Benedetto was a tax accountant on the world of Sorelledolce.[1] He was first introduced in "The Investment Counselor".
History[]
The Investment Counselor[]
Benedetto lived about 400 years after the War of Xenocide on the planet of Sorelledolce. Andrew and Valentine Wiggin stopped on the planet and found that Andrew had to pay taxes for the first time, as Andrew had reached the relative age of twenty, the legal age for Starways Congress taxation. He went to the starport tax helpers and met Benedetto, who assumed he was a rich trust fund kid. Upon presenting his identification, Benedetto was baffled that Andrew had the same name as Ender the Xenocide, and assumed it was a fake ID. Andrew explained that if it were a fake it would be a bad choice, and he just simply had the bad luck to share his name with the Xenocide. He asked to leave the starport to sort out his taxes on a personal computer, but Bendetto denied his request. As Andrew entered his ID on the computer to sort his taxes out, Bendetto had an illegal software logging his information. Seeing his massive holdings, Benedetto planned to embezzle his funds and buy a large estate on Sorelledolce. Andrew asked to simply free a portion of his funds until he could sort it out and Bendetto allowed it and gave him a thirty-day pass. After he left, Bendetto tried to pull up his snitch program but found it was no longer on his computer. He attempted to find it with another program but that program was soon deleted as well. He thought that Andrew must have been a Starways Congress spy sent to try to subvert the independence of Sorelledolce, but then thought it was likely untrue.[1]
Benedetto researched Andrew's past and discovered this Andrew Wiggin was Ender Wiggin, the Xenocide. He immediately began thinking of how to blackmail him. When Andrew returned to file his taxes, Benedetto did not believe that his tax sum was accurate. Benedetto revealed that he knew Andrew was Ender the Xenocide, and threatened to expose it to the newsnets. Andrew asked for proof, and when Benedetto pulled up his voyage log he found that they were blank. Benedetto grumbled and gave Andrew a pass for his taxes and his stay on Sorelledolce. He tried to duplicate the research that had led him to Andrew's real identity, but now government security had been slapped all over the files and his third attempt at inquiry brought up a Fleet Security warning that if he persisted in attempting to access classified material, he would be investigated by Military Counter-intelligence. Benedetto began to write a report on how he found Ender the Xenocide. Just before he submitted it, Jane's face appeared on screen and asked him to reconsider. Benedetto ignored Jane and sent the essay, to which Jane attached another essay detailing all of his blackmailing schemes. He was arrested within the hour and sent to prison, where he was soon murdered, his throat being cut and his head jammed into the toilet. Andrew, feeling as though it were somehow his fault, gave Benedetto's family some of his money and later Spoke his death at his funeral.[1]
Personality[]
Benedetto was a corrupt man who frequently stole from his customers, using illegal software.[1]
Trivia[]
Quotes[]
- "Afraid someone will look over your shoulder? See how much of an allowance Grandmother left you?"
- — First Meetings in the Enderverse, page 173