NBA Dramatique, Prelude 28

In the brief span of time between the threat of war and the act of war, it is appropriate to stand as an outsider and examine the cause of war - The Prize.

The Prize is a golden sculpture, depicting the Earth at the edge of a deep hole. The intent of the depiction has been lost to history, but it is often interpreted as either being a representation of the world falling into darkness and uncertainty and in need of rescue, or the opposite - a new world emerging from the depths of chaos into the new light.

Thirty armies will spend months engaging one another in all-out combat for the chance to obtain the Prize. They each have their own particular reasons for seeking it out, and the soldiers, generals, commanders, bureaucrats, etc. that comprise those armies may have individual reasons for wanting it, but there are some common factors that make it desired by all. There are compelling reasons that this war is fought again and again, with never a permanent peace. Wealth is one reason. Those that come in contact with its surface often find their personal fortunes increased. Though this wealth tends to be fleeting, it remains a powerful motivator. Another reason is fame. If you make a name for yourself and your fellow fighters by claiming the Prize, those names are not soon forgotten. That reason plays into the third - immortality. Capturing the Prize is a terribly difficult task to achieve, and it can not ever be undone. If a man touches it just once, he will always have touched it. Its cool and gleaming surface will carry his name with it everywhere for all of existence, and for as long as that man draws breath, he will be reminded and questioned about his time in possession of the Prize.

It should be noted that these gifts increase exponentially with each successive capture of the Prize. Claiming it once makes one rich, and famous, and remembered, but capturing it more than once makes one richer, and renowned, and timeless. It also grants a perpetuation of legacy upon repeat victors, for the more often it is claimed by a single army, the easier it becomes to lure the best soldiers to that army, which in turn makes it easier for that army to claim the Prize again.

If at this point I given the impression that the Prize is an unwitting nonparticipant in its fate, I must apologize. The Prize has abilities that I have described above that may be supernatural or may be the complex mechanics of social behavior. But it also has a will, and an awareness. Consider this: the Prize was captured in the last war and is currently held by the Bastion. If the war were only the means to the ends of taking the Prize from the Bastion, twenty-nine armies would batter the walls of that luck-blessed outpost until it was no more than dust, then fight amongst themselves in a giant dog-pile with the Prize at the bottom. But that would be simple and dull. The Prize moves itself into the arms of those most worthy. It knows which army is most deserving of its gifts, and awards the force that displays true dominance over all others.

As the quiet of today draws its last breath; as those who fight make their final preparations; as those of us who watch and report wait with anxious excitement; as all good things and high hopes and fantastic dreams for all involved are, on this day, still alive and well; the Prize begins its long deliberation to determine if its current possessor is still worthy, or if another shall hoist it high above and find their own piece of forever.