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This section profiles Rhine Lab LLC and the events of November 21, 1099. Researcher Olivia Silence declared that Columbia's science has ignored the victims of the "pursuit of dreams," citing greed-driven sacrifices at Rhine Lab and the defunct Loken Watertank, and warning that experiments grow increasingly dangerous, as the Triton factory explosion shows. Ferdinand Clooney, head of the Energy Section, was seen leaving under federal escort amid an investigation into allegedly selling technical documents on the black market, and Structural Section director Ahrens Parvis, age 58, died at home. Reports indicate Rhine Lab, with Columbian federal government support, attempted to breach the barrier near Trimounts on November 21, 1099, days after Vice President Jackson promised the "greatest discovery in history." Founder Kristen Wright has remained silent.
The section traces Rhine's history. Wright's parents died setting the 6152.31-meter altitude record with their flying machine. Wright entered the Trimounts Institute of Technology in 1078, met Saria, and both earned PhDs in 1083, founding Rhine Lab. Muelsyse joined in 1084; investor Jara Wilson funded incorporation, and Parvis and Clooney joined. A 1090 restructuring created sections under directors, with Wright as Control holding final say, and Saria's Defense Section holding veto power over projects.
The section describes the sky: the twin moons follow patterns, other stars move unpredictably (the Startide, which has frozen briefly about a dozen times), and the starpod, an impassable limit around six thousand meters, is the subject of theories including the Originium Insulation Theory, the Parthian Limit, and the Organic Isolation Theory. Rhine Lab punctured the veil in 1099. A television interview with Muelsyse confirms the altitude record, that an Originium response exists outside the starpod though Originium is not the direct cause, and that Originium machinery and Arts Units fail above certain elevations. Muelsyse says the "Rhine Gap" may stay open until the truth is found.
An anonymous margin note claims Rhine Lab took on "sensitive" projects for clients such as the Columbian military and federal government, whose intense clashes leave tech companies struggling.
Rhine Lab, one of Columbia's foremost technology enterprises, has been thrown into chaos by a series of events following November 21, 1099. The section opens with a declaration by Olivia Silence, sponsor of the Trimounts Ethics in Scientific Research Joint Declaration, who states that Columbia has too long ignored the victims of the pursuit of science. She says that in her years at Rhine Lab she has seen far too many sacrifices made for greed and ambition—true of Rhine Lab, of the now-defunct Loken Watertank, and of her audience—and warns that experiments are becoming increasingly dangerous, as the Triton factory explosion demonstrates. Science, she argues, needs rules to keep it in check.
Two news items follow: Ferdinand Clooney, head of Rhine Lab's Energy Section, was seen leaving Rhine headquarters under escort by federal law enforcement, with an anonymous federal source saying he is under investigation for alleged involvement in selling technical documents on the black market. And Ahrens Parvis, director of the Structural Section and a Leithanien native descended from renowned Originium Arts scientists, died at his home in Trimounts at 58. His field was structural biochemistry, contributing to Rhine's research on Originium's effect on organisms and on the pathology of Oripathy.
These developments, along with Silence's declaration and Clooney's rumored arrest, all point to the events behind the "split sky." Reports from across Terra indicate that an attempt to breach the barrier was made on Nov 21, 1099, near Trimounts, where Rhine Lab is headquartered. Days before, Vice President Jackson had visited Rhine HQ and spoken of unveiling "the greatest discovery in history." Reports from an old friend in Victoria indicate Rhine Lab, with federal government support, performed an experiment to breach the barrier—an unprecedented achievement whose results remain unknown. Founder Kristen Wright, meanwhile, has remained strangely silent.
The text then traces Rhine Lab's origins. Wright's parents built a revolutionary flying machine that set the record for the highest altitude reached by humanity—at the cost of their lives and their reputation as lunatics who wasted taxpayer money, with the backlash extending to the ten-year-old Kristen. In 1078 she entered the Trimounts Institute of Technology (TIT), where she met Saria; the two lonely geniuses became friends, earned PhDs in 1083, declined postgraduate work, and founded Rhine Lab. In 1084 Muelsyse joined while still a student. Early on, reliant on private investment and limited to high-energy physics and the life sciences, the company was formally incorporated with funding from Jara Wilson, a former Wrankwood star turned investor; Parvis and Clooney joined that same year. Rhine achieved breakthroughs that made its name in Columbian academia and industry, attracting talents such as Justin Fitzroy Jr. and Nasti Lunorey in 1092—when Andenate Maryam was appointed head of the newly-formed Scientific Investigation Section—and Dorothy Franks in 1096. In 1090 Wright, as the Control, undertook a major restructuring: Wilson became head of the Human Resource Investigation Section, Saria head of the Defense Section, and new divisions formed across many fields.
Ten years ago the author asked Wright what drove her; her cryptic smile, in hindsight, may have foreshadowed the night of November 21. Though there is no evidence, the author believes the barrier breach could only have come from Wright's mind: "It all began with the sky, and with the sky it ends."
