With all of these options, we could set off the late game when we wanted. Using our resources as PBJ Clan, we could make independent shell clans in the region to confederate with. Heat Clan was on board with a coalition as long as Radioactive Clan could also join in. If we wanted be war mongers and backstab basically everyone, we could take the 7 hubs needed to become the dominant faction. Going back to Cold Clan they were less interested in that. While they could use their clout to get one non faction member in, 2 was definitely stretching it. They also did not think too highly of Radioactive Clan to begin with. This was not something they would be able to easily do for us. They said they would try, but it was very likely that adding them would tank the whole project. That was fine with us. We had the options to be flexible. It was Heat Clan that really needed this to go well. They also really, really wanted our stuff. It would be a game changer for them to be able to skip several weeks of tech. I asked them to try and all the equipment would be theirs when they came back with an answer.
The answer ended up being yes. Like they warned, the Conqueror were willing to take advantage of tech. That was the point of being a Researcher. Radioactive Clan had nothing to offer aside from a bigger majority of the transmission hubs. Even then, while drops would technically come a bit faster with 10 transmission hubs instead of 9, there was no guarantee that Heat Clan or Radioactive Clan would not simply hoard the blueprints and information they got among themselves. The Researchers only had 2 hubs so they could easily bunker down and kept things to themselves. However, they did have a hospital. That could easily be refitted into an asylum for the dissidents that they captured. Researching all the obscure strengths and weaknesses of humans would make it easier for them to conquer. With all those positives, they were able to squeak by. It really was due to the giant vacancy in their faction. The faction members that we targeted were still not back to full strength yet. We also had 2 of those clans really positive about us. Once we explained the benefits, Pierce Clan approved.
Paul Brett and I were men of our words. We let Cold Clan take the equipment that we had set aside for Void Clan and got in contact with Heat Clan. That outcome was exactly what they wanted. "They still did not have the threshold needed after the big setback you gave them. If we kept using your funds to repel them from the other 5 clans, they would soon get desperate enough to come back to negotiate anyway. Especially with the keen human government focused on the toxic transmission hub. If they delayed any longer, they might have lost everything they had worked so hard to gain. This was truly inevitable." the clan leader remarked. "Thanks to our efforts, right?" Paul added, clearly fishing for a thank you. There was a beat of silence. "PBJ Clan certainly played your part in this matter. No one can deny it." was what the vice leader said. He said it with a very dismissive tone. They were not going to be waiting for the needed 3 month condition for the confederations. We were now in a big coalition with the Conqueror faction. The Advocates were not the odd ones out. It was not good.
Pierce Clan had also stopped by soon after. They also tried to take out Lightning Clan only to be repelled by PBJ Clan made guns and tech. We could fucking fly if we wanted to. The only thing that was lacking was our PEA unit program. But even that could be improved upon with little effort from us. They also warned that they would be embargoing us from the Advocate faction. It was moot. They could not stop us from wiring credits and tech to them from our clan building to theirs. We did not tell them that though. The last thing we wanted was for operatives from their clan trying to hack our communications or stealing our shit from under us. That would be super annoying to deal with. Once they left, we had to think on what we wanted to do. Advocates were great and all, but they were not going to be winning the war anytime soon. Even with the money and tech, they were outnumbered. Now all their tech advantage was diminished with it in the hands of Cold Clan. We would join Void Clan to save them, but Lightning Clan and Sonic Clan were on their own. That was the way of things.
