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"Precommand?"

"Command," said Ender, and then he was out the door Anderson followed hioes to Command School until they're sixteen!"

Graff shook off Bean's hand and left, closing the door behind hiht mean Nobody went to Command School without three years of Precommand in either Tactical or Support But then, nobody left Battle School without at least six years, and Ender had had only four

The syste up No doubt about it Either so with the war, the real war, the bugger war Why else would they break down the training systeame the way they did? Why else would they put a little kid like me in command of an army?

Bean wondered about it as he walked back down the corridor to his own bed The lights went out just as he reached his bunk He undressed in darkness, fu in a locker he couldn't see He felt terrible At first he thought he felt bad because he was afraid of leading an arood co to cry He hadn't cried since the first few days of hoot here He tried to put a na that put a lump in his throat and made him sob silently, however much he tried to hold it down He bit down on his hand to stop the feeling, to replace it with pain It didn't help He would never see Ender again

Once he na, he could control it He lay back and forced hi routine until he didn't feel like crying anymore Then he drifted off to sleep His hand was near his mouth It lay on his pillow hesitantly, as if Bean couldn't decide whether to bite his nails or suck on his fingertips His forehead was creased and furrowed His breathing was quick and light He was a soldier, and if anyone had asked hirew up, he wouldn't have knohat they meant

When he was crossing into the shuttle, Ender noticed for the first tied "Yes, he's a colonel now," said Graff "In fact, Major Anderson has been placed in command of the Battle School, as of this afternoon I have been reassigned to other duties"

Ender did not ask him what they were

Graff strapped himself into a seat across the aisle froer, a quiet man in civilian clothes as introduced as General Pace Pace was carrying a briefcase, but Graff carried noto Ender, that Graff also came away empty

Ender spoke only once on the voyage hoht Command School was in the asteroids somewhere"

"It is," said Graff "But the Battle School has no facilities for docking long-range ships So you get a short landside leave"

Ender wanted to ask if that ht that it ht be possible, he was afraid, and so he didn't ask Just closed his eyes and tried to sleep Behind hi hiuess

It was a hot summer afternoon in Florida when they landed Ender had been so long without sunlight that the light nearly blinded hiet back indoors Everything was far away and flat; the ground, lacking the upward curve of Battle School floors, seeround Ender felt as though he were on a pinnacle The pull of real gravity felt different and he scuffed his feet when he walked He hated it He wanted to go back home, back to the Battle School, the only place in the universe where he belonged

"Arrested?"

"Well, it's a natural thought General Pace is the head of the military police There was a death in the Battle School"