Énouement

Chapter Seventeen

That evening I had practice with Ender and the Launchies. I wanted to tell Ender what had happened with Bonzo, but I had a feeling he wouldn't feel as comfortable that Bonzo had that information like I was. It's not like I thought that we could all be friends or something. I just wanted to make them hate each other a little less. Something in the back of my mind told me that it wasn't likely though.

Our practices had turned into quite the success. More Launchies had been joining us because they could see the results. Still Ender, Alai, and I stayed ahead of them. Today I only knew a handful of the Launchies with us.

"Ho boys. Full house today?" I called up to Ender and Alai, who were already working in the battleroom, from the doorway.
"The better we get, the more show up." Ender said back. Alai looked down at me with a grin.
"We'd be even better if you didn't police us so much."

"I should just let you dullbobs fold each other, right?" I grabbed a handhold along the wall and launched myself to them. Alai and Ender caught my hands easily and slowed me as I reached them.

"Not fold. Just seriously injure." I rolled my eyes as I took in what they had been working on before I got here.

Alai always kept trying new things, which forced Ender to think of new tactics to cope with them. I made sure they didn't kill each other in their attempts. Part of our improvement was because we suggested things that no self-respecting, well trained soldier would even try.

A lot of the stuff we tried ended up being useless, but it was always fun. Always exciting, and enough things worked that we knew it was helping us. Evenings were my favorite part of the day.

"Alright show me how far you've gotten, and I'll fix what I can." Since Bonzo refused to let Ender into the battles, I was the only one who had any fighting experience. I often had to tweak a new maneuver to make it combat friendly. I observed and fixed the few things. Before I'd have no problem with the boys, but today was a different story. There were too many boys who didn't know me.

"If you shift your weight as you launch, you'll be able to turn direction much quicker." I was trying to correct a new boy. He had to be almost eight years old, and about to be transferred into an army. He gave me a disinterested look and ignored what I had said. "Did you hear me?"

"I heard you little girl. I didn't come here to be trained by you princess." He let go of his handhold, turned, and tried to drift away. At least he would have if I hadn't grabbed his hair and dragged him back to me.

I slammed him against the wall and used my pistol to push against his throat and block his airway. I used my body to pin his legs and arms down against the wall. He started struggling, but it was useless. He obviously hadn't had any lessons in Gravity combat, never mind null-G fighting. Bonzo had taught me enough by now that I could easily over power this boy. He may have been bigger and older than me, but he was grossly undertrained. It was sad really, I mean this boy could be transferred any day now. I pressed my pistol hard enough to make breathing difficult for him, but I didn't completely cut off his windpipe.

"I'm sorry," I smiled sweetly at him. "I totally thought I left my tiara in my barracks today. My mistake." His gasping drew the attention of the others and they quickly came over. I saw the relief in his eyes and I smiled bigger.

"Oh no sweetie, they're not going to help you." The panic returned and I giggled. I wasn't usually so... manic. But being a girl in a place where there were less than 20 of us in total well, you really couldn't let these idiots push you around.

"He dis you Tori?" I heard Ender nearby, but I didn't move my gaze from the scared boy in front of me.
"Yup."
"He call you princess?"
"Uh huh."
"He don't know who you are?"
"Most likely."

"She go all marubo when you disrespect her. She make you into a puddle!" Alai called and the other boys laughed.

"Let him down. Bonzo do him worse if he find out." Ender was right. Bonzo would be livid if he found out this boy had disrespected me, and I just wanted to scare him, not hurt him. Something about me being a reflection of Bonzo and his teachings. Disrespecting me would be an attack on his honor. and we all knew how Bonzo felt about his honor. I pulled away from the boy and shoved my pistol in its holster.

"Next time, be a little more courteous when someone's helping you." I turned my back and pushed off towards Ender and Alai, but froze when I heard him mutter something.

"Neeshka." I didn't have time to even turn before Ender and Alai launched themselves at the boy. By the time I had turned they were already punching him. I sighed as Shen and some others pulled them off of him, before they shoved the boy out of the battleroom.

"Don't come anywhere near her or this again!" He scurried away. Ender was so mad I thought steam was gonna come out of his ears.

"Well that's going to get talked about." I turned towards the younger boys, who had watched the fight, terrified. "Never call any girl here that, okay? They won't take kindly to it either." They nodded furiously and I dismissed them. I drifted down toward the others.

"C'mon Rocky and Apollo. Lets get you two out of here before he tattles." I swung my arms around their shoulders and led them out of the battle room.

"Whose Rocky?" I smiled and Ender laughed.
"Ancient American movie." We laughed as we tried to explain the American film to Alai as we walked down the hall.