Shadow of the Giant (18 page)

The third visitor did not have to have help from the aides. He came walking in from empty fields, and he already wore the garb of a peasant. However, he was not dressed as an Indian peasant. He wore the clothing of a Chinese rice-paddy worker.

He placed himself at the very end of the line and bowed himself to the dust. He did not move forward when the line moved forward. Every Indian he allowed to pass in front of him. And when dusk came and Virlomi wept and said good-bye to all, he did not go.

The aides did not come to him. Instead, Virlomi emerged from the hut and walked to him in the darkness, carrying a lamp.

“Get up,” she said to him. “You’re a fool to come here unescorted.”

He stood up. “So I was recognized?”

“Could you have possibly looked more Chinese?”

“Rumors are flying?”

“But we’re keeping them off the nets. For now. By morning, there’s no controlling it.”

“I came to ask you to marry me,” said Han.

“I’m older than you,” said Virlomi. “And you’re the emperor of China.”

“I thought that was one of my best features,” said Han.

“Your country conquered mine.”

“But
I
didn’t. I gave the captives back and as soon as you say the word, I’ll come here in state and get down on my knees in front of you—again—and apologize to you on behalf of the Chinese people. Marry me.”

“What in the world do relations between our nations have to do with sharing a bed with a boy that I didn’t have all that high an opinion of in Battle School?”

“Virlomi,” said Han, “we can destroy each other as rivals. Or we can unite and together we’ll have more than half the population of the world.”

“How could it work? The Indian people will never follow you. The Chinese people will never follow me.”

“It worked for Ferdinand and Isabella.”

“Only because they were fighting the Moors. And Isabella and her people had to fight to keep Ferdinand from trampling on her rights as Queen of Castile.”

“So we’ll do even better,” said Han. “Everything you’ve done has been flawless.”

“As a good friend recently reminded me, it’s easy to win when you’re opposed by idiots.”

“Virlomi,” said Han.

“Now are you going to tell me that you love me?”

“But I do,” said Han. “And you know why. Because all of us who were chosen for Battle School, there’s only one thing we love and one thing we respect: We love brilliance and we respect power. You’ve created power out of nothing.”

“I’ve created power out of the love and trust of my people.”

“I love you, Virlomi.”

“Love me…and yet you think that you’re my superior.”

“Superior? I’ve never led armies in battle. You have.”

“You were in Ender’s Jeesh,” said Virlomi. “I wasn’t. You’ll always think I’m less than you because of that.”

“Are you really telling me no? Or merely to try harder or come up with better reasons or prove my worth in some other way.”

“I’m not going to set you to a series of lovers’ tests,” said Virlomi. “This isn’t a fairy tale. My answer is no. Now and always. The dragon and the tiger don’t have to be enemies, but how can a mammal and an egg-laying reptile ever possibly mate?”

“So you got my letter.”

“Pathetically easy cipher. Anybody with half a brain could get it. Your code was just to type an obvious version of your nickname with your fingers moved one row higher on the keyboard.”

“And yet only you, of all the thousands who access the nets, figured out it was from me.”

Virlomi sighed.

“Just promise me this,” said Han.

“No.”

“Hear the promise first,” said Han.

“Why should I promise you anything?”

“So I don’t preemptively invade India again?”

“With what army?”

“I didn’t mean
now
.”

“What’s the promise you want me to make?”

“That you won’t marry Alai, either.”

“A Hindu, marrying the Caliph of all Islam? I never knew you had such a sense of humor.”

“He’ll offer,” said Han.

“Go home, Han. And, by the way, we saw the choppers arrive and let them pass. We also asked the Muslim oppressors not to shoot you down, either.”

“I appreciated that. I thought it meant you liked me, at least a little.”

“I do like you,” said Virlomi. “I just don’t intend to let you diddle me.”

“I didn’t know a mere diddle was on the table.”

“Nothing’s on the table. Back to your chopper, Boy Emperor.”

“Virlomi, I beg you now. Let’s be friends, at least.”

“That would be nice. Someday, maybe.”

“Write to me. Get to know me.”

She shook her head, laughing, and walked back to her hut. Han Tzu walked back out into the fields as the night wind rose.

The ceremony was simple enough. Peter Wiggin, Felix Starman, Klaus Boom, and Radaghaste Bellini stood on a platform in Kiyagi, Rwanda. There was no attempt to bring in crowds of citizens to cheer; neither was there any kind of military presence. The audience consisted entirely of reporters.

Copies of the Constitution were provided on the spot. Felix Starman explained the new government very briefly; Radaghaste Bellini informed them of the unified military command; Klaus Boom explained the principles under which new nations could be admitted to the Free People of the Earth.

