The Authorized Ender Companion (2 page)

All of this explains why I have relied on my conversations with readers on my websites, and why I asked Jake Black to write and assemble this book, and how I intend to use it.

But what in the world will
you
do with it? There will be stories in the Ender universe written by people other than myself—Black’s script for a one-shot Marvel comic about Valentine was just authorized, and there will be others—but that hardly applies to most readers.

As I write this, I’m in the midst of a semester of teaching at Southern Virginia University; one of the courses I’m teaching is on the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis. In this course, we have found it useful to consult books
about
the books we’re studying. Annotations, critiques, studies of particular issues or subject matters from the books, all are useful.

A growing number of schools are using
Ender’s Game
and other books from the series in their coursework. While this book certainly offers no critique, it will be a valuable resource to teachers and, perhaps, students in these courses.

But what if you’re not a teacher—or a writer who has received authorization to write within the Ender universe?

I don’t know about you, but when I got to the end of
The Lord of the Rings
, I was reluctant to leave the world in which such powerful stories had been told. So I went straight on and read the appendices. They did not give me the story again, but they gave me more of the world of the story, and I was happy.

So if you read
Ender’s Game
—or another book or story in the Ender saga—and cared about the people in it, perhaps consulting this book will return you to that world and shed further light on events that took place in the future or past. If that is your goal in picking up this book, I believe Jake Black has done a fine job of providing a book that you will enjoy.

Since I’ve already had the manuscript of this book for some time, I have consulted it in writing the latest
Ender’s Game/Ender’s Shadow
screenplay, and in developing the stories for the pre–
Ender’s Game
series of comics and
short stories and novels about
The Formic Wars
. I consulted this book as I was writing
Ender in Exile
.

I hope that you, too, will plunge into these pages and find much to enjoy, enlighten, or inform you about matters you came to care about in my fiction. Be assured that as you read, you are looking into the very same resource I work with. You can’t look over my shoulder as I’m writing—but you are certainly looking at the notes
I
look at while I write!

—Orson Scott Card

This book is an encyclopedic reference to the events, characters, locations, and technology found within Orson Scott Card’s
Ender Universe
. While every effort has been taken to be as thorough as possible, this book is not meant to replace the actual reading of any of the novels, short stories, or comic books in the Ender series. It is designed as a resource for fans of the series to augment their understanding of all Ender-related material.

The entries are listed alphabetically, with additional synopses of the novels and short stories included at the end of the encyclopedia portion of the book. Additional essays, charts, and time lines are also included to help readers further appreciate the universe of the Ender books. It is hoped that readers will refer to this book while reading the novels and short stories.

Key to Book Title Appearances (listed roughly chronologically):

“Polish Boy”—PL

“Teacher’s Pest”—TP

“Mazeri n Prison”—MP

“Pretty Boy”—PB

“Cheater”—CH

“Ender’s Game” (Short Story)—EGS

Ender’s Game
(Novel)—EG

War of Gifts
—WG

“Ender’s Stocking”—NS

Ender’s Shadow
—ES

“Ender’s Homecoming”—EH

“Gold Bug”—GB

“Young Man with Prospects”—YM

Ender in Exile
—EE

Shadow of the Hegemon
—SH

Shadow Puppets
—SP

Shadow of the Giant
—SG

“Investment Counselor”—IC

Speaker for the Dead
—SD

Xenocide
—XN

Children of the Mind
—CM

Note: Titles with [ ] refer to character referenced, but not appearing in the book.

^Graff (ES)

^Graff was the screen name used by Bean Delphiki to break into the Battle School computer.

4gang (XN)

4gang was a computer password used by Han Qing-jao to access the Lusitania Fleet project. It refers to the allies of the wife of the first Communist Chinese leader.

Abo University (CM)

Abo University was a school on the planet Outback that supported the Lusitanian rebellion and the preservation of the sentient computer Jane, contrary to orders from Starways Congress.

