"This is Admiral Wiggin. I have completed my task, and will be departing for the base once my ship comes online."
Ender's voice echoed within the plane, as he held a long distance military walkie-talkie to his mouth. His expression was timid and expressed his desire to continue with duty, but despite how hard he tried, he was becoming increasingly aware of the emotions spiralling out of control within his mind.
On the outside, Ender knew that all three of his party could see his composure, but as he turned away from his message, he began to feel weightless at the pure sight of his recovered friends. It was unbelievably fortunate that him and Valentine had found them there, and Ender chose to believe that for maybe just once, someone in the sky was looking out for them. Don't get me wrong, Ender was by no means a believer in Christ, but it comforted him to think about an external force in this situation.
"Do you think he got your message?" Valentine walked up beside her brother, and asked.
He nodded, acknowledging her question but she could tell that his attention was not on her at all. For the first time, she realized how much he had been focusing in on Petra. He had been with her almost the entire time since they found them, but now, as the young woman whom Valentine had just formally met, slept on one of the couches, she could see Ender intensively gazing in her direction.
"Why don't you just go over there?" Valentine whispered, and nudged her brother.
He immediately gave her a look, and she involuntarily laughed. She found it entertaining to finally see him vulnerable for once, and she found it even more so knowing that it was because of a girl.
"I don't want to wake her," he whispered back to Valentine. "She looks like she needs the sleep." He then gestured toward the other boy they had rescued. "Bean needs it too."
Valentine nodded, and after looking at her brother's composed expression once again, she walked over to the controls.
Ender did not bother to follow her since as soon as she got there, his walkie-talkie started beeping.
"This is Admiral Rackham", it said on a very static signal. "Ender, can you read me?"
"I am here." He did not waste any time before he responded. "Do you have any news?"
The walkie was silent for a moment before Ender got an answer. "Your message has been received, and we will be preparing for your arrival."
A long silence followed, as Ender knew there was more. He could always tell when Mazer was keeping something quiet. The lack of communication became annoying, so Ender persisted.
"And?" He said simply.
More silence.
"Admiral?" He asked full of curiosity. "Mazer?!"
Ender heard scuffling from the other side, and an uneasy feeling rose from the pit of his stomach.
Finally, there was a response. "If you must know, it is Peter. He has seemed to be more of an issue than we thought."
Ender sighed at this, and dreaded what Mazer would say next.
"He has been attempting to gather separate forces of his own, and his most recent attempt at recruiting was one of your friends."
"Who!?" Ender's voice was hoarse with rage.
"Han Tzu."
Ender was dumbfounded, but did not get a chance to reply before Mazer continued.
"He did not take him up on his offer though. He went and told Graff immediately afterward."
Ender was slightly relieved. "Most of my former army has proved to be exceedingly loyal."
"Most of them", Mazer added. "I would not put it past Peter to try to recruit Petra and Bean once they arrive either."
"I agree."
"I suppose that is why I am telling you all of this. When you return it will be your problem." He added that jokingly. "I am too old for this job, and have no intention in the world to continue it."
"Noted", Ender smiled at his mentor's admission of his age. "I will radio you when we are close to the base."
"Received", Mazer answered and Ender placed the walkie into his backpack after turning it off.
Once he looked up, he realized that his conversation must have been a bit loud, since both Petra and Bean were now awake.
"Did I wake you?" He walked over and asked them both.
Bean looked a little agitated, and nodded. "Yeah."
Petra on the other hand, just shrugged.
"I'm sorry. I.. it was about Peter." He stated simply.
Both of his friends, who were still worn down seemed to understand, and Ender made a point of sitting down beside Petra, Bean being directly across from him.
Neither of them were rather talkative, but Ender did not mind. He had spent the better part of two years wondering where both of them were. Petra more than anything, but Ender cared about Bean just as much. Nevertheless, he was more than relieved to see them both.
"So," Petra turned toward Ender, and he immediately met her gaze. "Care to tell us what has been happening on our side of the chaos?"
