With the financial backing of Toxic Clan as well as our funds in PBJ Clan, we were able to fund the projects. It was much easier than Lightning, Void or Sonic Clans. They did not have the money to actually make the things they had. Void Clan had all the blueprints ready to go. Lightning Clan had the hangar. Mason was pretty sure from the conversations that Void was sharing all the tech and intel with the other Advocates. It would explain why the AEP units of Lightning Clan were only aggressive and not hostile to us when they found us on their territory. All of the main clans in the coalition were almost ready to go off to the Foundry. In order to celebrate, we were to throw the representatives from each clan a big party. PBJ Clan was of course invited. They could not leave us out with all the things we contributed. Heat Clan made an AEP unit for the task, 03-005. So did Radioactive Clan. He was given the designation 09-006. They did not want to be represented by an AEP unit with a human name. They looked identical. It was coordinated by the clan leaders. The Conquerors looked different.
Heat and Radioactive Clan representatives
The Conqueror Coalition representatives
03-004 was upset. "That was not how the representatives were supposed to look. The Conquerors are playing us for fools!" he snapped towards us. I just shrugged. "We have to consider the power imbalance here. Just stick with us or the Radioactive Clan members. All of us are in the same boat." He just sighed and moved on. Each of the representatives had their own part to play. They were going to take the piece of the project that they were assigned to the Foundry. Our representative was taking the general plans. Wind and Magnetic Clans were just sending 06-001 and 12-001 to be the pilots. They were sure to come over to us and gloat. We had our own plans in the making. Heat Clan was making one to have for the Researcher faction. PBJ Clan would make one to flex our superiority. Of course we could not tell him that. It would totally ruin our coalition. The representatives were given a rousing speech of cyborg supremacy and honor. I did not like it, but it was not for us. We were Researchers. It did not matter though. None of the clans actually cared about the wellbeing of humanity.
When an AEP unit came up to us from Erosion Clan we were not expecting anything. "Letting you in the coalition with us is a disgrace to everyone here. You are only barely able to maintain a full clan! Yet you still let humans run it. I myself can take on your whole leadership." he declared. We knew that we were not popular. Even or liege, Heat Clan, did not like us. They just had to deal with the fact that we were settled in their territory. We predated them too. There was nothing they could do to us. If they tried, there would be more problems than benefits. That probably got under their skin. The AEP unit was waiting for a response. It was an open challenge. Everyone else in the hall was looking at us. The Conquerors, without exception, smiled and nodded in agreement. They Researchers were looking at us pleadingly. Almost as if the clans were begging us not to fuck this up for them. I looked at Paul and Brett to see what they would do here. Any one of us could obliterate this guy. Brett just rotated his left shoulder and said "I can fight you. What do I get if? It better be good." He was serious.
