Nobleman: The Return

After a little instruction, Jav tries to ride the motorcycle. His first attempts are a bit shaky, but he quickly masters the art of balancing the motorcycle. His first attempt to turn the motorcycle results in Jav crashing and falling off the device.
The military officer calls to Jav to find out if Jav is hurt.
Jav picks himself up, dusts himself off and replies, “As I lad I learned to ride a horse. I was thrown off, shall we say, more than one time. I found that the only thing to do was to get back on and try again.”
After a few more tries, Jav is able to turn the motorcycle. He leans a bit and the machine responds by turning in the direction in which Jav leans. Jav says, “This is much better machine, you now obey my instructions. You can't judge the ground as well as my horse could. However, you can run faster, even much faster. We will have to learn how I might best use you, machine.”
After a while, the military officer tells Jav, “That should do it for today. You have done well for a beginner, but you have a great deal to learn.”
Jav says, “The longest journey begins with a single step. In addition, the novice traveler may find himself on the ground after a mistake. However, travel I will and learn I will. Machine and I will soon have the art of travel mastered. It is simply a matter of getting to know each other better.”
* * *
The soldier speaks to The Lady Quianna. He reports, “My Lady, the Duke can now operate motorized vehicles from motorcycles to aircraft. He is a good, if slightly reckless operator of each of the vehicles. However, there's one thing that I will mention, in strict confidence, if My Lady will allow.”
The Lady Quianna seems puzzled, but directs the soldier to continue.
The man says, “My Lady, The Duke always talks to the vehicle as he operates it. Much as a man might talk to a horse as he guides it through some course. I'm not entirely sure that The Duke realizes that mechanical devices aren't alive. Ah, ... My Lady will not tell The Duke what I have said?”
The Lady Quianna laughs and then asks, “I won't discuss your confidence with the Duke. Do you fear the Duke’s anger?”
The soldier thinks for a few moments. He then says, “The Duke may lead troops into battle in the future. I would be among those troops. The Duke will select only the very best troops and those who are personally loyal to the Duke. I would not have the Duke think me disloyal.”
The Lady Quianna thinks for a moment then looks sharply at the soldier. “Then, soldiers would willingly follow a man of five centuries ago into a modern battle?”
The soldier replies, “Fighting men will always follow a true leader into battle. The Duke is such a leader. Men who come into contact with him see him at first as a sort of strange character out of history. Once they see the Duke train, they realize that the Duke was and is a cunning, savage warrior who will lead men to victory from the front of the battle. Fighting men ask for nothing more.”
The Lady Quianna quickly asks, “Then the Duke’s strength is what impresses the soldiers?”
The soldier smiles briefly, “That too, My Lady. The Duke has been given tactical exercises to conduct. He can visualize the whole battlefield in his mind. He had developed the talent back when the only information available was fragmented reports from a horse cavalry screen. With modern information systems he appears to have an almost magical grasp of what's happening over an entire battlefield. He can quickly develop tactical maneuvers that will win, given even forces or delay superior forces if he doesn't in fact defeat the superior forces.”
The Lady Quianna again asks, “I'm amazed. Have tactics not changed considerably in five centuries?”