Montgolfier

The Montgolfier (モンゴルフィエ) is a company, introduced in the First Year Arc of Toaru Kagaku no Railgun, which was active in Academy City one year before the main story.

Etymology
The company's name is the family name of the, French aviation pioneers and paper manufacturers, who invented a hot air balloon which launched the first confirmed human piloted ascent in 1783, as well as inventing the self-acting hydraulic ram and a process to manufacture transparent paper.

Principles
The Montgolfier company developed quantum cryptography and claimed to be working toward mechanically reproducing esper powers, though they had little success with no records of any finished products being sold.

Although the two companies are officially unconnected, Montgolfier conducts work for Antikythera, receiving funding and downgraded data in exchange for test results from the prototypes that Montgolfier manufactured from the data Antikythera provided, which Montgolfier obtained from attacks on students at Tokiwadai and instigating an inter-clique conflict. Antikythera was using Montgolfier for its own purposes of scientifically reproducing Dark Matter, and concealed its involvement, using Mitarai Ayane's esper power for encrypted communications between the two companies, prepared to abandon Montgolfier if necessary.

Montgolfier's field operatives, including former Anti-Skill with combat experience, wear dark suits and light-colored masks, with arm-mounted projectile weaponry. Communications to agents on secret missions are usually one-way.

The prototype weapons produced by Montgolfier were capable of limited reproductions of multiple esper powers used by Tokiwadai students, not particularly strong but capable of switching between them. One reproduction was a calcium spear, intended to be identical to the ones used by Sukezawa Sena but revealed by electron scan to have a different osteoblast and osteocyte sequence. Other reproductions include a non-solid bullet, possibly based on Aero Shooter, and ribbon control meant to resemble Enjou Kasumi's power.

Background
According to their finances, the company was heavily invested in from an unidentified source for some time. They have a large facility in School District 10, not necessary for testing ordinary products, and hired a large number of former Anti-Skill with combat experience. Mibuki Kazan of Hasekura Clique suspected that the esper reproduction product is a front to hide unregistered work in the military industry.

First Year Arc
While investigating a possible external mastermind behind the clique conflict, Hasekura, Sha, and Kessai were attacked by two people in suits. The pair retreated soon afterwards, but their bullet was left in the field. Sha read the residual thoughts on the attacker's weapon (with the lack of residual thoughts indicating that it wasn't made with an esper ability) and found that the target was Hasekura.

After the incident, the members of Hasekura clique found that the Montgolfier company was the only institute within range, and their preliminary findings supported their suspicions that Montgolfier used their prototype weapon to trick the cliques into fighting and gathered research data. The whole group of Hasekura clique and Ruri visited the company's headquarters to investigate the possible culprit.

The man who met the group at Montgolfier's HQ denied their allegations, attempting to obstruct them from viewing their research and have them leave, but was confronted with the analysis of the calcium spear indicating their deception and an esper analysis indicating his own lies. The man threatened to call Anti-Skill and their lawyers if they continued, but Ruri produced a search warrant, revealing herself as a member of Judgment.

Getting some distance, the man had Montgolfier operatives attack the girls, utilizing the reproduction weapons. At the same time, Antikythera gathered transmitted observational data over the encrypted communication line while preparing to abandon their pawn. As the Mikagami and Sha cliques arrived as reinforcements, some operatives were ready to surrender but Antikythera sent false intel to prevent it and keep the battle going as long as possible to maximize their data gain.