Scanner Cloud

"Scanner Cloud and Morgenstern sacrifice themselves to stop Arbitrators, demonstrating 'love' to eliminate their will to kill."
-- Events at the Pyramid of Knowledge (Booklet 095)

Scanner Cloud is a recurring character in Die Terranauten, appearing in 20 of the saga's 99 booklets. A Psyter -- a human with advanced mental abilities and a deep connection to the destroyed planet Psyta -- Scanner Cloud evolves over the course of the saga from a cunning prisoner and revolt leader into a cosmic being of extraordinary psionic power, a Fast-Steerer (Fastlenker) who can traverse Space II without a ship. His arc traces a path from manipulative survivor to selfless guardian of the space road network, culminating in a transcendent sacrifice at the Pyramid of Knowledge that embodies the saga's ultimate theme: that love, not force, is the power that can turn aside destruction.

Biography

Origins: The Psyter and the Prospector Ship

Before the saga's main events, Scanner Cloud traveled aboard the SAPHYR, an old prospector ship, alongside Perchiner Gride, Astos, and Morgenstern. He is identified as a Psyter -- an individual with enhanced psychic abilities including the capacity to scan thoughts and influence minds. His homeworld, Psyta, was destroyed at some point in the distant past, giving the Psyters a diasporic, enigmatic quality. Cloud's early history also includes a secret relationship with Cosmoral Evita Jaschini, the commander of Lunaport on Luna -- a relationship he would later exploit ruthlessly during the prisoner revolt.

The Dead Spaces and the Sacrifice (Booklet 009)

Scanner Cloud first appears as a fellow prisoner of Llewellyn 709 in the Dead Spaces, a brutal PSI-shielded bunker complex beneath Berlin. When Llewellyn discovers a potential escape route, Cloud initially tries to dissuade him, hinting that the Moon Dungeons would be preferable. Llewellyn distrusts Cloud, suspecting him of being a spy. However, when the escaped prisoners are attacked by Rosen and his "Dark Ones" -- inmates driven mad by the Dead Spaces -- Cloud helps fight them off. In a defining early moment, Scanner Cloud, Altamont O'Hale, and Serge-Serge Suvez sacrifice themselves to allow Llewellyn and the other Drivers to escape. This apparent self-sacrifice establishes a pattern that will recur throughout Cloud's story: putting himself in mortal danger while keeping his true motives partially hidden.

The Luna Revolt and the MIDAS (Booklet 010)

Cloud resurfaces as the leader of a prisoner revolt on Luna, where he is revealed to be the Psyter -- a title spoken with a mix of fear and respect. Using his psionic abilities and his secret hold over Evita Jaschini, Cloud orchestrates a complex plan: he tasks Morgenstern with retrieving Leande, a mentally shattered computer technician, from the deepest level of the Moon Dungeons. When Llewellyn 709 and David terGorden arrive as new prisoners, Cloud enlists them in his scheme to disable Lunaport's central computer, Big Brother, and seize the MIDAS, an experimental interstellar spacecraft.

The revolt succeeds, but the MIDAS's Kaiser Force drive proves catastrophically dangerous. David, sensing the peril, leaves the ship in a lifeboat. Cloud and the others are flung into intergalactic space when the drive activates, with most of the crew killed or transformed into "Glassy Ones." Cloud survives, and his decision to commandeer the MIDAS -- despite its risks -- sets in motion the entire intergalactic exile arc that follows.

Intergalactic Exile: Hobo and the Ashras (Booklets 014-015)

Stranded in intergalactic space near the green sun Moloch, which orbits a Black Hole, Cloud takes command of the wrecked MIDAS. In a display of extraordinary nerve, he orders the ship to fly directly into the Black Hole, using its gravitational pull to slingshot them to safety. Llewellyn 709 and the other Drivers form a lodge to shield Cloud during this maneuver, demonstrating the trust he has earned despite initial suspicions.

The MIDAS crash-lands on the planet Hobo, where Cloud leads first contact with the winged Ashras -- a mission complicated when the natives attack him out of fear. After being captured alongside Llewellyn, Cloud devises the plan that saves both the Ashras and the humans: using the MIDAS's holographic projectors and sound inductors to create illusions of giant monsters, he drives away the colonizing Zoptics who were exterminating the native population. This episode reveals Cloud as a tactician who prefers ingenuity over brute force.

In Booklet 015, Cloud participates in the diplomatic mission to Runnevel, the Zoptic continent, and later announces that troops from Nordrunnevel have invaded. When the MIDAS finally departs Hobo, Cloud empties the ship's magazines for Basanaike Teschnapur and others who choose to remain. Upon transiting back to the Milky Way, the crew discovers the devastating news: the sun Spilter has become a nova, and the planet Zoe no longer exists.

Telepathic Contact and the Road to Argus (Booklets 025-026)

Trapped in a mini-universe created by Space II energy released during the nova that destroyed Zoe, Cloud falls into a catatonic state aboard the MIDAS. However, Llewellyn and the Drivers discover that Cloud's mind is far from dormant -- he is communicating telepathically with an unknown entity and receiving replies. This entity is later revealed to be connected to Yggdrasil, the cosmic primeval tree.