Abyssian Hunter (IC)

Ender and Valentine Wiggin sought a room to rent on the planet Sorelledolce. They found a place owned by a man described as the Abyssian hunter. He was both their landlord and roommate.

Adornai, Brother (SD)

Brother Adornai was a teacher at the Catholic School in the monastery called Children of the Mind of Christ on the planet Lusitania. He worked with Grego Ribeira, and was once physically injured by the little boy.

Afraima (EE)

Afraima was an assistant xenobiologist in Shakespeare, the first human colony on a former Formic world. She was married to a man named Evenezer, but wanted to carry the child of her boss, Sel Menach, who was heralded as the smartest man in the colony. She felt that his genes would be the best for her potential child to have. Sel refused her advances, and even left his position as her superior to avoid the temptation.

Ahmed (WG)

Ahmed, a Pakistani, led a group of his fellow Muslim students at Battle School in daily prayer, violating Battle School rules of no religious observance. Ahmed had been put up to the rule-breaking by Christian zealot Zeck Morgan, who was offended that a secret celebration of Christmas and Santa Claus had gone unpunished. Ahmed and his fellow Muslims were arrested and taken away in handcuffs for praying.

Akbar, Ensign (EE)

Ensign Akbar was a crewman aboard Ender’s first colony ship. He showed Ender and Valentine Wiggin to their quarters aboard the ship. When the ship arrived at the colony, Ensign Akbar tried to mediate a conflict between colonists Dorabella Toscano and her daughter Alessandra. Since Dorabella was married to the commanding officer of the ship, Admiral Morgan, she threatened Akbar with disciplinary action for his interference in a family matter. Ender Wiggin, the governor of the colony, encouraged Akbar to resign his fleet commission and to stay in the colony. Akbar chose to do just that.

Alai (EG, ES, SH, SP, SG)

Alai was Bernard’s best friend at Battle School and a member of Ender Wiggin’s launch group. Although initially a member of Bernard’s gang, Alai teamed up with Ender in the group’s first practice in the Battle Room. Together they joined with Shen and Bernard and froze the rest of their group in that first practice.

Alai and Ender became close friends, and both felt a great sadness when Ender was promoted to Salamander Army more than a year before the rest of
his launch group. Alai had a tender good-bye with Ender, quietly sharing a sacred expression of friendship as he left.

Ender, not allowed to practice with Salamander Army, put together a group of friends to practice together during Free Play, including Alai. Alai was committed to these extra practices even when rumors of blacklisting for those participating circulated around Battle School.

Ultimately, though, when Ender was promoted again to commander of Dragon Army, Alai believed the lies and rumors disseminated from the Battle School officers that Ender considered himself too good to practice with the “little guys” anymore. Consequently, Alai felt a bit more motivation to defeat Ender in battle. He promised to whip Ender’s ass, stating that the wish of peace they’d shared was not to be.

Alai was one of Ender’s squadron leaders at Command School (after being at Tactical School for one week), commanding fleets of ships that he thought were simulated, but which were actually real. After Ender’s victory over the Formic home world, it was Alai who told Ender about the war on Earth, and the conflicts that arose from it.

He was among those of Ender’s colleagues who were kidnapped and taken to an undisclosed location in Russia where he was forced to play war games with his friends. He hoped that they would be able to contact Peter Wiggin who, he thought, held the key to their freedom.

When it was revealed the former Battle School student and serial killer Achilles Flandres was their captor, Alai and his friends were moved to separate locations throughout Russia. They continued their war games and were only allowed to communicate with each other via e-mail.

Along with his fellow prisoners (minus Petra Arkanian), Alai was rescued by Russian operatives. The mission was unimpeded by Achilles who focused his energies only on Petra.

Alai used his tremendous intelligence to achieve a position of great influence in the Muslim world. He led the powerful Muslim League. Bean knew that he needed Alai’s help, and thereby the Muslim world’s, to defeat Achilles as he continued his plans of world domination. Bean sent their mutual friend, Ambul, to Alai to seek audience for Bean and Petra, who were in hiding. The Muslim world, under Alai’s direction, had become very isolated. Getting an audience with Alai would be very difficult, but Bean believed Ambul could accomplish the challenging task.

