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Formerly an Admiral within the Federal Military Intelligence, Von Heyden was approached by agents of the now Emperor of Rheinland following some of his more publicly expressed dissent with the workings of the Federal government. The agents offered the Admiral an audience with the Emperor, which against proper conduct of a military officer he chose to accept.

The man that would be Emperor was more than the Von Heyden expected, he shared some of his own frustrations with the Federal government and was openly empathetic to situation of the Admiral. The two began to converse more frequently and after a few weeks the Emperor shared his vision of a Rheinland re-imagined. This conversation would come to inspire the Imperial coup d'état.

Von Heyden later informed a number of like minded officers from across the Federal intelligence and military apparatus about whom had approached him. He saw these officers as sympathetic to the plight of the common Rheinlander and potential assets to a realized Imperial Rheinland. Although this handful of officers alone were not enough to realize the vision fully, the group was set to work laying the groundwork for a successful coup.

The Emperor and his council watched the group with particular interest, their efforts would be crucial in maintaining the surprise element of what was to come, and the length the group went too, to insure the element was kept earned them the nickname of The Black Thirteen.

Von Heyden became suspicious of some of the courtiers who come to know of the Thirteen prior to the Emperor's ascension, and ordered the monitoring and deeper investigation of those individuals. Von Heyden had personally ordered such operations out of paranoia of potential leaks or traitors among the Emperor's associate or friends. Intercepted communications referred to the Thirteen, and in the stupor of excess and luxury the courtiers dramatized the group even more. Dubbing them the Black Orchestra, a name which the group came to adopt.

After the initial success of the coup, and the major centers of population were secured by Imperial Forces, the Emperor approached the group to reward them. Lifting Von Heyden and the rest of the Thirteen into the ranks of the nobility of Rheinland for their actions in putting him on his throne. He then tasked the Admiral once more, to organize a loyal intelligence and protection group which served the Empire and the Emperor, a task he candidly accepted. Upon acceptance Von Heyden was promoted to the first High Admiral of Department of Imperial Security. The office of Die Schwarze Kapelle.

Two-and-a-half decades of service, an exceptional track record and diligent loyalty to his commanding officers, Hans is a bonafide military veteran. No Hessian, Corsair, or Coalition could step on his toes, let alone a raggedy and disgruntled shipyard worker. Despite the devotion, Hans has fallen short on his duties during the civil war - thinking politics is not a worthy cause for conflict. With the civil war over and the imperial rule concretely established - Hans's dossier appeared on the desk of a cryptic organisation.

Sipping tea in his humble abode on Hamburg, accompanied by a few cold-cuts as per Rheinland cuisine, Hans gets a memo from an unknown contact. Suspicious but intrigued he reads..

"Dear citizen, dear veteran, Rheinland has closed shut the voices of rebellion, but do you truly believe that it is over? The Federals resist to this day, hiding in their dank caves, inciting protest and assaulting civilians in numerous sectors around our great house. This proposal reaches out to those that still hold dear the aspect of unity, those that still wish to see a brighter and peaceful prospect for the Fatherland - doing whatever it takes to ensure this. Should this resonate with you - Herr von Brandt - simply send back a carbon copy, if not, delete this message."

Taken by surprise that his surname was used, Hans was torn apart if this was an elaborate propaganda scheme sent to him, or a genuine plea to return to service. Hans went through with it, sending back the directive.

The morning after, Hans received instructions. He was to take his old bird, a war-battered Wraith, and plunge straight into Thuringia with the objective of capturing a Federal sympathizer and bringing him back for interrogation purposes. Ultimately a life-dangering operation, and extraordinarly difficult as a solo operative. He would hesitate at first, taking the entire morning to ponder if it is worth it. Alas the veteran has found no reason to endure his own existence, if he continues to stagnate as an elderly. The task was not easy, using stealth protocols - Hans would jump into the foreign, Federal controlled system and hide within the asteroid fields, cutting off his cruise engines as to maximize a low profile. The opportunity arises when a patrolling squadron of three Sleipniers arrive nearby, luckily for him those slow and big vessels were no match for his small and agile fighter. Igniting the skirmish with a barrage of ordanance, he took out one fighter by surprise while damaging another, what ensued was a life-and-death situation against one-and-a-half fighters. Underestimating the Federals with his overly cocky attitude, Hans almost lost it there for a moment, but a lucky mine was all it took to change the game. Sadly the mine obliterated the ejection pods, but the first, missile-crippled fighter was still ripe for the taking. Hans came back with his hands full to the designated dead-drop. This marks the coronation of the veteran into The Black Orchestra.

