Flora,

I’ve read the entire exchange. Every word of it.

Let me start plainly, without theatrics or clever phrasing:
this situation has drifted further into friction than it ever should have, and that is on us — on how it was handled, not on the goal itself.

You came to us for a repair, not a lecture on Unioner strategy, not contingency plans that involve ambushes, and certainly not to be put in a position where your patience is tested over internal disagreements. That much is clear, and it should have been respected from the outset.

Gunda speaks from a place of operational reality — risk, logistics, precedent — but that does not excuse how this was communicated to you, nor does it excuse making you feel as though the terms were shifting beneath your feet. You asked for discretion. You asked for a solution. Anything beyond that should have been discussed before it ever reached your inbox.

So let me be equally clear about where we stand now:

• There will be no assaults conducted in your name.
• There will be no welding, fitting, or invasive work done to your vessel without your explicit confirmation.
• No further parties will be looped in without your consent.

If you are telling us: “Find the parts first, then talk to me,” then that is exactly what will happen.

As for Vascoguoncellos — his involvement was logistical, not political, and it should not have been surfaced to you the way it was. That mistake stops here.

I won’t insult you by telling you to “calm down.” You have every reason to be sharp when trust is strained. What I will say is this: the Unioners are still capable of delivering what we agreed to — but only if we reset this to something grounded, professional, and within the boundaries you originally set.

So here’s the path forward, if you’re willing:

We pause escalation.
We source a single compatible drive module quietly.
When — and only when — we have it secured, you are informed.
You decide how we proceed from there.

No pressure. No dramatics. No gaslighting.

If that no longer works for you, say the word — cleanly — and we’ll step back without making this messier than it already is.

Your call.

Mit Respekt,
Friedrich Krüger
Unioner Diplomatic Ambassador

Flora,

Understood — drive module and a compatible reactor. Both are accounted for in our internal planning, and neither will be treated as an afterthought. I appreciate you spelling it out plainly.

As for your point about communication: you are right. If circumstances changed, you should have been informed before any third parties entered the picture. That is a failure of coordination, not intent. There was no attempt to box you in or force your hand — the aim was to keep everything aligned in time, not to spring adjustments on you after the fact. I was not made aware, at the moment it happened, of how far those discussions had gone or how they would surface to you.

Regarding Vascoguoncellos specifically: he is not “our man” in the sense of being Unioner-aligned. He represents Bristol’s interests, first and last. Our contact with him was strictly transactional and exploratory — assessing availability and constraints, not committing you, your ship, or the Union to anything binding. There was no intention to put words in your mouth or present you as a party to negotiations you hadn’t approved.

If there was restraint in what was said to you at the time, it wasn’t to conceal something from you — it was to avoid giving you incomplete information before we had a clearer picture ourselves. In hindsight, that caution came across as evasiveness. That’s on us.

Going forward, I’ll make sure you’re looped in earlier, even if the information is still rough around the edges. I’d rather give you an unfinished truth than let silence breed doubt.

We’re still on the same objective. Let’s keep it clean, and let’s keep it transparent.

Regards,
Friedrich Krüger
Unioner Diplomatic Ambassador

Flora,

That’s fair — and yes, it *is* worth talking this through before you put yourself in front of anyone new.

Vascoguoncellos is… difficult, but not erratic. He’s a professional negotiator in the old corporate sense: guarded, status-conscious, and very aware of leverage. He doesn’t bluff much, but he probes constantly. If he asks questions, it’s because he’s mapping the room, not because he expects straight answers. If you speak with him, go in knowing what you’re willing to say *and* what you’re not — he respects firm boundaries more than openness. In short: he’s worth talking to, so long as you’re prepared and not looking for warmth or goodwill. You won’t get either.

As for whether we’ve dealt with him before — indirectly, yes. Enough to know his habits, not enough to trust him. Which is precisely why Riehl was cautious about how that thread developed.

Now, about Gunda — and the freelancer story.

I won’t insult your intelligence by pretending that wasn’t clumsy. What you saw there wasn’t deception aimed at you, but containment aimed outward. Riehl has spent most of her adult life watching half-baked stories snowball into real consequences — dock workers questioned, shipwrights audited, names added to quiet lists. When she senses corporate attention tightening, her instinct is to throw out noise, misdirection, anything that muddies the water before it sharpens.

That freelancer angle wasn’t meant to convince *you*. It was meant to be something disposable if it leaked — a dead-end narrative she could abandon without dragging you or the Union into it. Unfortunately, she deployed it late, under pressure, and without looping you in. That’s why it landed the way it did.

To put it plainly: Riehl reacts badly when she feels the Union’s long-term position might be compromised for a single operation, even one she personally supports. She’ll take heat herself before she lets that kind of risk settle on the wider movement — but she’s not always graceful about it.

I’ll speak with her directly and make sure any further contact with Vascoguoncellos happens cleanly, with no improvisation at your expense. If you do decide to talk to him, it should be on *your* terms, with no stories layered underneath you without your consent.

You’re right to ask these questions. And you’re right not to walk in blind.

Regards,
Friedrich Krüger
Unioner Diplomatic Ambassador