The section then describes Rhine Lab's structure. Besides Wright's Component Control Section (which sets objectives, allocates resources, and defines project frameworks), there are five research sections—Structural, Ecological, Energy, Originium Art, and Scientific Investigation—and four operational sections, each headed by one of the Rhine Lab Top Ten Elites. Section heads have direct oversight of their projects and cultures; directors may accept contracts aligned with their section's research, and Wright rarely involves herself in specific projects. Only for matters affecting the whole company or multi-section contracts do directors convene, implementing resource-allocation plans on which Wright has the final say. Among the operational sections, Saria's Defense Section was the main power broker, with veto powers over any project in safety and risk management. Jara Wilson is the most well-connected individual in the company, whose financial support was once Rhine's lifeline. Nasti Lunorey, a Sarkaz mercenary from humble roots who excelled in frontier construction, became indispensable to Rhine's infrastructure. Justin Fitzroy Jr., whose billionaire father died of a genetic condition three days before a cure was discovered, became a foremost science and tech investor.
A quoted Corporate Insider report notes Rhine has refused all requests to meet Wright, with rumors she has left the company, and that Clooney publicly announced he would lead Rhine through a "period of crisis"—unsurprising, given his apparent view that the Control's laissez-faire attitude harmed the company.
Staff speak of Wright's extensive connections spanning the military, industry, and politics—including rumored dignitaries from the Federal Government, the Maylander Foundation, and the military—connections granting her freedom beyond the average research outfit. Her relationship with the other directors is founded on supply and demand. Dark rumors about Rhine (illegal experiments, clandestine agreements) have always been hearsay, quickly forgotten; Wright has denied all allegations, stating: "There is no such thing as good or evil in research and invention, only in the way we employ them." The fate of Loken Watertank, whose founder Loken Williams's obsession with Arts Unit implants led to bankruptcy and tabloid mythmaking about the "Burdenbeastman Deep State," illustrates how skepticism of the radical becomes myth. Things are changing, though: Olivia Silence became the first Rhine employee to openly admit misdeeds in Columbia's science and tech sector. (A passage from "The Truth Revealed: The Great Burdenbeastman Deep State," reprinted here, accuses Burdenbeastmen of infiltrating the tech industry and government, naming Wright.)
At the time of writing, December 15, 1099, the author has no details on the experiments or internal changes. The once-impregnable battleship has sailed into fog, and the sky may literally be falling; history books will remember these two weeks.
An addendum discusses the sky. The sky covers everything beyond the foehn hotlands, polar regions north of Sami, and the oceans, but cannot be measured; measuring stars from different heights showed no difference. Observation turned to the sun and twin moons—the smaller called the Shadow-Moon—whose phases underpinned ancient calendars and professions like astrologer and druid. But the moons are the only anchors in the entropy of the stars: all other stellar bodies move unpredictably, a phenomenon astrologers call the Startide, with two schools debating whether entropy or the moons' regularity is the sky's true nature. The Startide has "frozen" about a dozen times in recorded history, without warning, each lasting under a week. The starpod—an impassable limit of around six thousand meters—halted aircraft; the Wrights' ill-fated flight reached 6152.31 meters, an unsurpassed record. Hypotheses include the Originium Insulation Theory, the Parthian Limit, and the Organic Isolation Theory, plus legends such as the Dusk Beauty of Yanese folklore, but none were proven, and public interest faded after Leithanien's Arts Detector Orb failed. In 1099, Wright and Rhine Lab punctured the veil: the author saw a rippling sky and a faint hole in it.
A December 16 interview with Muelsyse on The Late Late Show confirms Rhine physically hit the barrier and blasted a hole in it (6152.31 meters exactly). She confirms Catastrophe Messengers gauged stormcloud condensation at 6000 meters and that data now confirm an Originium response outside the starpod, though Originium is likely not the direct cause; the Organic Isolation Theory remains unconfirmed—she has a friend who survived a breakthrough in the flesh—and Rhine plans to fling an Originium slug topside with a drone. She recounts the Yanese "Dusk Beauty" love story as the first recorded instance of a person contacting the sky, jokes about Burdenbeastmen plots, notes Kjerag's peaks remain some ways from the starpod, and confirms Originium machinery is effectively unusable past a certain altitude—supporting the Kjerag practice of not carrying Originium devices up Mt. Karlan. Arts interference mainly stems from Arts Units losing functionality; strong or Infected Casters may overcome it. Stormcloud-formed Originium crystals still pierce the barrier when coming down, for unknown reasons. She credits the Trimounts Ethics in Scientific Research Joint Declaration with protecting against dangerous experiments, notes Silence and Saria have no time for interviews amid foreign researchers attempting to pilfer experiment data, says the "Rhine Gap" may stay open "until we actually find the truth," and hopes Kristen Wright—busy even "moonside"—will return. Asked why an ecologist cares about the sky, she tells of a Rim Billiton fowl that shot up 4000 meters while evading predators, lost navigation, and evolved into a flightless bipedal community: "I see a little of us in those fowls, but I believe we'll find our lost wings once more."
