Ender Wiggin's Last Game

Admiral Morgan

Ender knew he shouldn't have spoken to Penelope. She wasn't ready, and he saw that as he walked past. She didn't want to talk and Ender had completely violated that want. He could see it in her posture, the way she stiffened and turned away. She had refused to make eye contact.
Ender almost felt bad. He had certainly felt a pang of guilt when he heard her muffled cries. But he also knew what he was doing. Calling her "his soldier," he was making a claim. He was telling her, "You're still under my authority, and I'll take care of you. No matter what happens."
He wasn't blind. Never had been. He saw how the boys and girls that attended his free time practices envied even his smallest soldier. He remembered how Penelope in particular had a look of hurt in her eyes as she passed him in the hallways of Battle School. He knew that she craved his attention more than anything.
And that's what he was willing to give her. Even if to him, it was just some game of pretend. I'll pretend to still be your commander if you pretend to still be my soldier. That's what had been going through Ender's mind as he waited for her in the mess hall.
With his sister Valentine by his side, Ender had gotten through the lunch line without drama. Nobody would dare interrupt the Admiral and his sister in a seemingly important argument.
"I don't think that's how I should handle things, Val." He said, looking at her with a hint of mischief in his eyes.
"And why not?" She said, her playful side showing as well. "It's not like the crew will ever listen to Morgan." She said this quietly, making sure nobody heard but Ender. This was the only time they could discuss such topics. The whole ship was wired for at least sound, but here, where there was so much noise, he was able to speak with her without being overheard. Just as long as the colonists didn't hear them.
He let out a small laugh. "That would be mutiny, Val. I don't think the court martial would like it."
"He can't do squat with the court if we just off him." She giggled. Valentine was joking, of course. No way would they actually conspire to kill the Admiral.
He laughed again before getting serious. "Okay, no more. You might actually spark a revolution."
He grabbed his food and parted ways with her to find a seat at one of the many tables. He managed to find an empty seat when he heard footsteps approaching.
"Admiral Wiggin," he heard from behind him. Ender turned to face a tall and cleanly shaven man. He put on a smile.
"Admiral Morgan." How long had he been here? Ender certainly didn't hear him walk up.
"I'd like to have a word with you, if you aren't too busy." He said, putting on a rather forced smile of his own. If he kept that up, the colonists would see right through his facade, Ender knew.
So Ender stood quickly, still smiling. He gave a curt nod to the man that almost towered over him.
"That's fine with me. Would you like to find a place more suitable for conversation?" He took his untouched plate in his hands, intending on disposing of it as he walked out the door.
"Great idea, Admiral! Come with me, we'll talk in my office." He said. He was sucking up to Ender. That much was almost too obvious.
Ender followed him, plate in hand. They got to the door when Ender caught a glimpse of Penelope. His little soldier. She almost walked right past him. He stopped her, putting a hand on her shoulder for only a moment. He watched as she halted. Her eyes showing the smallest bit of fear.
"Have you eaten yet, Ms. Argros?" He asked, his voice soft. He knew for a fact that she hadn't eaten yet. She had only just walked through the door.
She quietly shook her head. "No Admiral Wiggin, I have not." He gave her a small smile, gently handing her his plate of food. He was surprised and more than a little glad that she used his official title. If she hadn't, Ender was sure Morgan would have an aneurism.
"Take my plate, I've already eaten today and I have important business to attend to." He said. He walked off, not waiting for an answer. He did however, hear a small "Thank you." slip from her lips. He dared not smile at this, though he wanted to dearly.
He caught up to Admiral Morgan, who looked as though he had just been slapped. Not a very good look on him, if Ender were to be honest. He ignored the mans discomfort, instead walking next to him as if nothing had happened. It wasn't long before Morgan spoke up about the topic.
"We're giving our food to mere colonists now, are we Admiral? Couldn't you have thrown it away?" There was anger lacing his voice. Ender answered readily.
"I find it quite rude to waste perfectly good food." He said, looking up at the Admiral. "And the more I do little actions like that, the easier it will be for me to gain the peoples trust."
Morgan stopped in front of the door of his office. "You're right, I completely overlooked that aspect. Forgive me for questioning your actions, Admiral." It went from harsh word to "forgive me, Admiral."? Ender knew something was up. This man, whom he had only met a few days before the launch of the starship, was more than just a suck up.
"It's quite alright, Admiral Morgan. I don't expect you, a man who already has the trust of the people, to pick up on such elementary things." He said, watching as Morgan palmed the pad. The door popped open, and Morgan walked inside without hesitation.
"Please, come in and sit. I have things to discuss with you." He beckoned Ender inside, walking around his desk to sit at his own chair.
Ender walked in, shutting the door behind him. He sat down the comfortable chair that sat in front of the Admirals desk. "What have I been called in for?"
Any respect for Ender that had been shown outside of the office seemed to disappear. "Listen here, boy. I don't know what you're doing, but I am in charge here."
"I expect so, sir. This is your ship after all." Morgan's face showed a mixture of annoyance and anger.
"Then why are you strutting around like you own it?"
"Pardon me sir, but I don't believe that I am."
"Whatever rank you were given when you and your little buddies played that video game, it's gone now. On my ship, you are no more than a boy and will be treated like one." Ah, so that's what this was about. Admiral Quincy Morgan felt that his power had been threatened. That certainly was not Ender's intention.
"I have no authority on this ship, however my rank will follow me wherever I go." I'm sorry if I put your power in jeopardy. Ender would have rolled his eyes if the Admiral wasn't in the room. Getting upset over something so trivial, of course the crew has a hard time taking orders. This man would get mad if the tissue box wasn't opened correctly.
"Don't get smart with me, Wiggin. Ive spent enough time watching you to know that you still think you have power. Possibly even power over me." His face looked red. Worryingly so.
Ender sighed. "What on Earth could have given you that idea, Admiral?"
"The way the crew talks to you with such respect. You've used your 'rank' to promote your authority over me."
"With all due respect sir, I have done no such thing. Officially, we hold the same rank, Admiral. I thought you knew that." Ender could see Morgan's face grow more and more red with each word spoken. He was getting angry.
When he finished talking, Ender could hear a string of obscenities and racial slurs against white supremacy fall from his mouth in a mumble. Which, was redundant because Morgan himself was white, or at the very least, mixed with predominantly white genes.
Eventually, he calmed himself down enough to speak with a somewhat respectful tone. "So you're telling me that you have done nothing?"
"Absolutely nothing."
"Nothing." This time, Ender did not answer. Instead, he waited. He just wanted to be dismissed. He had work to do and so did the Admiral.
When Morgan said nothing, Ender found himself speaking again. "Sir-"
"You're free to go, Wiggin. But I don't want to see you giving orders to any of my crew. You hold no power in my ship."
"As you wish sir."

