by Black, Jake
The plan, which involved tricking Achilles into destroying a shuttle thinking he’d kill the Wiggins, came off perfectly. Peter and Bean returned to Brazil and killed Achilles, retaking the Hegemony compound.
John Paul and Theresa also went back to Earth and took up residence at the compound. Peter was again the Hegemon, and they watched proudly as he resumed his duties as the leader of the world.
They were disappointed in their son a few months later when they learned he’d been embezzling Ender’s pension to fund his rise to power. Bean resolved that matter, and Peter soon was able to ratify his constitution among many nations on Earth.
John Paul and Theresa were once again proud of their son. They complimented him on unifying much of the world’s population in the Hegemony, now called the Free People of Earth. Not once in their praise did they mention Ender’s name, and that made it all the sweeter for Peter to hear.
Wiggin, Peter Arkady I (Polish Name: Piotr Arakdiusz) (EG, WG, EE, EH, SH, SP, SG, IC)
Born and raised in “the city,” Peter Wiggin was the oldest child of John Paul and Theresa Wiggin. Named for two of John Paul’s brothers, Peter (Piotr) and Arkady (Arek), he was a proud and even violent child. Peter was given the monitor device from the International Fleet. He did not qualify for Battle School, however, because of his violent nature and his inability to get people to like him—a necessity for a good leader. He lost his monitor shortly before age five.
When his little brother Ender received the monitor, Peter was jealous and took to torturing his youngest sibling with physical and emotional abuse. He often threatened to kill Ender. They played a popular game “Astronauts and Buggers,” an outer space equivalent of “cops and robbers.”
Thought by his siblings to be a murderer at heart, Peter actually loved his family deep down. He told Ender he loved him and how sorry he was that Ender had lost his monitor, though it was in private when Peter thought his brother was asleep.
When Ender left for Battle School, Peter was jealous; however, he told his brother to “kill a Bugger for me!” Two years later, when the family moved to Greensboro, North Carolina, Peter took to torturing and killing animals in the forest. However, this dark act was used to get his sister Valentine’s attention. The sounds the lizards and squirrels made during the torture leading to death bothered Peter, but he couldn’t stop. The rush of this great life-and-death control was too strong to be ignored.
He was still jealous of Ender’s being chosen to go to Battle School and was envious of their mother’s attention. He stole from Ender’s Christmas stocking, but was caught by their mother. She showed Peter that she loved him, but also loved Ender. The conflict had a profound effect on Peter. He didn’t stop being jealous of Ender, but his eyes were opening to emotions other than hate and jealousy.
In this same period, Peter encountered Mirabella, a student at his high school. Though only fourteen, Peter was a senior and was resented for his superior intellect. He offered Mirabella help on an assignment, and she rejected him. Peter couldn’t figure out why people didn’t rally around him. He fancied himself a great leader.
It wasn’t until Valentine pointed out how cruel Peter was that he understood why he wasn’t able to get followers in his school. He resolved at that moment to act in a way that made people think he liked them and was serving them. He apologized to Mirabella and thanked his family for their acts of kindness in letters he gave to them that Christmas. He even made a mosaic of Ender pictures for his mother.
It was all an act, however. He wasn’t sincere in his attempts to serve or be kind. They were acts of manipulation and vengeance, trying only to increase his influence among his peers on a path to world domination.
A brilliant child, Peter had been following the movements of Russian soldiers. He realized that the world was preparing for an international conflict following the Formic wars. A clever strategist and talented writer, he came up with a plan to participate in the growing conflict on Earth. Peter convinced Valentine to create secret identities that would allow them both to write political commentary on the computer nets. The two siblings would argue political positions between each other. They used several different names at first, refining their skills, but once they perfected their writing skills, they took unchanging screen names. Peter was “Locke,” a pro-Hegemony analyst who was hired to write weekly columns arguing against Valentine’s “Demosthenes.” The writings proved to be incredibly popular and all the while Peter kept his true identity—now a thirteen-year-old boy—hidden from the world. The partnership with Valentine had a tempering effect on Peter. He no longer was the aggressive killer he’d once been.
