*The hangar trembled slightly as the Deterrence vessels descended through the thin haze of Pacifica’s docking field.
The sharp hum of stabilizers and the metallic hiss of landing gear filled the air, echoing off old, oil-stained walls.
Unioner engineers paused their work, watching the newcomers arrive, while a few guards stood at ease wary, but not hostile.*
*Friedrich Kruger stood near the edge of the platform, hands tucked into his long coat. A faint curl of smoke drifted from the cigarette between his fingers as he watched the main ramp lower.
His posture was relaxed, but his gaze carried the weight of a man who had seen enough promises broken to know that words meant little without action.*
“Welcome to Pacifica,” he said, his voice low and rough from years of smoke and machinery. “Name’s Friedrich Kruger, Unioner Diplomatic Corps. I speak for our people — those still breaking their backs in the Alster yards, and those keeping this station breathing out here in the dark.”
*He took a step forward as the Deterrence delegation disembarked, nodding in quiet greeting.*
“Glad you made it here without trouble. Bering doesn’t take kindly to strangers, especially after dusk.”
*For a moment, he looked over their faces, studying each expression, not with suspicion but with an engineer’s precision — as if gauging the strength of the metal before striking a weld.*
“We’ve got a room ready upstairs. Nothing fancy, but private enough for real talk — the kind that actually builds something.”
*The faintest hint of a smile crossed his face.* “We can sit down right away, or take a moment to breathe first. Either way, I prefer a handshake and a proper look in the eyes before we talk business.”
*Kruger motioned toward the dimly lit corridor leading deeper into the base, the sound of distant machinery and muffled chatter echoing through the metal walls.*
“So tell me, friends... where do you see this partnership beginning? Out there, with the convoys and the escorts — or in here, with trust and understanding?”
*He paused, the cigarette ember glowing faintly in the half-light of the hangar.*
*Whatever came next, it would be built not from grand speeches — but from hard work, mutual respect, and the quiet resolve of those who’d been left behind by the Houses above.*
THE SYNDIC LEAGUES
(A co-operative of Rheinland's outlawed trade unions, determined to take the underworld for themselves.)
![[Image: XTF1d6x.png]](https://i.imgur.com/XTF1d6x.png)