After taking a bit of time to get our giggles out, we addressed the situation that we found ourselves in. 08-001 and 08-003 were both now large gray blobs of nanite paste on the floor. They lost and had lost their shape. Defeated totally, there was nothing that they could do other than ooze around. Every so often, they would shove into us. It was kind of cute to see how they were just as surly and willful in this form. I looked at Paul "Let's call Jake. We can get Erosion Clan to peace out of some of these conflicts." "You want to take them hostage?" Brett asked. I nodded my head at him. "They made their bets. They have to go home anyway. Having Jake bring them there will be more secure. They clearly didn't listen to me last time." I said. Paul sighed and took out his cell phone. Jake answered on the first ring. "Hello." he said. Paul laid out the situation to him. Jake did not sound very happy about it. As we held all the cards here, he told Jake to come get them. Jake sighed out loud before saying it would take a couple of hours to get to us. That was very fine. We could wait for him to arrive.
Banter was not possible between us. They could not speak. Other than them trying to nudge us aggressively, there was nothing that could be communicated by the gray blobs. I was not going to turn the energy generators on until we saw Jake. The last thing we needed was for them to leave. It would make us look super in competent at our jobs. Also, it would lead to the already tense situation in the western quadrant spiking in intensity. Neither of them were the type to back down, Especially not from a bunch of humans. Jake and Mason's relationship was the only reason why they were not hostile to us on sight. Just having the aggressive stance with us could cause several headaches though. Nothing that we could not handle, but still annoying. There was nothing that we could not handle in the game. Paul and Brett were Devils after all. We talked about what he had done in school that day while we waited. It let us pass the time pretty well. Jake knocked on the door and Brett let him in. The first thing he saw as he came into their big room where 2 of his children in primordial ooze form.
Calling the expression he made upset did not do it justice. It was a mixture of frustration and disappointment. "You have been constantly outwitted and defeated by these humans. Are you not ashamed of yourselves? When will you prove that you deserve to be seen as superior? You bring not only shame, but danger to your clan. Do your faulty systems not comprehend that you have plunged us into a 7 front war? Are you perhaps not aware that these humans giving us funding is the only reason we have not been exterminated yet?" Jake berated them coldly. The AEP units had stopped moving and wiggling so aggressively. Being so harshly scolded in front of the humans they were rivals with only added new insults to the injury. I was enjoying it. It appeared that Paul and Brett were also loving the show. "I was under the early impression that Conqueror faction AEP units were the pinnacle of our ability to create as simple, lowly PEP units. Beautiful. Functional. Deadly. You make me highly doubt that is the case. What defeat did an Advocate AEP unit ever suffer!?" Jake continued on a tirade.
06-003 had been captured and experimented on by a syndicate made up of humans. That really was not my place to say though. He was in a roll though. Jake turned to us. "Are you releasing them into my care?" he asked. He was ready to return to his clan building. Paul shook his head. "We are holding them hostage. We want you out of Sonic Clan's hair. For good. You need to make peace before you can take one of them with you." he told the PEP unit. "It is fine by me. Resources could be diverted to other fronts." he sighed. He was the co-leader of Erosion Clan. Jake had the authority to make this decision. I got 11-002 on the line. He was still pretty testy with me. He did not like us. "What is it!?" he snapped. I told him the situation and told him to get his leaders on the line. It took a bit, but they were able to talk. Jake spoke to them on speakerphone. Jake was in the lower position, so he had to formally surrender. Jake did it through grit teeth. Sonic Clan wanted a high amount of credits as reparations for the war. Brett signaled Jake to agree. Their deal was struck. Brett gave him money.
