*The Master of War is The Master of Mind* ### Introduction *This work has been part of my written works now for many years. It is a tale told among the people of my stories, and is taught at The Academy to encourage young ones to consider that their actions may be constantly and consistently watched, and they should behave in a manner that befits this. It also carries the dark connotation, in the later years within my Data Crash stories, as it bears the mark of the total domination, mind and memory, of rulers upon the lives of the people.* *It is one of my prouder stories, though sad, and dark.* *The arc of this tale is thus:* *Savofei was a respected General of an army. A key facet of this army is the use of a sort of mind-connected battle meditation which allows a General to see through the eyes of their soldiers, inspire them to new heights, and at need, totally control their actions.* *This General, at one time, meets the wife of one of his soldiers, and immediately falls madly in love. Infatuation causes a plummet in his ability to focus, and his wartime prowess begins to show cracks.* *Maddened by his obsession with this woman, he begins looking through his soldier's eyes off the battlefield, which culminates in a moment of passion when he takes control of his soldier while in bed with his wife, thus engaging in acts of passion through the soldier, with the soldier's wife.* *The tale inevitably concludes with a final stroke of madness, in which Savofei causes the soldier to be murdered on the battlefield by again taking control of his actions, and thrusting him directly into danger, thinking this would allow him then to marry the now-widowed woman of his obsession.* *But, we learn in the last moments, that it was Pharaoh who murdered the solider... through Savofei. In fact, it was Pharaoh who coveted the wife of the soldier most, and it was he who was acting through Savofei, instilling the madness of love in his heart, inflaming him to passion, and inevitably causing Savofei to destroy his career, and himself.* *Some tellings of the tale, especially those taught at The Academy of Scribes, place Pharaoh on a much holier pedestal, painting Pharaoh as a dealer of justice upon Savofei and not a desirous man.* *Thus follows The Tragedy of Sávofei.* --- Woe to the one who would overstep their station, to peer into the lives of another without consent. Master Zu is the war strategist of the entire spacefleet of Rising Star Empire. His command school is widely revered. A commander once lived, highest in rank, whose name was Savofei, and he could control one thousand men using Battle Mind.  Savofei had been rigorously trained since his youngest days for command. As a result, his mind was always occupied with war; he kept no friends, nor had he ever known love, and he looked only to his superiors for guidance. He was known to be cold, and concentrated, and rarely spoke. He  never laughed, so his soldiers said. Alone among his peers, he did not wish for an heir, choosing personal glory over the establishment of a great house. One soldier who fought in Savofei's unit was named Fang, and he fought with honor and love alongside his brothers in arms to protect his people. Fang had a wife, whose name was Faun, and they had a daughter, Wini, who they loved dearly. Their family lived in the greatest city of the greatest world in their empire, near to the palace of Master Zu. A great victory for the army occurred, and a celebration arose in the great city. Every home was open to passers-by; food and music was given freely from every home, and even Master Zu hosted a gathering for his elite commanders and their chosen guests. Savofei came to the gathering to honor the invitation of his master, and also invited his soldiers of highest rank; Fang was among them, and brought with him his wife and daugher. Fang was proud to be a member of this great unit, and he respected his commander Savofei greatest of all, greater even than his respect for Master Zu. His family also respected Savofei, though they had never met him before, but only heard tales of his strength and power of will. Fang told his family the story of Savofei's most famous victory, how he had held together the minds of one thousand soldiers, controlling their movements like wind were guiding their arms, and led them to a magnificent victory over their enemies. Savofei was walking round the party with an aloof gaze upwards, his hands grasping each other behind his back, considering the stars and their many cities. Fang noticed his commander walking near to them, and seized the opportunity to introduce his family to his great leader. Savofei, seeing Fang approach, turned to face him. It was not Fang that Savofei first noticed; Faun's shining beauty was all that the commander could see. He was struck as he had never been struck before, by love. He was aware that Fang was speaking, aware that he was introducing Savofei to this woman and the child that held her hand, and he saw them both bow to him with respect, but his entire body was numb with adrenaline, and his heart was racing up into his throat. Who was this woman, and why now, of all days, did love strike him? Logic and reason caught up with Savofei, then, and he realized that this woman was the wife of Fang, and that the girl at her hand was their daughter. Savofei quickly gained composure, maintaining a hard face and stance that did not belie his momentary infatuation, though he wondered if the woman had seen his mouth drop slightly, and that worried him. With respect, he gave a small bow to Fang, and then to Faun, and finally their daughter. He did not stay for conversation, as was normal for him, and quickly walked away, into a corner of the garden where he could sit, alone, and think. The celebrations lasted for several days, coming to a crescendo and a close on a bright summer's day. It was not long after these celebrations that a meeting was ordered by Master Wu. Every commander reported to the heart of the great city, where wars were planned. Master Wu was waiting for them. An empire of warriors had grown over confident, and began moving their fleets into Rising Star territories. Master Wu shared with his commanders the battle plans, and they would mobilize the army that very day.  