Thank you so much for taking the time to write such a detailed review!
To explain Orchid, I didn't have enough time to flesh out his story fully, and telling the story indirectly through the environment takes less time—so I ended up killing him off early on.
As for the Broker, she isn't dead yet. I plan to explore her character in much greater detail in the main game.
I'm also aware that the overall pacing of the story feels a bit rushed right now, so I definitely plan to improve how the narrative is delivered.
Thank you so much for caring this deeply about the game's story, and I hope you stay tuned for future updates