Lore

Various story elements of the game that can be discovered through Data Drives.

A series of four documents covering the history of the Railgate.

There are few individuals who we can say changed the course of human history. Though it would take almost her entire lifetime, Dr. Doris Singh is one such individual.

Originally from Yggdrasil Base above Earth, Doris Singh spent early adulthood as an engineer, helping design the Great Northern Way orbital colony. She would go on to attend the prestigious University of Qikiqtaaluk (Go Phalaropes!) where she obtained her PhD in Astrophysics in 2224.

At university she began developing a model of transportation that leveraged recent discoveries in amplification of the Van der Waals force. Dr. Singh envisioned fast, cheap and accessible transit for everyone, achieved by accelerating and decelerating mass through a series of "gates" running between planetary orbits.

In 2225, Dr. Singh published her infamous paper: A Proposal for Inter-Planetary Human Transit at Exceptional Velocity Between Solar Destinations via High-Amplifying Van der Waal Attenuation Gates (HAV-der-WAGs), or How To Get To Mars in Two Weeks Without Deliquescing into a Pile of Jelly.

Though this paper would eventually become one of the most important (and entertaining) scientific documents in human history, it was ill-received. In the ensuing years it languished and became forgotten. It seemed that Dr. Singh's career might fade entirely into obscurity.

However, in 2230 came an improbable offer from an unlikely source: the massive megacorporation LYNX, run by industrialist Exeter Paulsen. LYNX wanted her to develop her theory. Dr. Singh would later write that this felt "like a deal with the Devil". None-the-less, it was an opportunity she couldn't pass up.

Next: Bringing the Idea to Life

#### Railgate History (2 of 4)

Bringing the Idea to Life

Exeter Paulsen built his empire with a single strategy: snatching up small businesses and individuals developing emerging tech. Synthetic protein manufacturing, anti-radiation textiles, high-capacity magnetic data storage... Paulsen even scooped up a middling Lynx Salvage in 2208, transforming it into a massive recycling tax subsidy for his other operations.

This strategy afforded Paulsen untold resources and influence. In Dr. Doris Singh's proposal for a network of mass-transit "gates" between planets, he saw an opportunity to significantly boost humanity's reach beyond Earth. He envisioned a network spanning every planet and major moon, unlocking colonization and the harvesting of vast resources; all controlled by LYNX Corporation.

For Dr. Singh's part, the opportunity provided the resources to realize her proposal. While with a megacorporation would be difficult, she felt it was her duty to bring the Railgate to humanity. With staff enough to run a university, she coordinated the multitude of research programs, initiatives and prototypes required. She operated with determination and vigor. Accounts describe that she worked like a conductor with a symphony; graceful, sharp and unfailing.

With each success, the program grew closer to the reality of Gate travel. Dr. Singh, backed by the vast resources of Exeter Paulsen, remained undaunted, despite the scale of the endeavor. This would be the grandest human industrial work since the ill-fated Earth Orbital Ring (abandoned in the late 21st century), or even the terraforming of Mars. We know today that they succeeded, despite some unfortunate setbacks that were to come.

Next: The Phobos Incident

#### Railgate History (3 of 4)

The Phobos Incident

Dr. Doris Singh's endurance as the head of the Railgate Project can't be understated. Joining LYNX in 2230, it took 18 years to reach a full-scale prototype, consisting of a "Propulsor Gate" above Phobos, and a "Receiver Gate" at the Mars-Sun L2 Lagrange Point. Connecting these were the "Interstitial Gates"; the backbone of the Railgate system, providing control over an object's velocity in transit.

Early trials were a major success; asteroids, satellites, terraforming equipment, livestock, and even an antique desk was transported. The gates proved they could handle a variety of materials, as well as living beings. In 2252, human trials began.

On April 13th, 2253, 08:40 Earth Time, disaster struck. The Propulsor Gate, preparing to launch a shuttle carrying twelve human passengers, experienced a critical overload. Instantly, a blast twenty kilometers in size enveloped the gate and three-quarters of the surface of Phobos.

Fifteen colonies, four mining facilities and three orbital stations were destroyed. The gate was completely vaporized. Twenty-seven LYNX personnel were lost, and almost 15,000 civilian lives. Dr. Singh, observing from the Receiver Gate, was devastated.

LYNX Corp. immediately began a program of damage control, with a showy "internal investigation". Third-parties attributed the accident to a flaw in the Gate's power cells, but the official LYNX statement landed on the negligence of the Propulsion Gate's Chief Supervisor.

The tragedy seemed like it would halt the Railgate Project in its tracks, but, miraculously, this would only be a short stumbling-block on the path to success.

Next: The First Roundtrip, The Present and the Future

#### Railgate History (4 of 4)

The First Roundtrip, The Present and The Future

The Pan-Solar Railgate Appreciation Group

LYNX used its vast influence to push through the Phobos Incident controversy. Most surprisingly, however, was Exeter Paulsen convincing Dr. Singh to continue her work. We'll never know their discussion; Dr. Singh never publicly commented, and LYNX maintained the accident was simply an unfortunate step in the development of an historic creation.

Only a year later, full-scale construction of the Earth-Mars Railgates began. Public outcry was quickly diminished by the promise of fast, cheap travel to the frontier. Millions eagerly anticipated the day they could ride the rails to Mars and escape the strife of Earth.

The new Gates dwarfed the prototype, taking fourteen years to complete. In 2267, Dr. Singh, now on the verge of retirement, was part of the inaugural trip.

"I feel profound sadness and joy," she said. "This will give life to millions. Yet it cost thousands of others. I'll never know if the price was fair. I hope it was."

We know now, sixty years on: it seems it was fair. The Railgates allowed us to fully colonize Mars, harvest boundless resources from the Belt, and is opening opportunities around Jupiter. Planning for Gates further out is already under way.

Today, any of us can ride a Station Hopper between the colonies, stop at a Sub-Gate to contemplate Mercury or Venus, glide serenely through sparkling Belt rocks, gaze at the clouds of Jupiter, and ultimately find our own destinies in the great expanse of the Solar System. For this, we thank the brilliance of Dr. Doris Singh.