Cloud directs the MIDAS to Astos' Eyes, specifically the planet Argus, claiming that David terGorden is alive and that Yggdrasil "has made a mistake." On Argus, the crew is captured by Queen Lyra Mun, and Chan de Nouille arrives to confront them. In one of the saga's most significant discoveries, David terGorden and Scanner Cloud find a cutting of Yggdrasil in the grave of Astos -- Cloud's former shipmate from the SAPHYR. This discovery links Cloud directly to the cosmic tree that underlies all of Driver civilization and foreshadows his eventual transformation into a Steerer.

Cloud and the Terranauts escape Argus aboard the CYGNI, with Llewellyn and the Driver lodge powering the ship's transit into Space II.

Father of Abashe: Shondyke and the Clone Queens (Booklets 035-036)

Traveling from the planet Rubin through the abandoned alien city of Bortzynn, Cloud accompanies David terGorden, Llewellyn 709, and Queen Mandorla to Shondyke, the secret heart of the Gray Guards. Their arrival coincides with the attack of three Super-Drivers -- Ares 17, Artemis 11, and Plutos 23.

On Shondyke, Cloud establishes contact with "Baby," an offshoot of Yggdrasil that possesses the memories of Astos. He learns that the Super-Drivers' attacks threaten the stability of the fire-shell surrounding Shondyke -- a gateway to Space II. Crucially, Cloud convinces David and Llewellyn that they must help the Gray Guards to save themselves, a pragmatic reversal that demonstrates his ability to set aside ideology when survival is at stake.

During the climax of the battle, Cloud and Ci Anur join forces to stop Ares 17. Baby uses its connection to Yggdrasil to transport the rogue Super-Driver far from Shondyke. When the dust settles, Chan de Nouille is removed from power and the Clone-Queens establish their matriarchal society.

It is also revealed during these events that Scanner Cloud is the father of Abashe doNhor, a young adept of the Gray Guards. Abashe, who was tasked by the Cosmorality to connect with a seedling of Yggdrasil, escapes with the seedling and meets her father for the first time. David and Llewellyn depart Shondyke, leaving Cloud and Abashe behind to help the Clone-Queens adapt to their new society.

The Psyter on Lancia: Body Transfer and the Rainbow Vortex (Booklet 066)

In one of his most dramatic transformations, Cloud is drawn into Max von Valdec's schemes on the planet Lancia. When Valdec's emergency transit during an attack strands him in Space I -- a symbolic plane of existence -- Cloud encounters him there and reveals a remarkable ability: he can travel through Space II without a ship. Cloud helps Valdec return to his funnel ship, the REGENT, but his motives are self-interested: Valdec's damaged Kaiser Force generator is blocking a junction point in the space road system.

On Lancia, an unstable zone caused by energies from Space II threatens to tear apart Kaisergrad. Cloud contacts San Chornon, a Humo who hates the Kaiser Corporation, and asks to inhabit his body. Chornon agrees, surrendering his physical form to Cloud. Now merged with Chornon, Cloud and Merlin II, a Banshee, journey to Kaisergrad to destroy the threshold field generator that is causing the disruption.

At the climax, Merlin II merges with the space lanes, and Scanner Cloud merges with the rainbow vortex -- a transcendent act that resolves the crisis but transforms Cloud further from his original human form. He later appears on Shondyke, welcoming Hege Krotzer and Zalia, refugees from Lancia, and hoping they can help him repair the space lanes. This episode marks Cloud's definitive transition from Psyter to cosmic steerer -- a being whose existence is bound to the infrastructure of interstellar travel itself.

Friend of Morgenstern, Psyter on Shondyke (Booklet 068)

By the time of Booklet 068, Cloud is established on Shondyke as a key figure in the Terranaut network. He is described as "a Psyter and friend of Morgenstern," and it is on Shondyke that Morgenstern arrives after being transported there by a Cosmic Spore. Cloud's role has evolved from field operative to something closer to a node in the galactic network -- a being who monitors, communicates, and coordinates from the heart of the space road system.

Breakthrough to Shondyke: Detective and Ecologist (Booklet 078)

Cloud and Morgenstern, now partners with Green Partners (flora-symbiotic organisms granting psionic abilities), are sent to Urdbrunnen, a vital node in the space-time stroboscope network, to investigate its failure. During this period, Cloud displays two critical abilities:

First, Cloud reveals Margit Aacht's true nature -- that she is a Shadow agent unknowingly carrying an antimatter bomb designed to destroy Shondyke. His psionic scanning abilities, honed over decades, allow him to detect what others cannot. The bomb is removed, and Aacht is freed from her conditioning.

