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

Suddenly, there is a clunk sound (possibly causing some of you to draw) as two great lights come on, illuminating the areas between pillars, one area to your left and one to the right.

That is followed by a second clunk, and a third. So that now six areas between pillars are illuminated brightly.

Within each one are what seem to be wide dioramas... of battles. They are animated, in some way you cannt quite fathom, and the view sometimes seems to shift.

From the south, near where you are, the sounds coming from these views are those of metal on metal, and the like. But furhter along, to the North, you can hear the sounds of gunfire emanating.

Cloud will draw both his swords, cautious of the displays.

"Some kind of museum?" He asks, rhetorically.

"I wonder if he thinks much of being a warlord," Hawk says sarcastically. He watches the dioramas with wary eyes.

Well, a close look at the dioramas shows that they have a considerable level of detail.

---

Diorama 1- A vast siege of a city in dry plains, maybe in a desert. Inside, huddled civilians in rags cower in terror. Outside the city lays a large army, that has blocked the entrances to the city, and has built great war towers around it. The soldiers are well-armed, some riding chariots.

---

Diorama 2- A battle by a large river, running across the diorama. The armies are well clad in broinze weaponry and armour. One on bank, the army is vast, cavalry near the river backed by infantry behind. The army on the othe side of the river is far smaller, with well armoured cavalry on the flank and many spear and shield wielding men in formation near the middle.

---

Diorama 3- A large square of infantry is on a hill. Down below them is a larger army, with impressive armoured horsemen armed with lances. Both sides are outfitted with metal weapons. There is a noticeable difference in skin tone between the armies; those on the hill pale and white, those down below of dark complexion.

---

Diorama 4- Atop a hill, with hastily thrown together fortifications, a group of musket-armed men hold the ground, The hill is near a town, where rifle-armed men are ready to fire on their foes. The attackers are redcoat wearing massed ranks of infantry, disembarking from boats out on the nearby coast.

---

Diorama 5- By far the largest single engagement. Two massive armies are drawn up on green fields. There is a vast variety of colours and shades on the uniforms on both sides sides, but one side at least has a very notable concentration of blue. Large artillery pieces fire out from both sides; the side in blue is on the offensive against the other side, who are behind enormous redoubts and other defensive positions. Smoke from musket and cannon fire covers the battlefield.

---

Diorama 6- This is not a single engagement; the scene shifts continuously. There are no elegant formations here; men in field grey uniforms move forward in small squads, backed by small field guns and huge guns behind the the battlefront. Up against them are men in colourful blue uniforms, also backed by field pieces, or sometimes men in khaki, few in number but laying down fast and effective rifle fire. The battle seems to revolve around the securing of a river; the men in grey are trying to throw the others out of the theatre.

-----

Particular questions about each battle can be asked. Things appear to be developing in each.

Melkor looks closer at Diorama 1, which is the only one that seems to involve civillians. What kind of city is it?

"It seems that he still wants to become a better general, lack of purpose notwithstanding". -He comments thoughtfully.

The city is of stone and seems of reasonable size. It is definitely ancient.

Does it seem that this is a real historic event, or just a theoretical simulation? Let`s say Melkor liked history at school.

Let's say you did! What do you think?

Do I see any outfits or anything resembling ancient Egypt? Perhaps Pharaoh`s army lays siege to a city in ancient Syria?

The landscape would fit but not the army.

Army of the Persian King, perhaps? Is the army laying the siege composed of varied skin colors?

Well, I am pretty confident that what I learnt at school is the real earth history? Machines would have no reason to change it, right? The thought is a bit unsettling...

It's damn hard to be sure., You can't even be certain what year it is, your own records are so poor. All pre-war history you have ever received has, technically, been from the machines. Who knows? This all started in a Museum- purporting to be history, recovered fossils and bones, but all entirely fake. That is the nature of the Matrix, and it is not just solid things. Knowledge is enslaved to the Machines also.

You don't notice anything particularly multi-cultural about the civilians.

Hawk focuses on the 4th diorama. "I think this is part of the American Revolutionary War..."

If I may take a wild guess, I'd say the Battle of Bunker Hill?

I was asking more about the army on this....

But if he studies human warfare still..... Machines learned much from humans, didn`t they?

It is indeed Bunker Hill, fought, of course, on anything but Bunker Hill.

-

The army is not totally homogenous, though it is hard to tell much detail. But nor is it staggeringly multi-cultural either.

And, well... you can draw your own conclusions.

Wouldn`t Machines think of themselves as something like next step of evolution, since they surpassed their own creators? From their point of view, they can do anything humans can, but are without many limitations....

Invading army looks like people from Middle East, definately not Greek or Roman?

Indeed not.

And they might...

"Yeah, this is it, alright," Hawk says, grinning as he remembers fully. "Fought on Breed's Hill, where the Colonists had holed themselves up. Took 'em three tries, but the British finally overran the defenses. Cost 'em over 1000 men, though..."

Hawk looks over at Diorama 2. Does either side look rather Roman?

Nope.

I'm guessing the 5th is from the American Civil War but what battle, I couldn't even attempt to make a guess at...