By the time Peter was fourteen, the International Fleet had figured out that he was Locke and that Valentine was Demosthenes. However, they did not censor the young columnists’ work. Peter still enjoyed writing as Locke, even when Valentine nearly exposed their identities in school.
As Locke, Peter was able to put an end to the conflict that plagued humanity in the immediate aftermath of Ender’s victory over the Formics. Thanks to Locke’s essays, the Hegemon resigned and the nations of the world found themselves at odds with one another, but no longer in full-scale war. His essays also ensured that Ender would never return to Earth following the end of the Formic War. Ostensibly to protect Ender, exiling the war hero would also protect Peter from being in his brother’s shadow.
Ender and Valentine left Earth to settle colonies. They were gone, and Peter felt alone. However, he still had plans for world domination, and using his Locke name tried contacting the International Fleet. Graff and Chamrajnagar corresponded with Peter, but it was of little use to him at the time.
He’d entered the local college in Greensboro, North Carolina, at a younger-than-normal age. He had a difficult time associating with his fellow students who did not know he was Locke. But they would someday, he knew. And it would be as he rose to power.
The beginning of this exposure was when Peter received a message from an unknown individual, who he figured out was Bean, revealing the location of several of Ender’s colleagues from Command School who had been kidnapped by rogue Russian soldiers under the command of Achilles Flandres.
As Locke, Peter exposed Russia’s unintentional involvement in kidnapping war heroes. The Russian military mounted a secret rescue mission, freeing all of the prisoners except Petra Arkanian, who remained in Achilles’s clutches.
Peter was frustrated that his parents didn’t realize he was the mind behind Locke, but knew that someday they would. He would be in the history books, a much bigger presence than his brother Ender.
Having successfully helped release ten of Achilles’s captives, Peter tried to arrange a meeting with Bean and Sister Carlotta. They came to see him at his university, and in the first visit, Peter and Bean sniped at each other like children.
Peter saw Bean as a sort of replacement Ender while Bean saw Peter as another Achilles. They didn’t like each other, but knew that if they were to accomplish their goals (Bean wanted to save Petra, and Peter wanted world dominance) they had to rely on each other.
After enduring an annoying family dinner that included Bean and Carlotta, Peter joined his guests in a meeting where they spoke privately about him joining them in their hiding. They also determined that he should reveal his identity as Locke to the world, and crafted an intricate plan to accomplish this.
Thanks to contacts in the Vatican, and to Hyrum Graff’s help in the government, Locke would be considered the public’s choice for new Hegemon. Peter would say he was Locke, and as a teenager was too young to be considered for the office. He knew, as did Bean and Carlotta, that this would raise his chances of taking the office later.
He chose to announce it in Thailand, since Thailand was considered the leader of Asia. Achilles had gone to India and was apparently planning his next strikes from there. It was possible that he had aligned himself with Chamrajnagar there, making it even more important that Peter make his revelation personally rather
than risk negative exposure at the hands of Achilles.
Bean would become Peter’s right-hand man—his closest adviser and general. While the two didn’t particularly care for one another, they knew they had to trust each other to accomplish what they each intended.
He told his parents the night before that he was Locke. They had known for years, but had kept their knowledge a secret to allow Peter and Valentine to function in their roles unimpeded. His mother told him that she was as proud of what he’d accomplished as she’d ever been of Ender. The words were what Peter had longed to hear his whole life, and affected him deeply. It took some time for him to regain control of his emotions after hearing his mother’s words.
He revealed his identity and supported Carlotta and Bean as they went to Thailand to hide from Achilles. When an assassination attempt was made on Bean, Peter used his influence with the Thai government to reassure them that Bean was loyal to Thailand and would do all he could to protect that nation from Achilles’s aggressive movements into Asia, using the Indian and Pakistani militaries.
