Ender's War

Chapter 11 - You Want Me to What?

AN: I love this Peter quote^^

To: AndrewW%Earth@IFcom.gov
From: MinCol@ColMin.gov
Sub: IMPORTANT

Dear Ender,

Surprised to hear from me? I would be if I were you. It has been a long time since you and I had a rendezvous.. and I'm not talking about the friendly kind. As of yesterday, I received some disheartening news, regarding the I.F. command base that you were situated in before you left, on your 'rescue mission' as you so claimed it to be.

Yes, as an add on, I have been keeping tabs on your activity, not that you would be surprised. Regardless, my sources have for certain declared the premises to be compromised, and because I care about what happens to the planet as much as you do, I suggest that you follow through with my next orders.

I commend that you, along with your sister and the other two soldiers, if you have indeed succeeded in retrieving them, come to the address I have attached at the bottom. There we can make arrangements, and amend how we are going to win this war.

See you soon,

Hyrum Graff

* * * * * * * *

The sun blinded Ender as he strode down the small ramp of the aircraft. He knew that he'd never get used to the blinding light that came with Earth, and he wasn't going to ever enjoy it either. Living the majority of his life in space made his body extra sensitive to the elements, and once again, he found himself wanting to crawl back inside before he even touched the ground.

"It's always amusing to see you outside", Valentine laughed.

Of course, being the cunning jokester that his older sister was, Ender shouldn't have expected anything less than ridicule. Though, as he looked on, still squinting, he could see that Bean and Petra were both adjusting to the outdoors as well. It was odd observing their own reactions and it made Ender wonder if that was what he actually looked like. If so, he could see why Valentine found it so funny. They looked unnatural, and their almost robotic unease mirrored exactly how Ender felt. The only thing that confused him about their own disorientation was the fact that they had been stranded in the desert for over a year. He would have thought that their bodies would have been adjusted to the Earth's climate by now. Apparently not. Though by what he saw, he knew that he felt a whole lot worse than they did.

That was thanks to Hyrum Graff. Ever since Ender had returned to Earth for the second time, the memories of living in space with Graff for another two years were never far from his thoughts. They had, after all, learned a lot about the international tensions up there. Not to mention, Ender found that he learned much more about his manipulator than he ever cared to before. Now, he knew exactly how Graff worked. His thoughts were always laced with a desire to benefit himself. And if the man wasn't concerned with his own success, he was focused on the big picture. Ender supposed that that was how he managed to be so ruthless during the BattleSchool years. It seemed to him, that the man had no morality strong enough that would prevent him from ruining a person's life. More specifically, he didn't care enough about any individual to stop from completely destroying them mentally. And Ender, who was still regarded by Valentine, as one of the most compassionate people on earth, other than herself, found himself adapting more of Graff's methods than he cared to admit. Sometimes he felt as though he had become his former dictator. He knew deep down that he had to have been imagining it, yet the possibility scared him enough to want to do the exact opposite of what he thought Graff would do. Not because his first instincts weren't the best option, but because he didn't want to live with the consequences if his reckless thoughts became a reality.