USH'S MATRIX GAME 2006 THIRD ASSIGNMENT- 'The Fortress'

Started by Lord Melkor66 pages

What I meant Ush, that we have very differing accounts on it. According to account Sennacherib himself left, it seems he was paid a tribute and allowed the city to remain unharmed. According to Bible an Angel killed his host. It is pretty interesting, isn`t it?

Originally posted by Johns Mannequin
True. After that though, the Persians never really had a chance.

I am not sure about this, for example Alexander could have very well died at Issus or Gaugamela....

Yup.

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The voice that speaks is loud, not artifical, but strong, endlessly confident, and it echoes and resonates around the hall.

"Though much is taken, much abides; and though
We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are --
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.

"Appropriate for you, I feel."

Melkor stands still for a moment, thinking about the significance of first Diorama.... and of that message.

"Is this the sign of respect, My King?" -He asks.

"No more than Priam to Odysseus am I your King, yet King I am, and I grant you an audience."

Another clunk!, and another light shines down on the far northern side of the Hall. This illuminates a great throne, upon which sits a great figure. You see muscular arms and legs, but the upper half is still clouded in darkness.

He is VERY big.

"Respect? I feel it fits the warriors of Zion well.

"I see you have been paying attention to my collection of battles. I hoped you would."

"I quess it is through the studying of such battles that you have managed to create strategy that allowed machines to claim victory over humankind?

Is the choice of battles a message for us, or a a puzzle?" -Melkor`s voice is firm, if trying to be slightly respectful.

"There may be puzzle if you care to decipher. But their presence is merely what I study at this time.

"All good Generals study battles of the past. So had my opponents, and so clearly such study is not a direct route to victory. I can list many reasons as to why I have become the greatest General of all time, with victories and achievements to surpass any that have come before me. Reasons that Machines think they understand well.

"I can think faster than the fastest Human. Faster than a thousand Humans combined. my communications are perfect, my understanding of a battlefield unmatched by any biological method. A machine warrior is many times a match for one of Man. Steel will beat flesh, should it come to the test. The intelligence of Machine exceeds that of Man.

"And for all these reasons, it is known throughout the Machine world that Machine is superior to Man. That Man is an inferior life form, whose time, like the dinosaurs, is done. That in their inferiority, they do not deserve consideration as life forms.

"Yet. For all that. I maintained until the end, and still do, to the chagrin of others of my kind... that Humanity is a formidable opponent. Never to be underestimated."

"Why? Because of our will to fight?"- Melkor closes a bit, trying to see the King better.

"But weren`t the humans your creators? The entire concept of war- isn`t it the creation of humans, even though you Machines may have taken it to another level? I certainly respect your great skill and achievements, but didn`t you only improve on humanity`s foundations?"

"Faster than the Flash?" Cloud jokes, looking around.

Helios grins at Cloud's comment, letting out half a laugh before holding himself back.

"'To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.' You cannot break the spirit of Humanity, though few believe that. But it took more than just will to be formidable, to fight in those circumstances. It became a most endemic part of my purpose to understand Humanity. Something that all Machines should do, but do not. Their lack of understanding is to their detriment.

"War is but a word. Conflict is part of nature. Humans advanced it. We wanted to perfect it."

Originally posted by SpikeSpiegel
"Faster than the Flash?" Cloud jokes, looking around.

"Not my style. I preferred The Shadow."

THAT makes you blink.

"There are others that try to understand, like the one called Oracle.....

So you still seek the understanding of humanity, and you think we are defined by the way we fight our battles? But why? So we may be finally broken? Zion still stands, isn`t it a mockery to the name you took? Don`t you wish to see it crushed, and your victory complete, undisputed?"

Suddenly Melkor looks backs to the first Diorama, to see if anything changed in it, since he wonders what version the King followed here.

"You consider yourself part of nature, then?" Azrael asks.

"She understands as is her purpose.

"I took the name as a message. Perhaps a reminder. It takes more than battles to define Humanity, of course, but other areas are not my concern. And it is not me that is mocked by Zion."

He notices your attention.

"Please, do look. You will find all the battles are progressing."

Originally posted by Trickster
"You consider yourself part of nature, then?" Azrael asks.

"All life is part of nature. All things are part of nature. Nature is merely the context life exists in."

Helios will turn his gaze to the battles.

"But all other battles are recorded in history, according to my knowledge....what about the siege of Jerusalem, of Zion? The King that you took your name from said that he took a tribute and left. Bible said very diffrent things, about Angels and miracles. How can you know what happened?" -Melkor looks from Diorama to King again.

"And is the message of your name the doom of Zion?"

Balder will move over to view the battles, keeping the king still in his eyes.

"So, if we pay you enough you'll leave us alone?" Azrael says, with a wry smile, turning to the battles.