The Authorized Ender Companion

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The Authorized Ender Companion Page 6

by Black, Jake


  While waiting for Battle School to decide whether to accept Bean or not, Carlotta took him in. She taught him lessons in reading, arithmetic, art, and fed him until he was fat. She listened to his memories of escaping the mysterious “clean place” by hiding in a toilet. When he snuck out to find the man who found him in the toilet three and a half years earlier, she followed him.

  Sister Carlotta told Bean that she had protected him from thugs and sex offenders. She’d also learned that Bean had escaped from an illegal organ-harvesting plant. She never shared this knowledge with Bean, which created some emotional distance between them. A few months later, when Bean was five, she shed a few tears for him as he left for Battle School. Like a parent, Sister Carlotta loved Bean and hoped he’d be okay at the space-bound military training facility.

  Only a day after Bean left, Sister Carlotta continued her investigation into who he was. She visited the clean place/organ farm, and studied the toilet in which he’d hidden, but was no further ahead into learning more about him.

  Colonel Graff, the commander of Battle School, contacted Sister Carlotta, seeking an interpretation of Bean’s activities at Battle School. She told Graff that Bean was smart, and he knew that the Battle School officials were watching him. She was certain that Bean was intentionally deceiving Graff and his colleagues to gain control of his own situation. However, because Graff asked specifically about Achilles, Sister Carlotta grew concerned and was determined she had to find him before the Fleet did to keep him away from Bean.

  In exchange for her information on Bean, Carlotta asked for information on any studies of the human genome that the Fleet had conducted in the last ten years. Graff reluctantly promised to get summaries to her.

  These summaries led Carlotta to Sophia, Russia, where she met a retired scientist named Anton, who had discovered a way to genetically accelerate mental and physical human development in embryos. Anton spoke in code to Carlotta, telling her about his research before the implant in his brain (designed to stop him from discussing his findings) caused a panic attack. Carlotta was able to determine that Bean had been genetically altered by Anton’s research, and because of that would not live to an old age.

  As thanks for additional information exchanges with Graff, Carlotta was able to locate Doctor Volescu, the scientist who took Anton’s research and put it into practice. She met with Volescu, who confirmed that he had illegally performed the procedure of turning Anton’s Key in twenty-four fertilized embryos. Twenty-three of these embryos had been destroyed, leaving one to grow and mature—Bean.

  Although Volescu provided Sister Carlotta with this information, he was arrogant and defiant in his attitudes toward her. This angered Carlotta, and she stated that he didn’t deserve to have a son like Bean.

  Carlotta discovered that Volescu was not the DNA donor, however. That honor belonged to Volescu’s half-brother Julian Delphiki. Sister Carlotta told Julian and his wife Elena about Volescu’s tests. She gave them hope that they might have another son—Bean, who had coincidentally befriended the Delphiki’s firstborn, Nikolai, at Battle School.

  Achilles was sent to Battle School. Sister Carlotta located Graff, on Earth with Ender at the time, and told him of all the murders Achilles had committed since killing Poke. Graff realized the extreme threat to Bean and contacted his colleagues at Battle School, desperately trying to get Achilles taken out of the school, per Sister Carlotta’s warnings.

  Sister Carlotta tried to stay in touch with Hyrum Graff after the Formic War was over, but she went into hiding following the war. She resurfaced with Graff a short time later, though, to come to Bean’s aid.

  Bean and the rest of the Delphiki family had been the target of an assassination attempt by Achilles Flandres, who had also kidnapped the rest of Ender’s army from Command School. The Greek Army had been protecting the family, but Carlotta and Graff, with permission and help from the International Fleet, arrived and split up the family for their own protection.

  Bean traveled with Carlotta again, while the rest of his new family went with Graff. They hid in Brazil and communicated via the nets, passing e-mail through enough servers that their location remained hidden.

  Among these e-mail messages that went back and forth was a dragon image that had become popular among net users. Carlotta showed it to Bean, who figured out it was a message from Petra giving her location, and the relative location of her fellow hostages.