After the meeting, Master Wu asked Savofei to remain behind. Master Wu gave to Savofei a great praise, and promoted him to an honor that none had ever gained. Savofei would become the Grand Master of Command for the coming engagements. He was given an army of four thousand to command using Battle Mind, and could also be in full control over the other commanders, if the need arose. This was a challenge that no other human, beside Master Wu, who invented the Battle Mind, had ever taken on. To control four thousand soldiers using the mind was beyong the abilities of any other commander; Savofei, however, was not like the other commanders, being born and raised for command, with great control of his own mind and will. He accepted the appointment, and made ready for travel. The fleet arrived near the edge of their territories. The command ship was surrounded by the fleet; battle cruisers with hundreds of cannons and two thousand soldiers each, with a personal fighter for each soldier ready in the hangars. The commanders gathered in a room atop the command ship, with glass windows looking every direction, empty except for a ring of cushions on a wooden floor. Savofei took the cushion on a raised platform, which only Master Wu had ever occupied before. Each commander took a seated posture, cleared their minds, and focused into Battle Mind. Savofei could peer into the thoughts of each commander, and into the four thousand soldiers that he was directly linked with. He could also reach beyond the commanders, into their own soldiers, which he would only do if a danger arose that he had to correct. From this lofty vantage, Savofei could employ the great techniques of making proper war. Where a unit should be, he could send them, with full control of their movements and actions, and an ability to influence their feelings and thoughts as well, supercharging them with their own adrenaline, or replenishing their morale in moments of peril. Savofei collected his two thousand, feeling them, but not entering into them wholly, as Master Wu had taught; _Push when the time is right to push, and let go when the time is right to let go. That is the way to victory._ The fleet made the final jump into enemy space, and took them by surprise. War erupted, the thousands of soldiers departing the battle cruisers in their personal fighter ships, and overwhelming the enemy completely. The battle was over before even a single cruiser was fired upon; though, they did lose a small number of solders.  The first victory was decisive, though now that the enemy knew they were confronted, Savofei knew that a strike was imminent. He ordered a retreat into space, to a point between the stars where the fleets could wait, and watch. Scouts were sent out, connected to Battle Mind all the while, scanning the star system and waiting for signs of an enemy fleet. Savofei's mind began to wander, again. He cursed himself. All the time, now, after he met that beautiful woman, his mind would wander to her. He had never lost his concentration, not once, even in his youth; and now, now that he was Grand Master of the Fleet and the Commander of Four Thousand Soldiers, his mind began to falter with thoughts of love. He was grateful that the other commanders could not peer into his mind. He had seen into theirs, during Battle Mind; clear, conscious, aware of the battle, yet slightly unrefined, blurry at times, undisciplined; at least to Savofei's standard of discipline. They could never master four thousand minds as he had done, he thought. Never. A day passed. The scouts had pulsed a message back to the command ship: _An enemy scout has come to the wreckage, and sent a message back to their leaders. The message can be followed into enemy space._ Savofei ordered several more scouts to scan the areas nearest the battle, to seek out the enemy's fleets.  Another day passed. One scout reported back: _A large fleet has just entered space near our worlds_. The fleet was mobilized to meet them, coming again on the surprise. The battle began, and Savofei pushed his soldiers out into the fray. He took an interest in looking into their minds; he had never thought to look into their personal thoughts, seeing his soldiers only as honorable tools of war. He looked, and there he found that many of the soldiers had undisciplined minds, with thoughts that scurried to and fro; here, a fear, there, a wish. Many thought of their cities, and their families, some said prayers, others curses. In the soldiers, Savofei found Fang, who was closing in on an enemy battle cruiser, about to deliver a missile to their heavy cannons. Savofei felt an unclean excitement course into his veins, and he peered into Savofei's mind. There was no thought but of honor and accomplishing his mission. Good, Savofei thought, he has the potential for discipline and mastery of his post. But Savofei did not find what he had hoped to find: a glimpse of Faun. He waited a moment, watching Fang's thoughts. Fang delivered a barrage of explosives onto the enemy battle cruiser and triggered a reaction which destroyed the ship. He shouted praises to his fellow soldiers.  Savofei became impatient. He raised his mind back to the battle, and found that his soldiers had fallen behind; a few of them were lost to war. He quickly powered them with adrenaline, then sent them into a frenzy, overcoming the enemy decisively and ending the battle. The fleet again retreated into space and sent scouts again to survey the enemy. This catch and battle routine continued for many weeks. All the while, Savofei demonstrated his skills of Battle Mind.