Ender's Ally chapter 11

Prince sat with her friends at lunch. They chatted about something or another, something that didn't really matter. But after a little while, Prince noticed that Rox wasn't there.

"Dink, do you know where Rox is?" asked Prince.

"I dunno," he said. "Let's go look for her."

They rose.

"Oh come off it you two! You just wanna be alone! Neh? Neeeeeeeeh?" Mome teased.

"Eh," Prince confirmed.

It wasn't needed because at that moment, Rox came up to them. Her eyes were red and she had the hiccups. Immediately, Dina, Mome, Prince and Petra were by her side.

"Come on, this isn't where you want to be," said Mome.

They walked Rox all the way up to her barracks and sat her down on her bed.

"Ok, tell us what's wrong, Rox," said Dina.

Without a word, Rox showed them a piece of paper. Not a little slip, like they used for Battle School's internal communications. No, this was a full sheet. Rox was being transferred out of the school.

The other four girls gaped.

"We should go check if we've got orders too!" Dina yelped.

The four of them practically ran to their barracks. Sure enough, on each of their beds sat a set of orders. They all trouped back to Rox's room, where she sat where her friends had left her. They sat down in various places around the room.

Their orders were to arrive at the shuttle at exactly 1330- exactly one hour from then. Even though it'd make departure harder on all of them, they decided to go and talk to their armies. Up first was Cat- Rox's turn.

Her friends waited for her right around the corner, so Rox's former soldiers wouldn't see them. Rox took a deep breath, dried what was left of her tears and, attempting her usual confident stride, walked in. "ATTENTION!"

Cat sprang to attention. "YES, MA'AM!" The roar was deafening.

Rox lowered her voice. "I just have some news for you." She took another cleansing breath. "I have received my graduation orders. I don't kn-know your new commander, but hopefully, it'll be a good one."

Mak, leader of A toon, walked up to her. "Good luck wherever you're going."

She clasped him on the shoulder. "And you too, Mak."

She started to leave, but Make stopped her. "Hang on a sec."

He clapped slowly, rhythmically. Eventually, all the soldiers joined in, chanting Rox's name. Rox's eyes began to tear up a little, but she stopped herself. She raised both hands for quiet and she got it. "I'm gonna go slice up some Buggers for ya!" She punched the air and left the room. She grinned to her friends. "That wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be."

It was Mome's turn next.

Mome tried to compose herself before she entered the Jabberwock barracks. She did a brief calming exercise, just like her mom had told her.

All right, Mome, you can do this… she thought to herself as she walked shakily in.

"Jabberwock!" Mome called confidently. "I have something to tell you; something important."

The Jabberwocks stood at attention as they listened to Mome.

"I have received my graduation orders." Had to hurry up; Mome couldn't hold herself together for much longer. She began to shake a little.

Wabe could see that his sister was beginning to lose it. He rushed up to her and hugged her comfortingly, like a big brother would.

"Your army's gonna be in good hands," said Wabe, trying to comfort Mome. "I know the new commander."

"Who is it?" sniffed Mome. The rest of the Jabberwock soldiers were sitting or standing there, simply in awe of their former leader.

"Me." The remaining Jabberwocks snapped to attention at their new commander.

Mome stood up and rumpled his hair. "Take care of my army, little brother." She kissed him on the cheek and gave him one last hug as a lone tear fell down her cheek.

It was Dina's turn now.

She subscribed to the quick and painless method, so she went in and the room immediately went silent.

"Listen up soldiers, because I've got something to tell you all. As you may, or may not, know, a bunch of commanders are graduating."

A few soldiers nodded. As if they knew what it's like, having to do this.

"I am…" she paused to take a breath, "among the graduates. I leave in one hour." She waited for a response and when none came, she walked right out of the room.

Now Petra.

Petra and Dina subscribed to the same philosophy- yank it out, don't worry about the pain. She was in and out, like it was nothing. And then, it came to Prince's Hawks.

Prince couldn't hold onto her sanity for much longer. Good thing Rox, Dina, Petra and Mome were there for her, just as she had been for them, even if they hadn't needed it. She took a deep breath and walked inside, with an air of authority and power that would make even the Hegemon himself quake in his boots.

"HAWK…" Prince began the ritual that occurred every time she entered the barracks.

"ARMY!" finished her soldiers.

"Lex, come here." Prince beckoned to her younger sister, now leader of A Toon, much to the disdain of other Hawks.

Lex rose and trotted over to Prince. "Yes, ma'am?" She said in an undertone to her older sister. Prince almost never told her to come over and when she did, it was serious; Lex knew that for sure.

"Tell them I'm graduating," Prince was really beginning to tremble now. "I'm afraid they'll think less of me."

"They will if you make me tell them for you."

Taking the hint, Prince rose to her feet. "Hawk Army, I have something to tell you. It's going to affect your daily lives here on a large scale." Prince gulped. All of that previous authority had vanished. "There's a ship leaving with some graduating commanders. I'm gonna be on it. Before I go, I wanted to ask you. Anyone here given command?"
"Hound," said Sharbal.

"Tide," said Michael.

"Scorpion," said Julian.

"Griffin," said Uri.

"I've got Hawk," said Lex. It's a cruel joke…she thought.

The rest of Hawk gasped in unison then saluted their new commander.

"I'm going to miss you guys." Prince and Lex hugged tightly. They separated. Prince made sure to clasp the hands of each of her former soldiers. As she left the room, her former toon leaders thought they saw a lone tear fall down her face.

As they group of five neared the departing shuttle for the long ride to ISL and Command School, Dimak told them that they'd have a short land side leave that would last about a week. They grasped each others' hands and walked forward, knowing that they'd never walk the halls of Battle School again.