Ender and Alai return to the dormitory after a meal, and Alai discovers orders for Ender’s promotion to Salamander Army, though the school doesn’t promote Launchies until they are eight years old (Ender is still six). Ender is upset, and Alai gives him a peculiar farewell—a kiss on the cheek and a foreign word, salaam—which Ender realizes is a sacred ritual from a suppressed religion. Frustrated, Ender goes to the game room, logs onto his private game, and begins exploring Fairyland beyond the Giant’s Drink.

Salamander Army is surprised by Ender’s appearance, though he makes a fast friend in the group’s only girl—Petra Arkanian. The army’s commander, Bonzo Madrid, isn’t happy about gaining Ender, and he orders Ender to stay out of the way during practice and games. Later, Petra offers to teach Ender a few basics every day after breakfast, which Ender gladly accepts. Eager for extra practice, Ender asks Petra to coach him during Free Play as well, but she declines. Ender decides to team up with the only other people who will practice with him: his Launchy friends. Their Free Play sessions are largely experimental, discovering what works by trial and error rather than instruction, but they are all serious about improving.