A margin note by an unattributed reader claims some at Rhine Lab took on "sensitive" and "radical" projects for clients such as the Columbian military and federal government, which clash intensely with each other, leaving Rhine and most of Columbia's tech companies struggling within that maelstrom.
R H I N E · L A B
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Note on the second edition: I have decided to revise this chapter to reflect recent news about Rhine Lab, and properly recognize the achievements of these great men and women. Their deeds have unveiled the mysteries that have surrounded us for centuries, and touched upon questions that have never before been asked. It is an honor to commemorate them in this book.
Supplementary Material
Hello, everyone. My name is Olivia Silence, sponsor of the Trimounts Ethics in Scientific Research Joint Declaration. I am here to make a declaration, or, should I say, point out certain problems that we have been ignoring for decades.
Science exists to change society. For too long, however, Columbia has turned a blind eye to the victims of our search for truth, claiming “necessary sacrifices” in the “pursuit of dreams”. In doing so, we have gone against the very principle of science, that is, that it exists in service of all who live.
In my years at Rhine Lab, I have seen far too many sacrifices made for the sake of greed and ambition. This is true for Rhine Lab, at the center of the present storm; for the now-defunct Loken Watertank; and for all of you who stand before me today. You know what you have done.
Ladies and gentlemen, we are not here today to make amends for the sacrifices of the past. We are here to face the reality that is upon us. Our experiments are becoming increasingly dangerous, and there will come a time, soon, when none of us can escape its consequences. Progress is becoming the price of progress itself, as the Triton factory explosion demonstrates.
The power of science is incredible, but we need rules to keep it in check. And all of us need to be a part of it.
— Olivia Silence, Rhine Lab Component Control Section, at the announcement of the Trimounts Ethics in Scientific Research Joint Declaration on December 5, 1099
Supplementary Material
Ferdinand Clooney, head of Rhine Lab's Energy Section, was seen leaving Rhine headquarters under escort by federal law enforcement officers last night.
An anonymous federal government source said that Mr. Clooney is under investigation for alleged involvement in selling technical documents on the black market. The source added that no official announcement is expected in the foreseeable future, due to the scale and sensitive nature of the allegations.
— A tabloid headline on November 26
Supplementary Material
Ahrens Parvis, director of Rhine Lab's Structural Section, died at his home in Trimounts. He was 58.
A native of Leithanien, Parvis descended from a long line of scholars, and both his parents were renowned Originium Arts scientists. He joined Rhine Lab as the director of its Structural Section following a long and distinguished career in academia.
His field of research was structural biochemistry, focusing on particle reactions and metamorphosis in Terran organisms, and how structural changes affect the function of bioparticles. His research contributed to Rhine Lab's leading research into the effect of Originium on organisms. He has also contributed to research into the pathology of Oripathy.
Rhine Lab has seen a flurry of personnel changes since November 21. Previously one of the foremost technology enterprises in Columbia, if not the foremost, recent developments at Rhine Lab have thrown the tech titan into chaos.
The declaration by Researcher Olivia Silence, rumors of Director Ferdinand Clooney's arrest, and the passing of Director Ahrens Parvis all point to one thing, the events that led up to the split sky. Reports from Messengers, scientific institutions, and astrological associations across Terra indicate that an attempt to breach the barrier was made on Nov 21, 1099, near Trimounts, Columbia, where the headquarters of Rhine Lab is located.
Several days before, Vice President Jackson had visited Rhine Lab HQ and spoke about the unveiling of the "greatest discovery in history". Most had expected this to be another of Mr. Jackson's hyperboles, never imagining that it would actually come true.
Reports that I received from an old friend in Victoria indicate that Rhine Lab had, with support from the Columbian federal government, performed an experiment to breach the barrier, an unprecedented scientific achievement in itself, even if the results are yet unknown. Massive changes occurred within Rhine Lab before we had the time to explore the significance of the deed itself (discussed in the addendum of this chapter). As we attempted to locate a representative of the company, however, Kristen Wright, the founder of Columbia's crown jewel enterprise, remained strangely silent.
■ The unique design of Rhine Lab's headquarters building leaves a deep impression. Following the Project Horizon Arc, a man claiming to be a Rhine Lab employee was overheard boasting in a bar that Rhine Lab HQ is the only manmade structure that could be seen from above the sky.
Let us set aside Rhine Lab's breach of the barrier for a moment and go back to where it all started, when Ms. Wright and Saria first met as university students. Or did things begin even before that?
It was an era of rapid technological development and pioneering for the Federation, but Wright was not party to the optimism of the era, because her parents were a part of the price of progress. The vivid imagination of the Wrights led to a revolutionary flying machine that would free humanity from the shackles of the land.
In the end, they set the record for the highest altitude reached by humanity. The price was their lives, and being considered a pair of lunatics who wasted taxpayer money by politicians, investors, and the public at large. The backlash even extended to young Kristen Wright—a ten year-old girl at the time.