With the uprising in Asia, now a year after Peter’s revelation, many political observers were calling for Peter Wiggin to seek the office of Hegemon. While some doubted his ability, many others recognized his genetic brilliance, and supported his candidacy. Peter was noticeably silent on the matter, simply watching and waiting as the events in Asia and elsewhere unfolded. But he was calculating his run for office and preparing to lead the world.
Sister Carlotta sent Peter and Graff a message to forward to Bean if they didn’t hear from her after a set period of time. When they learned that a plane she was on had been blown up, Peter dutifully forwarded the message.
Bean determined that Achilles’s goal was not to control India, but Achilles had aligned himself with China and was spreading the Indian and Pakistani armies too thin, which would allow China to take over Asia with great ease. Peter, though taking a long time to do so, posted this plan on his Locke forum, exposing Achilles and his plot to the world.
Bean was angered at the delay and said that it sickened him that Peter would use such intelligence to forward his political career.
And forward it, it did. Peter was elected Hegemon following the crisis. Though his power was limited since much of Asia and Europe did not acknowledge his authority, he nonetheless had risen to be the figurehead of the world government.
Peter sent a message to Valentine in space, updating her on his rise to power. He also sought her advice, having grown to really miss her thoughts and comments on his courses of action. The message caused a brief problem on the colony ship because it interfered with regular communications. Peter agreed not to send so large a message again in the future.
He moved the home of the Hegemony to Brazil and reinstalled Chamrajnagar and Graff in their positions as Polemarch and Minister of Colonization respectively. He made Bean, with whom he still had a tenuous relationship, Strategos, and promised protection for all Battle School graduates and their families. He gave his parents jobs in the Hegemony and sought to govern the portions of the world where he had authority fairly.
A few months later, Peter made the questionable decision of rescuing Achilles Flandres from a Chinese prison. The move had potentially disastrous political consequences and drove Petra Arkanian, Bean, and their families into hiding. Peter was confident it was a smart move, though, and soon Achilles was in Brazil living in the Hegemony compound, working with the Hegemony’s army.
Peter had brought Achilles to the compound to study him. He hoped to learn from Achilles’s correspondence with his allies in Russia, China, and the rest of Asia. He promoted Achilles to the newly created position of “Assistant to the Hegemon” and spent a lot of time working closely with him.
Upon feeling that there was nothing left to learn from Achilles, Peter began the process of plotting Achilles’s destruction. He was shocked to see that his mother, Theresa, was trying to break into Achilles’s quarters. His initial reaction was that Theresa was betraying Peter, but after conferring with John Paul he realized she was going to assassinate Achilles.
John Paul told Peter in that conversation that he loved him, but Peter couldn’t bring himself to believe it. John Paul left Peter to figure out what was really going on with Theresa and Achilles on his own.
Peter believed that everything was under control and did not heed the warnings about Achilles actually being the one in control. His parents tried to protect Peter by claiming that Achilles was going to kill them, but that plan failed. Peter grew increasingly irritated with his parents.
When Theresa and John Paul learned that Achilles had set up his own rescue, and that he was playing with Peter, they convinced their son to leave the Hegemony compound and find a safe location from where he could conduct his business. Peter was humiliated that he hadn’t seen Achilles’s power grabs and manipulations, but agreed to flee with his parents.
Though being discredited as an embezzler by Achilles, Peter held a press conference that reasserted his authority and position as the true Hegemon. Achilles had tried to play off Suriyawong as Acting Hegemon, but after the success of Peter’s press conference, few aligned themselves with Achilles’s vision.
Peter apologized to his parents for doubting them and treating them poorly over the years. He realized that his parents truly loved him. They had even taken up arms to protect him now that he was out of the compound. It was a changing point in the life perspective of Peter Wiggin. He knew he could still rise in power and influence, and his parents were assets not liabilities.
