Page 483 - Enders_Game_Full_Book

By the time the Bishop, Dom Crist o, and Ender reached the fence, Mandachuva and the women had already been there for some time. Ender could tell by the way Ela was standing between her mother and the fence, and the way Novinha was holding her hands out in front of her face, that Novinha had already tried to climb over the fence to reach her son. She was crying now and shouting at him. "Miro! Miro, how could you do ' this, how could you climb it--" while Ela tried to talk to her, to calm her.
On the other side of the fence, four piggies stood watching, amazed.
Ouanda was trembling with fear for Miro's life, but she had enough presence of mind to tell Ender what she knew he could not see for himself. "That's Cups, and Arrow, and Human, and Leaf-eater. Leaf-eater's trying to get the others to plant him. I think I know what that means, but we're all right. Human and Mandachuva have convinced them not to do it."
"But it still doesn't get us any closer," said Ender. "Why did Miro do something so stupid?"
"Mandachuva explained on the way here. The piggies chew capim and it has an anesthetic effect. They can climb the fence whenever they want. Apparently they've been doing it for years. They thought we didn't do it because we were so obedient to law. Now they know that capim doesn't have the same effect on us."
Ender walked to the fence. "Human," he said.
Human stepped forward.
"There's a chance that we can turn off the fence. But if we do it, we're at war with all the humans on every other world. Do you understand that? The humans of Lusitania and the piggies, together, at war against all the other humans."
"Oh," said Human.
"Will we win?" asked Arrow.
"We might," said Ender. "And we might not." "Will you give us the hive queen?" asked Human. "First I have to meet with the wives," said Ender. The piggies stiffened.
"What are you talking about?" asked the Bishop.
"I have to meet with the wives," said Ender to the piggies, "because we have to make a treaty. An agreement. A set of rules between us. Do you understand me? Humans can't live by your laws, and