Tag: genius, star-wars, thrawn

War is a primarily a game of skill. It is a Contest of mind matched against mind, tactics matched against tactics.But there is also an element of chance that is more suited to games of cards or dice. A wise tactician studies those games, as well, and learns from them.The first lesson of card games is that the cards cannot be played in random order. Only when laid down properly can victory be achieved. In this case, there were but three cards.The first was played at the encampment. The result was entrance to the Strikefast. The second was played aboard ship. The result was promise of passage to Coruscant, and the assignment of Cadet Vanto as my translator.The third was a name: Anakin Skywalker.

To some extent, the direction of one’s chosen path automatically selects for the paths that may cross it. A warriors path will intersect the paths of other warriors, allies and enemies alike. A workers path will interest the paths of other workers.But as with games of cards and dice, sometimes unexpected crossings occur. Some are driven by chance, others by design, others by a change in one’s goal.Some are driven by malice.Such manipulations can prove effective in the short term. But the longer-term consequences can be perilously difficult to predict.The path of Arihnda Pryce is one such example. A deep and perceptive study of it can serve as a valuable lesson.And as an even more valuable warning.

All opponents are not necessarily enemies. But both enemies and opponents carry certain characteristics in common. Both perceive their opposite as an obstacle, or an opportunity, or a threat. Sometimes the threat is personal; other times it is a perceived violation of standards or accepted norms of society.In modest form, the opponent’s attacks are verbal. The warrior must choose which of those to stand against,, and which to ignore.Often that decision is taken from his hands by others. In those cases, lack of discipline may dissuade the opponent from further attacks. More often, though, the opponent finds himself encouraged to continue or intensify the attacks.It is when the attacks become physical that the warrior must take the most dangerous of choices.

A leader is responsible for those under his authority. That is the first rule of command. He is responsible for their safety, their provisions, their knowledge, and, ultimately, their lives.Those whom he commands are in turn responsible for their behavior and their dedication to duty. Any who violates his trust must be disciplined for the good of others.But such discipline is not always easy or straightforward. There are many factors, some of them beyond the commander’s control. Sometimes those complications involve personal relationships. Other times it isn’t the circumstances themselves that are difficult. There can also be politics and outside intervention.Faliure to act always brings consequences. But sometimes, those consequences can be turned to one’s advantage.

There is satisfaction in defeating an enemy. But one must never allow oneself to become complacent. There are always more enemies to be identified, faced, and vanquished.All warriors understand the need to face and defeat the enemy. Both aspects of the task can be challenging. Both can require thought, insight, and planning. Failures in any of those areas can cost unnecessary time and irreplaceable lives.But a warrior may forget that even the task of identifying the enemy can be difficult. And the cost of that failure can lead to catastrophe.

Military leadership is a journey, not a destination. It is continually challenged, and must continually prove it self anew against fresh obstacles. Sometimes those obstacles are external events. Other times they are the doubts of those being led. Still other times they are a result of the leaders’s own failures and shortcomings.Political power and influence are different. Once certain levels have been reached, there is no need to prove leadership or competence. A person with such power is accustomed to having every word carefully considere, and every whim treated as an order. And all who recognize that power know to bow to it.A few have the courage or the foolishness to resist. Some succeed in standing firm against the storm. More often, they find their paths yet again turned form their hopes for goal.

One whose path has taken a new turn is often initially disoriented. But as time passes, and the path continues steadily in its new direction, there is a tendency to believe that it will remain so forever, with no further turns.Nothing is further from the truth. A path once bent is always susceptible to new changes.Particularly when the original change came from manipulation by an outside force.

Leadership and obedience are the two legs on which a warrior’s life is balanced. Without both, victory cannot be achieved.Leadership depends on information and comprehension. Not so obedience. Sometimes a commander may choose to share details of his plan. Often he may not. In either case, obedience must be instant and complete.Such automatic response relies on trust between commander and those commanded. And that trust can only be obtained through leadership.

No battle plan can anticipate all contingencies. There are always unexpected factors including those stemming from the opponent’s initiative. A battle must thus becomes a balance between plan and improvisation, between error and correction.It is a narrow line. But it is a line one’s opponent must also walk. For all the balance of experience and cleverness, it is often the warrior who acts quickest who will prevail.

There are things in the universe that are simply and purely evil. A warrior does not seek to understand them, or compromise with them. He seeks only to obliterate them

All beings begin their lives with hope and aspirations. Among these aspirations is the desire that there will be a straight path to those goals. It is seldom so. Perhaps never. Sometimes the turns are of one’s own volition, as one’s thoughts and goals change over time. But more often the turns are mandated by outside forces.It was so with me. The memory is vivid, unsullied by age: the five admirals rising from their chairs as I am escorted into the chamber. The decision of the Ascendancy has been made, and they are here to deliver it.None of them is happy with the decision. I can read that in their faces. But they are officers and servants of the Chiss, and they will carry out their orders. Protocol alone demands that.The word is as I expected.Exile.The planet has already been chosen. The Aristocra will assemble the equipment necessary to endure that solitude does not quickly become Death from predators or the elements.I am led away. Once again, my path has turned.Where it will lead, I cannot say.

A life path may change because of important decisions or events. Those were what drove my current path.But sometimes the smallest event can also drive a turn. In the case of Eli Vanto, that force was a single, overheard word.Chiss. Where had Cadet Vanto heard that name? What did it mean to him? He had already spoken one reason, but there might well be others. Indeed, the full truth might have several layers. But what were they?On a ship as large as this, there was only one practical way to find out.Thus did my path take yet another turn. As, certainly, did his.