Synopsis

by Brenda Krekeler

Pipo, Libo’s father is a xenologer. He studies the only intelligent living species known other than humans. Pipo studies the pequinos on the planet of Lusitania. The one human town on Lusitania is Milagre (Miracles). The town was named as such in honor of Novinha’s parents Cido and Gusto Venerados who discovered the cure for the virus Descolada. Over five hundred people died in Milagre before the cure was available including Novinha’s parents.

When Novinha’s parent’s died she was the same age as Libo. Pipo saw the isolation that Novinha suffered but was not able to intervene until Novinha was thirteen years old. It was at that time Novinha asked Pipo if she could take a test to become a xenobiologist. She wanted to do the same work as her parents had done; she wanted to study the biology of Lusitania.

After a conversation with Dona Crista about Novinha, Pipo decided to invest time and training in her but more importantly for Pipo, he wanted to help her and protect her. He wanted to help make her a whole person. Once Pipo determined that Novinha wanted to be part of something, to be a zenobilogist, he let her take the test and she did extremely well.

From that point on Novinha, Pipo and Libo worked together for several years sharing their research and becoming the family Novinha had not had for many years.

One day Pipo and Libo went out to talk to the pequinos and they found their favorite pequino, Rooter, dissected and his organs pinned out around his body with a tree planted in him. Pipo, and in particular, Libo was devastated. Novinha heard the commotion and went to the fields. She saw what had happened. The Starway Council’s response to this information was to continue with their research as usual.

As Libo continued to study the piggies, he learned that the piggies he spent time with were all male and they called each other brothers. The females, who Libo never was permitted to see, were referred to as wives and the fathers are the ancestral trees.

Novinha discovered a secret about the pequinos and showed Pipo that molecules found in the grass, trees and river reeds were identical. When Pipo saw this information he said he was going to talk to the piggies. Pipo told Novinha he would be back in an hour. Four hours later Libo returned and Novinha was concerned. Libo went out to find his father and discovered him dissected with his organs pinned around his body just like Rooter’s but there was no tree planted in him.

Novinha was distraught. She had lost her surrogate father. She returned to her parent’s home and lived there. That was also where her biology lab was located. Libo quickly assumed the role of head xenologist. He was now the most important citizen in Milagre.

Andrew Wiggin heard about Pipo’s death on his implant in his ear while he was teaching a class on Trondheim, an ice planet with a population base that was centered at the equator.

Novinha hid the files from Libo so he would not find the same fate as his father. She continued her work in the Biolobista’s Station, in her house.

Novinha was heartbroken and decided to call a Speaker for the Dead for Pipo even if it meant the truth about her discovery would come out.

Libo came to Novinha exhausted and she let him sleep in her bed. As Libo slept she realized, as much as she wanted to marry Libo, she could not because he would have access to all her work. She would never let him discover the truth and then be killed by the pequinos.

Jane showed Ender the dissection of Libo on the computer terminal. She told him Novinha had called for a Speaker for the Dead for Pipo. Ender saw the pain in Novinha’s thirteen-year-old face and he identified with his own pain that he still carries from his childhood. Ender decides to go to Lusitania to see if it will be habitable for the Hive Queen and her 10,000 fertilized eggs she has carried to twenty five different worlds. The Hive Queen can talk to Ender through the thoughts she projects to Ender and she can understand Ender. The Hive Queen said, “…it has been 3,000 years we have waited not your (Ender’s) twenty-five years of travel.” “ She prompts Ender to go faster to her new home.

Ender is concerned about Valentine. Now married and pregnant, she will not leave Trondheim. This causes Ender pain to think about being without her. Valentine did not receive the news that Ender was leaving immediately for Lusitania well. Before Ender arrived on Lusitania, Valentine had had five children. Plinkt, Ender’s former student had researched and discovered Valentine’s and Ender’s true identity. Valentine welcomed Plinkt into her home and she became part of Valentine’s family.

Miro is Novinha’s oldest son and Ela is her oldest daughter. Although Novinha had cancelled her request for a Speaker for the Dead, Ender was already on his way to Lusitania. Novinha’s oldest daughter had just requested a Speaker for the Dead for her father Marcao. Miro wanted a Speaker for the Dead four years ago to speak for Libo. Jane told Ender Libo was killed just like his father Pipo was killed by the pequinos.

It took Ender only six months to travel from Trondheim to Lusitania. In relative time on Lusitania however, twenty years had passed.

The xenologers, when Ender arrived on Lusitania, were Novinha’s son oldest son Miro, and Libo’s oldest daughter Ouanda. Miro and Ouanda fell in love as they continued to work with the pequinos.

The Hive Queen told Ender there is a “clear mind” on Lusitania with whom she has been conversing.

