Martian Tripod MKIII

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Martian Fighting Machine MKIII by Garsondee

This is an extract from 'One hundred years under the Martians' - A book I've been working on for many years. For any War of the Worlds fans out there I hope this proves interesting! I hope to produce a whole series of journal entries about this topic in order to continue to develop the book.

Because of the difficulty in reading some of the bits of text attached to this image I've decided to put them all down here for reading, they might not make as much sense when put out of correct order but hopefully they'll help. The goal of the book is to produce a 100% straight faced approach to the fictional invasion in H.G. Wells groundbreaking book 'The War of the Worlds' - however it goes beyond the events of the book to the second invasion and one hundred years of mans attempts to overthrow their oppressors. I have purposefully written this entire document of information out with some interesting spelling mistakes in order to reflect a different society, in which values are more geared towards survival than the niceties of modern life. Hopefully I haven't overdone the effect.


Martian Fighting Machine
Third Generation

Analysis
Upon closer examination of the remains of a third generation (or MKIII) fighting machine several prominent features become evident. The first is that of the machines nature, it is essentially both animal and mechnical at the same time. How this aboninable union is achieved is quite beyond our science at the moment but is a source of much facinating research. Although now technically outdated this generation of FM still proves an efficient and stalwort adversary. It also helps to mark the transition between what humans and Martians consider “Total War” as until the creation of the MKIII the Martians could be considered to be treating the invasion of Earth as a hunting trip rather than a sustained attack against a determined and rapidly organising enemy.

From the front of a FM spew a selection of appendages,
most of which rarely are employed, except for the one
or sometimes two which wield heat rays. Note that this
model was prior to developments which allowed the
Martians to use a tracking turret in the front of the
vehicle to fire the heat ray, which proved many times
more effective.

These two holes are where the
the side legs of the tripod are attached.
They are much stronger and therefore
thicker than the rear leg, presumably
because the rear leg servers as little
more than a support for forward motion.

This illustration lacks the tripodal legs in order to
allow you to make easier recognition of what sets this
generation apart. Please take this into account in your
spotting duties as there are at least three known
types of FM within this generation.

The grim purpose of this hatch was not made obvious until a particularly brave observer was able to spy upon a recently fed Martian. Once the blood had been transfused from it’s victims this hatch formed an airlock through which the limp, bloodless corpses could be ejected without exposing the Martian to danger.

Note the need for breathing holes or gills which are evident at the front and sides of FM (fighting machine), presumably those at the front intake air and process it before those at the back exhale the exhausted gasses. As you have undoubtable learned,
The Martian has little need of oxygen having evolved on a planet on which this gas is  rarified and thin - however they are sluggish on their homeworld and the FM requires great quanties of oxygen in order to function with any speed.

Few people have come up with convincing evidence for what this arrangement’s purpose is, however the most likely possibility is that it is either a vestigal left over from the machines techno-biological past or that it performs a similar service as our radio communication systems. Either way, the MKIII represents a landmark in what appears to be well organised attacks.

One of the things less understood generally is the purpose of these large viens. When active they appear to pulse and contract, however when cut open they contain neither blood nor excriment. The most likely explanation is that this forms part of the FM’s breathing appertaus, especially considering how sensitive the Martians have become to our use of small pox. The MKII was the first to introduce any filtering system, however the MKIII has proved extremely resilient to even our most potent nerve agents and biological armaments.

Notice the increasingly different posture of Martian fighting machines. They started their invasion in unwieldy vertical tripods, perhaps to afford them the best view of the
surrounding country in order to catch their prey. However they have quickly learned to fear our snares and the audacity of netting teams. It would be safe to assume that progressivly the
Martian posture will shift lower to the gruond, which also apprears to be related to the changed tactics of man. No longer do they assume they can torch us from their lofty perches, now they realise they must dig up the streets to catch us.

No one would have believed in the last years of the nineteenth century that this world was being watched keenly and closely by intelligences greater than man's and yet as mortal as his own; that as men busied themselves about their various concerns they were scrutinised and studied, perhaps almost as narrowly as a man with a microscope might scrutinise the transient creatures that swarm and multiply in a drop of water.

- H.G. Wells 'War of the Worlds'
© 2008 - 2024 Garsondee
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