Ender frowned, and took a moment to collect his thoughts. The war was not something he particularly enjoyed to talk about, but they were in one after all.
"So far, Rackham, Graff and I have devised a plan that seems rather promising."
"But?" Bean commented, and Ender laughed at the fact that he knew his next thought.
"But my brother isn't exactly cooperative."
"Figures", Bean continued. "When we met him, he was an absolute ass."
Once again, Ender smiled. "Understatement. Though, according to Mazer, he is now trying to undermine my authority and take control of the base himself."
Petra's eyes widened slightly. "Do they know how he is doing it?"
"Well", he paused, "so far, he has taken my absence as an opportunity to try to recruit former BattleSchool students, and other officials."
They both looked at him once again, waiting for Ender to continue.
"He has not been successful as far as I can understand. Though, I know my brother. He definitely has another trick up his sleeve."
"One that I hope will not work." Bean said solemnly.
"Not if Graff has anything to say about it", Petra chimed in.
Ender smiled slightly once again at their commentary, and knew that their support had been exactly what he needed since he came back down the second time. Strategizing with Graff and Rackham was just not the same as when he had done it with his jeesh.
"Mazer warned me that he will use his tactics on you two once we land."
Petra laughed coldly. "And you think we would agree?"
This accusation sent a pang through Ender's chest that he did not quite understand. He didn't like the reaction it stimulated in him, however, and made an effort to conceal whatever feeling this was.
"No, I didn't think much of it. I just got you two back", he took a moment to come up with his next words, "and I would never doubt that you have my back any less than I have yours."
Petra seemed to analyze his words, and opened her mouth to speak soon after. Valentine interrupted her before she could.
"Ender", she said hastily, "the ship is online."
He nodded to Petra and Bean, and walked over to Valentine. He knew exactly what she wanted him to do. After all, he was the one who would have to fly them back. Both Petra and Bean could have easily navigated it themselves, but given what they had just gone through, Ender would not dare give them the option.
Valentine gestured to the controls as he got to them, and backed out of the way as he sat down in front of them.
"Put on your seat belts", he hollered back to Petra and Bean.
Once he heard the clicks that followed, Ender grazed his hands over the many buttons on the control panel, and finally grasped the steering wheel (obviously not a wheel. I just can't remember what the exact name is for one in a plane, if there even is one?) His grip was tight, and his gaze became concentrated as he set everything else in order. Once he was satisfied with the accuracy of the system, he began to bring them up into the air.
* * * * * * * *
Two years ago
A blinking red light caught Valentine's attention from behind her podium, and she knew that her face was now on every single television screen in the world. She wasn't exaggerating either. The entire world would be watching this conference, and she did not doubt it.
"Welcome!" Some announcer lady began, one of the many cameras facing her as she gave an introductory speech. "Thank you for tuning in to what has been deemed to be the most anticipated International Fleet conference to date."
Valentine almost rolled her eyes, but remembered to keep a straight face for the cameras. She did not deprive herself of seeing what Peter was doing, however, and found that he looked quite composed himself. This only made her try to look more so as well. She needed to look as professional as possible beside him, and she knew that he was silently trying to beat her in that way as well. He was older, and the world was well aware of that. Which is why she was ultimately given a disadvantage.
As she stood there waiting for the lady to conclude her message to the viewers, Valentine's mind flooded back to only a few days ago when she noticed the propaganda around the entire event. She just so happened to turn on a television in the hotel she was staying at, and was shocked. She half expected the news to be about Ender's departure. Ever since he had left just over a month ago, Valentine had seen nothing but speculation and rumours about him circulating everywhere. Yet, now it was different... alarming even.
As soon as she had clicked it on, her face was what she had seen. They were evaluating her.. and Peter!? She was a little surprised considering the only thing that made either of them famous was the fact that they had the last name 'Wiggin'. There was the whole big reveal of Locke and Demosthenes too, but not in her wildest dreams could she have fathomed the entire world getting involved. Perhaps she was wrong about the extent of her and Peter's influence after all. She was only used to hearing about Ender, but now, as she watched herself on that screen, it was the first time she had experienced any sort of attention by an incredibly large mass of people. And she began to wonder, did she even like it?
