Well, unlike Fenshire, I was a Machinist to be well... a Machinist. I always felt that it was my role to protect everyone, awakened, program, or bluepill. Zion was filled with too many crazys to come up with a cohesive strategy, the Meros only cared about themselves, and the Machinists well, they are programs after all. Programs follow rules, and if they made the Truce, they would follow it until conditions made doing so not feasable.
Additionally, they are the only ones that have obligations that "matter" to all three groups of sentients. To the programs, well they themselves are programs (they could care less about the Exlies, but half a group that's going about their business is better then nothing). To the blue pills, they are required for their own survival. To the red pills, well, you have the Truce.
Truce breaks down? I would hope I would have been allowed to fight alongside those troublemakers that caused the whole thing to tumble where I could be best used (in the Real on in the Matrix), but if it was decided that free humans as a whole were a problem, well, at least reinsert me (even if I were allowed to fight, I'd still probably have to be reinserted post-war). If I had to die, period well... I guess I'm kind of up a creek.
I feel the most likely is reinsertion, simply beacuse here, they don't "lose" anything and they are taking the freed human population down a couple folks by doing so, and gaining power cells. Again, it isn't terribly clear cut and rests upon what the "enemy" is. (The same could be said for Machine programs, if programs (self-exluding) were deemed to be the problem, then would they finish off their own "loyal" programs as you put it, or just Exiles?)
(As for bandana-ness, well, it's easy, I care about protecting. Simple. If I have to go outside the laws of the system to protect "life", I will, and did.)
Additionally, they are the only ones that have obligations that "matter" to all three groups of sentients. To the programs, well they themselves are programs (they could care less about the Exlies, but half a group that's going about their business is better then nothing). To the blue pills, they are required for their own survival. To the red pills, well, you have the Truce.
Truce breaks down? I would hope I would have been allowed to fight alongside those troublemakers that caused the whole thing to tumble where I could be best used (in the Real on in the Matrix), but if it was decided that free humans as a whole were a problem, well, at least reinsert me (even if I were allowed to fight, I'd still probably have to be reinserted post-war). If I had to die, period well... I guess I'm kind of up a creek.
I feel the most likely is reinsertion, simply beacuse here, they don't "lose" anything and they are taking the freed human population down a couple folks by doing so, and gaining power cells. Again, it isn't terribly clear cut and rests upon what the "enemy" is. (The same could be said for Machine programs, if programs (self-exluding) were deemed to be the problem, then would they finish off their own "loyal" programs as you put it, or just Exiles?)
(As for bandana-ness, well, it's easy, I care about protecting. Simple. If I have to go outside the laws of the system to protect "life", I will, and did.)