Novinha’s three sons are Quim fifteen-years-old, Olhado (the one with the electronic eyes) is thirteen years old and Grego is about six years old. Quara is Novinha’s youngest daughter.

Bishop Peregrino asked all the people of Milagre to be polite to Ender but to beware.

The Hive Queen told Ender their philotic impulse with the being on this planet is strong and she will talk with Ender when he decides that this will be her home.

Once on Lusitania, Ender knew he had to deal with the Starway’s Code, the Catholic Church, the young xenologers and Novinha. He felt if the Hive Queen stayed here he would also have to stay.

Mayor Bosquinha met Ender at the shuttle port. Ender was not received well by the people. No one would give him directions to the Ribeira house. Finally, it was Olhado who said he would take Ender to the Ribeira house.

Ender endured himself to the Ribeira children that evening but Novinha proved to be the most difficult. She did not want Ender there in the capacity of a Speaker for the Dead or anything. She wanted him gone.

Miro and Ouanda taught the piggies all kinds of things that are against the law of the Starways Council. Today Arrow, a piggy, asked Miro for metal.

Human next brought out their treasured copy of the Hive Queen. Human told Miro that Rooter said the Speaker for the Dead who arrived today was the author of the Hive Queen book.

Miro told Ouanda what a good man Ender was. He said he wished Libo had been his father. Ouanda kissed Miro’s tears away and told him she was glad Libo wasn’t his father because then she would be his sister and they couldn’t get married.

Dom Cristao from the order of the Children of the Mind of Christ is in no way threatened by the truth the Speaker for the Dead seeks. Father Peregrino however takes offense at each of the requests made by Ender. Father Peregrino had told the people of Milagre to be polite to the Speaker for the Dead but not helpful. Father Peregrino indicated that Ender was evil.

Dom Cristao and his wife were fond of Andrew immediately. Once Ender turned off his jewel and Jane was disconnected from him, they trusted him and told him how Novinha had punished herself since Pipo’s death. Ender realized with the information, the reason Novinha didn’t marry Libo was to protect him from the information in the computer files that had lead to Pipo’s death. Ender saw that she married Marco but she wanted to sleep with Libo and have his children. She wanted to protect Libo from the Pequinos. Ender found it ironic that the piggies killed Libo anyway.

The reason why Ender turned Jane off was because she said that he plotted his tears for the Andoras and Cirfios celibacy. Ender’s tears were sincere. Jane was distracting him and he simply turned the jewel off.

Once Ender turned the Jewel back on, Jane would not answer him. He cried out to her over the ansible that he loved her and begged her to answer him but there was no response.

Jane, once sentient, took her identity from the fantasy game played at Battle School 3000 years ago. A second of Jane’s life is equal to several years of human life.

Jane took 50,000 years of her life, which was only several days of Ender’s life, to forgive him for turning her off. Jane tapped back into Ender but she didn’t talk to him, she decided to observe. She also informed the 100 worlds about the piggies’ agricultural changes that were a direct result of human intervention.

As a consequence, Starways uploaded all computer files from Lusitania and planned to commandeer Ender’s spaceship. Starways prepared for an evacuation of all humans and total destruction of all flora related to humans and any evidence that humans were ever on Lusitania. This was kept top-secret at Starways. At this time Starways had not received Novinha’s files and were not aware that if the people from Lusitania left the planet they would carry the Descolada virus with them.

Ender met with Ela at her request at the river. There she told Ender the biggest discoveries or rather questions she had found as a xenobiologist. She told him how the water snakes just appear one day on the weeds at the river. The snakes then eat the weeds then simply swim down the river. There are no eggs left but the next year the baby snakes appear again. She also explained that the cabre in the compound at Milagre are only female, no males, yet they have calves – all female. Ela told Ender her mother won’t share any files related to the Descolada virus. It was her grandparents who had discovered a cure for the virus. Ela also elaborated on the few biological species present on Lusitania. She concluded these species have somehow adapted to this environment after some type of major disaster. Ela thought this Descolada virus adapts as well.

Ender was very happy with Ela’s frankness and she left him feeling better about herself and her family. At home Miro wanted to know where Ender was. Ela told him he was probably home.

Ender, Ouanda and Miro went to see the piggies. Miro told Ender the Hive Queen had talked to Rooter (the ancestral tree) and Rooter told Human to talk with the Speaker for the Dead.

Initially Human revealed Ender’s true identity as the first Speaker for the Dead. Miro and Ouanda did not believe that he was 3000 years old. Ender cried as they told him he was the Xenocide and the piggies asked what Ender’s tears were. Miro told them that is how humans express pain. Then all the piggies got upset because they thought they had given Pipo and Libo their greatest gift. Now they realized they had caused them pain. Ender forgave them.