Three years later, in 1078, Wright was admitted to the Trimounts Institute of Technology (TIT), with the support of her parents' friends. It was there that she met Saria, and the two lonely geniuses struck up a lasting friendship. Wright and Saria both earned their PhDs from TIT in the same year, 1083. They declined the opportunity for postgraduate work at the university, instead striking out on their own and establishing Rhine Lab.
In 1084, they were joined by Muelsyse, still a student at the time, and the team of two became three. In the early days, Rhine Lab was reliant on private investment, and its research was limited to high-energy physics and the life sciences. After plodding along for a year, they reached out to Jara Wilson, a former Wrankwood star turned investor. Seeing potential in the venture, Wilson opened her pocketbook and funded Rhine Lab's formal incorporation. Parvis and Clooney joined Rhine Lab the same year.
In the following years, Rhine would achieve many technological breakthroughs with tremendous potential, making its name known to Columbian academia and industry, and drawing a legion of potential investors and clients. Its newfound prestige attracted many outstanding talents, amongst them Justin Fitzroy Jr. and Nasti Lunorey in 1092, the same year that Andenate Maryam was appointed head of the newly-formed Scientific Investigation Section, and Dorothy Franks in 1096.
In 1090, as Rhine Lab offices grew increasingly crowded, Ms. Wright, as the Control, undertook a massive restructuring of its organization, convincing Ms. Wilson to become the head of the Human Resource Investigation Section. Saria became head of the Defense Section, putting her research work on hold for the time being. New divisions were formed as researchers from a multitude of different fields joined the Rhine Lab family, from physics to chemistry to biology to ecology to Originium studies. Rhine's projects spanned the domains of medical, equipment manufacturing, and Originium utilization, among many others.
Ms. Wright's relentless efforts had transformed Rhine Lab into a behemoth, and its growth showed no sign of stopping. Ten years ago, when I sat in Wright's office, I asked her what drove her to continue to push Rhine Lab's growth. Her smile was cryptic, with a hint of tenacity. Thinking back now, perhaps the events of the night of November 21 was the culmination of her efforts over the years.
I have no evidence to back up my assertions. I do not know how Rhine Lab
attempted to breach the barrier. Indeed, no one has heard from Kristen Wright for a long time. But something tells me that this could only have come from Wright's mind.
It all began with the sky, and with the sky it ends.
■ The first New Year's Eve after the founding of Rhine Lab LLC. Everything about the party was mundane, from the cramped office, to the dull decoration, to the banal pop music in the background.
STRU STRUCTURAL SECTION HEAD OF STRUCTURAL SEC AHRENS PARVIS RHINE LAB DATABASE PROVIDES
ORIG ORIGINUM ART SECTION HEAD OF ORIGINUM ART SEC DOROTHY FRANKS RHINE LAB DATABASE PROVIDES
SECTION DEF DEFENSE SECTION HEAD OF DEFENSE SEC SARIA RHINE LAB DATABASE PROVIDES
ECO ECONOMICAL SECTION HEAD OF ECONOMICAL SEC MUELSYSE RHINE LAB DATABASE PROVIDES
SECTION CMPT CTRL COMPONENTS CONTROL SECTION HEAD OF COMPONENTS CONTROL SEC KRISTEN WRIGHT RHINE LAB DATABASE PROVIDES
SECTION BSN BUSINESS SECTION HEAD OF BUSINESS SEC JUSTIN FITZROY JR. RHINE LAB DATABASE PROVIDES
NRG ENERGY SECTION HEAD OF ENERGY SEC FERDINAND CLOONEY RHINE LAB DATABASE PROVIDES
SCIEN SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATION SEC HEAD OF SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATION SEC ANDENATE MARYAM RHINE LAB DATABASE PROVIDES
SECTION ENG ENGINEERING SECTION HEAD OF ENGINEERING SEC NASTI LUNOREY RHINE LAB DATABASE PROVIDES
SECTION HRI HUMAN RESOURCES INVESTIGATION SECTION HEAD OF HR INVESTIGATION SEC JARA B. WILSON RHINE LAB DATABASE PROVIDES
Component Control Section: Precursor to Rhine Lab, responsible for coordinating all other research sections. It sets overall research objectives, allocates resources, and defines project frameworks.
Structural Section: Focuses on the study of structural biochemistry, i.e. particle reactions and metamorphosis in Terran organisms, the formation of structures, and how structural changes affect the function of bioparticles. The Structural Section is an industry leader in research into the effect of Originium on organisms, and contributes to research into pathology and treatment of Oripathy.
Ecological Section: Focuses on the study of the relationship between Terra's environment and the evolution of its organisms. Its research involves the study of the geological, marine and atmosphere conditions of Terra. The Ecological Section's understanding of the evolution of Terran organisms far exceeds that of other research institutions.
Energy Section: Focuses on the study of the utilization and storage of various forms of energy, including Originium, solar, geothermal, and biological.
Originium Art Section: Focuses on the study of the nature of Originium and Originium Art applications, pursuing a rational, source-oriented approach to Originium Arts usage.
Scientific Investigation Section: Focuses on field surveys as opposed to the laboratory environment. The section has current or planned stations in locations as remote as the Sami Icefield and Sargon's Foehn Hotlands.
