Marcos Vladimir Ribeira von Hesse, more commonly known as Miro, was a Xenologer on the planet of Lusitania.[1] He was first introduced in Speaker for the Dead.
History[]
Speaker for the Dead[]
Miro met Andrew Wiggin at his family's home. Though he did not trust the Speaker at first, he soon came to like him. The Pequeninos began to demand that Miro bring the Speaker of the Dead to them, which Ouanda Figueira, Miro's fellow xenologer, disapproved of. Eventually they decided to bring Andrew Wiggin to the Pequeninos, and told him that since Pipo Figueria's time, the xenologers of Lusitania had educated the aliens and provided them with certain advantages (such as the knowledge of how to make bread), an act forbidden by Starways Congress. When Starways Congress detected the interference with the natural cultural evolution of the Pequeninos, an order was sent to arrest Miro and Ouanda. Miro tried to force himself over the electric fence to avoid arrest by chewing capim, a grass that acted as a anesthetic for the Pequeninos but was mostly ineffectual for humans. As a result, he was handicapped. The doctor Navio was called but was unable to help. He suffered severe brain damage that left him unable to walk or speak normally. Eventually, Andrew Wiggin introduced him to the sentient AI Jane, who was intelligent and patient enough with him to serve as a sort of translator.[1]
Xenocide[]
In order to get away from his family that he felt he was growing apart from, Miro volunteered to go on a starship that was sent to meet Valentine Wiggin. Due to the relativistic effects of near-lightspeed travel, his week-and-a-half trip was equivalent to 30 years in real time.[4]
On the first trip to the Outside, Miro held the image of his pre-accident, healthy body in his mind; instantly leaving his former, crippled body to crumble into dust while he watched from his new body.[4]
Children of the Mind[]
Later, Miro married Jane, who had been given the body of Valentine Wiggin II.[3]
The Last Shadow[]
Sometime after his marriage, Miro was taught by Jane how to instantaneously travel inside and Outside. He used this ability to teleport to The Box in orbit around Descoladora to study the planet.[2]
In 3180 AX, Miro and Jane instantaneously traveled to the Herodotus, a starship carrying the Delphiki Family, to inform them about the Descolada problem after being requested by the data of Hyrum Graff's brain. After appearing in the mess hall of the ship, Jane walked to Ender Delphiki and expressed that he looked much like his parents, Bean and Petra Arkanian. The hologram of Hyrum Graff thought Jane was Valentine Wiggin, though much younger than she should be. She introduced Miro to the group and explained how Andrew Wiggin had created her body and Peter Wiggin II while Outside, as well as the concept of an Aiúa and how the Recolada had neutralized the Descolada on Lusitania. The Leguminids doubted Jane's story and were baffled at how she and Miro appeared instantaneously on the ship. Jane then instantly transported them all to a plain of grass on Lusitania. Jane stated that she had left the Herodotus in orbit around the planet and explained the concept of instantaneous travel to them, and that she had sent Carlotta and Cincinnatus to Nokonoshima to persuade their spouses to join the Delphikis on Lusitania. Ender spoke out, saying that he did not wish to live as man and wife with his ex-wife Mayumi. Miro then rebuked the Leguminids for considering themselves separate from humanity, and Ender was sent to join his siblings.[2]
A few days later, Miro conversed with Thulium about the harm he believed the Leguminids were causing to themselves if they remained aboard the Herodotus. Thulium asked why they were not being allowed to see non-scientist Lusitanians, but he dodged the question. Thulium also posed the theory that they did not want the Leguminids in orbit on the Herodotus for fear that they would see something they were not supposed to. As Miro and the others were hiding the Formics' existence from them at this time, he remained silent. He also explained the story of his paralysis and the creation of a new body while Outside. Miro probed into Thulium's backstory, noticing that her brothers had a habit of hurting her.[2]
Thulium then explained her disagreement with the current hypothesis about the Descoladores being a sentient species that developed the use of genetic molecules as weapons and tools and communication devices, as it was unlikely that they would digitize those molecules and transmit them to the crew of[the Box, as the only way they could do harm is if the crew built the molecule to enter their organisms. Her hypothesis was that the Descoladores simply adapted their level of science when the Descolada struck them, unlike the Pequeninos were able to do.[2]
Several days later, Miro and Jane met with Thulium after her journey across the grasslands where she encountered the Formics and Pequeninos. Jane explained that she was in constant contact with the Fathertrees and the Hive Queen of Shakespeare, which is how they knew where she was. After expressing her gladness that the disruption field was at a lower setting, Jane quietly asked Miro if that was an option for it.[2]
Miro later attended a presentation to the Leguminids on the prior research about the Descolada hosted by Valentine Wiggin. Later, Miro was asked by Brussels 'Sprout' Delphiki if he could meet Miro's sister Quara. Miro said that he wouldn't want to. He asked Miro if they had found bones of the life-forms that went extinct after the Descolada but he said none have been found. When Sprout pressed the issue about determining if Fathertrees could be polinated, Miro jokingly told him to go find out from the Pequeninos and casually mentioned how they had vivisected Pipo Figueira and Libo Figueira. After continuing to press the question of uncovering information about pre-Descolada Lusitania and being rebuffed by Miro, Sprout left.[2]
