said Dorabella in her halting Italian accent. "On till your sister could taught us English good enough." Then she giggled. "I mean 'Common.'"
"I wish I spoke Italian," said Ender. "It's a beautiful language."
"The language of love," said Dorabella. "Not is French, nasty language of kissy lips and spitting."
"French is beautiful, too," said Ender, laughing at the way she had imitated the French accent and attitude.
"To French and deaf peoples," said Dorabella.
"Mother," said Alessandra. She had very little Italian accent, but rather spoke like an educated Brit. "There are French speakers among the colonists, and he can't offend any of them."
"Why will they be any offended? They make the kissy mouth to talk, we pretend we not to notice it?"
Valentine laughed aloud. Dorabella really was quite funny, full of attitude. Sassy, that was the word. Even though she was old enough to be Ender's mother--considering her daughter was Ender's age--she could be seen as flirting with Ender. Maybe she was one of those women who flirted with everybody because they knew of no other way to relate to them.
"Now we are ready," said Dorabella. "Your sister teaching us good, so we ready for our half hour with you."
Ender blinked. "Oh, did you think--I took a half hour with all the colonists who were going to travel in stasis because that's all the time I had before they became unavailable. But the colonists on the ship--we have a year or two, plenty of time. No need to schedule a half hour. I'm here all the time."
"But you are very important man, saving of the whole world."
Ender shook his head. "That was my old job. Now I'm a kid with a job that's too big for me. So sit down, let's talk. You're learning English very well--Valentine has mentioned you, actually, and how hard you work--and your daughter has no accent at all, she's fluent."
"Very intelligent girl my Alessandra," said Dorabella. "And pretty, too, yes? You think so? Nice figure for fourteen."
"Mother!" Alessandra shrank down into a chair. "Am I a used car? Am I a street vendor's sandwich?"
"Street vendors," sighed Dorabella. "I miss them yet."
"Already," Valentine corrected her.
"I am already miss them," said Dorabella, proudly correcting herself. "So small Shakespeare planet will be. No city! What you said, Alessandra? Tell him."
Alessandra looked flustered, but her mother pressed her. "I just said that there are more characters in Shakespeare's plays than there will be colonists on the planet named after him."
Ender laughed. "What a thought! You're right, we probably couldn't put on all of his plays without having to use several colonists for more than one part. Not that I have any particular plan to put on a Shakespearean play. Though maybe we should. What do you think? Would anyone want to be ready to put on a play for the colonists who are already there?"
"We don't know whether they like the new name," said Valentine. She also thought: Does Ender have any idea how much work it is to put on a play?
"They know the name," Ender assured her.
"But do they like it?" asked Valentine.
"It doesn't matter," said Alessandra. "Not enough women ruoli, parti--how do you say it?" She turned to Valentine helplessly.
"'Role,'" said Valentine. "Or 'part.'"
"Oh." Alessandra giggled. It was not an annoying giggle, it was a rather charmi
ng one. It didn't make her sound stupid. "The same words! Of course."
"She's right," said Valentine. "The colonists are about half and half, and Shakespeare's plays are what, five percent female parts?"
"Oh well," said Ender. "It was a thought."
"I wish we could put on a play," said Alessandra. "But maybe we can read them together?"
"In theater," said Dorabella. "The place for holografi. We all read. Me, I listen, my English is not good enough."
"It's a good idea," said Ender. "Why don't you organize it, Signora Toscano?"
"Please call me of Dorabella."
"There's no 'of' in that sentence," said Alessandra. "There isn't in Italian, either."
"English has so much 'of,' everywhere 'of,' except where I put it!" As Dorabella laughed, she touched Ender's arm. Probably Dorabella didn't see how he suppressed his instinct to flinch--Ender didn't like being touched by strangers, he never had. But Valentine saw it. He was still Ender.
"I've never seen a play," said Ender. "I've read them, I've seen holos and vids of them, but I've never actually been in a room where people actually said the lines aloud. I could never put it together, but I'd love to be there and listen as it happens."
"Then you must!" said Dorabella. "You are governor, you make it happen!"
"I can't," said Ender. "Truly. You do it, please."
"No, I cannot," said Dorabella. "My English is too bad. Il teatro is for young persons. I will watch and listen. You and Alessandra do it. You are students, you are children. Romeo and Juliet!"
Could she possibly be any more obvious? thought Valentine.
"Mother thinks that if you and I are together a lot," said Alessandra, "we'll fall in love and get married."
Valentine almost laughed aloud. So the daughter wasn't a co-conspirator, she was a draftee.
Dorabella feigned shock. "I have no plan like such!"
"Oh, Mother, you've been planning it from the start. Even back in the town we came from--"
"Monopoli," said Ender.
"She was calling you a 'young man with prospects.' A likely candidate for my husband. My personal opinion is that I'm very young, and so are you."