— Rhine Lab Sectional Overview for External Partners, 1098 Edition
(Note: Possibly out-of-date)
Prior to recent events, the conclusion of which has yet to be determined, Kristen Wright was joined by nine other directors who each headed their own section, every one of them the foremost authority in their respective fields. They were known as the Rhine Lab Top Ten Elites. Looking back, this was perhaps the most exciting period in Rhine Lab's history.
Besides Kristen Wright's own Component Control Section, Rhine Lab consists of five research sections and four operational sections. Both Rhine's public marketing materials and its partners indicate that Rhine Lab's operating model is rather different from a typical company.
Each research section has a distinct direction, and the section heads have direct oversight over research projects in their sections. As such, each section carries its own distinct culture and way of doing things, which is heavily influenced by its director. Directors are authorized to accept contracts that are in line with their section's research, and Wright rarely involves herself in specific section projects.
Only when there is a major operational matter that affects the entire company, or contracts that involve multiple sections, that the directors convene with the founders, and implement the resource allocation plan drawn up by Wright, who has the final say. The directors also convene with the Control on behalf of their sections to discuss profit-sharing between the sections and the company.
The operational sections are similar to the departments of a normal company, but each director has their own style.
Saria's Defense Section was the main power broker amongst them. As one of the founders, Saria has veto powers over any project, which she exercises in her oversight of safety and risk management. She has made her fair share of enemies, many of whom saw their bonuses evaporate when their project was canceled.
Jara Booker Wilson, director of the Human Resource Investigation Section, is by far the most well-connected individual in Rhine Lab. She gave up a career in Wrankwood to become the foremost science and tech investor in Trimounts, serving as one of Rhine Lab's decision-makers at Kristen's invitation. Her financial support was once Rhine Lab's lifeline, and she is evidently not reliant on the meager salary that she earns from the company.
I have not had the pleasure of the acquaintance of Nasti Lunorey, head of the Engineering Section. According to Rhine Lab sources, she came from humble roots, a Sarkaz mercenary who went into construction, excelling on the Columbian frontier, eventually becoming an indispensable part of Rhine Lab's infrastructure. At Rhine Lab, she is perhaps the finest exemplar beating the odds.
Thanks to his billionaire father, Justin Fitzroy Jr. was already a household name from a very young age. Ironically, Justin Fitzroy Sr. passed away from a genetic condition just three days before a cure was discovered. Freed from the condition himself, Justin Fitzroy Jr. quickly became one of the foremost science and tech investors in Columbia, a path that eventually brought him to Rhine.
Columbian media reports that Rhine Lab has refused all requests from representatives of the company's business partners to meet with Director Kristen Wright. There have been rumors that the Control has already left Rhine Lab, but the company has remained silent on this point. Following Wright's disappearance from public view, Ferdinand Clooney, director of Rhine Lab's Energy Section, publicly announced that he would lead Rhine Lab through a "period of crisis". This is perhaps unsurprising; it is easy to see how, from Mr. Clooney's perspective, the Control's laissez-faire attitude towards the operation of individual sections has been detrimental to the company's overall development.
— Corporate Insider
Of all the stars at Rhine Lab, however, none shine brighter than the Control, who has remained silent to this day. The directors are generally reticent to talk about her; rank and file staff, however, are more forthcoming. They are happy to chat about the state of the company with a curious partner, to the extent that they are allowed to, over a cup of coffee. There is a fine establishment not too far from the company's laboratories.
They are well-aware of Ms. Wright's extensive connections that span the fields of military, industry, and politics; rumors say that her office has hosted many a dignitary representing the Columbian Federal Government, the Maylander Foundation, and the Columbian military. These connections have given her a degree of freedom that the average Columbian research outfit could only dream of, and her employees enjoy these resources through her.
It can be said, therefore, that the relationship between Wright and the other Rhine Lab Nine is founded upon the ancient principle of supply and demand.
Even someone completely unfamiliar with the company would have little difficulty identifying the Control in a photo of the Rhine Lab Top Ten Elites. The media have praised Kristen Wright for having "a pioneer's eyes", a stark contrast from their stance a few months ago, when they called them "the eyes of a lunatic".
Every corporation has some skeletons in its closet in a place like Columbia, where deception and backstabbing is as common as Originium. One does not walk through a swamp without getting some mud on one's boots. The public views approaches the new and radical with a healthy dose of skepticism, which often takes on a life of its own and becomes myth.
Loken Watertank had its own visionary founder in Loken Williams, yet the fate of the company was very different from that of Rhine Lab and Kristen Wright. Mr. Williams's obsession with Arts Unit implants eventually led to the company's bankruptcy, but it did not take long for local tabloids to start spinning tales about a tragic hero who tried, and failed, to transform his own body in opposition to the Burdenbeastman Deep State.
There have been plenty of dark rumors about Rhine Lab, of course, usually involving illegal experiments or some sort of clandestine agreement with this party or that. Specific details range from the colorful to the gruesome to the outright absurd, but they have always been little more than hearsay or unsubstantiated tabloid reporting, and are quickly forgotten by the public.
