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

"Yes," said Graff. "Battle School is for training future starship captains and
commodores of flotillas and admirals of the fleet."

"Let's not have any deception herc!" Father said angrily. "How many of the
boy's at the Battle School actually end up in command of ships!"

"Unfortunately, Mr. Wiggin, that is classified information. But I can say that
none of our boys who makes it through the first year has ever failed to receive
a commission as an officer. And none has served in a position of lower rank than
chief executive officer of an interplanetary vessel. Even in the domestic
defense forces within our own solar system, there's honor to be had."

"How many make it through the first year?" asked Ender.

"All who want to," said Graff.

Ender almost said, I want to. But he held his tongue. This would keep him out
of school, but that was stupid, that was just a problem for a few days. It would
keep him away from Peter-- that was more important, that might be a matter of
life itself. But to leave Mother and Father, and above all, to leave Valentine.
And become a soldier. Ender didn't like fighting. He didn't like Peter's kind,
the strong against the weak, and he didn't like his own kind either, the smart
against the stupid.

"I think," Graff said, "that Ender and I should have a private conversation."

"No," Father said.

"I won't take him without letting you speak to him again," Graff said. "And
you really can't stop me."

Father glared at Graff a moment longer, then got up and left the room. Mother
paused to squeeze Ender's hand. She closed the door behind her when she left.

"Ender," Graff said, "if you come with me, you won't be back here for a long
time. There aren't any vacations from Battle School. No visitors, either. A full
course of training lasts until you're sixteen years old-- you get your first
leave, under certain circumstances, when you're twelve. Believe me, Ender,
people change in six years, in ten years. Your sister Valentine will be a woman
when you see her again, if you come with me. You'll be strangers. You'll still
love her, Ender, but you won't know her. You see I'm not pretending it's easy."

"Mom and Daddy?"

"I know you, Ender. I've been watching the monitor disks for some time. You
won't miss your mother and father, not much, not for long. And they won't miss
you long, either."

Tears came to Ender's eyes, in spite of himself. He turned his face away, but
would not reach up to wipe them.