this part make you hate the setting because the throwaway characters got enough background that you feel bad about their fate...
like, in a mass battle or skirmish between armies, we can still say all those soldiers got their own circumstances and stories, but since we don't know the specifics, we can just gloss their death over.
In a way the same applies to IRL situation in peaceful countries, citizens just seeing about countries torn apart by war or refugees on the news or whatnot. Ignorance is simply bliss in these cases.
Feels bad man.
Edit: oh, one thing I forgot to ask, why workers instead of mercenaries? is this based on localized or just translator decision?