Ms. Wright and her Rhine Lab employees have steadfastly denied any allegations that Rhine engages in secret experiments that trespass on moral boundaries, and have invited me to visit their laboratories at any time. "There is no such thing as good or evil in research and invention, only in the way we employ them. If someone uses the result of our research for evil, that's the price we inevitably pay for science. Rhine Lab itself has never done anything beyond the Columbian pale."
Things are changing, however. As we can see in the speech that I quoted at the beginning of this chapter, Olivia Silence of the Component Control Section became the first Rhine Lab employee to openly admit the misdeeds in Columbia's science and tech sector. While I do not know what drove her to this course of action, it is my sincere hope that there will be a happy ending for all who stand for justice, science, and the truth.
Burdenbeastmen PERVADE our tech industry! They are using SCIENCE to transform their targets into SLAVES for the Burdenbeastmen and INFILTRATING the highest levels of our government! The Maylander Foundation is the MASTERMIND behind the Great Burdenmen Deep State! High society is DOMINATED by their leaders, including Kristen Wright of Rhine Lab! We must not allow Burdenbeastmen to TAKE OVER the presidency!
- The Truth Revealed: The Great Burdenbeastman Deep State
At the time of writing, early morning on December 15, 1099, I have yet to receive details on Rhine Lab's experiments, or any changes in its internal organization. Once seemingly impregnable, the battleship that is Rhine Lab appears to have sailed into fog. The sky that we have known for centuries is falling, perhaps literally. By the time that the new year rolls around, many things that we previously believed in could be turned on their heads. For many of us, the two weeks that have just gone by may feel no different from any other two weeks in our lives. The history books, however, will remember otherwise.
EPIGRAPH
Note: I was hesitant to include a discussion on the sky before Rhine Lab's great achievement, for its very existence was a symbol of despair. Recent events have served to change my opinion, however, and I greatly appreciate my publisher's understanding in this matter, as well as the extra effort that was put into adding this section.
The debate over the sky has been around ever since we first lay down on the grass and looked up at the starry heavens. For centuries, generation after generation of scholars devoted their entire lives to deciphering its ancient mysteries, only to see their efforts thwarted by its silent, cryptic veil.
This vast and entrancing land has left us with great swathes of wilderness where there is no knowledge. But in this wilderness, we have sowed the seeds of thought, watering it with research in which we saw potential. We believe what we are doing is meaningful. When the spring winds come, the sprouts of wisdom will break their shackles, turning the walls that once stood in our way to bastions of hope. Our descendants will stand upon all that we have built, and learn the truth behind the stars.
— Excerpt from the foreword to the Annals of the Royal Academy of Sciences: Astrology, 1059 Edition
Those who live on this land have long been fascinated with the sky, a fascination that seems unlikely to fade any time soon. It has captured our imagination in ways big and small.
The sky above us is greater and older than we can imagine. The plane that we inhabit is only a tiny part of all that exists between heaven and earth. No one has ever set foot on the unknowns beyond the foehn hotlands, the polar regions north of Sami, or the expanses beyond the oceans, but the sky covers it all. It is there wherever we go, day or night, its nature ever constant.
We began by trying to measure the sky using units that we use on the ground, but soon found that a fruitless endeavor. We could climb the mountains and try to approach the sky, but the sky always lay beyond. Then we tried to measure the size of the stars from different heights, but found no difference whether we measured them from the foothills or from the peaks.
How high is the sky, truly?
Research into the sky turned to another direction, the observation of changing objects in the firmament.
The sun and moons rise and set on this massive curtain with nary a sound. The sun stays up longer in some places, while it is the moons that stay up longer in others. Today, we know that the amount of sunlight shining upon a region has some correlation with its climate. The position of the sun changes in subtle ways over the course of the year.
Other than the sun, the moons are, without a doubt, the brightest lights in the sky. The twin moons differ in size and brightness; the smaller one of the pair is called the Shadow-Moon. Certain patterns have been observed in the appearance of the moons; they often appear at different times in different shapes, but the larger moon is periodically seen on its own.
Before the coming of the Shah of Past and Future, ancient civilizations understood the concept of date through the guidance of the twin moons. Various calendar systems were devised based on the changes in the phases of the larger moon, or the appearance and disappearance of the smaller moon. These systems required constant observation and adjustment, giving rise to such ancient professions as astrologer, shaman, and druid. The twin moons have often been the subject of myth and legend. Across the land, people have praised and given thanks to them in many different tongues.
This, however, is the extent of the good news when it comes to research into the stars.
The twin moons are the only anchors we have found in the entropy of the stars. No other stellar body is known to observe any pattern in its movement. The stars move in unexplained ways every time the sun sets, a stark contrast from the regular phases of the twin moons. The stars themselves can still be found in the sky, but their location is always different, always unpredictable.