Ambul was successful, and Alai dispatched several Indonesian soldiers to rescue Bean and Petra, who were to be kidnapped from the Rotterdam women’s clinic where they’d undergone an embryonic implantation. Alai
promised safety in Damascus. It was revealed that Alai was not only the leader of the Muslim League, but was the Caliph who led all Muslims.

Upon Petra’s arrival in Damascus, Alai treated her with somber respect. They were friends from Battle School, of course, but there was an emotional distance between them that they had not felt in their relationship before. Alai promised that while the Muslim world no longer made war on the West, and did not plan to attack China or any other nation, he viewed Achilles as an enemy, and vowed to help find Petra’s stolen frozen embryos.

For months, Alai worked with Bean to plan a military invasion of China, freeing the captured Muslim peoples of Asia. Though Alai didn’t trust Bean as much as he did the rest of his inner circle, they worked well together. Bean encouraged Alai to contact Vlad in Russia and Virlomi in India and to coordinate their attack with the soldiers at the others’ disposal. Alai disagreed, but went forward with the attack anyway.

The invasion of China went very well. The Chinese government ignored the Muslim advances, discounting them as an insurgency. It made Alai a little nervous that it was too good to be true. Petra and Bean reassured him all was well and that it was time for him to make his first live speech as the new Caliph. He would update his people on the progress of the invasion and unify the Muslim world more so than he already had.

Fireworks preceded the speech in Damascus. Many people rushed into the streets to hear Alai address them. Petra and Bean left Alai’s compound and watched the speech from a restaurant.

Alai was hailed as a great leader and a divinely appointed ruler. His soldiers were successful in freeing Asia from the Chinese military, and his influence was felt all over the world.

A few weeks after the victory over China, Alai met with Peter Wiggin and Petra. Peter had hoped to find an ally in Alai. They revealed to the Caliph that his people were murdering innocents in India, and that his position was one of figurehead, without true power. Alai, realizing this was true, took greater control over his inner circle and exercised real influence in the Muslim world. While he did not promise an alliance with the Hegemon Peter Wiggin, he reassured the leader that he would prevent further murders by Muslims in Asia and would take greater control as the leader of his people.

To accomplish this, he left the compound in Damascus and headed for the battlefields of India. There he would kill the rebellious general who led his armies in the killing of innocents that had been broadcast across the news nets. Along the way he met with Peter Wiggin, who asked that Alai name a successor who would be loyal to the Hegemony if Alai were killed in India.
Alai made such a statement on a vid, but it was unnecessary. His execution of the rebel general went perfectly, and the soldiers renewed their commitment to follow Alai.

Alai was certain that it would be he, not Peter, who would unify the world. He set up a new compound in India. Virlomi lived in a small hut just outside the compound. Her presence kept the Muslim and Indian people in check as neither side wanted to provoke the other.

Virlomi convinced Alai to marry her, unifying the Hindu and Muslim worlds. But Virlomi’s ambition was too much for Alai, and he quickly fell out of love with her. She wanted to overthrow Peter Wiggin and rule the world; Alai had only wanted peace and unity between the peoples. Trapped in his marriage by threat of war against his people by Virlomi, Alai didn’t know what to do. All he was sure of was that Virlomi had believed she was the goddess of India and was not an equal as he’d thought she’d be.

He was shocked to realize that many of his followers hated him, joining Virlomi’s side because of her expansionist policies. He survived an assassination attempt made by those who were loyal to Virlomi over him. He escaped from India and returned to Damascus where he released a video statement calling for all true Muslims to embrace the religion of peace and to stop attacking others.

He called for revolution, and the result was the breakup of the Muslim world. Eventually, the various Islamic factions would join the Free People of Earth, Peter Wiggin’s world government organization of peace. Alai, still believing himself Caliph, nonetheless left Earth to join a colony in space. It is unknown to what colony he went, though it is believed it was Mecca.