“No nation will be admitted that does not already provide human rights, including a free and universal adult franchise.” Then he dropped the bombshell. “Nor do we require that a nation already be recognized by any existing nation or body of nations, provided it meets our other requirements.”

The reporters murmured to each other as Peter Wiggin walked to the dais and the map appeared on the screen behind him. As he named each country that had already secretly ratified the Constitution, it was lighted in pale blue on the map.

South America provided the largest swathes of blue, with Brazil lighting up half the continent, along with Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, Suriname, and Guyana. In Africa, the blue was not so dominant, but it represented most of the African nations that had maintained stability and democracy for at least a hundred years: Rwanda, Botswana, Cameroon, Mozambique, Angola, Ghana, Liberia. No two ratifying nations bordered on each other. No one missed the fact that South Africa and Nigeria were not participating, despite their long record of stability and freedom; nor did anyone fail to notice that no Muslim nation was included.

In Europe, the map was even sparser: The Netherlands, Slovenia, Czechland, Estonia, and Finland.

Elsewhere, blue was rare. Peter had hoped the Philippines would be ready for the announcement, but at the last minute the government chose to wait and see. Tonga had ratified; so had Haiti, the first nation where Peter’s abilities had been tested. Several other small Caribbean nations were also blue.

“At the earliest opportunity,” said Peter, “plebiscites will be held in all the ratifying nations. In the future, however, plebiscites will precede a nation’s entry into the Free People of Earth. We will maintain capitals in three places: Ribeirão Preto, Brazil; Kiyagi, Rwanda; and Rotterdam in the Netherlands. However, because the official language of the FPE is Common, and few people find the pronunciation of Ribeirão Preto…comfortable…”

The reporters laughed, since they were the ones who had to bear the brunt of learning to pronounce the Portuguese nasals.

“…therefore,” Peter continued, “the Brazilian government has kindly allowed us to translate the name of the city for world government purposes. From now on, you may refer to the South American capital of the FPE as ‘Blackstream,’ one word.”

“Will you do the same with Kiyagi!” shouted a reporter.

“Since you are able to pronounce it,” said Peter, “we will not.”

More laughter.

Peter’s acceptance of the question, however, opened the floodgates, and they began calling out to him. He raised his hands. “In a minute, be patient.”

They quieted down.

“There is a reason why we have chosen the name ‘Free People of Earth’ for our Constitution, instead of, say, ‘United Nations.’”

Another laugh. They all knew why
that
name wouldn’t be used.

“This Constitution is a contract among free citizens, not between nations. The old borders will be respected insofar as they make sense, but where they don’t, adjustments will be made. And people who have long been deprived of legally recognized national boundaries and self-government will receive those things within the FPE.”

Two new lights appeared, blinking a deeper blue. One cut a large swathe across the Andes. The other took a chunk out of southwestern Sudan.

“The FPE immediately recognizes the existence of the nations of Nubia, in Africa, and Runa, in South America. Plebiscites will be held immediately, and if the people of these regions vote to ratify the Constitution, then the FPE will act vigorously to protect their borders. You will notice that part of the territory of Runa has been voluntarily contributed by the nations of Bolivia and Ecuador as one of the terms of their entry into the FPE. The Free People of Earth salute the far-sighted and generous leaders of these nations.”

Peter leaned forward. “The FPE will act vigorously to protect the electoral process. Any attempt to interfere with these plebiscites will be regarded as an act of war against the Free People of Earth.”

There was the gauntlet.

The questioning afterward, as Peter had hoped, focused on the two new nations whose boundaries included territory belonging to nations that had not ratified—Peru and Sudan. Instead of being peppered with skeptical questions about the FPE itself, Peter had already settled the question of how serious they were. Taking on Peru was bad enough—no one doubted the ability of the FPE to crush the Peruvian military. It was Sudan. A Muslim country, which had given its allegiance to Caliph Alai.

“Are you declaring war against Caliph Alai?” demanded a reporter for an Arab news service.

“We declare war against no one. But the people of Nubia have a long history of oppression, atrocities, famine, and religious intolerance committed against them by the government of Sudan. How many times in the past two hundred years has international action caused Sudan to promise to do better? Yet in the aftermath of Caliph Alai’s astonishing unification of the Muslim world, the outlaws and criminals in Sudan immediately took this as permission to renew their genocidal treatment of the Nubians. If Caliph Alai wishes to defend the criminals of Sudan even as he repudiates those of India, that is his choice. One thing is certain: Any right the Sudanese might once have claimed to rule over Nubia has long since expired. The Nubian people have been united by war and suffering into a nation that deserves statehood—and protection.”

Peter ended the press conference soon afterward, announcing that Starman, Bellini, and Boom would each hold press conferences two days later in their home countries. “But the armed forces, border guards, and customs services of these nations are now all under the control of the FPE. There is no such thing as a Rwandan or Brazilian military. Only the military of the FPE.”

