Ender's Game Page #6

I trust we have chosen

our commander well.

There's greatness in him, sir.

And a killer instinct too, I hope.

Absolutely.

Let's hope he's all

you claim him to be.

We'll be with you soon.

Goodnight.

Goodnight, sir.

"Dear Valentine...

So this is Command School.

"I'm finally here.

"Being a third, I've always

been so afraid I might fail.

"That I might not measure up.

"But they made me a leader.

"And I promise you that I'll do

everything I can to win this war.

"I know if anything ever

happened to you,

"I would never forgive myself."

What are they doing?

Harvesting water.

If you're going to use me,

I need to be closer.

Too risky.

Let's not reveal our best weapon

in what should be an easy attack.

Alai, Bean,

your Dreads peel away.

Track them from below the ice

and mirror their path.

They're swarming!

- They see us!

- Deploy all drones!

Give me four hyperbolic formations

with 90 degree offsets!

Open fire!

Bean, Alai, on my call,

fire directly up into the ice!

We're gonna shred 'em!

- In three, two, one...

- All right!

NOW!

"As our training progresses,

"the simulations are becoming

more and more complex, and real.

"The pressure to win,

day after day,

month after month, is intense.

"We get very little sleep.

"Some days, it's hard to keep up."

- I got the breakaway!

- Great work, Bean!

Squadrons 43 through 57,

split to quadrant Foxtrot, 38, 89!

Ender, watch our right flank!

We need backup for Bernard.

I see it! Bernard,

you flank them!

Copy that.

Using 10 through 18!

Alai, peel right!

Dink, compensate for

the pull of planet G8

and go full throttle!

Bean, mop up in sector Sierra!

I got a sprinter left in Lima!

Do Sierra now!

Bernard, watch your speed!

Dink, you are closing too fast!

- You said full throttle!

- Pull back now, Dink!

We can't absorb these

kind of losses!

War isn't a game where you get

to reboot and start over!

Sir, I can't win if I

don't take any risks.

Nobody's saying not to take risks.

Just don't try and

control everything.

Let Bean improvise in the mop-ups.

You focus on the big picture.

- Delegate more to your teams!

- My teams are burned out!

How can they be effective

if they don't get any sleep?

Sleep deprivation is

part of your training!

A battle with the Formics

could last for days!

If I'd been smarter,

I could have annihilated

Petra's little Doctor

while you were micro-managing Bean!

That can't happen, understand?

- Yes, sir.

- Do you?

'Cause I've trained others.

Each one so hopeful.

Each one ultimately a failure.

All right, Colonel.

He understands.

So I'm not the first?

No.

But you will be the last.

There's no time to

train anyone else.

Son, tomorrow Colonel

Rackham will run

your final simulation.

And if I win tomorrow?

What happens?

You will be ready to face

the real enemy.

And you will be the finest

commander we've ever trained.

One more simulation

and I may have to go to war.

What happens when it's

no longer a game?

Real war is different.

I still know nothing

about my enemy.

What if they could talk to us?

They can't.

Dissections show no vocal chords.

There are other ways

to communicate.

Ender, this is not a conversation

we should be having at 1:00 a.m.

What if they could

"think" to one another?

What if we could "think" to them?

We need to sleep.

We have a graduation

battle tomorrow.

Right.

We're gonna get crushed.

We won't be crushed. We have you.

Now go to sleep.

Goodnight, Petra.

Goodnight, Ender.

You still think he's "the one"?

We're committed.

This boy has the empathy

to think like a Formic.

To understand them,

anticipate them.

He's not ready.

You're never "ready."

You go when you're "ready enough."

Easy, sir.

It's graduation day.

Good luck, sir.

Attention!

At ease.

Sir...

We have an audience.

Commander Wiggin,

the Strategos is here today to

witness your final simulation.

If you are successful,

he will endorse your promotion

to Battle Commander

of the entire fleet.

Yes, sir!

This simulation is staged

around the enemy's home planet.

Good luck, Commander.

Thank you, sir.

Stay calm.

Shoot straight.

Here we go.

They're waiting.

Maybe they think we come in peace.

I don't think

Mazer intends for us

to find a diplomatic solution.

What's he waiting for?

Just give him a minute.

Ender, what do we do?

Ender...

The enemy's gate is down.

Petra. You're up.

They're spread too wide

for a chain reaction.

She's right.

Just let him follow his instincts.

All battle groups deploy drones.

Protect your carriers.

Alai! You're squadron five!

Engage!

This is suicide.

Oh, crap...

They're swarming.

Clumped enough for you now, Petra?

Once I fire I need

time to recharge.

Understood.

Just go for the center.

Fire now!

She did it...

Yeah...

Give me false color.

We're not done yet.

- But we are so screwed...

- No, we're not.

- Charged, Petra?

- No. I need two minutes.

All fighters fall back

and surround Petra's ship!

Copy that.

I want rings within rings.

Layers upon layer.

Every fighter we have!

Ender, you're gonna leave

our transporters defenseless!

If we're gonna win

this battle, Dink,

it's all or nothing now!

When the outer layer is hit,

the wreckage will continue to

drift with us, like a shield.

Do it now!

He's abandoning his entire fleet.

He's in command.

There's no stopping him now.

Ninety seconds, Ender!

No, no... No!

I'm losing my carriers!

My Dreadnaughts are out!

I don't care about Dreadnaughts!

Just protect Petra!

Like we protected Alai

when we fought Bonzo!

I hope you know what you're doing.

- Ready, Petra?

- In 60 seconds!

What am I aiming for?

The planet.

What?

If we destroy the planet,

we destroy the queens.

Game over.

Ender, my targeting sensor

needs a clear line of sight!

We will clear a path!

All fighters maintain

a clockwise rotation!

Focus all firepower forward!

Ender, we're entering

their atmosphere!

We need to slow down!

We can't!

We're one unit now.

We're not equipped to handle

the heat of passage

through an atmosphere!

Our drones are our heat shield.

Keep falling.

Let gravity do the work.

The shield won't hold forever!

We don't need forever.

Thirty seconds!

I still don't have a clear shot.

- We're burning up!

- Bean, on my count,

accelerate your fighters

from the nose of the formation

- in a continuous stream.

- Yes, sir!

Like bullets from a rifle,

you will clear a visual for Petra!

We will drill a hole

through this swarm!

Petra, you will only get a second.

That's all I need!

In three, two, one... Now, Bean!

Shield integrity's at 5%!

- Now, Petra! Now!

- Seven seconds!

They've broken the shield!

Fire, Petra! We're out of time!

- We did it! Yeah!

- Yes!

- Great job, Ender!

- Yes! Thank you!

Good game, Ender!

Good job, guys!

Yeah!

How about that?

Game over.

What's he saying?

Restoring Ansible connection.

What is this?

Why are we watching these images?

Ender...

Thank you.

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