Queen Ishiya

"Queen Ishiya of the Gray Guards oversees the Kaiser Corporation's Thingstone mining operations and the excavation of an ancient alien Ark. She receives word that a CYGNI-class ship is approaching, carrying Llewellyn 709 -- and sees this as an opportunity to capture him and exploit his abilities."
-- Events of Booklet 045

Queen Ishiya is a Gray Guard Queen and one of the principal antagonists of the "Valhala 13 Crisis" arc (Booklets 045-049) in Die Terranauten. Stationed on the harsh planet Stonehenge II as both the commanding officer of the local Gray Guard contingent and the Acting General Manager (Kommissarische Generalmanager) of the Kaiser Corporation in the system of the sun Set, Ishiya occupies a dual military-corporate role characteristic of the entanglement between the Gray Guards and the Council of Corporations. Across five booklets, she orchestrates the capture of Llewellyn 709, deploys the Riemenmann doppelganger Valhala 13 to infiltrate the Terranauts, and wages a relentless campaign to deliver Valhala and intelligence about Rorqual to Max von Valdec -- a campaign that ends with her death aboard the GARIBALDI at the hands of the PSI-assassin Ruben Carcones.

Ishiya's arc illustrates one of the saga's recurring patterns: a Gray Guard officer of considerable tactical ability and ruthless determination, operating at the intersection of military command and corporate exploitation, who is ultimately consumed by the very crisis she helped to unleash.

Biography

Commander on Stonehenge II (Booklet 045)

Queen Ishiya's first appearance establishes her as a formidable figure of dual authority. On Stonehenge II -- a harsh, nitrogen-rich planet with extreme weather, valuable Thingstone deposits, and the ruins of an ancient alien civilization -- Ishiya commands both the Gray Guard garrison and the Kaiser Corporation's mining and excavation operations. Her title of Acting GeneralManag (Kommissarische Generalmanager) of the Kaiser Corporation in the system of the sun Set places her among the corporate-military hybrid commanders who enforce Council rule across the Terran star empire. Her subordinates include Hechzekil, the Security Manager for the Kaiser Corporation on Stonehenge II, as well as a staff of Observers and Leading Scientists overseeing the excavation of an ancient alien vessel known as the Ark.

Ishiya commands from a distinctive vehicle: the Stahlschildkröte ("Steel Turtle"), an armored tracked vehicle suited to Stonehenge II's brutal terrain. Her personal ship, referred to as Ishiya's Turtle, is parked near the excavation site. She maintains her forces with an iron hand and does not hesitate to issue a Red Order (Rot-Order) -- an emergency directive -- when circumstances demand it.

Before the events of the saga, Ishiya's past includes encounters with hostile alien species. Glossary references describe visions of a failed commando operation and combat against the Mashan, a hostile alien species with fangs. These fragments suggest a career of considerable frontline experience before her posting to Stonehenge II.

The Valhala 13 Operation (Booklet 045)

Ishiya's defining operation begins when she learns that a CYGNI-class ship is approaching Stonehenge II, carrying Llewellyn 709, the legendary Riemenmann and leader among the Terranauts. Rather than simply repelling or destroying the intruder, Ishiya recognizes an extraordinary opportunity: to capture Llewellyn alive and replace him with Valhala 13, a Riemenmann bred by the Gray Guards as Llewellyn's perfect physical and psionic double.

Valhala 13 has been undergoing rigorous PSI training on Stonehenge II under the supervision of Sartyra Fuji, a Gray PSI-Expert. Ishiya oversees this training program and plans to deploy Valhala as a double agent -- a living weapon designed to infiltrate the Terranauts from within. The plan hinges on capturing Llewellyn and making the switch undetectable.

When Llewellyn lands on Stonehenge II amid violent storms, enters the ancient Ark, and is eventually cornered, Ishiya orders his capture alive. Llewellyn makes a desperate move, removing his PSI-dampening straps and unleashing a catastrophic PSI-storm that causes chaos and distorts reality. But Valhala 13, protected by his own golden containment straps, withstands the storm, subdues Llewellyn with a stunner, and closes his straps. The Ark is damaged and later explodes from nuclear overload, killing Sartyra Fuji among others -- but the operation succeeds. The real Llewellyn is imprisoned in a deep-sleep capsule, while Valhala 13, impersonating him perfectly, is extracted by the CYGNI. The crew, unaware of the switch, welcomes the impostor aboard.

This operation -- conceived and directed by Ishiya -- represents one of the most dangerous covert strikes the Council of Corporations ever launched against the Terranauts. Its success temporarily places a Gray Guard weapon at the heart of the Terranaut resistance.

Pursuit on Quostan (Booklet 046)

Following the successful switch, the real Llewellyn 709 is transferred from Stonehenge II to a secret Council research station on Quostan, a harsh, icy planet where the Council is conducting forbidden experiments on the native Ice Devils. Ishiya takes command of the Gray Guard forces on Quostan, maintaining custody of the imprisoned Riemenmann.

