Seemingly at Hans' behest, Erich nodded. "Danke, Herr Hans Wolfwood. Understand that as a Bundschuh rebel... There is a lot of bad blood between the Military and the Widerstand, as you no doubt learned very well. I do not have any animosity towards the defenders of the Federal Republic, but it does not change our goals of changing its fabric."
He turned the brunt of his attention to Nelly, seemingly keeping one eye upon Hans in case he were to 'say too much'. "The Westerwald is a nebula consistent primarily of fine dust, perhaps silicate. We obviously do not have the ability to scan more conclusively, as... Well. That's a quaternary objective in comparison to our others."
His expression becomes a tinge more grave. "Unauthorized access to the Westerwald is punished because it hides an emblem of national shame; A research complex by the name of 'Schatten'. We of course cannot know for certain what kinds of things go on in there, but... We have great reason to suspect that they involve the very same Nomads that had nearly brought humanity to its knees twenty years ago".
Erich continues. "Bundschuh operatives try their best to keep the facility under close watch, but all convoys headed in or out, rare as they are, are usually escorted by far too many military vessels to deal with. We would estimate that the facility holds close to at least a couple thousand individuals, at least by what little scanning we can do in the radioactive pocket where Schatten is located".
He sighs after a moment. "The inhuman minefield surrounding the complex should be reason enough to believe that the government is up to no good there, but the Bundschuh have a special history with that little nebula pocket."
"Twenty Years ago, as we all well know, the Niemann Regieme was under almost complete Nomadic Control. Rheinland had declared war on the other three Houses and rebuild a massive military; most of which we still have leftover. The Bundschuh's relative... obscurity at the time spared us of any infestation, and timely reports proved that the sudden shift in politics was due to a cause beyond all our imaginings."
Erich downs an entire glass of scotch, exhaling slowly, before continuing. "The Bundschuh was the only group both willing and able to do something about some terrifying intel it received; at the spot where Schatten is presently located, once resided berthing bays for... Well. The exact details are Bundschuh secrets due to our refusal to allow groups such as the Unioners from becoming wise to it, but I can assure you they were Nomadic to some degree."
"The Bundschuh mustered what few snubcraft it could, and launched a desperate attack on that facility. Barely anyone survived, and Claus Botzler, then-leader of the Bundschuh, died in that Nebula. But those brave paragons of humanism prevented the weapons from being used against the other Houses, and in doing so may have actually saved them from annihilation."
Erich's tone is dour and morose. "They sold their lives dearly, but for what...? Aside from being perhaps only slightly less militaristic, nothing changed for the bulk of Rheinland's uninfested populace between then and now. The Bundschuh petitioned for amnesty immediately at the conclusion of the Nomad War; those rag-tag members wanted to help rebuild Rheinland. Kanzler Steller refused and stated that it was still a capital crime to maintain membership or affiliation with the party."
He pauses for a brief while, letting both listeners digest his long monologue.