"Demosthenes and Locke!" The woman introduced, and brought Valentine out of her thoughts.
The woman quickly walked away, and a man, who stood behind the camera directly in front of Valentine, urged her to start her speech. She did automatically, and put on what she hoped to be a warm persona for the cameras.
"Good morning my fellow Americans, Europeans, and everyone else who is watching. My name is Valentine Wiggin, and I have looked forward to this day ever since you all found out about both my brother and I. Yes, to avoid more speculation and if the big public reveal was not enough, I am Demosthenes. I have been Demosthenes for years and nobody else has been my net identity other than myself."
She paused, took a glance at her speech she had resting on the podium, and continued.
"I want you all to know right now, however, that my young age has nothing to do with whether or not I am qualified to be running such high political debates. And I am not going to make excuses and say because my brother is 'The Ender Wiggin', but I have my own skills that are more than above average. My family, especially myself, are extremely intelligent anyway, and just because I was not selected to go to BattleSchool, or because I am a young woman does not mean that I am any less intelligent than Ender. It simply means, that the International Fleet was not looking for someone with my specific skill set. Instead, my skills have been destined to remain on Earth. And by remaining on Earth, I can continue to help you all, the people."
She made a point of looking determined, which she was, but she tried to make it look a little more obvious than she would have done.
"I urge the people taking part in this press conference to fully understand my viewpoint. Even though I am Demosthenes, I do not always have those views. Demosthenes was an identity that I used to counter Peter's. I am an individual completely separate from those views on occasion, and I ask you all to accept that declaration."
She stood for a moment, in silence, and then looked to the camera man.
"I thank you all, and hope that you understand."
The room erupted with applause from the crew, and Valentine realized that they had taken a break, and cut to some more messages about the event.
She could not help but smile, as she was sure that she had managed to convince all of them of her superiority, even though she was reaching out to the world. And she couldn't stop herself from taking a glance at Peter, who, with a pretend smile, was slowly clapping as well.
* * * * * * * *
Present Day
There was a soft click that awakened the small room, as Mazer Rackham slid his walkie back into its slot on his desk. He tried to stay positive about their situation since Ender had just informed him of his departure from Germany. Yet, he could not shake the odd feeling he got every time he thought about their troubles. It was more than a little concerning. With the amount of experience he had had with misfortune in his life, Mazer knew when trusting his gut was the best idea. Right now.. this felt like one of those times.
He lost himself from this feeling though. Some would probably say it was because he was too tired, or too overworked, but instead of following his instincts he found himself leaning back in his chair, his eyes drooping slightly. In that moment, he was looking forward to retirement. He was way past sixty-five, the typical retirement age, and he had yet to spend time with any of his relatives.
Mazer reminisced in his mind, the events that had taken place the last time he had reunited with them.
Sixty-five years ago
"Can you pass the potatoes, Dad?" Shay, Mazer's only daughter asked him from across the table.
Mazer smiled warmly before doing as she wished, and persisted to dig into his own meal.
"How has your life been?" He asked her predictably.
"I have so much I want to talk to you about!" She smiled childishly as she expressed her excitement. "First, I was walking around campus this morning, and I saw Trevor. I have told mom all about him, but Dad!!"
Mazer laughed at this.
"I think he could be the one! I mean, he has been such a gentleman! We have only been out a couple of times, but I really see it going somewhere."
She smiled and he continued to laugh, finding it refreshing to be a part of her happiness.
With the Second Formic War having taken up much of his time throughout the years, he had regrettably been pulled away from his family. Pulled away meaning that he never actually got to watch Shay grow up. He would visit every once and a while between his missions, but it had always been like he was a spectator in his daughter's life. It was hard... and now, things were about to become a lot harder.