  She was consistently amazed at Bean’s brilliance. He knew, and assumed she did, too, that his training at Battle School and streetwise childhood meant that he was protecting her as much, if not more, than she was looking after him.

  Bean used Petra’s message to spur a rescue mission by Russian operatives. They successfully freed nine of the ten kidnapped soldiers, leaving only Petra in Achilles’s hands. Sister Carlotta knew that they had to leave Brazil. Their timing was good, as Peter Wiggin sought communication with Bean and Carlotta. Carlotta decided to go to Peter’s hometown of Greensboro, North Carolina.

  In Greensboro, Sister Carlotta used her age and wisdom to fool a university administrator into helping her set up a meeting with Peter Wiggin at a restaurant near the school where he was a student. Bean and Carlotta met Peter there and discussed the Achilles problem.

  Later that night, Sister Carlotta joined Peter and his parents for dinner at another restaurant in town. She and Bean conspired with Peter to join them as they went into hiding. As they discussed it further in private after dinner, Carlotta helped Peter understand that his identity as the political columnist Locke was sure to be exposed. With Bean, she and Peter crafted a plan that would allow him to reveal his true identity and begin his secret campaign for the office of Hegemon.

  Carlotta promised the support of the Vatican. Peter joined their little group, though a tenuous trust existed between the three of them. However, he did not travel with them. Carlotta and Bean traveled to Thailand and were placed in a military compound.

  Since Bean was not granted the military access he’d been promised on his arrival in Thailand, he began to test the patience and limits of the Thai government. In order to protect Sister Carlotta, he sent her away.

  She went to Madrid. But as she left, she and Bean had a small argument. Peter had said in an earlier conversation that Sister Carlotta had written some memos about Bean prior to his time at Battle School. She never shared with him their content. Bean wanted to know, but Sister Carlotta didn’t want him to learn what they contained. They were a touchy subject between the two people.

  After six months in Madrid, and an apparent attempt on Bean’s life in Thailand, Sister Carlotta boarded a plane to return. She made arrangements with Graff to forward an e-mail to Bean if he did not hear from her again. It was an ominous sign of what was to come.

  Carlotta’s plane was blown up over China. Achilles had orchestrated it, but no government officials would believe it. The e-mail she’d had Graff forward contained the content of her memos on Bean. They told the story of his genetic manipulation and warned him that he would die.

  Bean was heartbroken over Carlotta’s death, but did not seek vengeance; she had asked him not to. Ever faithful to Christ, she used the e-mail to remind Bean that she loved him deeply, and any vengeance was God’s to take, not his.

  The Vatican placed a memorial to her in its city, while Bean, living in Brazil, created his own marker to her life.

  Catalog of the Voices of the Gods (XN)

  The Catalog of the Voices of the Gods was a book on the planet Path, where the OCD-like manifestations of the “godspoken” were recorded.

  Catalonian Exchange Bank (IC)

  Bank on the planet Sorelledolce where Ender Wiggin tried to gain access to his finances centuries after his victory over the Formics.

  Catholic Priest I (SG)

  The Catholic Priest I presided over the christening of Andrew Delphiki, the first child born to Bean and Petra Delphiki.

  Catholic Priest II (CM)

  This Catholic Pr
iest II performed the marriages of Si Wang-mu to Peter Wiggin II, and of Jane to Miro Ribeira von Hesse II.

  Causo (CM)

  Causo was the executive officer of the flagship in the fleet that was sent by the Starways Congress to destroy the planet Lusitania. He knew that Congress had changed the order as the fleet neared the planet, but was incapacitated by his superior, Admiral Lands, who went ahead and launched the devastating Molecular Detachment Device at the planet.

  He was revived and learned that the Molecular Detachment Device had mysteriously reappeared in the ship’s cargo hold. There, he met Peter Wiggin II and Si Wang-mu, who warned Causo he might want to disarm and dismantle the weapon. He did so, and overheard Peter tell Admiral Lands the content of the message he should send back to Congress, explaining his actions.

  Ceifeir (SD, XN, CM)

  “Ceifeir” was the term used by the members of the planet Lusitania’s religious order, the Children of the Mind of Christ, for their abbotts.

