Fourth Floor Common Room, All Day Wednesday

[endsthegame]

It was Ender's turn to run the coffee cart. Official business meant a good opportunity for him to get out and look as normal as he could (and wouldn't Valentine laugh about that; he was having trouble not doing so himself). Coffee, cocoa and snacks -- Ender made sure they were all laid out at the start of the day, then sat back.

Add that to the list of things no one back home could see him doing. He found the irony took the edge off the boredom, at least.

[ and come get your coffee, kids! ]

Comments

[momslilassassin]

"You don't have to be a mouse," Ben said, "but if your ego takes up several planetary systems, you better be astral. Or an actual planetary system."

[endsthegame]

"Sentient planetary systems?" Ender said, considering him. "That might be pretty interesting."

[momslilassassin]

"There was a planetary system at home that was completely designed and hauled into place by a civilization so long ago we're not even sure we have their name correct," Ben said. "And the Yuuzhan Vong had things called World Brains that could control an entire planet."

[endsthegame]

Ender's eyebrows went up, his curiosity perking. "How?"

[momslilassassin]

"This is more Tahiri's area of expertise," Ben said, "but don't ask her. The Yuuzhan Vong would take over a planet and completely reform it through toxins and other living organisms. Good for them, not so great if it was a populated world. The World Brain would control the terraforming, then maintain the ecosystem. They were worshiped."

[endsthegame]

"It'd spawn animals and toxins," Ender surmised, "Poking in all the right places to generate a new ecosystem where the old one overlapped." It was ingenious, in a disturbing way. "All on its own intelligence. Bred into it?"

[momslilassassin]

Ben nodded. "Technology was sacrilege. They didn't like us much."

Vast understatement, that.

[endsthegame]

"I need to visit your universe again some day." If nothing else, it would be interesting; there was a lot to wrap his mind around, stuff he hadn't even heard of back home yet.

[momslilassassin]

Which meant Ender couldn't leave. Ha!

Ben smiled. "Maybe sometime this summer."

[endsthegame]

Ender wouldn't have been Ender if he didn't know exactly what reaction that statement would have. He didn't show that, though, and just smiled and said, "Sure, if you can find some time between all the reconstruction."

[momslilassassin]

"I'm sure we could," Ben said. "I'm not guaranteeing we'd see any of my relatives, but there's lots we could explore."

[endsthegame]

"I'm not really interested in your relatives," Ender said, dryly.

Not that that implied anything.

[momslilassassin]

Ben completely missed anything that could be implied. "They'll find that refreshing," he said.

[endsthegame]

"For once, apathy works for me," Ender deadpanned.

[momslilassassin]

Ben snickered. "We'll find a planet where they've never even heard of a Skywalker."

[endsthegame]

"Oh, good," Ender said, seriously, "Then I can save your butt when you land us in trouble."

[momslilassassin]

"Will you save the rest of me too?" Ben asked.

[endsthegame]

Ender made a good show of looking like he was having trouble deciding on an answer on that one.

[momslilassassin]

Ben maturely tossed another piece of cookie at him. "I'm your ride home."

[endsthegame]

Ender let it bounce off again. "Then I'll make sure to save your legs, too," he decided.

[momslilassassin]

Ben burst out laughing. "That would be hard to explain."

[endsthegame]

"Not if you take me to a planet without Skywalkers," Ender told him, "People might just think you were any bisected lifeform."

[momslilassassin]

"They'd be wondering a bit about you, though, hanging out with a pair of legs."

[endsthegame]

"Not if I told them your brains were in your feet."

[momslilassassin]

Ben burst out laughing. "And what would this new species be called?"