Rhine Lab’s founding is a sore subject within Chrysalis Labs’ leadership. Officially, the split was amicable—two talented graduates pursuing their own research vision. Unofficially, Kristen Wright’s departure represented a rejection of the Labs’ measured, institutional approach in favour of something faster and less constrained by oversight.
Rhine Lab operates under similar departmental structures but with a reputation for pushing ethical boundaries. Rumours of unethical human experimentation have circulated for years. The Labs publicly distances itself from Rhine Lab’s practices while privately acknowledging that some of Rhine Lab’s breakthroughs—particularly in originium energy applications—have been genuinely impressive.
The tension escalated when it became known that Rhine Lab is conducting a major classified project in collaboration with Dragon Logistics and the Al’ar family. The project’s official name is the Pioneer Project; its actual nature involves something considerably more ambitious than exploration. Chrysalis Labs was not invited to participate. The slight has not been forgotten.