“Wait!” cried one reporter. “There’s no ‘Hegemon’ in this whole Constitution!”

Peter returned to the microphone. “Fast reading,” he said.

Laughter, then expectant silence.

“The office of Hegemon was created to meet an emergency that threatened the entire Earth. I will continue as Hegemon under both the original authority under which I was selected for the office, and under temporary authorization from the FPE, until such time as no serious military threat against the Free People of Earth exists. At that time, I will resign my office and there will be no successor. I am the last Hegemon, and I hope to give up the office as quickly as possible.”

Peter left again, and this time ignored the shouted questions.

As expected, Peru and Sudan didn’t even declare war. Since they refused to recognize the legitimacy of the FPE
or
the new nations carved from their territory, whom would they declare war against?

Peruvian troops moved first, heading for known hideouts of Champi T’it’u’s revolutionary movement. Some of them were empty. But some of them were defended by highly trained Rwandan soldiers. Peter was using Bean’s Rwandans so that it wouldn’t be perceived as another war between Brazil and Peru; it had to be the FPE defending a member state’s borders.

The Peruvian armies found themselves caught in well-laid traps, with sizable forces moving in across their lines of supply and communication.

It quickly became known throughout Peru that the Rwandan troops were better trained and better equipped than the Peruvian Army—and they were led by Julian Delphiki. Bean. The Giant.

Morale collapsed. Rwandan troops accepted the surrender of the entire Peruvian Army. The Peruvian Congress immediately voted almost unanimously to petition the FPE for membership. Radaghaste Bellini, as interim president of the South American region of the FPE, declined their offer, stating the principle that no territory would be added to the FPE by conquest or intimidation. “We invite the nation of Peru to hold a plebiscite, and if the people of Peru choose to join the Free People of Earth, we will welcome them to join with their brothers and sisters of Runa, Bolivia, Ecuador, and Chile.”

It was over in two weeks, plebiscite and all: Peru was part of the FPE, and Bean and the bulk of the FPE’s Rwandan troops were transported back across the Atlantic to Africa.

As a direct result of this decisive action, Belize, Cayenne, Costa Rica, and the Dominican Republic announced that they would hold plebiscites on the Constitution.

The rest of the world waited to see what would happen in Sudan.

Sudanese troops were already spread throughout Nubia; they were already engaged in military actions against the Nubian “rebels” who were resisting the renewed attempt to impose Shari’ah on the Christian and pagan region. So while there were plenty of acts of defiance against Peter’s proclamation of Nubia’s new status, there was no actual change.

Suriyawong, leading the elite core of the FPE military that he and Bean had created years before and used so effectively since, conducted a series of raids designed to demoralize the Sudanese military and cut them off from their supplies. Ammunition dumps and arsenals were destroyed. Convoys were burned. But since Suri’s choppers returned to Rwanda after every raid, there was no one for the Sudanese military to strike back against.

Then Bean returned with the bulk of the Rwandan soldiers. Burundi and Uganda both granted permission for him to transport his army across their territory.

As expected, the Sudanese army tried to strike at Bean’s army inside the borders of Uganda, before they reached Nubia. Only then did they discover that this army was an illusion—there was nothing to strike but a bunch of old and empty trucks whose drivers fled at the first sign of trouble.

But it was a strike on Ugandan territory. Uganda not only declared war on Sudan, it also announced a plebiscite on the Constitution.

Meanwhile, Bean’s army had already traversed the eastern reaches of Congo and were inside Nubia. And Suriyawong’s strike force took over the two airbases to which the planes that had taken part in the attack on the decoy convoy had to return. The pilots landed without suspecting any problem, and were taken prisoner.

The trained jet pilots among Suriyawong’s soldiers immediately took off again in Sudanese planes and carried out a demonstration bombing against the air defenses of Khartoum. And Bean’s army made simultaneous attacks on all the Sudanese military bases inside Nubia. Unprepared to fight against a real army, the Sudanese forces surrendered or were overwhelmed within the day.

Sudan called on Caliph Alai to intervene and bring the wrath of Islam down on the heads of the infidel invaders.

Peter held an immediate press conference.

“The Free People of Earth do not conquer. The Muslim portions of Sudan will be respected, and all prisoners will be returned, as soon as we have the pledge of Caliph Alai and of the Sudanese government that they recognize Nubia as a nation and as part of the Free People of Earth. The Sudanese Air Force will be returned to Sudan, along with their air bases. We respect the sovereignty of Sudan and of all nations. But we will never recognize the right of any nation to persecute a stateless minority within their borders. When it is within our power, we will grant such minorities a state within the Constitution of the Free People of Earth and defend their national existence.