Your lifelong worker bee,

Ender

Achilles came to the hut where Governor Virlomi lived in her lofty poverty. She made such a show of having the simplest of habitations — but it was completely unnecessary to build adobe walls and a thatched roof, with so much fine lumber nearby. Virlomi's every action was calculated to enhance her prestige among the Indian colonists. But the whole display filled Achilles with contempt.

"Randall Firth," he said to the «friend» standing outside. Virlomi had said, "My friends stand watch to protect my time," she said, "so I can meditate sometimes." But her «friends» ate at the common table and drew their full share at harvest, so that their service to her was, in effect, paid. They were cops or guards, and everyone knew it. But no, the Indians all said, they really are volunteers, they really do a full day's labor besides.

A full day's labor. for an Indian. It gets a little hot and they go lie down when regular fullsize people have to take up the slack for them.

No wonder my father, Achilles the Great, led the Chinese to conquer the Indians. Someone had to teach them how to work. Nothing, though, could teach them how to think.

Inside the hut, Virlomi was spinning yarn by hand. Why? Because Gandhi did it. They had four spinning jennies and two power looms, and spare parts to keep them running for a hundred years, by which time they should have the ability to manufacture new ones. There was no need for homespun. Even Gandhi only did it because he was protesting against the way English power looms were putting Indians out of work. What was Virlomi trying to accomplish?

"Randall," she said.

"Virlomi," he answered.

"Thank you for coming."

"No one can resist a command from our beloved governor."

Virlomi lifted weary eyes to him. "And yet you always find a way."

"Only because your power here is illegitimate," said Achilles. "Even before we founded our colony, Shakespeare declared its independence and started electing governors to two-year terms."

"And we did the same," said Virlomi.

"They always elect you," said Achilles. "The person appointed by ColMin."

"That's democracy."

"Democracy only because the deck was stacked. Literally. With Indians. And you play this holy-woman game to keep them in your thrall."

"You have far too much time to read," said Virlomi, "if you know words like 'thrall.»

Such an easy opening. "Why do you feel the need to discourage citizens from educating themselves?" asked Achilles.

Virlomi's pleasant expression didn't crack. "Why must everything be political with you?"

"Wouldn't it be nice if other people ignored politics, so you could have it all to yourself?"

"Randall," said Virlomi, "I didn't bring you here because of your agitation among the non-Indian colonists."

"And yet that's why I came."

"I have an opportunity for you."

Achilles had to give her credit: Virlomi kept on plugging away. Maybe that's one of the attributes of Indian goddesshood. "Are you going to offer me another placeholder job to assuage my ego?"

"You keep saying that you're trapped on this world, that you've never been anywhere else, so your entire life will be lived under the dominion of Indians, surrounded by Indian culture."

"Your spies have reported accurately."

He expected her to get sidetracked on whether her informants were spies or not, since they were ordinary citizens who freely attended public events and then talked about them afterward. But apparently she was as weary of that topic as he was. And besides, she clearly had an urgent agenda.

"A starship is arriving here in about a month," said Virlomi. "It comes from Shakespeare Colony, and it's bringing us several of their highly successful hybrids and genetic alterations to augment our agricultural resources. A very important visit."

"I'm not a farmer," said Achilles.

"When starships come here," said Virlomi, "it's never permanent. They come, and then they go."

Now Achilles understood exactly what she was offering him. If it was an offer, and not an involuntary exile. "Go where?" he asked.

"In this case, I am assured that the pilot is taking his starship back to Earth — well, near to Earth — so that the samples from Shakespeare, along with our own poor offerings, can be examined, propagated, studied, and shared with all the colonies. Some may even be cultivated on Earth itself, because the high yields and climatic adaptations are so favorable."

"Are they naming one of the species after you?" asked Achilles.

"I'm offering you a chance to go to that big wide world and see it for yourself. Indians are only about a quarter of Earth's population at the moment, and there are many places you can go where you'll almost never see an Indian."

"It's not Indians that I don't like," said Achilles blandly.

"Oh?"

"It's smug authoritarian government pretending to be democratic."

"Indians are in the majority here. By definition democratic, even if smug," said Virlomi.

"Earth is ruled by an evil dictatorship."

"Earth is ruled by an elected Congress, and presided over by an elected hegemon."

"A hegemony established through the murder of —»

"Of the man you mistakenly believe to be your father," said Virlomi.

That sentence struck Achilles like a blow with a sledgehammer. In all his life, he and his mother had kept his parentage a secret, just as no one had ever heard him called by his secret — but true — name, Achilles. It was always Randall this and Randall that; only in moments of tender privacy did Mother ever speak to him as Achilles. Only in his own mind did he call himself that name.

But Virlomi knew. How?

"I watched your supposed father murder children in cold blood," said Virlomi. "He murdered a good friend of mine. There was no provocation."

"That's a lie," said Achilles.

"Ah. You have a witness who will contradict me?"

"There was provocation. He was trying to unite the world and establish peace."

"He was a psychotic who murdered everyone who ever helped him — or saw him helpless."

"Not everyone," said Achilles. "He let you live."

"I didn't help him. I didn't thwart him. I stayed invisible, until at last I was able to escape from him. Then I set out to liberate my country from the cruel oppression he had unleashed upon us."

"Achilles Flandres was establishing world peace, and you brought war back to a country that he had pacified."

"But you have no problem with admitting that you believe the fantasy that he is your father."

"I think my mother knows more than anyone else about that."

"Your mother knows only what she was told. Because she's a surrogate — not your genetic mother. Your embryo was implanted in her. She was lied to. She has passed that lie down to you. You are nothing but another of Achilles' kidnap victims. And your imprisonment by him continues to this day. You are his last and most pathetic victim."

Achilles' hand lashed out before he could stop himself. The blow he struck was not hard — not as hard as his height and strength could have made it.

"I have been assaulted," said Virlomi quietly.

Two of her «friends» came into the hut. They took Achilles by the arms.

"I charge Randall Firth with assault on the governor. Under penalty of perjury, Randall, do you admit that you struck me?"

"What an absurd lie," said Achilles.

"I thought you'd say that," said Virlomi. "Three vids from different angles should substantiate the charge and the perjury. When you're convicted, Randall, I will recommend that your sentence be exile. To Earth — the place you seem to think would be infinitely preferable to Ganges. Your mother can go with you or not, as she chooses."

She played me like a fish, thought Achilles. My father would never have stood for this. Humiliation — the unbearable offense. That's how my father lived, and that's how I will live.