Tell Victor this: If our child lives, she will be at least three or four years old when she meets her father. I will teach her who you are and give her every reason to love you and look forward to the day you can hold her in your own arms. It might be a boy, of course. But when I sleep I dream of a girl who has your eyes. Come back to me when you can, space born. Your space-born child and I will be waiting.
Love,
Imala
“It was not the Hive Queen,” said Mazer. “We’re certain of that.”
He was standing in Rear Admiral Zembassi’s office, where images from Bingwen’s helmet cam hovered above the holotable.
“How can we be sure?” said Zembassi.
“Several reasons,” said Mazer. “First there is the matter of her just being born. She could not have been controlling the Formic army for all these years from a cocoon. Her growth was recent. Perhaps she was laid by the real Hive Queen some time ago and placed in the miniship and brought to Castalia to mature. Our belief is that she was to be placed inside the ship and given charge of some of the Formic army.”
“So we didn’t kill the president, but maybe we killed a general?”
“A baby general,” said Mazer. “A daughter of the Hive Queen. We sent the vid to CentCom and several xenobiologists studied it and pointed out that this creature has not yet fully developed.” Mazer zoomed in on one of the images and circled parts with his stylus. “You can see here that the base of the wings is thick and well pronounced, more so than you might expect for wings as small as these, suggesting that she has a lot of growing to do. There is also the fact that her wings are not yet large enough to carry her body weight. Plus there’s the issue of her enlarged feet, which suggest that they are built for a creature of a much taller stature.”
“Maybe,” said Zembassi, “but she’s the first one we’ve seen of her kind. How do we know that’s not exactly how they’re supposed to look as adults?”
“We don’t,” said Mazer. “Not definitively. But the height of the ceiling in the hatchery is another clue. It’s a very tall room, and the Formics are not ones to waste space. The belief is that the daughter would mature there until ready to enter into her ship, at which point she would crawl forward down the long tunnel on her stomach and climb into her vessel. We had originally thought that the tunnel was wide to accommodate multiple Formics moving abreast through the tunnel, but now we suspect that it was designed specifically to accommodate a large adult Hive Queen.”
“And there was nothing recoverable at the scene?”
“No,” said Mazer. “The blast incinerated everything.”
“What about the Formics?” asked Zembassi. “They went from well organized to dead to alive again to stupid.”
“The behavior of the Formics is perhaps the best evidence we have that the creature killed by Bingwen was not the Hive Queen we have come to fear. If you watch the vid enough, you see that the Formics react when she does. She sees Bingwen, and his presence is communicated to every Formic there. Then they fight as one, clearly under her direction, a suspicion that’s made incontrovertible once Bingwen kills her. When the headshot occurs, the Formics lose all sense of awareness. They go stupid, as you say. Lifeless. They are reanimated a moment later when the real Hive Queen steps in and takes control of them. But what’s interesting is the difference in the Formics’ behavior. They were slower and less organized when they were under the real Hive Queen’s spell. But when they were under her daughter’s control, they were tightly controlled and fast. This leads us to believe that the Hive Queen’s proximity to her subjects directly affects the degree of her control over them. Or perhaps it’s not a matter of proximity, but a matter of number. This Hive Queen daughter was likely only directing these sixty or so Formics. And with that few, her control was absolute. But the real Hive Queen has tens of thousands under her control. Maybe hundreds of thousands. And therefore, her command of them is weaker because it’s spread among so many organisms.”
“So what does this tell us about the war?” asked Zembassi.
“It tells us that the Hive Queen is very smart indeed. She can control her entire army, which we have always known. But she can also make her soldiers better organized and faster to respond if she places groups of them under the control of her daughters. And by relinquishing control of some of her soldiers, the Hive Queen will also have greater control and influence over the smaller number of soldiers she now directly controls. In essence it is a way to turn her highly effective soldiers into super soldiers. Their individual abilities may be only marginally improved, but collectively, they can be far more effective and lethal.”
“So now we have multiple Hive Queens that we have to kill?”
