Cincinnatus Delphiki, nicknamed Sergeant, was the son of Petra Arkanian and Bean and a passenger on the Herodotus.[3] He was first mentioned in Shadow of the Giant.
History[]
Shadow of the Giant[]
Cincinnatus was the third embryo conceived by Bean and Petra. However, he was stolen by Achilles de Flandres and implanted into a surrogate mother. Cincinnatus was later recovered by his true parents and they discovered that he too carried the genetic manipulation of Anton's Key.[2]
Shadows in Flight[]
He was taken into space aboard the Herodotus along with his father Bean, and his siblings Carlotta and Ender. The four-person family traveled at relativistic speeds to forestall death, waiting for scientists on Earth to develop a cure for Anton's Key.[3]
The Last Shadow[]
Around 3165 AX, the inhabitants of the starship Herodotus landed on the planet Nokonoshima. There, Sergeant married a woman named Airi, Carlotta married a man named Yuuto, and Ender married a woman named Mayumi. They remained on the planet for 4 years, as it took awhile for Carlotta to find a spouse. Airi gave birth to twins Dysprosium Delphiki and Lanthanum Delphiki, and a year later had Thulium Delphiki. Sergeant's siblings also had children of their own. However, three weeks after Thulium was born in 3169 AX, the Delphiki family kidnapped their children and took them back aboard the Herodotus to continue their relativistic journey. Sergeant only sent his wife a brief text as goodbye. Before they left, the Herodotus stopped at the Tochoji spaceport for repairs and refitting.[1]
In 3180 AX, a computer program reflecting the mind of Hyrum Graff found its way into the computers of the Herodotus and conversed with Carlotta and Thulium. Graff revealed that he had been slowing down the Herodotus to non-relativistic speed in order so that the Leguminids may help solve the problem of the Descolada on Lusitania. After their conversation, Carlotta told the rest of the family on board the ship. Sergeant felt suspicious of Carlotta and Thule after this revelation and wondered if Carlotta had corrupted his daughter, as well as how they would stop a world that produced viruses like the Descolada. He instructed Thulium not to discuss the topic with the rest of the family.[1]
The cousins met together in the mess hall with Ender and talked about identifying the Descolada planet. Sergeant came in and listened to the discussion briefly before starting to walk out. After prompting by Ender, Sergeant explained his thoughts that it was most likely that even if the virus was created, its creators were most likely extinct by millions of years. Graff appeared as a hologram again in the room, who Sergeant promptly dismissed and left the mess hall. Soon after, Sergeant was instantaneously transported to Nokonoshima by Jane along with Carlotta. There, they were instructed by the hologram of Graff that they were to convince their ex-spouses to join the rest of the Delphikis on Lusitania, as Graff and Jane believed that their children needed both of their parents.[1]
Sergeant decided to bring his twin sons with him to the planet. However, when a meeting was called between the Delphikis and the spouses, Sergeant refused to attend. His siblings managed to convince their spouses to go to Lusitania, however Sergeant's wife Airi, upon seeing her sons Lanth and Dys, refused to go to Lusitania. When they returned, Sergeant learned that Thulium had gone to Descoladora and was displeased in his daughter, and forbid her from returning. Thulium then teleported Outside-In to show off to her father. Not impressed, she then teleported him as well to the outskirts of the Formic colony. Thulium explained how the Formics were re-established by Ender Wiggin. Thulium then threatened to send him back to Nokonoshima if Sergeant tried to interfere with the descolada project. Sergeant did not balk at this, so she teleported him to Nokonoshima. After a moment had passed she brought him back, but he looked unfazed. Sergeant asked Brussels Delphiki and Delft Delphiki what their purpose was now on Lusitania. Thulium then verbally dressed-down Sergeant and then sent him to bed by teleporting him to his quarters.[1]
