Shadows in Flight

Plot

The starship Herodotus launched from Earth in 2210, carrying Julian "Bean" Delphiki and his three infant children: Ender, Carlotta, and Cincinnatus. All three have Anton's Key turned, a genetic alteration inherited from Bean that gives them extreme intelligence but causes their bodies to grow uncontrollably, typically killing them by age twenty. Subjectively, the family has traveled near light-speed for five years, but due to relativistic effects, 421 years have passed on Earth, making the current year 2631.

When they left, scientists were working on a cure for their giantism that would preserve their intelligence. Since then, generations have come and gone, the family has been forgotten, and their mother and normal siblings died centuries ago. The children have been alive for only six subjective years. The low gravity aboard the Herodotus has extended Bean’s life by allowing his heart to keep beating despite his enormous size.

At 4.5 meters tall, he must lie prone in the cargo bay to avoid strain, monitoring and controlling the ship through a holo-top terminal. He often prompts the children to hold secret meetings they think he cannot hear. Bean and Ender continue studying their genetic condition in hopes of finding a cure.

During one such meeting, the militarily-minded Cincinnatus, nicknamed Sergeant, tries to recruit his siblings to kill their father, arguing he is a drain on resources. Carlotta, who specializes in engineering, refuses to take a side, but Ender, an expert biologist, punches Sergeant and breaks his nose, ending his brother’s dominance. Ender and Carlotta then tell Bean about Sergeant’s plan, and Bean reminds all three children they are equally intelligent.

Sergeant had imagined nonexistent threats to their security, believing the Giant intends to pass his soldier role onto him. He studies Formic war videos, learning his father’s strategy while training with weapons. Ender takes on the bulk of the genetic research by tracking advances from Earth scientists. Carlotta, feeling left behind in that area, serves the family by managing every aspect of the spacecraft, since Bean is confined to the cargo hold.