Later that night as Jane and Miro slept together they discussed what had transpired in the Queen's chambers.A few days later, Miro approached Wang-mu and asked if she would leave him and Peter alone to talk, which Wang-mu accepted. Miro went into Peter's room where they argued over the mission profile again. Peter expressed his disdain at Jane teaching Thulium how to instantaneously travel.[2]
One night while dreaming, the Fathertree Human asked Miro if he could enter his dream, to which Miro said yes. He and Human discussed who was capable of instantaneous travel, and why Pequeninos were seemingly incapable of it. This conversation was later quoted by Olhado Ribeira in The Aiúa in Theory and Practice.[2]
When Sprout returned from Descoladora, he explained that he had met a man with ape-like features named Ruqyaq, who explained that the residents of the planet, which they called Nest, originally came from Earth after the First Formic War and modified themselves during the non-relatavistic journey into a subspecies called the Yachachiyruna or Engineers, and that the birds had bred intelligence into themselves. Jane conversed with Thulium about the discovery and Thulium expressed heavy doubt. Jane, with access to ancient databases, confirmed the existence of the Quispe clan and the ship Ark.[2]
Jane collected Thulium, Peter, Wang-mu, Miro, Ela and Quara Ribeira, the Raven Dog, along with 3 Pequeninos and 3 Formic workers to meet with Sprout. With everybody assembled, they watched the video recordings that a Yachachi had made of Sprout's activities on Nest. After seeing proof, Ela said that she would not have called the meeting if she knew the proof existed. Thulium asked Jane if Sprout had developed the ability of Outside-in travel, which she confirmed. Jane also explained that Outside-in travel came easily to Leguminids, as well as Peter, Wang-mu and Miro, but that the Hive Queen had told her that most lacked the ability to bring anything except themselves through. Dog expressed disappointment over this, but Sprout explained that it would be disastrous if all Keas learned how to and created chaos on all the worlds. Jane expressed a desire to meet the Runa, the normal humans of Nest, and Dog said that she would set up a meeting. Sprout asked Dog if he did a good job meeting the Yachachi, and Dog said that they could not have chosen a better emissary. The Pequenino Fingers talked with Dog about helping them proccess the data in the video, and explained that his name was Fingers (digits) because he was good with computers.[2]
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.[2]
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.[2]
Miro and Sprout discussed the origin of the biological weapon, whether it was deliberately created or was a plague on Nest that the Folk had become immune to. He told the idea to the group, and they suggested getting a live sample to look at it. Carlotta used a scalpel to scrape an infinitesimally thin patch from the inside of her wrist. After 6 hours of examinations, it ended up looking like a parasite. Jane mentioned that the Hive Queen had requested to see Thulium before she died, and soon after Jane, Thulium, and Sprout had Detoured away. When they returned, Thulium apolgized for her actions and Jane explained the cure to those in the room. Sprout was treated first and it was done in half an hour. Jane sent people out of the building as soon as their cure was complete. When they finished, Miro told Sprout to tell his father, Yuuto, that he had performed bravely and brilliantly.[2]
When Peter and Wang-mu came back from Nest, they brought 2 dead Keas with them, as it seemed that hundreds had died. Those in the Q-Bay investigated the cause but nothing turned up, it seemed as though the birds just died. Miro said that they should return, but in a Box for any birds to escape into. They filled it with roosts and sent it to Nest. Peter and Wang-Mu walked toward the Council trees, where Ruqyaq emerged, and he asked if they could take Keas and Ravens to escape. Ruqyaq explained that the weapon was a combination of ultrasound and infrasound, that he had designed for riot control twenty years ago. Ruqyaq took them to an area with some Keas and Ravens still alive, and Sprout invited them into the Box. Jane sent the Box full with birds back and forth dozens of times. Eventually there was no birds left except for a few that hovered off in the distance, apparently with no wish to go even under threat of death. Then the Yachachi emerged from the trees, and Jane teleported them away, and the group Detoured back to the Q-Bay.[2]
The group then went to the meadow to sort the birds. Jane told them to divide themselves into their breeding populations, then instructed the Keas to form a group who wanted to be alone and a group that wished to be with the Ravens, as they could not be trusted with humans. One by one the patches of birds disappeared as Jane sent them to the colonies. The Yachachi sat on the edge, and Ruqyaq asked Jane if they could stay on Lusitania, but she said no as the only trees on Lusitania were the sacred Fathertrees. Jane also instructed them to make clothes for themselves, so they asked to stay for a few more days.[2]
After the Descolada problem was solved, the Leguminids had a meeting that was also attended by Miro. They realized that a normal world and education were off the table for them, as well as returning to the Herodotus, as it had already been claimed by Sergeant and the twins. Thulium said she intended to travel but would usually stay on Lusitania, and Miro said that he, Jane, Peter, and Wang-mu would stay there as well. Boss asked if they could stay at their building on Lusitania, and Miro agreed if Yuuto would pay for it. The rest of the Leguminids agreed to stay and live with the people of Lusitania.[2]