  Center Nation (CM)

  “Center Nation” is a term used to describe a nation with a culture so strong that new citizens choose to assimilate themselves to that culture over maintaining their own cultural identity.

  Chamrajnagar, Captain/Admiral/Polemarch (PL, EG, EE, SH, SP)

  Chamrajnagar was among the high-level officials in the International Fleet that first reviewed six-year-old John Paul Wieczorek’s screening test results. At that time he was an official representative of the Polemarch. From India, Chamrajnagar was optimistic about John Paul’s test results, feeling that he may be the commander the Fleet was searching for. He was concerned, however, that Colonel Sillian, who had helped test John Paul, was not suited to make the final determination on John Paul’s readiness for Battle School. Consequently, Chamrajnagar insisted, with the support of the Russian General, that Captain Hyrum Graff visit John Paul.

  Chamrajnagar was promoted to admiral and given the assignment of overseeing Command School. Though they had met years earlier, Chamrajnagar stated that he thought he and Graff would be friends when Graff arrived at Command School with Ender Wiggin.

  Following Ender’s victory over the Formics, Chamrajnagar helped train newly promoted Admiral Ender Wiggin in the duties of his new rank. He watched Ender until the boy was sent into space on a colony ship. It was Chamrajnagar who assigned the commanders of the colony ships, including Admiral Quincy Morgan with whom Ender had several conflicts.

  Chamrajnagar was present when the colony ship departed, using the event as a photo op to reiterate his influence in world matters.

  A short time later, Peter Wiggin tried to convince Chamrajnagar to support his desires for world power, but the admiral refused. He even tried to cut off contact with Peter, threatening to expose him as the anonymous political pundit, Locke. Chamrajnagar agreed to help Peter, though, after speaking with Graff. He even withdrew the threat of exposure.

  However, though a high-ranking member of the world leadership, Chamrajnagar had made a tentative alliance with Achilles Flandres, the serial killer who had his sights set on world domination. Locke had derailed one of Achilles’s plans, and Achilles wanted revenge.

  Achilles had begun working with the government in India, and it was feared that he would be able to learn Locke’s true identity from Chamrajnagar. From an assignment in space, Chamrajnagar promised that upon his return to Earth, he would resign his position as Polemarch in the Hegemony, and return to India where he was given a high position in the Indian military. Achilles had made moves that would ultimately bring down India into Chinese rule, though, and Peter Wiggin advised Chamrajnagar to stay in space for the duration of the conflict.

  When Peter reached the office of Hegemon following the Chinese takeover of Asia, he reinstalled Chamrajnagar as Polemarch, stating that doing so gave credibility to his office. He was loyal to Peter.

  Years later, Achilles Flandres made an effort to overthrow Peter as Hegemon. Chamrajnagar would not heed Achilles’s demands, and forcefully stated that Peter was still the Hegemon.

  Chamrajnagar’s loyalty to Peter and the Hegemony was further manifested as he provided shuttles to use when Peter and his family were hiding on the orbiting satellite home of the Ministry of Colonization. It was a ruse to expose a mole, but they needed the shuttles Chamrajnagar could give them.

  Achilles shot down one of the shuttles, thinking it would kill Peter. However, the shuttle was empty, and exposed Achilles’s plans against the Hegemony and the International Fleet. Chamrajnagar and Graff helped authorize an Earth-bound attack against Achilles, which would be led by Peter Wiggin and Bean.

  Chapekar, Prime Minister Tikal ([SH], SG)

  Prime Minister Tikal Chapekar was the leader of India following Ender’s victory over the Formics. He worked closely with the master manipulator, Achilles Flandres, a former Battle School dropout and serial killer, who was set on world domination. Achilles had convinced Chapekar that India would become the most powerful nation in the world and the greatest force in Asia. Chapekar authorized Achilles to represent him in Pakistan where Achilles convinced the Pakistani government to join India, not in reunification but in military conquest.

  It was all a plan by Achilles to turn Asia over to China. Chapekar was unaware of this, however, until it was too late. As the Chinese took over his nation, he reached out to Pakistan again hoping for that nation’s support. He was taken prisoner by China, but released over a year later when Virlomi, a Battle School graduate who had come into great power in India, called for the release of all of the prisoners held by China.

