Shadow Puppets

Plot summary

Peter, Ender's brother and now Hegemon of Earth, plans to rescue Achilles from transport inside China. He assigns Suriyawong, a Battle School student from Thailand, to operate the mission after doubting Bean's cooperation. Peter intends to spy on Achilles, take over his network, and turn him over for trial, as Achilles has betrayed Russia, Pakistan, and India. Achilles kills anyone who has seen him vulnerable; Bean and Petra, who have witnessed this, go into hiding.

Bean believes Peter underestimates Achilles and that he must remain hidden. Petra convinces Bean to marry her and have children by taking him to Anton, after whom Anton's Key is named. Bean, reluctant to pass on his gene, finds Volescu, the doctor who activated the key, and has nine embryos prepared via artificial insemination. Volescu pretends to identify three with Anton's Key and discards them; one of the remaining six is implanted in Petra, the rest guarded.

A message reveals that Han Tzu was not the informant about Achilles, indicating a setup. Bean warns Peter's parents, who flee with Peter from the Hegemon's compound in Brazil, which Achilles takes over. Bean escapes an assassination attempt and reaches Damascus, where Alai is the Caliph of a nearly unified Muslim world. The embryos are stolen; Bean expects Achilles to use them as bait.

Peter and his parents escape to the colonization platform that was the battle school, under Colonel Graff's protection. A message betrays their presence; they fake a departure and discover the traitor, a teacher. The unmanned decoy shuttle is shot down over Brazil.