Some time later, a meeting was called for all members of the Descolada Project, where they discussed the discovery of the Recorder virus being a precursor to the Descolada, and about the intentions of the Makers of the Recorder. Jane also mentioned that the Folk had invited the Lusitanians to a banquet that night, and they hypothesized that it was a trap. Peter II and Wang-mu refused to go with them, citing that Dog had given them a hint that they would be harmed by the Folk and that Wang-mu was pregnant. Mazer 'Boss' Delphiki mentioned that they should come up with a name for instantaneous travel, and Petra 'Little Mum' Delphiki suggested that they name it Detouring. Jane asked for a show of hands of who would go meet the Folk, and everybody except for Peter and Wang-mu volunteered. Sergeant suggested they bring armaments but Ender discouraged it, and Jane said that the instant conflict occured they would leave. Sprout asked why there were no Formics or Pequeninos at the meeting, and Jane explained that the Fathertrees and Hive Queens banned their children from going to Nest. Ela explained that they would address the Folk by explaining that they planned to leave Nest for good after the banquet, with the assurance that they would not add their world to any database or atlas. Sprout suggested that they bring breeding pairs of Keas and Ravens, and the rest said that if they wanted to come they could take them to the Lusitanian Colonies. Peter then demanded that they leave Sergeant behind due to his hostile nature, fearing an incident with the Folk, however Jane and the rest saw no reason to leave him. The group also noted Thulium was not present, and Jane expected to find her on Nest.[1]
The group then Detoured to a spot near the ocean on Nest. The Kea Royal Son greeted them and explained that he and other Keas would guide them to the Folk. The group came to a doorway built into a recessed place in a rocky cliff, and the door opened automatically. They entered into a room that turned out to be an elevator, and it lowered them down a long time. The elevator opened into a large room. The Folk made introductions to the adults of the group but ignored the children. Far back in the room they saw several highly elaborate chairs in the middle, one of which was occupied by Thulium. One of the Folk said that Thulium had brought her friends as promised, and asked her to introduce them to the Folk. As she listed their names, a spotlight shone on each one as though the Folk knew their names. The group was invited to sit down, but Sprout snuck over to Thulium and noticed that they had her face thickly caked with makeup that looked chalky, but noticed some bumps Thulium usually did not have. Sprout scraped away the layer of white, which fell off and uncovered dozens of small blisters, and a clear fluid had burst out of them. Sprout called out to Jane and showed her the blisters. A few Folk moved to try to intercept Jane, and some of what looked to be the Folk's highest officers looked cheerful, as if they had already won a war that wasn't supposed to start. Jane Detoured everybody back to the Q-Bay. Sprout and Jane talked to Thulium and she explained that she had gone yesterday to the Folk, and the blisters appeared that morning when she woke up. They began to examine the microorganisms to find out how to cure it, and Sergeant held his daughter's hand. Sergeant then demanded that the twins be returned to Lusitania, when it looked like Thulium might die. Soon after, the Hive Queen created a cure for them using slug-like Formicoid creatures.[1]
After the Keas, Ravens, and Yachachi had been sent to the colony worlds to escape the Folk, Sergeant went to Jane and explained that he did not want to stay on Lusitania, and would prefer to return to the Herodotus. He said that the twins would come with him as they were too immature for anybody else to want them, but he also demanded Thuluim come with him too. Jane refused, because Thulium was "extremely important" and also had the ability to teleport wherever she pleased, so she could not be kept on the ship. Their conversation was later quoted by Plikt in Leguminidae.[1]
Back on the Herodotus, Sergeant took Dys and Lanth back to their separate rooms as they were causing too much havok together. Hearing Graff speak, Sergeant mentioned purging him from the ship's computer, but Graff said that he was the ship's computer. When Graff called him Sergeant, he rebuffed him and told Graff to call him Cincinnatus. Graff offered Sergeant advice on taming his children, and observed that he did not like his children. Sergeant said that he did not like children, but loved Thulium. Sergeant also admitted he needed advice on being a father, as Bean mostly talked about science when he was alive, and accepted Graff's help.[1]
Personality[]
Trivia[]
- Cincinnatus Delphiki was named for a Roman military leader who was called upon to lead the Romans during a conflict, and afterward rejected the opportunity to remain in power and returned to live peacefully on his farm.[3]