"I wish I could meet this Trevor." Mazer replied warmly. "If he is as great as you say he is, I would think that he must be perfect for you."
Shay smiled her big toothy grin, and even though she was almost twenty-five, Mazer could still see the little girl underneath.
"I can invite him over this weekend." She said with a hint of excitement.
Even with all of the time Mazer had missed, she still made every effort to include him in her life whenever he came back. He had no words to describe it, and thankfully, because of her understanding, she made leaving her all of those times just that little bit easier. Especially since she always assured him that she would be fine.
Mazer smiled to himself as he looked into her pale complexion. Her brown hair flowing past her shoulders, and her flaming orange-green eyes.
"I will be okay," she would say to him when he hugged her one last time. "You know how I know?"
Mazer would tease her. "How?"
"Because you're going to save the world. So no matter what happens, I will always be safe."
He never forgot what she had said, and he smiled to himself as he rejoiced in the memory.
"Please tell me you aren't thinking about me or something?"
Shay snapped Mazer out of his thoughts from across the table, and he only laughed.
"Of course not. I was just thinking about the fun we would have if I could stay."
At the recollection of this being his final departure, tears began to form in her eyes. "Gosh, I wish you wouldn't talk about it." She tried to wipe them away with her napkin. "I can't even think of my life without you. I can't..."
Mazer forced himself to keep his tears inside before he replied. "You will." His voice was soft, and his facial features portrayed the same expression. "I have a duty to the world, and it would not be right if I kept my knowledge a secret, and caused the destruction of the planet by dying too early."
Shay looked up, her tears having rolled down her cheeks. "Is it selfish of me to still want you to stay?"
"Very", he admitted jokingly, "but I have no choice. Starting next week, I go into stasis and will not wake up until the next commander is chosen."
Shay continued to sob silently. "When you finally wake up, I expect you to be here for my grandchildren."
Mazer chuckled. "I would not dare to even think of abandoning them."
Present day
The putrid smell of the army base came rushing back, as Mazer woke up from his fantasy. Instead of the lovely recollection of his deceased wife Mary's potatoes, Mazer was welcomed back to the present with the scent of grime mixed with the anxiety of the coming manoeuvre.
Everything was a go. They were finally going to take a lethal shot at the Warsaw Pact, and hopefully end this conflict once and for all. The only thing missing was the bullet who would load the gun, Ender. He would obviously be the one in charge of the assault even though this time, the soldiers he would be commanding will have no idea that it is actually him.
Mazer smirked at his thoughts, but submerged into them once more. After all, the only thing he had to do was sit there and wait for a message from Ender. And after he returned to take over, he would finally be free. After being a slave to the International Fleet for almost a century, he could finally see his freedom. It was right there, as if all he had to do was reach out and grab it.
If it was not for Ender's trip and the fact that he could not trust anyone else to keep things from going into disarray with Peter, he would have already met his eagerly waiting relatives.
His great granddaughters, decedents of Shay and Trevor, who she did end up marrying, got in touch with him about a year ago through ansible. Ever since then, Mazer has been conversing with them ever since. And it would be a lie to say that he was anything other than thrilled to meet them.
His excitement encouraged him enough, that he pulled out his ansible and began to create another message to send to them.
To: janehrkres.@gov.if.eu.net
From: notoccamsrazor@stayanonymous.net
Sub: Meeting
Dear Jane,
I suppose you have been waiting for a message from me for a while, since I received yours quite some time ago. I will reply to your revelations at a later date, but now I want to share some utmost exciting news.
As it appears, I shall be permitted to leave the base before the end of the week. I will ansible you once I have departed. Though it will take me a couple of days to get to New Zealand on top of that, I look forward to seeing you.
I wish our family good fortune until I finally return,
Mazer
* * * * * * * *
A soft knock on the door caused Mazer to shift his gaze, and he placed his ansible on his desk as soon as he saw who it was.
"What can I do for you Mr. Wiggin?" He asked coldly, at seeing Peter's sleek figure lounging against his office door.