  He tried to regain his position of power in India, but no one wanted him. Virlomi called for Tikal to be ignored, and the people of India did so. He had to leave India for the Netherlands in disgrace. Exiled, he received a bit of government aid from the Dutch while he looked for new employment.

  Chupaceu (SD)

  Chupaceu, or Sky-sucker, was a pequenino, one of the native species on the planet Lusitania.

  Cida (See von Hesse-Gussman, Ekaterina Maria Aparecida do Norte “Cida”)

  Cifi Unit (SD, XN, CM)

  The cifi unit was the small jewel through which the sentient computer named Jane communicated directly with Ender Wiggin and Miro Ribeira von Hesse. Worn in the ear, it allowed the wearer to hear Jane, but also granted Jane access to its wearer.

  City of the Jade Mountain in the West (XN, CM)

  The City of the Jade Mountain in the West is the supposed home of the gods of the planet Path.

  Colador (SD)

  Colador was the cure for the Descolada, which was distributed to the settlers of Lusitania through their water.

  College Chairman (TP)

  The chairman of Theresa Brown’s dissertation committee.

  College Dean (TP)

  The College Dean was Theresa Brown’s superior while she was a graduate student. He called her in for a meeting where he, alongside his colleagues, informed her that the funding for her research had been withdrawn. It had been a political tactic made by the Hegemony to attack Theresa’s father.

  Colony IX (See Hundred Worlds)

  Combat School (EGS, EG, ES)

  Combat School is where graduates of Battle School go if they are not qualified for Command School or Tactical School.

  Command School (See also Eros Asteroid) (EGS, EG, ES, [GB])

  A large complex made up of tunnels that burrowed into the surface of the minor planet Eros, Command School was where Ender was trained on the “simulators.” He took “exams,” all of which were actually battles in the Formic War. He remotely commanded real armies by these simulators.

  It was here that Ender met Mazer Rackham and destroyed the Formic home world.

  Command School Observers/“Test Proctors” (EG, ES)

  During Ender’s “final exam” at Command School, several observers or proctors watched him take the test. They were officers in the International Fleet, and cheered Ender’s victory against the Formic home world. Hyrum Graff was among them, as was Mazer Ra
ckham, who revealed that the officers were observing because the exams had been real battles, and this “final exam” had been the defining battle against humanity’s enemy.

  Command School Technician (EG, ES)

  The Command School Technician helped Command School students like Bean and Ender settle into their training “simulators.”

  Computer Voice (MP)

  On board Mazer Rackham’s private courier ship, the Computer Voice relayed messages and provided quasihuman companionship for the Admiral as he traveled what to him was a five-year journey, but to the people of Earth was decades. The Computer Voice had both male and female voices with which to read messages from the International Fleet and speak to Mazer. It was not sentient, however, and Mazer described it as “bland.”

  The Computer Voice would record Mazer’s responses to messages from IF-COM, and send them via ansible. The computer also tracked Mazer’s emotional responses and reported them to the Fleet. It also reported that Mazer had reprogrammed the ship to give himself complete navigational control.

  Conceição (SD)

  Conceição was a human colonist on the planet Lusitania. She was the librarian of the planetary archives, and was married to the planet’s xenolo-gist, Pipo. She was the mother of Libo, and a devout Catholic. She was devastated by the murder of her husband by the planet’s native life-forms, the pequeninos.

  Years later, at a very old age and still the archivist of Lusitania, Conceição learned of her son Libo’s adulterous relationship with Novinha von Hesse.

  Condor, The (ES)

  The Condor was the name of the spaceship that Bean took to Battle School.

  Copper Bugs ([GB])

  Copper Bugs were large insectoids, bred by the Formics to mine for precious metals on one of their worlds. When that world was colonized by humans after Ender’s victory against the Formics, the Copper Bugs were thought to exist because of the discovery of Gold Bugs by xenobiologist Sel Menach and his assistant, Po Tolo.

 

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