__ __ __

When Penelope returned to her room, she felt shocked. Of course she did. It was her second meeting with Ender and he had been so gentle, even with the oncoming threat that waited for him. She saw the way Admiral Morgan looked at her. With disgust in his gaze. Even more so, she saw how he lead Ender off like he was just another kid.
In her eyes, he was in no way 'just another kid'. He was the most mature and collected person she had ever had the chance to meet. He was a better leader than Morgan could ever be. The only thing that stopped him was his age.
Penelope showered and took out a desk that was provided by the IF. She made an account and logged in quickly. Her username and password being simple. They weren't the same as in Battle School, however. She had tried and yet, couldn't log into her old account, but she couldn't use the same username and password.
That meant that they were keeping all the information from the days before the war. For historical purposes maybe? She tried another account, this one belonging to a dear friend of hers. Denied. So she was right, they were keeping all of the information.
Penelope shrugged, logging into the new account that she had made. It wasn't nearly as secure as her old one, but it had some familiar applications. Almost everything was there, except one. The fantasy game. When she realized this, her days from Battle School came to mind. Being and launchie and training. Going to free time practices with Ender. Ender...
She hoped that, despite everything she saw, he didn't get chewed out for as long as Morgan wanted. Ender seemed strong, but even Penelope knew that people had their limits. In this mission, she would have Ender's back.

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Yup. Hit y'all with the double update. I'm actually coming to like this story. The relationships between characters is much more complex than I anticipated.

Anyways. I'm starting school again tomorrow and probably won't update.
I will, however, be online. (Procrastinating) So if you have any questions when it comes to the storyline, just dm me. I know most people haven't read Ender in Exile, so the story may not make much sense.

...

Have a lovely day.