The eldest Wiggin only smirked, and a long silence overtook the room. It appeared as if he were trying to figure out what his next words would be.
"I need you to understand just how serious I am about my leadership", Peter started.
"I know all about your plan. I understand just how dangerous and despicable it really is, so why don't you stop pretending that you are out to save the world, and start talking like you want to rule it?" Mazer replied with an even more deadly tone.
"You are right", Peter's tongue slithered poisonously with his words. "I do not want to save it. I only want to dictate it. For an old fool you certainly understand me more clearly than anyone else has. That includes my two brilliant siblings, but I suppose they are not actually brilliant considering how stupid they have been recently."
Mazer raised an eyebrow. "Now listen here, boy! I will not have you come into my office and talk about such ridiculously horrid plans!"
"No!" Peter cut him off, and yelled this loudly. "I am not done! I need you, old man, to understand why I have been doing what I have."
"And why would I care!?" Mazer rose his voice, and Peter instantly shut the door. "I am not going to join you, and I sure as hell am going to cheer on whoever tries to stop you!"
Peter laughed maliciously and shook his head. "Even you, with all of your military achievements and titles do not completely understand my methods. Is everyone really that stupid!?"
"Speak English boy!" Mazer yelled, getting to his feet.
Mazer was leaning across the desk now, as Peter, had made his way farther into the small room. The famous devilish grin made an appearance on his face, and it remained while he talked.
"Okay, okay." He snickered. "You're right. I do not have much time though, but just because it's 'The Mazer Rackham' I am talking to, I will make an exception."
He started to pace around the room, and then finally settled to sitting down in one of the two visiting chairs in front of Mazer's desk. He slung his left leg so that his ankle rested on his right knee, and smiled.
"Please, sit down Admiral. It may take me a couple of minutes."
Despite Mazer's urge to keep standing, out of spite, he obliged because his feet were genuinely hurting.
"Very good", Peter chuckled, "Now, it was two months after my piece of shit brother was exiled, when an idea popped in my head. I did not get it until the press conference I had with Valentine actually," he paused, " and you did see it I presume?"
Mazer nodded.
"So I was sitting there waiting for my turn to speak, since obviously some crackpot set it up so that she was first. She babbled on about her garbage, and truthfully I did not care one bit. That is, until she referred to Demosthenes as a countering identity to my own. That really got me thinking! Of course, I knew what she meant since when we created the political rivals of the nets, that was our intention. They were to be identities. Though, for the first time since then, her words made me think about myself. I thought, aren't I putting up a front for everyone to see? Aren't I hiding my true self underneath all of this pretending to be good in front of my parents? I am make it so that Peter Wiggin is an identity separate from my real self. All of those years, I had been hiding myself out of the fear of going too far, but in that moment I understood."
"Understood what exactly!?" Mazer had an unreadable expression on his face.
"I understood that I did not care about the world's independence. I cared about my own, and the world having to obey my laws. When I got up on that stage the day of Ender's exile, I felt the tension of having to live up to the worlds expectations. I did not want to have to do that. For once I wanted to be myself. So, down to the point. Once my brother left, I took action toward my goal. I agreed to let Bean and Petra go to Armenia even though I knew damn well they would not be back."
His smile oddly grew at the mention of their suffering.
"It was an easy way to get them out of my hair, and I ignored every single SOS signal the base received from them. I wanted them dead."
Mazer wanted to speak, yet refrained, and instead he tried to process all that he was hearing.
"I also turned a couple of the Battleschoolees against Ender, and they became my eyes and ears. After that was taken care of I took measures to mislead my sister from any of my plans."
Peter then frowned.
"I did not expect my brother to show up, however, though he did save my life. Bad choice on his part. Once he returned I began to act even more pathetic than before. Both of my siblings actually believed that my tactics to turn people against them would be by persuasion."
"Then what are your tactics?" Mazer found an opening and asked a question.