Studies into this phenomenon indicate that such movement is the norm amongst stellar bodies; it is the twin moons that are the contrarians of the sky. Astrologers have called this phenomenon the Startide, but there is no consensus on what the Startide actually is. Over the centuries, two contrasting schools of thought
APPENDIX
have emerged, the debate continuing to this day. One school holds that entropy is the nature of the sky, and that the twin moons offer only false guidance. The other school holds that the twin moons represent the true nature of the sky, and that we perceive the stars as entropy only because we lack the ability to understand it.
The Startide has “frozen” a dozen times in recorded history, give or take. These freezings are evenly distributed across the several centuries for which records are available, with no prior warning, lasting for less than one week in all cases. In this brief period, the movement of the stars ceases completely, before resuming their chaotic motion.
The phenomenon remains a mystery to date.
As science and Originium industry developed, people began to dream of flying like the fowlbeast, and so the first aircraft was born.
As we embarked on our quest to reach the sky, one problem came to the forefront. There seems to be a limit to the sky, an impassable area known as the starpod. Even the most advanced aircraft were unable to penetrate the starpod. The limit of around six thousand meters seems constant all across the land. The ill-fated test flight of the Wrights twenty years ago achieved an altitude of 6152.31 meters, at the price of their lives, a record that has yet to be surpassed.
Several hypotheses were formed, including the Originium Insulation Theory, the Parthian Limit, and the Organic Isolation Theory. Some have hypothesized that it is the high concentration of Originium at high altitudes that prevents us from going any higher. Ranging measurements by Catastrophe Messengers and Originium ecologists indicate that Catastrophe clouds can form above six thousand meters. Leithanian scholars discovered that Originium equipment begins to fail above a certain elevation, such as on the summit of Mt. Karlan. They believe that the sky is, in essence, an ocean of Originium that boils up from time to time, and the stars tiny sea spray upon the vast ocean. The imaginative theory holds that we are in fact standing upside-down, our senses deceived to believe that we are standing upright, and that we are being held up by the repulsive force from Originium, which prevents us from leaving Terra. There is also the story of the Dusk Beauty in Yanese folklore, who was said to have touched the heavens by flying into the sky using ancient Originium Arts.
Some of these theories come from experience, while others are the stuff of legend.
But none were able to provide convincing evidence in support of its claims. Progress came to a grinding halt. The public lost interest in exploration of the sky following the failure of Leithanien’s Arts Detector Orb. After all, we have an accurate and proven calendar system. What use is there in studying the sky?
In 1099, however, Kristen Wright and Rhine Lab punctured the great veil that has hung over our heads since time immemorial. For the first time in my life—or in anybody’s, for that matter—I saw a rippling sky, and a faint but discernible hole in it. I do not know what the researchers of Rhine Lab saw, and my friends
in Victoria and Columbia have yet to write back in response to my inquiries. I must make every effort to record all this, however, at this eleventh hour before the book hits the presses.
We are witnessing the progress of history with our own eyes. Are we upon the moment of truth, when the millennia-long mysteries of the sky are revealed?
December 16, 1099
Laterano
APPENDIX
Q: Welcome to The Late Late Show with Jim Burton, and thank you, Ms. Muelsyse. No shortage of strange happenings around us Trimontarians recently, and I'm pleased to say, you're the first Rhiner to accept an interview.
A: Hugely honored, Jim, but all I do around there is water the plants.
Q: Well, they don't know what they've got—let's get into it, Ms. Muelsyse, can you confirm your old monster clocked altitude limit? Physically hit the barrier?
A: Absolutely truthy.
Q: Then followed up by blasting a hole in it?
A: Seeing's believing.
Q: 6000 whole meters up. Imagine if a single screw came off. The crater that'd leave?
A: 6152.31m in exact numbers. But losing a screw at that altitude? Your first worry's not the crater, it's your aircraft! 'Cause in my experience, that screws YOU.
Q: See, my son—middle school—his books say Catastrophe clouds form 6000m up. Now, I know everyone's got their own theories on the starpod, but Rhine's gotten closest to the truth. Are you able to fill us in? The "Originium Insulation Theory", that's the prevailing one, yes or no?
A: First, you're right. Catastrophe Messengers and Originium environmentalists long gauged stormcloud condensation at 6000m using multi-array laser rangefinders. And yes, now we have data confirming an Originium response outside the starpod—that's why we pour so much money into our crafts and they still get wrecked on it. Though signs are, Originium's not the DIRECT cause.
Q: So, how about that Kazimierzian Organic Isolation Theory?
A: Mnaah... still waiting on further experiments to support our results, but I do have a BFF who landed intact after making starpod breakthrough in the flesh. My gut says it isn't anti-organism. Guess we'll fling an Originium slug topside with a drone and see.
Q: Now that's a worthy sacrifice! We're all wondering who'll be the first human to touch the starpod with their own two hands.
A: There's this real sad love story in Yan about a "Hsi-o" who did it already, "Dusk Beauty" in Columbian. She set off from the towering peak of a Yanese range, "rising like the sun" with her Arts, all to bring back her lover... *sniffle* It's such a tearjerker. Sure, maybe it was made up for the romance, but that's the first recorded instance in history of a person contacting the sky.
