"I know some people who'd like to bomb this room," said Vlad.
"There's still someone unaccounted for," said Shen.
"Ender is voyaging safely. His ship is functioning perfectly. His ansible works well. Remember, though, that for him it has been scarcely a year since this group destroyed the Hive Queens. Even if you could talk to him, he would seem...young. The world has changed, and so have you." Graff glanced back at Rackham. "Mazer and I are deeply concerned, about you and about the world as a whole."
"We're doing all right," said Carn Carby.
"And thanks to Bean and Ender's big brother, maybe the world is, too," said Dumper. He said it a little defiantly, as if he expected to be argued with.
"I don't give a rat's ass about the world," said Bean. "I'm being blackmailed into helping Peter. And not by Peter."
"Bean is referring to a bargain he entered into with me of his own free will," said Graff.
"What's this meeting about?" asked Dink. "You're not our teacher any more." He glanced up at Rackham. "You're not our commander, either. We haven't forgotten how you both lied to us continually."
"We never could convince you of our sincere devotion to your welfare back in school, Dink," said Graff. "So as Dink requests, I won't waste time on preli
minaries. Look around this table. How old are you?"
"Old enough to know better," muttered Carn.
"What are you, Bean, sixteen?" asked Fly.
"I was never actually born," said Bean, "and the records of my decanting were destroyed when I was about a year old. But sixteen is probably close."
"And all the rest of us must be around twenty, give or take," said Fly. "What's your point, Colonel Graff?"
"Call me Hyrum," said Graff. "I'd like to think we're colleagues now."
"Colleagues in what," muttered Dink.
"Back when you last met," said Graff, "when Achilles arranged for your kidnapping in Russia--you were already held in high esteem throughout the world. You were regarded as having...potential. Since then, however, one of your number has become Caliph, unified the ununifiable Muslim world, and masterminded the conquest of China and the...liberation of India."
"Alai's lost his mind, that's what he's done," said Carn.
"And Han Tzu is Emperor of China. Bean is commander of the undefeated armies of the FPE, plus being known as the man who finally brought Achilles down. All in all, what once was viewed as potential is now regarded as a certainty."
"So what have you assembled here?" said Crazy Tom. "The losers?"
"I've assembled the people that national governments will turn to to stop Peter Wiggin from uniting the world."
They looked around at each other.
"Nobody's talked to me yet," said Fly Molo.
"But they turned to you to put down the Muslim rebellion in the Philippines, didn't they?" said Rackham.
"We're citizens of our countries," said Crazy Tom.
"Mine rents me out," said Dink. "Like a taxi."
"Because you always get along so well with authority," said Crazy Tom.
"Here's what will happen," said Graff. "Some combination of China, India, and the Muslim world destroy each other. Whichever one emerges on top, Bean destroys on the battlefield on behalf of the FPE. Does anyone doubt he can do it?"
Bean raised his hand.
No one else did.