"I am glad you asked, old goat." Peter answered. "They think I have been running around trying to take Ender's position. That is somewhat true, but my means of doing that have not yet been revealed. What my supposedly genius siblings do not know is that I already have an army of my own! I have had one this entire time! Well, it was only after the conference that I came up with the idea."
Peter took a moment to relish before his gratifying statement.
"I knew that nobody here would ever listen to me because Ender practically brainwashed everyone useful. So, I had to make new plans. Plans..."
Mazer knew where this was going and hoped so badly that he was wrong.
"Plans that ensured that I was the leader of the Warsaw Pact assault."
Silence enveloped the two soldiers, and Mazer did not know what to do or say. The tables had definitely turned. Not more than two minutes ago had he been sitting in a room with Ender's hot-headed older brother, but now.. Now he was sitting a couple of feet away from the enemy. The person who had initiated the war. The one individual who had issued the killing of so many in their country.
"Speechless?" Peter laughed with even more malice. "But I mean, as long as you agree to call off the International Fleet's counter attack and give me the country, nobody else has to get hurt."
Mazer shook his head furiously. "You know very well that I would never do that!"
"Fine", Peter hissed. "I really did not want it to come to this, but if you will not join me, you are collateral damage."
In one swift motion, Peter reached into his belt, and pulled out a small handgun with a silencer screwed onto the end of the barrel. "You do realize what I have to do?"
Mazer was hesitant, but tried to talk Peter out of it. "You do not have to do anything! Just walk away, Peter", he said. "I am just a week away from retiring and having a normal life. I will not get in your way." He raised his hands in defence to try to persuade him.
For a minute, Peter hesitated, but then the grin resurfaced. "I cannot let you have that. You forfeited the right to live when I told you my plan. Besides, what are you? Seventy something at least? You have nothing to live for except to sit around and get even fatter. Any last words?"
Mazer contemplated this for a minute. He was scared of dying believe it or not, and his mind was immediately brought to thoughts of Shay. If this was his time, at least he would spend what came after with Shay. A pang of guilt struck Mazer's heart at the thought of the great grandchildren he would never meet, and the things he would never get to tell Ender. Though, finally, he thought about his wife, and the times they had spent relaxing on the beach together years ago. That was what made him realize that he was not ready to go. He had not had nearly enough time in his life to experience that, and he was so close to finally getting to. Until... oh how things can change.
"Just do it", he said coldly after thoroughly thinking everything through.
Mazer did not want to die by any means, but he was not willing to give Peter the satisfaction of knowing that he had had any affect on Mazer's emotions. Instead, he tried to be as emotionless as ever. Mazer believed that it worked, since at his response, Peter lifted an eyebrow.
"Wow", the young man said. "You really do have no emotions."
"That could not be farther than the truth", Mazer replied as Peter aimed the gun right at his skull.
"Just one thing, Peter", he said to him with a look of disgust.
"What!?" Peter snapped.
"I hope you are happy when you kill everyone, and you end up all alone with a bunch of slaves to tend to your every–"
Click
The sound of the trigger being pulled interrupted Mazer's voice, and the impact of the bullet soon followed. After that, the room was full of silence...
- - - - - - AN - - - - - -
So, after a long time I finally have anther chapter done! This one is horrifically long, but hey, I did not post on schedule yet again. I owed you! Either way, this was super hard for me to write since Mazer is one of my favourite characters in Ender's Game! I almost could not go through with it, but I have some good ideas as to what will happen next!
I thank you so so much for reading as always! I am 8 weeks away from graduating high-school, so I am going to be putting most of my time into that! I have a shit ton of stuff to do in regards to school, and sadly that's why my updating has been so slow this year! I am a full academic student, which is freaking hard!
On a side note, Please Please Please VOTE, FOLLOW, SHARE WITH FRIENDS IF YOU ENJOY, and OFC TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK! Tysm! I love you wattpadders!
Until next time, (which I don't know, I hope soon though. I don't want to make any more empty promises cause I feel bad about that)
- Jess xxx
Thanks again💗 :)