Q: So who's getting in the way of us exploring up there? Is it just Mother Nature? What I'm asking is, is there any chance—it's a Burdenbeastman plot?!
A: Exactly, Mr. Burton! And not just that, they've got help from the Slugpeople and the Gloom of Pincer Centauri. If you ask me, we've gotta arrest those horrible eight-armed schemers stat. One could be sat next to you right now!
Q: Haha! Still, just 6000m, really? See, I'm a sci-fi nut, and if we could get big aircraft to ferry people 10k up, build all-new flying cities, even head for the moons? Think of the problems we'd solve!
A: Nasti would LOVE to chat this stuff with you! But at the present stage, sorry, no dice. Still, we're up there working to make every impossibility, possible.
Q: 6000 it is. Got to ask, the Kjerag range is pretty close to that altitude. Is the barrier just right above people's heads there? Does it knock their hairdo out of shape if they jump?
A: A new trendy hairstyle in the waiting! Haha, sure Kjerag's range has Terra's highest discovered peaks, but they're still some ways from the starpod. Not too many high-jumpers with thousand-meter PBs, right? If there are... then Kjeragandr bless us!
Q: I'm sure you guys ran experiments up there as soon as you could. How'd they go?
A: Like we guessed, Originium machinery's effectively unusable past a certain alti-tude—not to mention, I'm not built to climb mountains that high! My friend from the Scientific Investigation Section told me Kjerags are pretty against climbing Mt. Karlan carrying Originium devices, but it took us finding out ourselves, it wasn't pilgrim super-stition, it was out of raw experience. Oh, and thank you again, Kjeragandr!
Q: Any impact on Arts either? You did just overturn the Originium Insulation Theory!
A: You're right, I'll plan out a joint investigation so they can turn Originium Slugs into Spire Casters... aww, just kidding! Actually, interference with Arts mainly lies with the Arts Units themselves losing functionality. If the Caster's strong enough... or Infected, then they can probably overcome the interference effect?
Q: Some mystery! I bet kids who hate veggies can identify with this barrier!
A: Plenty of unsolved mysteries with the barrier for sure. For one, stormcloud-formed Originium crystals still pierce straight through it when coming down. We just don't know what drives that—could it be it's TRYING to hurt humans?
Q: So it IS the Burdenbeastmen...?
A: So it is!
Q: Hey, so suppose your explorer colleagues set up a high-pressure watergun contain-ing zero Originium tech at the top of Mt. Karlan, you think you could fly above the barrier riding that?
A: Well, gosh, that'd turn me into an ice statue! Good thing the Trimounts Ethics in Scientific Research Joint Declaration has our backs now. I'm safe from that kind of thing!
Q: A huge thank-you to Ms. Silence for that! Maybe we'll be saying goodbye to all those bloody human experiment rumors!
A: You know what, there's way too much of that stuff in Wrankwood. People don't realize how important ethics and morals are to us!
Q: That hole you tore open in the starpod, how are the good people at Rhine handling it from here on out? There's word of illegally boarded foreign researchers piling up in Trimounts, trying to pilfer high-key experiment data. Those are valuable Columbian assets! Oh, and Rhine's too, obviously.
A: That's exactly why Misses Silence and Saria don't have the time to take interviews. I trust us and the government to figure out the answer that most benefits Terra.
Q: So, does that mean the "Rhine Gap" is staying open? How long for?
A: Who knows. Maybe until we actually find the truth one day. Excuse me, though, "Rhine Gap"?
Q: If you give us an official name, that'd be a lifesaver. I was going with the "Kristen Gap" at first, but the managing editor said no. [LAUGHS] After gaming the President, the military, and stirring up wild controversy, will we ever meet the legendary Control again?
A: Kristen's a busy girl 24/7! I don't think even being moonside can change that. Look, she never even dresses properly, never preps speeches, never takes note of what her colleagues are ever doing... I... I think we'll see her again. Yeah. Plus she still owes me for a LOT.
Q: I know I'm only asking now, but it's burning a hole in me. Aren't you an ecologist? Do you double as an astronomer? Do you just do it all?
A: What you see's what you get. Ms. Silence and Ms. Saria politely declined, and the only other freak genius who's willing to talk, good at it, and has the firsthand experience is either getting grilled by the government or a million miles away. And one person's been writing papers so hard for most of the month, they passed out from hunger twice. Me, I'm just taking the flak here with nothing else to do.
Q: Haha, modest of you, Ms. Muelsyse. Final question: being an ecologist, why is it you care about the sky as much as your fellow coworkers?
A: There used to be this large fowl in Rim Billiton, who'd occasionally shoot straight up, 4000m vertically, while evading predators. Any individuals who did that lost their ability to navigate thanks to the barrier, and got left behind come migratory season. As time passed, they formed an individual community, robustly bipedal, great at running, but no longer able to fly.
Q: Sounds like the ecologist's bedtime story, huh?
A: Well, even now, they're still extant in Rim. I see a little of us in those fowls, but I believe we'll find our lost wings once more.