Enders In Exile

thousand "new
colonists" and one thousand "old colonists" so that, within a
reasonable period of time, they will simply be . . . citizens of
Shakespeare.
    My name is Andrew
Wiggin, but I have usually been called by my childhood nickname, Ender.
Since you served as a pilot during the battle within the system where
now you are a colonist, it is quite possible that you heard my voice;
certainly you heard the voice of at least one of my fellow commanders.
I grieve for those pilots whom we lost during that action; we may not
have known that our mistakes would cost real lives, but that does not
remove our responsibility. I realize that for you, more than forty
years have passed; for me, that battle was only three years ago, and
has never been far from my thoughts. I am about to face the soldiers
who actually fought that battle, and who remember those whose lives
were lost because of my mistakes.
    I look forward to
meeting the children and grandchildren who have been born to your
compatriots. They, of course, will have no memory of battles that to
them are ancient history. They will have no idea who I am, or why they
would be insulted by having a fifteen-year-old boy placed over them as
governor.
    Fortunately, I have
with me the very experienced Admiral Quincy Morgan, who has kindly
offered to extend his leadership over the colony as well as the ship,
for as long as he remains here. Vitaly and I discussed the nature of
leadership and command, and we came to think of Quincy Morgan as a man
of peace and authority; you will know better than I what that can mean
for the colony.
    I am sorry for the
burdens that our coming will impose on you, and grateful in advance.
    Sincerely,
Andrew

    To: GovDes%[email protected]/voy
From: smenach%[email protected]
Subj: Poor scheduling
    Dear Ender,
    Thank you for your
thoughtful letter. I do understand exactly what you meant about Admiral
Morgan being a man of peace and authority, and I wish I were equipped
to give him the appropriate greeting. But the only soldiers among us
are as old as me; our youngsters have had no reason to learn military
discipline or skills of any kind. I fear you would find our attempts at
maneuvers an embarrassment. Whatever ceremonies are to take place upon
your arrival must be planned entirely from your end. Having seen YOUR
work, observing it at least as closely as you have observed mine, I
have every confidence that you will handle everything with perfect
aplomb.
    Not since Vitaly died
have I had the opportunity to use "aplomb" in a sentence. Perhaps,
since you are to be governor (to my great relief), I have simply
transferred to you the style of discourse I always used with him.
    It is unfortunate that
your arrival coincides with an urgent and long-scheduled trip I must
take. I am no longer lead xenobiologist, but my duties in that area
have not simply disappeared. Now that you are coming, I can at least
make that journey into the broad stretch of land to the south of us,
which remains almost completely unexplored. We settled in a
semitropical climate, so we wouldn't freeze to death if we could not
find adequate fuel and shelter when we first arrived. Now you are
bringing Earth vegetation which needs cooler climes to thrive, and I
must see if there are appropriate environments for them. I also need to
see if there are indigenous fruits, vegetables, and grasses that we
might be able to make use of, now that you're bringing means of
transportation that could make it practical for us to grow crops in one
climate and consume them in another.
    For reasons that should
be obvious to you, I also believe that having an old man underfoot will
not be as helpful to you as you imagine. When two men who have been
called "governor" are together, people will turn to the one they have
more experience with. And the new people, having been in stasis, will
probably follow the practice of the old. My absence will be your
greatest asset. Ix Tolo, the head xenobiologist, can acquaint you with
ongoing projects.
    I'm sure you will
understand that my taking this journey does not reflect any wish on my
part not to meet you or help you. If I thought my presence would be
better for the colony than my absence, one of my greatest pleasures
would be to shake the hand of the commander who led us to victory.
Among the old coots of the colony, you'll find many who are still in
awe of you. Please be patient with them if they're a bit tongue-tied.
     
    Sincerely,
Sel

    Sel began