“I wouldn’t call these daughters Hive Queens,” said Mazer. “They have not yet matured to adulthood. They are more likely Hive Queens in training. But there is good news from this. We know now that by killing a daughter, we render her workers momentarily stupid. That might prove critical in the fight ahead. If we can kill the Hive Queen, the Formics might weaken and destabilize, giving us the perfect opportunity to strike hard and inflict massive casualties.”
“And what about the ship?” asked Zembassi. “The one they built. Any news there?”
“The ship broke free of the asteroid as a result of the explosion, as you know,” said Mazer. “But it’s just drifting out there. It appears to be unmanned. All of the Formics had gathered for the birth of the Hive Queen’s daughter. The ship appears complete, but we can’t get inside it. It’s sealed shut, and we don’t have any of Lem Jukes’s special hulmat-destroying nanobots to penetrate it. CentCom is considering putting a hulmat weapon on a zipship and sending it to us so we can get inside the ship and explore its interior.”
“What about the Fleet heading for the warships above and below the ecliptic? I think we should ask CentCom to return some of those ships. We need to destroy as many of these asteroids as we can before the entire Formic fleet is hatched.”
“I agree, sir,” said Mazer. “The more immediate threat is here.”
Zembassi waved his hand through the holo and made the images disappear. “There is more bad news you should be made aware of, and I wanted to tell you in person. Vaganov has been promoted to vice admiral. He will be my commanding officer.”
“I am sorry, sir.”
“He wasted no time taking credit for our victory,” said Zembassi. “To hear him tell it, he shot the Hive Queen daughter himself. Our lives are about to become a living hell.”
They commiserated a moment longer and then Mazer went to find Bingwen. The boy’s survival had been a miracle. His suit had saved him, but the force of the blast had knocked him unconscious. Mazer had rushed in through the hole the blast had made above the Formic warship. And then he had flown down the wide tunnel to reach the hatchery, not sure what he would find when he got there. The blast had destroyed Bingwen’s helmet cams, but the exosuit was still intact and operative.
Mazer had found Bingwen’s body limp and nonresponsive, but the suit was still delivering oxygen. The temperature inside was normal. Mazer had frantically tapped at the cracked readout screen beneath a flap on the suit until it had indicated that yes, there was still a heartbeat. Yes, there was life.
Kaufman and Rimas had arrived then, and the three of them had rushed Bingwen back to the ship.
Now Mazer stood anchored to the floor of the observation deck of the Battle Room, watching as several of the Battle Room teams presented Bingwen with one of their ridiculous homemade trophies. Mazer couldn’t see what it was exactly at this distance, but it looked like a statuette of the Hive Queen’s daughter made of bolts and scrap metal and wire. Bingwen held it up, and the marines pumped their fists.
“He’ll be insufferable now,” said a voice.
Mazer turned to see Colonel Li.
“You must be proud of him,” said Mazer.
“Hardly. He nearly blew himself to bits. He’s no good to us dead.”
No good to y
ou, you mean, Mazer thought.
“He respects you more than you know,” said Li.
“We’ve been through some harrowing experiences together,” said Mazer. “Far too much for a kid his age.”
“You still see him as a child then?” said Li.
“You don’t?”
“What is a child but an adult with less experience. Bingwen has had the experience. I think that makes him more of an adult than most people.”
Mazer nodded. “Maybe you’re right.”
“Not all children are our future, Captain Rackham. Some of them are our present.”
He moved on without saying another word.
On the screen, the marines in the Battle Room had formed a line and were each presenting themselves to Bingwen to give him a formal salute. It was a long procession and would take a while.
Mazer paused to tap at his wrist pad and check his e-mails. There was one from Imala. He read it quickly, eager for an update. Pregnant. And with the baby at risk. Where was she? What mission had they given her?
He would get word to the Vandalorum. The message would be waiting. Victor’s suit had saved Bingwen. It was the least Mazer could do.
Imala. Pregnant.