However, the PSI-assassin Ruben Carcones, operating on Quostan with his dying partner Gus, observes the arrival of Llewellyn's deep-sleep capsule at the station and attacks, freeing the real Llewellyn. Ishiya's forces pursue Llewellyn and Carcones across the icy surface, but Lyda Mar -- who had stowed away aboard the CYGNI after sensing Valhala 13's impersonation -- guides the ship to Quostan. Claude Farrell and Lyda Mar rescue Llewellyn and Carcones in a tense extraction. Carcones destroys a pursuing Gray Guard glider, but the group is briefly trapped when Ishiya's forces collapse an ice passage.

Ishiya and several of her Gray Guards are ultimately captured during the escape and taken prisoner aboard the CYGNI. This reversal -- from captor to captive -- marks the beginning of Ishiya's second phase: a prisoner who refuses to stop fighting.

Mutiny Aboard the CYGNI (Booklet 047)

Aboard the CYGNI, the situation deteriorates rapidly. The Hate Plague -- a virus engineered by Hermano Lotz on Sarym to cause uncontrollable rage and madness -- spreads among the crew. The virus was designed to activate upon contact with Llewellyn 709's PSI signature, and its effects are devastating.

Ishiya, held as a prisoner along with her surviving Gray Guards and scientists from the Quostan station (including the tall scientist Elroy Matman, who questions her decisions), seizes an opportunity when a medo-robot is destroyed. She and her guards escape their confinement and attempt to seize control of the ship. Ishiya's goal is strategic and specific: she intends to deliver Valhala 13 -- who is being held in deep sleep in the ship's stasis chambers -- to Max von Valdec on Earth. She believes Valhala holds intelligence about Rorqual's location and the Terranauts' organizational structure that could enable Valdec to destroy the resistance once and for all.

Ishiya leads her forces to the deep-sleep chambers, intending to awaken Valhala 13 and use him as a weapon to take the ship. But Claude Farrell and Ruben Carcones -- both infected with the Hate Plague and fighting their own deterioration -- intervene in a tense confrontation. Farrell manages to put Valhala 13 back into deep sleep, thwarting Ishiya's immediate plan. The virus, however, has already infected Farrell.

As the CYGNI approaches Earth, Llewellyn 709 contacts Max von Valdec, offering an exchange: the Gray Guards, including Ishiya, for the Hate Plague antidote. Valdec refuses, demanding unconditional surrender. The CYGNI is attacked by Gray Guard space fighters and forced to flee into Space II, eventually emerging near Rorqual. When David terGorden and Narda approach the CYGNI in a Ringo to investigate, a Gray Guard under Ishiya's influence launches a plague-infected Ringo toward Rorqual in an attempt to spread the virus to the Terranaut stronghold. Lyda Mar and Llewellyn 709 destroy the infected Ringo before it can reach the planet.

The Assault on Rorqual (Booklet 048)

In the saga's climactic resolution of the doppelganger arc, Ishiya's campaign reaches its most dangerous phase. Valhala 13 fully awakens aboard the CYGNI, and Ishiya forces him to help her land on Rorqual and spread the Hate Plague across the Terranaut stronghold. This makes Ishiya one of the few Gray Guard operatives in the entire saga to set foot on Rorqual itself -- the Terranauts' hidden sanctuary in Space II.

The crisis is resolved when David terGorden, Lyda Mar, and Llewellyn 709 -- who had been pulled through a dimensional rift to an unknown planet near the Black Hole -- combine their efforts to stop Valhala's sabotage. They sacrifice Valhala 13 to close the dimensional rift, preventing a cosmic catastrophe. The Terranauts seize Valdec's fleet and set course for Earth to retrieve the antidote.

Death Aboard the GARIBALDI (Booklet 049)

The final chapter of Ishiya's arc plays out aboard the GARIBALDI, the Driver ship docked to the BERLIN. The Hate Plague continues to ravage those aboard, including Claude Farrell, who has succumbed to the point of threatening to bomb Berlin if the antidote is not delivered. In this atmosphere of escalating violence and desperation, Queen Ishiya is killed by Ruben Carcones -- and Carcones is killed by Ishiya in a mutual destruction that eliminates both combatants. The booklet's character list notes starkly: "Queen Ishiya -- Gray Guard Queen who is killed by Ruben Carcones" and "Ruben Carcones -- PSI assassin who is killed by Queen Ishiya."

This grim, reciprocal ending is fitting for a character defined by relentless aggression: Ishiya fights to the last, taking her killer with her. The Hate Plague antidote is eventually secured by the Terranauts, ending the crisis that Ishiya's operations on Stonehenge II and Quostan helped to set in motion.

