Oh, then I can definitely agree on Heru II feeling very unbalanced. I think we'll be getting more payoff on their whole deal when the finale is patched into the game - you can learn a bit more about what is going on there via the epilogues. I will say, it isn't to do with the disease/bioweapon - that plague hits Heru III. It is possible to investigate further into that. But the chilly reception we get in that sector is really harsh from a gameplay POV.
The sprawling nature of the game does make planning out runs harder, and I can definitely see why you'd be frustrated by that. It also means there are a lot of variables to take into account. Which a part of me finds really fun! But there's also a part of me which is tearing my hair out because I did a run and automatically got Oletko's elector vote, but oh, I failed this crucial skill check on turn 12 - no worries, I'll just restart from turn 8 and do some new classes, but oh, now I don't auto secure his vote because one of the 100 variables behind the scenes got changed through one of my actions. Figuring out cause and effect felt a lot easier in LLTQ.
I definitely get the sense that these characters have interlocking stories, but it feels like they're interlocked in ways I'm unable to witness. They have set enemies, and a lot of them have a history together. But there's no way for me to dig into that history. I agree that I really really miss the flavor text.
Also, Rejt's son is one of my favorite romance options! Highly recommend trying to pursue him.