To: Unioners of Pacifica

[Deity]

Encrypted Unioner Transmission

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To: Flora
From: Friedrich Krüger
Subject: Re: Vascoguoncellos, and Riehl

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

Transmission Ends

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THE SYNDIC LEAGUES
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