Hyrum Graff invited the Hegemon and his parents to stay in secret at the Ministry of Colonization, which was housed in the former Battle School, orbiting Earth. With the pseudonym Dick Raymond, Peter walked the halls where Ender had made a name for himself years before. There was no sentimentality there for Peter, who continued to write as Locke and to sway public opinion against China.
The Wiggins learned they were not safe for long at the Ministry as someone had secretly leaked their location to Earth. Peter created a plan with Graff that would get the Wiggins back to Earth safely and expose the mole on the station.
It was all a lie, however. The Wiggins did not return to Earth, but rather pretended to expose the mole. They discovered, thanks to Graff and the International Fleet’s Digital Security Force, that Uphanad, the Ministry’s security head, was leaking the information to Achilles. Achilles had blackmailed Uphanad by threatening his family on Earth. Peter, as Hegemon, showed compassion to the officer by not having him arrested for treason. Uphanad was fired, but not arrested. Peter understood the intricacies of family.
His father figured out the ruse, but his mother did not. This made her angry with Peter and John Paul. She felt stupid for not getting it, despite Peter’s assurances that she wasn’t.
With the mole exposed, Peter and Graff made new plans to return the Wiggins to Earth. The plan used a decoy shuttle that Achilles shot down, hoping to kill Peter. This attack led to an authorized International Fleet attack on Achilles.
Peter led the attack, with Bean at his side. The two men stormed the Hegemony compound, accompanied by several bodyguards. Bean killed Achilles, and Peter resumed his role as Hegemon for the world. His parents joined him in Brazil as he took up his old life there. He was just a little more mature, and a little wiser, from the experiences he’d had over the last several months.
A few weeks later, Peter traveled to Damascus to meet with the Muslim Caliphate, Alai. He hoped to find an ally for the Hegemony in the Muslim world, but was unsure if it was realistic. He took Petra with him, posing as bickering lovers. It was an easy role for Petra to play since she hated Peter for putting her husband Bean’s life in jeopardy for his own gain. Furthermore, she resented that he would ask her to come, taking away valuable time she had with Bean, who was slowly dying from the genetic manipulation with which he’d been cursed.
In their meeting with Alai, Peter and Petra told the Islamic leader that his people were murd
ering innocents in India and that he had little real authority. Alai believed them and undertook measures to reassert his true influence over the Muslim world politically and spiritually.
Alai did not promise to be an ally of the Hegemon, but was appreciative that his disloyal followers were exposed. He assured Peter it would not be forgotten.
Matters grew more complicated, however, when Virlomi in India caused an insurgency there that threatened to bring about war with both the Muslim world and China. Peter turned to Bean and Petra for counsel, and though he didn’t listen much at first, they helped him develop a strategy to bring about peace once the impending war began. He would swoop in when war seemed to be the last thing anyone wanted, with offers of peace and unity in a worldwide government.
He returned to writing essays in the nets, now as “Lincoln,” criticizing his own policy, along with essays of a foil named “Martel,” which were written by Petra under his direction. He also realized that he needed to get as many Battle School graduates, who were the weapons in a virtual worldwide arms race, off the planet. He traveled around the world to offer a new life in space to all of Ender’s colleagues. They all refused.
Undeterred, Peter drafted a constitution that would unite the world in a peaceful society. He invited many of Ender’s colleagues to ratify the document and bring their nations into the ever-growing Hegemony. He was successful in gaining support from smaller countries—most of which had no connection to Ender—such as Rwanda. The leader of the African nation insisted that in exchange for ratifying the document and joining Peter’s government, Rwanda would receive Bean as leader of its armies. Peter consented, and Bean was sent.
It came at a time when tensions between Peter and Bean were once again on the rise. Bean discovered that Peter had been embezzling Ender’s military pension to fund the Hegemony. Thinking this was a grave injustice, Bean had Ender’s money transferred to a computer program from Battle School. Peter responded by cutting the funding for Bean and Petra’s worldwide search for their stolen embryos. Bean, prepared for that, had already found other funding.
