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SPOILER WARNING: Ender Quintet plot details follow.


Shakespeare, formerly known as Colony I, was the first human colony planet settled as a part of the Dispersal Project.[1]

Description[]

Shakespeare Surface Comic

The surface of the planet as seen in Ender in Exile (Comic Book).

In the winter, snows were heavy. Most of the planet was fertile and could support grass and plant life.[1] For some reason, veins and lodes of metals did not coalesce during the planet formation of Shakespeare, and metals were hard to find.[2]

Due to the colder climate globally, the colonists chose to settle first and establish the village of Miranda in a semitropical climate as to not freeze to death. To the north of Miranda were jungles.[1]

As it was previously inhabited by Formics, the planet still contained the remnants of Formic cities, orchards, and factories. Rather than abandon the infrastructure already in place, the human colonists utilized the sewers, factories, and plowed fields for their own use.[1]

The Formics also left their construct of Fairyland from the Mind Game for Ender Wiggin to find. This consisted of a concrete rendering of "The Giant", the Playground, and "The End of the World".[1]

History[]

Pre-Humans[]

Many years before the Xenocide, Formics colonized Shakespeare. It was one of their first and oldest colonies. They discovered the native animal that would later be called Gold Bugs, and spliced in Formic genes so they could communicate with the Hive Queen. They used these bugs to do their mining on the metal-scarce world. They encountered the native Dustworms, but since the workers were regarded as expendable they made no effort to develop a cure and let them slowly die.[2]

As the Formic Hive Queens feared their fate at the hands of Ender Wiggin, they took the memory of Fairyland from the Mind Game within Ender's dreams and recreated it on the surface of the planet. They also brought a Hive Queen cocoon from the Formic Homeworld and left it in the Fairyland for Ender to eventually find.[1]

Founding[]

After the destruction of the Formics in the Third Formic War, Shakespeare was settled in 0 BX by surviving International Fleet foot soldiers and ship crew of the fleets near the planet. Vitaly Kolmogorov, an Admiral in the Fleet, was named governor. However, as the ratio between males and females was 10:1, a reproduction plan was implemented where the few females were paired with certain males. For the rest of the males, it became illegal to reproduce; however, libido suppressants were given to them, though some men like Sel Menach could not take them as they needed to be energetic for their work.[1]

Within the first year, the colonists were burying former fighter pilots at the rate of one every other day while the xenobiologist Sel Menach struggled to find drugs or treatments that would control or eliminate the airborne Dustworms that were inhaled and burrowed through their veins until they became so perforated they bled out internally. However, this was soon cured by a drug cocktail. Sel found that the worms fed on a certain plant species and had to wipe it out, which he felt sorry about.[1]

The settlement was originally called Colony I, a placeholder name from the International Fleet. The names Tempest and Prospero, after the play by William Shakespeare was proposed and subsequently rejected. Eventually Ender Wiggin and Vitaly Kolmogorov decided on Shakespeare to be the name.[1]

In 36 AX, Governor Kolmogorov passed away and Sel Menach succeeded him as governor.[1]

Formal Establishment[]

Ender Wiggin became the governor of the planet 41 years after the War of Xenocide after the IFcoltrans1 colony ship arrived. It became the first formally established colony of humans. As governor, Ender decided to branch out into four settlements—the original, Miranda; and Falstaff, Polonius, and Mercutio. He intended to serve for two years as governor, during which time he would sponsor the writing of a constitution.[1]

In late 43 AX, Ender worked to create a currency for the planet. Abra Tolo figured out how to adapt an oil press to make a coin stamper, and one of the chemists came up with an alloy that would not shed gold as the coins passed from hand to hand. The smallest denomination coin had a picture of Vitaly Kolmogorov on it, and the other coin had a picture of Sel Menach. Sel insisted that Kolmogorov get the cheaper coin, as "you always give the greatest man the smallest denomination". Instead of calling the coins "fives" and "ones," they became "sels" and "vits".[1]

In early 44 AX, the colony ship piloted by Captain Hong arrived, beginning a second settlement around the same size of the original. At the same time, Ender Wiggin ended his term as governor and left Shakespeare. He was replaced by an elected council of the four settlements, with an elected president and elected mayors. The new settlement from the colony ship would have a governor for 2 years, which likely would then be replaced by a mayor.[1]

Locations[]

Miranda[]

See Miranda.

Falstaff[]

See Falstaff.
Fairyland Comic

Ender and Abra stumble upon the Formic Fairyland.

Fairyland[]

The Formic recreation of Fairyland was made next to a Formic city. They built the corpse of The Giant out of the landscape and concrete. They built swings and slides like the playground from the game out of metal. Inside the tower, they placed the Hive Queen cocoon for Ender to find.[1]

Native Life[]

Gold Bugs[]

See Gold Bugs.

Dustworms[]

The Dustworms were airborne creatures that were inhaled by humans and burrowed through their veins until they became so perforated they bled out internally. However, this was soon cured by a drug cocktail created by Sel Menach. Sel found that the worms fed on a certain plant species and had to wipe it out, which he felt sorry about.[1]

Horned Reptile[]

The Horned Reptile was a creature that seemed to fill the bunny rabbit niche in the ecosystem (a big-toothed leaf-eater that hopped, and would only fight if cornered). To Sel Menach, the horns did not seem to be weapons as they were too blunt, and were assumed to be a display of health.[1]

"Olives"[]

"Olives" were an oily fruit native to Shakespeare, that were named as such due to their oil content, rather than their flavor. The colonists grew it in orchards, and pressed and filtered it in three harvests a year. Except for the oil, which was used for light and heating, the fruit was good for nothing except fertilizer.[1]

Trivia[]

  • Shakespeare was named after the English playwright William Shakespeare.[1]

Inhabitants[]

Governors[]

Citizens[]

Original Colonists[]

Later Colonists[]

See Also[]

References[]

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