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Rhine Lab LLC. (R.L.) is a Terran organization. It is a Columbian research institute and scientific consortium that is active in the fields of Originium, biology, and robotics, but has been marred with shady practices involving unethical, inhumane experiments. Nevertheless, it has a grand ambition to become Terra's pioneer in space expedition.
Background
Rhine Lab was founded by Dr. Kristen Wright and Saria in the year 1083 with the purpose of seeking scientific advancements and following the legacy of the former's parents in exploring space beyond Terra. R.L. came from humble beginnings with its first office being an old apartment near the founders' former college, the Trimounts Institute of Technology.[1] R.L. eventually became one of Terra's biggest scientific organizations, famous throughout Terra for its Originium-related research and its uses in robotics, medicine, and ecological studies. It eventually upgraded into an LLC. in 1085, and through collaboration with the Maylander Association, began attracting more researchers to join the company. Kristen Wright became the Director of the Component Controls section and head of R.L. as a whole, while Saria took up the position as chief of the Defense section. Along with its scientific endeavors, the Maylander Association also helped R.L. start the Rhine Lab Pioneer Project: a series of archeological expedition programs to uncover ancient ruins, many of which actually belonged to the previous civilizations which once colonized Terra.
Rhine Lab's headquarters in Trimounts
However, R.L. eventually became involved in ethically questionable research, which it has simply deemed "unavoidable." The company accepts funding from the Columbian Department of Defense (DOD) as part of the nation's goal to achieve technological superiority over other Terran superpowers. For example, in order to decode the secrets of Originium, Joyce was chosen to have an Originium chip implanted inside her brain, but this came at the cost of her contracting severe Oripathy, along with other illnesses.[2] R.L. even secretly invested in the infamous Loken Watertank Laboratory, inheriting much of its legacy after its downfall by accepting its remaining research data and subjects.[3] It continues to use the façade of appearing as an institution of academic freedom to attract researchers while disguising its true intentions.
Of all the experiments R.L. has conducted, "Project Diαbolic," launched in the year 1095, was its most defining. Under the supervision of the DOD, it acted as an investment partner for Haydn Pharmaceutical, which attempted to create a humanoid weapon by resurrecting the extinct Diablo Sarkaz.[4] The result, however, was a series of devastating events known as the "Diαbolic Crisis". It began with Ifrit, the experiment's test subject, losing control of her Arts and burning down laboratory Lab-1, killing its director Haydn Ramt. Following the destruction of Lab-1, R.L. secretly continued the project under the supervision of Prof. Ahrens Parvis, by disguising it as therapy for Ifrit , intended to relieve the symptoms of her Oripathy. R.L. eventually failed to suppress Ifrit's rage, which almost led to the destruction of the lab and the subject's death.[5] Since then, R.L. has concealed all details concerning the Crisis, and announced publicly that the incident was nothing more than an experimental accident.
R.L.'s inhumane experiments, as well as the disastrous Diαbolic Crisis, have led two of its members, Dr. Olivia Silence and its co-founder, Saria, to leave R.L., though their positions are still nominally retained by Kristen. Even then, R.L. continues to supervise the two to prevent them from harming its interests; it also observes Ifrit in secret. At the same time, it has partnered with Rhodes Island to conduct research on Oripathy, while admitting to R.I.'s superiority in this field of research. Magallan, Mayer, and their superior Muelsyse are some of its members lending their services to R.I.
In November 21, 1099, the "Project Horizon Arc“ was officially launched as part of R.L.'s collaboration with the DOD. Originally a superweapons program with the purpose of constructing Arc-01, it was soon hijacked by R.L. itself as part of Kristen's ultimate lifetime goal. In the end, R.L. succeeded in penetrating the Starpod—the "fake sky" of Terra—and created a unique phenomenon named the "Trimount Arc" by later generations. Despite R.L. ultimately losing Kristen, the event became the current generation of Terra's first attempt to fly beyond the Starpod, marking the very beginning of space expedition in the current era.
Branches
Departments
R.L. has ten departments in total with each performing different tasks. The core of R.L. is the Component Control Section (CMPT CTRL) that deals with the general affairs within R.L. among all departments. Beneath the Control Section are five scientific research sections and four general affair sections:
Scientific research
- Ecological Section (ECO): The department that investigates the biological evolution history of Terra and its interaction with Terra's environment.
- Energy Section (NRG): The department that conducts research on various forms of energies in Terra (i.e., Originium, sunlight, geothermal, and biothermal) and their practical applications in technology.
- Originium Arts Section (ORIG): The department that dives into the basic principles of Originium Arts and its applications.
- Scientific Investigation Section (SCIEN): The department consisting of explorers that reach outside of the borders of civilization on Terra (i.e., Sami Icefield) to investigate its mysteries and uncover relics of Terra's previous civilizations. The S.I.S. is the leader of R.L.'s Pioneer Project.
- Structural Section (STRU): The department that investigates the basic particles (i.e., elements, atoms, and biological molecules) of living beings on Terra and how they are affected by their surroundings.
General affair
- Business Section (BSN): The department that deals with public affairs and communications with other corporations.
- Defense Section (DEF): The department that deals with R&D and security issues such as laboratory emergencies. It also takes care of undisclosed and classified information.
- Engineering Section (ENG): The department that provides mechanical and robotic support for R.L.'s researchers.
- Human Resource Investigation Section (HRI): The department that is responsible for human resource management.
Notable members
| Directors | Operators NPCs | |
|---|---|---|
| Section dirs. | ||
| Staff | ||
- Andrenette Mariam
- Dellareed☠: A R.L. researcher who studied the possibility of integrating Originium with computers and the organic mind through a direct neural interface, as well as Joyce's friend. She passed away at some point from unknown causes, leading to her project's team disbandment. Della's death led to Joyce voluntarily implanting an Originium-based DNI named "Device #9" into her brain to remember her and prove her theories.[6]
- Albert (Rhodes Island's Records of Originium: Rhine Lab)
- Lammy (Rhodes Island's Records of Originium: Rhine Lab)
- Leon (Rhodes Island's Records of Originium: Rhine Lab)
- Jane (Rhodes Island's Records of Originium: Rhine Lab)
Of the above characters:
- Kristen Wright is the director of Rhine Lab while Saria is one of R.L.'s co-leaders.
- Despite having resigned of her own accord following the "Diαbolic Crisis," Saria's resignation was never recognized, and thus she nominally remains a member of R.L.
- Following the Project Horizon Arc where Kristen is declared "missing," Saria succeeds her as the director of R.L..
- Much of the R.L. section directors' offices underwent huge changes in the aftermaths of the the Site 359 incident and the Project Horizon Arc, except for Dorothy, Muelsyse, Nasti, and Justin Jr., who maintained their respective positions:[7]
- Ahrens passed away during his Chimera Treatment experiment while Jara has retired following the Project Horizon Arc, with unnamed successors assuming their positions.
- Ferdinand temporarily left his office in the aftermath of the Site 359 incident, but was pardoned and assumed his office again after the Project Horizon Arc.
- Andrenette remains missing in action during an expedition in the Infy Icefield.
- Astgenne, Magallan, and Mayer are actively working for and represent R.L., whereas Silence and Ptilopsis only work for R.L. nominally after they unofficially resigned following the "Diαbolic Crisis."
- Silence the Paradigmatic has officially returned to R.L. as Saria's secretary and a supervisor representing the newly founded Trimounts Science Ethics Association.
Enemies
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| Elite | |
| Boss |
References
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