Once a promising officer of the Rheinland Federal Police, Thalmann was discharged from his duties for going AWOL. Seeking revenge for the death of his brother, he embarked on a lone manhunt against the group of pirates whom took his sibling away from him. Although his actions would normally warrant a more severe punishment, he was able to avoid most of the consequences with just being discharged from the police. He was lucky, as the pirates he went after were wanted dead or alive.

His first target was clubbed to death outside a underworld bar on Hamburg with an old pipe. His second target was shot in the leg and pushed off a five story building. The third target was shot twice from a distance, in the pelvis and through the neck. His last victim was more elaborate, compromising the oxygen supply aboard his target's vessel. The ship was later found, with the pilot having died of asphyxiation. His determination and strange variety of methods used caught the eye of unknown few, and his dossier landed on the desk of a secretive organisation.

Being jobless for almost two months, Thalmann was intrigued by an invitation delivered by an undisclosed contact. It read...

"Dear citizen, Rheinland is in peril. Too long have we been lost to who we are, too long have we endured the failure of our leaders, too long have they allowed criminals to freely murder and pillage our home. Those in power say the situation is under control, that it is being dealt with. But do you truly believe that? This proposal reaches out to those that still hold dear the aspect of unity, those that still wish to see a brighter and peaceful prospect for the Fatherland - doing whatever it takes to ensure this. Should this resonate with you - Herr Thalmann - simply send back a carbon copy, if not, delete this message."

Although it read like some political propaganda piece, some of what it said rang true, and it referenced him personally. Thalmann hesitated a little, but eventually returned the message.

The following morning, Thalmann received a dossier and a set of instructions. He was tasked with the assassination of a low-level politician whom, as the dossier suggested, was corrupt to the core. Having been involved in a number of backroom deals selling out the people of Rheinland, and worst of all. A sympathizer and active supporter for the Red Hessian pirates. The man in question was undoubtedly one of the parasites of Rheinland's upper-echelons.

To his surprise, the target was much easier to approach than anticipated. Much easier to handle and more lax in their own personal security. It wasn't much effort to take advantage of awareness, and leave him dead in a ditch in what seemed like a robbery gone wrong.

Henlein joined the Rheinland Military at a young age, his aspirations entering service were simple. To be a hero.
However thing did not go as he planned, Henlein was still naïve and inexperienced. It took him a long time to adjust to piloting a ship, something his peers were fond of poking fun at.

That was until a real combat test was put before him in the war against Liberty.
Where it would be expected that one would fail, having struggled this far. Henlein found a calling in engaging in such high risks encounters with the Liberty Navy. His failings in training all but vanished, in the thick of real combat.

When the war ended, Henlein felt discarded by the military. Seeming to be put aside by his superiors, his military record amounting to a sum total of nothing, his deeds ignored. A deep feeling of abandonment instilled itself within him.

Existing in mundanity, baby sitting transports or escorting self-absorbed individuals from the Federal government, being exposed to the ill-treatment of war heroes by those who knew nothing about the honourble sacrifices made. The political world shunned him and his brothers in arms.

Preparing for another shift, probably to babysit a politician's mistress he thought, he received a message from an unknown contact. It read...

"Dear citizen, dear veteran. Rheinland is in peril. Our heroes of wars fought in the name of this Federal government have been discarded and abandoned by those whom once ordered us to make the ultimate sacrifice for them. Those in power say they will do their best to treat you as the heroes Rheinland deserves. But do you truly believe that? This proposal reaches out to those that still hold dear the aspect of unity, those that still wish to see a brighter and peaceful prospect for the Fatherland - doing whatever it takes to ensure this. Should this resonate with you - Herr Henlein - simply send back a carbon copy, if not, delete this message."

The following morning, Henlein received instructions in a manner that he had not seen since the war. He had an actual mission to complete. His task was simple, but dangerous. To lay in wait at a meeting location, and intercept an information drive being carried by a courier. However, the courier was to give the drive to Red Hessians, which complicated the issue.

Henlein lay in wait at the target location, the courier arrived and the area currently was void of Red Hessians. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Henlein sprung his ambush on the vessel. The ship did not have a change, within moments its shields were down and its engines severely damaged. His weapons mostly damaged or disabled, it was a sitting duck. But before Henlein could offer mercy, a shot came from outside his vision. A bolt of red crashed into the crippled ship and spun it into a drift. A Red Hessian arrived that day, but did not leave. Underestimating his opponent, he suffered an unexpected mine drop into the nose of his ship during the dogfight. After which Henlein managed to recover the information drive from the courier, its strong container having protected it from the blast.