▁Form ics , ▁commonly ▁referred ▁to ▁in ▁the ▁series ▁as ▁the ▁" bug gers ". ▁The ▁discovery ▁of ▁a ▁bug ger ▁base ▁in ▁the ▁astero id ▁E ros ▁leads ▁to ▁war ▁between ▁the ▁species ▁that ▁the ▁humans ▁narrow ly ▁win , ▁resulting ▁in ▁the ▁discovery ▁of ▁advanced ▁al ien ▁technology , ▁including ▁gravity ▁manip ulation . ▁Ost ens ibly ▁in ▁prepar ation ▁for ▁another ▁bug ger ▁invasion , ▁an ▁International ▁Fle et ▁( I . F .) ▁is ▁established ▁on ▁Earth , ▁which ▁creates ▁a ▁Battle ▁School ▁in ▁Earth ' s ▁orbit ▁to ▁develop ▁gift ed ▁children ▁into ▁command ers ▁capable ▁of ▁defe ating ▁the ▁bug gers ▁in ▁the ▁next ▁war . ▁ ▁Pro tagon ist ▁Andrew ▁" End er " ▁W ig gin ▁is ▁born ▁a ▁" Th ird ": ▁a ▁rare ▁exception ▁to ▁Earth ' s ▁two - child ▁policy , ▁allowed ▁by ▁the ▁government ▁due ▁to ▁the ▁promise ▁shown ▁by ▁his ▁two ▁older ▁sib lings . ▁The ▁el dest , ▁Peter , ▁is ▁a ▁highly ▁intellig ent ▁soci op ath ▁who ▁sad ist ically ▁bul lies ▁End er , ▁while ▁his ▁sister , ▁Valent ine , ▁is ▁more ▁sympath etic ▁towards ▁him . ▁The ▁I . F . ▁remove ▁End er ' s ▁monitoring ▁device ▁at ▁six ▁years ▁old , ▁seem ingly ▁ending ▁his ▁ch ances ▁of ▁Battle ▁School , ▁and ▁he ▁gets ▁te ased ▁by ▁a ▁fellow ▁student , ▁St il son . ▁End er ▁be ats ▁up ▁St il son ▁before ▁the ▁fight ▁is ▁broken ▁up ; ▁unknown