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 modification Bean passed to them that gives them extreme intelligence but also causes their bodies to grow uncontrollably, a condition that will likely kill 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 still searching for a cure for their giantism that would preserve their intelligence. Now, generations have passed, the family has been forgotten, and their mother and normal siblings died centuries ago. The children have only been alive for six subjective years. 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 overexertion. He monitors the ship through a holo-top terminal, often prompting the children to hold secret meetings they think he cannot hear. Bean and Ender continue studying their genetic condition for a cure. During one meeting, the militarily-minded Cincinnatus, nicknamed Sergeant, tries to recruit his siblings to kill their father, arguing he is a drain on resources.

Carlotta, whose specialty is 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 tell Bean about the plan, and Bean reminds all three children they are equally intelligent. Sergeant had imagined nonexistent threats, believing the Giant intends to pass his soldier role to him; he studies Formic war vids, learning his father's strategy and training with weaponry.

Ender takes on genetic studies by tracking advances from Earth scientists. Carlotta, feeling left behind in genetics, handles every aspect of the spacecraft, since Bean is confined to the cargo hold.