The piggies want star flight and told Ender the Hive Queen promised to teach them. Ender promised he would do what he could do that would be in their best interest.

Ender asked them how they make arrows and clubs and logs for their houses. Leaf-eater asked the Mothers and they gave them permission to do whatever it took to work with and teach Ender about the pequinos.

All the piggies climbed into a large old brother tree and started beating the tree talking to it. Then they began to sing. The tree dropped its branches and created many types of wooden tools. When the trunk of the tree fell it created bows and logs for housing.

Ender, Miro and Ouanda were amazed.

Mayor Bosquinha told Dom and Dona Cristao and Bishop Peregrino that Starways were copying all their files and preparing to delete them. Mayor Bosquinha told them the only opportunity to save their files was by sending the information as a message to Ender. They all agreed and at the last minute they accomplished their task. The Mayor also knew the reason they were being punished was because of the xenologist and their relationship with the piggies.

Ender spoke the death of Marcao and everyone from Milagre was there. He told about Marco’s health issues and how no one understood him as a child because he was such a giant. People feared him. They trusted him in the steel shop but avoided him outside of work. He had no drinking pals.

Novinha and Marco married but with the understanding that she would have another man’s, Libo’s, children due to Marco’s illness.

Ender told how Novinha’s secrets ultimately ruined Libo, herself and her family and Marco was in the path of destruction.

Ender spoke of how everyone who heard his words was touched by this story in some way. He ended by saying Marcao could have left but he didn’t so he had to have gotten something from his life with Novinha and her children. Ender told them that Novinha has punished herself harsher than any punishment required by her church.

The Mayor told Ender about how Starways cut off their computer data and that Miro and Ouanda were to be sent to Trondheim for a trial for treason. Ender asked for a meeting with the Dom and Dora Cristao and Bishop Peregrino. The Mayor agreed. At the meeting, they discussed shutting off the ansible.

For the first time since Ender had turned off his jewel, he heard Jane. She told him not to turn off the ansible. However she would make it look to Starways that they had turned it off.

Ender told her how he missed her but she did not reply.

Ender told Ela to get Novinha to come to the meeting in order to save Miro. Ela was sure Novinha would come to the meeting and help prevent Miro from a trial for treason.

Miro went to the fence and called the piggies. Human, Leaf-eater, Mandachuva, Arrow, Cups, Calendar and other came to the fence. Miro told them he wanted to live with them because he was going to be taken away and put on trial for treason. They told him that if Miro chewed the campin he could climb the electric fence and not feel the pain. Miro was crushed to learn his love Ouanda was his sister and he wanted to escape. Miro climbed the fence but at the top he was frozen by the electrical shock. Mandachuva was able to pull Miro over to their side of the fence. Humana told Mandachuva to get Ouanda now. Miro might be dying. The piggies wanted to plant him so he could enter into the third life and metamorphose into a father tree.

Novinha told everyone at the meeting the Descolada is only controlled not destroyed. The virus mutates and if any of them leave the planet they will spread the virus and destroy any new environment on any planet. Soon Starways will know this because they have all her notes. Pipo and Libo discovered that on Lusitania all “native life…. Thrives in plant and animal pairs. The water snakes pair with the grama, the suckflies pair with the reeds. The Xingadora bird pair with the tropeco vines. And, the piggies pair with the trees of the forest.”

“The Descolada doesn’t just split the genetic molecules and prevent them from reforming or duplicating. It also encourages them to bond with completely foreign genetic molecules.”

Ouanda arrived at the meeting and told them of Miro’s situation. Mandachuva was with her and wanted to know if they should plant Miro. Ender gently told Mandachuva he thought they shouldn’t plant any more humans.

Everyone arrived at the fence where Miro was on the ground on the piggy side.

Ender told Human if he turned off the fence, Milagre and the piggies would be at war with all the Hundred Worlds. Ender also told Human he must talk to the wives before he would find a place for the Hive Queen. Human said he understood and agreed to turn off the fence so his friend Miro might be saved and let Ender meet with the wives. Ender told Jane to turn off the ansible and shut down the fence. Ender retrieved Miro and the Doctor worked on him. Ender scaled the fence to meet the wives. Ela and Ouanda both said they were going with Ender.

Ender, Ela and Ouanda traveled through the forest with the piggies. They reached a large clearing where one giant tree stood. There were 320 babies crawling around on the tree trunk. Ender received permission from the wives for him, Ela and Ouanda to enter. Human was selected by the wives to be the interpreter.