Key Actions

• Oversees Thingstone mining operations and the excavation of the ancient Ark on Stonehenge II (045)
• Directs Valhala 13's PSI training under Sartyra Fuji on Stonehenge II (045)
• Orders the capture of Llewellyn 709 alive after he enters the Ark (045)
• Orchestrates the switch: imprisons the real Llewellyn in a deep-sleep capsule and deploys Valhala 13 as his impersonator aboard the CYGNI (045)
• Commands Gray Guard forces pursuing Llewellyn 709 and Ruben Carcones on Quostan (046)
• Is captured during the Terranauts' escape from Quostan and taken prisoner aboard the CYGNI (046)
• Escapes confinement aboard the CYGNI after a medo-robot is destroyed (047)
• Attempts to awaken Valhala 13 in the deep-sleep chambers; stopped by Claude Farrell and Ruben Carcones (047)
• Orders a Gray Guard to launch a plague-infected Ringo toward Rorqual (047)
• Forces Valhala 13 to land on Rorqual and spread the Hate Plague (048)
• Captures Claude Farrell and Ruben Carcones on Rorqual (048)
• Issues a Red Order during emergency operations (045)
• Killed by Ruben Carcones aboard the GARIBALDI; kills Carcones in mutual combat (049)

Relationships

Chain of Command

Operational Targets and Adversaries

Command and Resources

Titles and Ranks

Forces and Equipment

Appearances (5 booklets)

Themes and Significance

The Dual Commander. Ishiya embodies the entanglement of military and corporate power that defines the Council of Corporations' regime. Her title -- simultaneously a Gray Guard Queen and a Kaiser Corporation Acting GeneralManag -- reflects the saga's persistent theme that in the Terran star empire, the distinction between soldier and executive is meaningless. She commands armies and mining operations with equal authority, and her strategic objective on Stonehenge II is inseparable from the Corporation's commercial interest in Thingstones and the military value of the Ark excavation.

The Relentless Antagonist. Among the saga's Gray Guard Queens, Ishiya stands out for sheer persistence. Captured, imprisoned, and stripped of resources, she never stops fighting. She escapes confinement aboard the CYGNI, attempts mutiny, launches biological attacks, forces Valhala to serve her agenda on Rorqual, and fights to the death against Ruben Carcones. Where other Gray Guard antagonists -- Fay Gray, Queen Mandorla -- are defined by their relationships to Valdec or by their capacity for change, Ishiya is defined by unyielding tactical aggression. She is the Gray Guard system at its most operationally dangerous: a commander who treats every setback as a new tactical problem to be solved by force.

Architect of the Valhala 13 Crisis. The entire doppelganger arc that dominates booklets 045-048 originates with Ishiya's decision to deploy Valhala 13. Without her strategic vision -- recognizing Llewellyn's approach as an opportunity, directing Valhala's training, executing the switch -- the Terranauts would never have faced the existential threat of an impersonator at their heart. The crisis tests the Terranauts' most fundamental bonds of trust and results in casualties, the spread of the Hate Plague, and the sacrifice of Valhala 13 to close a dimensional rift. Ishiya is the architect of all of this, making her one of the saga's most consequential mid-arc antagonists.

Mutual Destruction. Ishiya's death alongside Ruben Carcones -- each killing the other -- is a narrative symmetry that underscores the Hate Plague arc's theme of escalating violence consuming all participants. The PSI-assassin who freed Llewellyn from Ishiya's custody on Quostan and who helped stop her aboard the CYGNI finally meets her in a confrontation neither survives. It is a fitting end for a character whose every action was directed toward destruction -- and who, in the end, could not escape the destruction she helped to set in motion.

See Also

• Valhala 13 -- The Riemenmann doppelganger whom Ishiya trained, deployed, and repeatedly attempted to weaponize
• Llewellyn 709 -- Ishiya's primary target; the Riemenmann she captured and imprisoned
• Gray Guards -- The military institution in which Ishiya holds the rank of Queen
• Stonehenge II -- The planet where Ishiya commands operations and the Valhala switch occurs
• Hate Plague -- The bioweapon that spreads during the crisis Ishiya's operations set in motion
• Ruben Carcones -- The PSI-assassin who is Ishiya's recurring adversary and eventual killer
• Claude Farrell -- The Terranaut Driver who stops Ishiya's mutiny aboard the CYGNI
• Sartyra Fuji -- The PSI-Expert who trains Valhala under Ishiya's command
• CYGNI -- The ship aboard which Ishiya wages her campaign as both prisoner and mutineer
• Rorqual -- The Terranaut sanctuary that Ishiya briefly reaches in her final offensive
• Kaiser Corporation -- The corporate entity Ishiya represents as Acting GeneralManag
• Council of Corporations -- The governing authority Ishiya ultimately serves

Queen Ishiya appears in 5 of 99 booklets of Die Terranauten (045-049). She is the architect of the Valhala 13 operation, the most dangerous covert strike the Council of Corporations ever launched against the Terranauts -- and a Gray Guard Queen who fought from command post to prison cell to enemy stronghold without ever ceasing to be dangerous.