
The Grandfather (or at least a version of him/it) created the Ring as a series of experimental laboratories. The Grandfather was a member of a race known variously as as the Ancients and the Overlords. The three planets were moved to the Ring from various outside universes.

Individuals who died violently are duplicated at the moment of death and inserted into artificial societies, where their reactions are monitored. Control beads are inserted alongside the medula oblongata which overlay a set of false memories and new languages onto the core personality and repress conscious recall of the original memories. These beads also act as a data recorder and relay for the monitors. Certain individuals with a high willpower can overcome the memory suppression and remember their real lives. Gaius has recalled most of his past, and Yar is beginning to remember. Dev, Kit, Jane and Dhamma awoke before programming of their implants. The nightmare visions are a side-product of their unprogrammed implants.

The Grandfather has actually discorporated, and it is not believed that his mentality surviced. He was killed in a showdown with the Havenic Imperial Federation in an alternate universe - a natural one as opposed to the bubble universes and pocket universes he created. The question of exactly how long ago this happened is largely meaningless due to the varying timeflows of the different universes. In the wake of the reports of the Grandfather's death, a power struggle between various factions of his minions has erupted. The lab where Dev, Kit, Jane and Dhamma awoke was run by a faction which wishes to continue the experiment. This faction consists largely of "Greys," or Briori. The faction which destroyed the station consists of replicants from Kapec. Both the Briori and the Kapecki seek to eliminate the escapees; the Briori because they escaped the lab without being programmed and could contaminate the experiment, and the Kapecki because they wish to close out the entire Ring.