13. Valentine

Two officials confirm Demosthenes and Locke are Valentine and Peter Wiggin, decide the siblings act alone, and, fearing political fallout, choose to watch but not expose them. They note the irony that the empathetic Valentine plays the hawk. The decision preserves Demosthenes’s influence amid tense Russian movements.

Valentine, enjoying Demosthenes’s rising clout and funds, feels shame at deceiving her father and nearly exposes herself with a school essay. Peter grows jealous when Demosthenes is invited to a presidential council and withholds guidance, but Valentine’s column flourishes. Their private intel suggests the Warsaw Pact is gearing for war, and Demosthenes’s voice hardens.

Graff collects Valentine and brings her to a secluded lake where Ender, on extended leave, has withdrawn. On a raft, Ender confesses nightmares, resentment at manipulation, and a grim insight: when he fully understands an enemy, he loves them—and then destroys them to prevent future harm. He longs for Peter’s love more than victory. Valentine prods him with duty, survival stakes, and even Peter’s prospective rise, finally pushing Ender toward returning.

That night Ender silently commits to go. Graff escorts him by air and shuttle to Stumpy Point amid reminders of Earth’s worth. During a fast tug to a secret destination, Graff speaks openly: the buggers’ mind-to-mind communication inspired the ansible; humanity launched fleets decades ago—making humans the Third Invasion. All ships near bugger worlds will arrive within five years, but they lack a supreme commander.

Graff presses the urgency while framing Ender’s choice. Ender, resolved yet wary of manipulation, proceeds. They reveal the destination—Eros, blacked-out and gravity-modified—home of I.F. Command. Upon arrival, Ender steps into the final phase of training to prepare for the imminent interstellar battles.