", ▁hoping ▁to ▁establish ▁himself ▁as ▁a ▁respect ed ▁or ator ▁and ▁then ▁as ▁a ▁powerful ▁politician . ▁Valent ine , ▁despite ▁not ▁trust ing ▁Peter , ▁agre es ▁to ▁publish ▁alongside ▁him ▁as ▁" D em ost hen es ". ▁Their ▁ess ays ▁are ▁soon ▁taken ▁seriously ▁by ▁the ▁government . ▁Though ▁Gra ff ▁is ▁told ▁their ▁true ▁ident ities , ▁he ▁recomm ends ▁that ▁it ▁be ▁kept ▁a ▁secret , ▁because ▁their ▁writ ings ▁are ▁polit ically ▁useful . ▁ ▁End er , ▁now ▁ten ▁years ▁old , ▁is ▁promoted ▁to ▁Command ▁School ▁on ▁E ros ▁after ▁a ▁brief ▁resp ite ▁on ▁Earth . ▁After ▁some ▁pre lim inary ▁batt les ▁in ▁the ▁sim ulator , ▁he ▁is ▁introduced ▁to ▁a ▁former ▁war ▁hero , ▁Maz er ▁R ack ham . ▁From ▁now ▁on , ▁End er ▁particip ates ▁in ▁simulations ▁created ▁and ▁controlled ▁by ▁Maz er . ▁As ▁the ▁sk irm ishes ▁become ▁harder , ▁he ▁is ▁joined ▁by ▁some ▁of ▁his ▁friends ▁from ▁the ▁Battle ▁School ▁as ▁sub - command ers . ▁Despite ▁this , ▁End er ▁becomes ▁de pressed ▁by ▁the ▁batt les , ▁his ▁isol ation , ▁and ▁by ▁the ▁way ▁Maz er ▁tre ats ▁him . ▁ ▁When ▁told ▁that ▁he ▁is ▁facing ▁his ▁final ▁test , ▁End er ▁finds ▁his ▁fleet ▁far ▁out number ed ▁by ▁the ▁bug gers ▁surrounding ▁their ▁que ens ' ▁home world . ▁Hop ing ▁to ▁ear n ▁himself ▁exp ulsion ▁from ▁the ▁school ▁for ▁his ▁r uth less ness ,