Ender asked for an explanation of the babies on the mother tree. With Human interpreting Ender’s questions and Shouter’s answers they all learned. All the babies are males called brothers. There was only one female and she was sterile and allowed to grow to full size to take care of the babies. Shouter sang and opened the tree trunk. Ender looked inside and Jane, who could see in the dark, told him what she saw in the hollow of the tree. The little mothers were only five to six centimeters long. They carried their babies and because they had no birth canal, the babies ate their way out. The little mothers gave their lives for the babies. Conception occurred when the older brothers carried the little mothers to the male trees. Once on the tree the mothers crawled over the dust on the bark of the tree and became pregnant. The brother’s greatest joy is to carry the little mothers to and from the father trees.

Ender and Human discuss their covenant. Ender will battle all humans to protect the piggies. Ender will restore the Hive Queen on Lusitania. All humans will obey Piggy laws while on their grasslands. Piggies are to obey all human laws while on the human’s land. Piggies are to stop warring against one another.

Ender needed to understand what they considered first, second and third lives. Human explained their first life is when they are in the dark of the mother tree and blindly eat the body of their mother. Second life is when they live in the shade of the forest where they run, climb, talk, sing and make things. The third life is when they live in the full light of the sun, only to move in the wind and talk to the brothers when they drum on your trunk.

Ender learned that Mandachuva and Leaf-eater had planted Pipo and Libo as their highest honor to take them to their third life.

Ender said the last part of the covenant was not to ever take knives to kill humans because humans do not have a third life.

To seal the covenant either Ender or Human has to go to the third life at the hands of the other. Ender would have to kill Human. This would be the last time a killing would be used for an agreement between humans and pequinos.

Since humans do not have a third life and it is a great honor for Human to be planted by Ender, Ender killed Human in his mind. Human knows he will live on as a father tree and Ender promised to write the Life of Human so Human knew he would live forever. The pequinos presented a written copy of the covenant on the paper of the Hive Queen and Ender and Human signed it.

Ender was precise and quick and as he laid out Human’s organs he saw the trees roots and tendrils seat into the ground. Four leaves grew from the twig.

Ender, Novinha, Ohaldo, Quim, Ela and Ouanda followed Ender as he crawled up the hill covered in Human’s blood. They all collapsed from exhaustion in the capin.

Miro shuffled when he walked. His hands barely moved and his speech was extremely slurred. Ender introduced him to Jane and she helped him with the computer and research and she understood his speech. She had been giving him access on the computer even before Ender introduced them.

Valentine called Ender and told him her, Jakt her husband and three of their children were coming to Lusitania. She was enraged by the war Starways wanted to launch on Lusitania with the Doctor. She reactivated Demothesis and started calling it the second Xenocide. Valentine and her family will be with Ender in thirty years. Ender asked if he could send Miro to meet her in space for her last week of travel. Ender believed it was the best thing for Miro and Novinha agreed.

Ohaldo and Ender discovered a good location to place the Hive Queen. Novinha developed daisies for the buggers to suck on which would allow them to be protected from the Descolada.

Ender, Novinha, Olhado, Quim, and Ela took the Hive Queen to her new home. They gave her a dead cabre. She chewed her way out of her cocoon. Her body was desiccated. She had water and food and sun and she laid some eggs in the cabre’s carcass. “…today she was sure she was not the last of her tribe but the first.”

Book Review

by Brenda Krekeler

As much as I love Ender's Game, I love Speaker for the Dead even more. Ender as an adult has taken his situation and made a success of his 20 / 25 years since he left Command School. Being joined by his sister Valentine gave him the stability he really needed. Valentine did not need Ender. She just loved him as her brother. As we see Ender today in Speaker for the Dead he has become an amazing man who travels from world to world as called to speak for someone who has died. He uses his brilliant mind, his battle skills and his heart to interpret each person's life that has died and he speaks the truth of that life and all those that were influenced by that life. He is called to Lusitania which is one of the Hundred Worlds that is not a relic of the buggers. Lusitania is an arid planet with few biological species. Ender is introduced to a family who is in crisis. Immediately, he falls in love with the family and they fall in love with him. Ender is introduced also to the only other intelligent species known to humans, the pequinos who look like piggies but are very intelligent. Ender carries his kindness and understanding to the pequinos and in doing so finds a home for his Hive Queen.

Not only do we get to know Ender as an adult but in Speaker for the Dead we see the magic Ender works as he deals with the Ribiera Family, Bishop Peregrino, Mayor Bosquinha, the Starways Council and the xenologers and the xenobiologists. Ender's ability to unite everyone by seeing through their lies and discovering the truth is fascinating. Valentine, Novinha, Miro, Human and Ouanda are only some of the characters that enrich this book. Ender is the focal point but he experiences an unforgettable adventure on Lusitania; an adventure I will never forget.