"Orson Scott Card - Ender's Saga 01 - Ender's Game" - читать интересную книгу автора (Card Orson Scott)

training at Battle School in the Belt. I've come to invite you to enter the
school."

After all. "But the monitor--"

"The final step in your testing was to see what would happen if the monitor
comes off. We don't always do it that way, but in your case--"

"And I passed?"

Mother was incredulous. "Putting the Stilson boy in the hospital? What would
you have done if Andrew had killed him, given him a medal?"

"It isn't what he did, Mrs. Wiggin. It's why." Colonel Graff handed her a
folder full of papers. "Here are the requisitions. Your son has been cleared by
the IF Selective Service. Of course we already have your consent, granted in
writing at the time conception was confirmed, or he could not have been born. He
has been ours from then, if he qualified."

Father's voice was trembling as he spoke. "It's not very kind of you, to let
us think you didn't want him, and then to take him after all."

"And this charade about the Stilson boy," Mother said.

"It wasn't a charade, Mrs. Wiggin. Until we knew what Ender's motivation was,
we couldn't be sure he wasn't another-- we had to know what the action meant. Or
at least what Ender believed that it meant."

"Must you call him that stupid nickname?" Mother began to cry.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Wiggin. But that's the name he calls himself."

"What are you going to do, Colonel Graff?" Father asked. "Walk out the door
with him now?"

"That depends," said Graff.

"On what?"

"On whether Ender wants to come."

Mother's weeping turned to bitter laughter. "Oh, so it's voluntary after all,
how sweet!"

"For the two of you, the choice was made when Ender was conceived. But for
Ender, the choice has not been made at all. Conscripts make good cannon fodder,
but for officers we need volunteers."

"Officers?" Ender asked. At the sound of his voice, the others fell silent.