Mazer’s mind went to Kim then. She was in New Zealand now. Not pregnant. Not growing a child. Which meant she would feel alone. I am coming, Kim. No alien army or jackass vice admiral or Hive Queen or Hive Queen’s daughter is going to stop me. We will have our little Pai Mahutanga and our little Pahu Rangi and maybe a few others besides. And I will sing to you a calming song every time you ask.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
First and foremost, we would like to thank the army of talented people at Tor who made this book possible, particularly our editor, Beth Meacham, whose support never wavered and whose counsel was always wise. Thanks also goes to Professor Ryan Julian at the University of California, Riverside, for helping us solve a particularly difficult chemistry conundrum. Many thanks goes to Emily Rankin for her careful reading of the manuscript and for suggesting refinements that greatly improved the novel. We owe a great debt of gratitude also to Cyndie Swindlehurst for catching errors you will thankfully never see. Thanks also to the retired and active military officers and specialists who allowed us to interview them for this novel, namely Andy Johnson, Ben Shaha, Tracy Mann, and my dad and hero, David Johnston. Jeanine Plummer gets our thanks as well, for opening her home and allowing some of the book to be written there.
Of course, none of this would be possible if not for our loving wives, Kristine Card and Lauren Johnston. They are our first readers and our wisest counselors. Without their support, faith, and encouragement this book would not exist. Family, dear reader. That is the engine and fuel of life. And oh what a ride.
By Orson Scott Card from Tom Doherty Associates
ENDER UNIVERSE
Ender Series
Ender’s Game
Ender in Exile
Speaker for the Dead
Xenocide
Children of the Mind
Ender’s Shadow Series
Ender’s Shadow
Shadow of the Hegemon
Shadow Puppets
Shadow of the Giant
Shadows in Flight
The First Formic War (with Aaron Johnston)
Earth Unaware
Earth Afire
Earth Awakens
The Second Formic War (with Aaron Johnston)
The Swarm
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A War of Gifts
First Meetings
THE MITHERMAGES
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The Gate Thief
Gatefather
THE TALES OF ALVIN MAKER
Seventh Son
Red Prophet
Prentice Alvin
Alvin Journeyman
Heartfire
The Crystal City
HOMECOMING
The Memory of Earth
The Call of Earth
The Ships of Earth
Earthfall
Earthborn
WOMEN OF GENESIS
Sarah
Rebekah
Rachel & Leah
THE COLLECTED SHORT FICTION OF ORSON SCOTT CARD
Maps in a Mirror: The Short Fiction of Orson Scott Card
Keeper of Dreams
STAND-ALONE FICTION
Invasive Procedures (with Aaron Johnston)
Empire
Hidden Empire
The Folk of the Fringe
Hart’s Hope
Pastwatch: The Redemption of Christopher Columbus
Saints
Songmaster
Treason
The Worthing Saga
Wyrms
Zanna’s Gift
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Orson Scott Card is the author is the international bestsellers Shadow of the Giant, Shadow Puppets, Shadow of the Hegemon, and Ender’s Shadow, and of Ender’s Game, the beloved classic of science fiction, as well as the acclaimed fantasy series the Tales of Alvin Maker. He lives in Greensboro, North Carolina. You can sign up for email updates here.
Aaron Johnston is the coauthor of the bestselling novels Earth Unaware, Earth Afire, and Earth Awakens. He was also an associate producer on the movie Ender’s Game, wherein he makes an appearance as an officer of the International Fleet. Blink and you’ll miss him. He and his wife are the parents of four children. You can sign up for email updates here.
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CONTENTS
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Epigraph
1. Copernicus
2. Bingwen
3. Vaganov
4. Victor
5. Lem
6. Wila
7. Asteroid
8. NanoCloud
9. Council
10. Nardelli
11. Shuttle
12. Statistics
13. Luna
14. Ansible
15. Vultures
16. Armor
17. Defendant
18. Tunnels
19. Soldier Brain
20. Interruptions
21. Silicon
22. TAGAT
23. Tubes
24. Training
25. Unraveling
26. Profiteers
27. Deception
28. Observer Ship
29. Castalia
30. Children
Acknowledgments
By Orson Scott Card from Tom Doherty Associates
About the Authors
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the authors’ imaginations or are used fictitiously.
THE SWARM
Copyright © 2016 by Orson Scott Card and Aaron Johnston
All rights reserved.
Cover art by John Harris
A Tor Book
Published by Tom Doherty Associates, LLC
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ISBN 978-0-7653-7562-9 (hardcover)
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e-ISBN 9781466847811
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First Edition: August 2016
The Swarm: The Second Formic War Page 49