Second, at Urdbrunnen, the team discovers that chrome beetles are eating the steering tree, causing disruption to the entire space road network. In an elegant ecological solution, Cloud uses his psionic abilities to lure the chrome beetles to Glimmer, a planet where the overgrowth of the Psi Ulema needs precisely the kind of biological control the beetles provide. This act restores Urdbrunnen and demonstrates Cloud's deepening connection to the living systems that underpin interstellar travel.

Lenker of the Old Forest (Booklet 089)

By the time of Valdec's self-proclamation as "Kaiser of Berlin," Cloud has ascended to the rank of Lenker of the Old Forest -- one of the highest positions in the cosmic hierarchy of the Steerers. He discusses the escalating crisis with Luther Straightwire, another Lenker, as the Varen Navtem grow impatient with humanity's reckless use of Kaiser Force. A Pure Halvcwar is sent to Earth as a final warning, but Valdec refuses to relent.

This booklet also marks the tragic sacrifice of Morgenstern, Cloud's longtime companion, who gives his life to prevent the destruction of the Urbaum on Adzharis. Cloud's partnership with Morgenstern -- forged in the Moon Dungeons and tempered across decades of shared danger -- is one of the saga's most enduring bonds.

Steersman Novice and the Genessos Expedition (Booklets 090-092)

Cloud and Morgenstern arrive on Sarym as "Steersman Novices" -- beings who have merged with plant life to gain a deeper connection to the space road network. They warn the Terranauts of Valdec's impending Final Strike against the galactic civilizations. Cloud supports the expedition of the JAMES COOK to Genessos, the homeworld of the Genessaner.

On Genessos, Cloud accompanies Llewellyn 709 and Cantos to the dying planet, where he helps contact the Space Road System and summon the Cosmic Spores to heal the damage caused by Kaiser Force. In Booklet 092, Cloud collapses and has a vision of Merlin II urging a return to Genessos to investigate the Tafelberg and contact Lineasker, the Hermit of the Mountain. This visionary episode -- one of several catatonic states Cloud experiences throughout the saga -- demonstrates that his consciousness operates on multiple planes simultaneously, receiving information from sources inaccessible to ordinary minds.

The Galactic Archive and the Pyramid of Knowledge (Booklets 093-096)

At the Galactic Archive on Hephaistos, Cloud serves as a New Steerer with plant symbionts, assisting Llewellyn 709 in the confrontation with an Entity seeking the Connex Crystal. On the Central World of the Entities, Cloud travels with Claude Farrell's group through a series of metabiotopes, encountering insectoid Intercessors and attempting to find a way to contact the Entities.

The Ultimate Sacrifice: Rendezvous in Star City (Booklet 095)

At the Pyramid of Knowledge in Star City, the Terranauts are under attack by Arbitrators -- creatures tasked with eliminating those who threaten the Archive. The Kaiser Force emissions from Valdec's approaching fleet are destabilizing the entire structure. In the saga's most explicit statement of Scanner Cloud's philosophy, Cloud and Morgenstern sacrifice themselves to stop the Arbitrators, demonstrating "love" to eliminate the creatures' will to kill. This is not a sacrifice of violence but of empathy -- the two Fast-Steerers do not fight the Arbitrators but disarm them through an act of pure compassion.

This moment crystallizes Cloud's entire arc: from the cunning prisoner who sacrificed himself to let others escape the Dead Spaces, through the manipulative Psyter who betrayed Evita Jaschini, to the cosmic being who has learned that the highest form of power is not domination but self-giving love.

The Reality Switch (Booklet 097)

Even after his sacrifice, Cloud appears within the Reality Switch -- the precosmic entity that orchestrates the final confrontation between David and Valdec. Valdec encounters Cloud and Morgenstern in a bizarre cave, where they are "dancing around the glass anemone" -- a Biopsionic Storage Anemone -- as if performing a cosmic ritual. They reveal to Valdec that he is a prisoner of the Reality Switch. Cloud's presence here, beyond death, suggests that his sacrifice at the Pyramid of Knowledge was not an ending but a transformation into a still higher mode of existence.

Key Actions (Chronological)

• Attempts to dissuade Llewellyn 709 from escaping the Dead Spaces; helps fight the Dark Ones; sacrifices himself to allow others to escape (009)
• Leads the prisoner revolt on Luna as "the Psyter"; manipulates Evita Jaschini; plans the seizure of the MIDAS (010)
• Commands the wrecked MIDAS through intergalactic space; orders the ship into a Black Hole to escape its pull (014)
• Devises the holographic deception that drives the Zoptics from Hobo, saving the Ashras (014)
• Participates in the diplomatic mission to Runnevel; empties the MIDAS magazines for those staying on Hobo (015)
• Falls into a catatonic state aboard the MIDAS; communicates telepathically with Yggdrasil (025)
• Directs the MIDAS to Argus; discovers a cutting of Yggdrasil in the grave of Astos with David terGorden (026)
• Establishes contact with "Baby," the Yggdrasil offshoot, on Shondyke (036)
• Convinces David and Llewellyn to help the Gray Guards to save themselves (036)
• Is revealed as the father of Abashe doNhor (035)
• Helps Max von Valdec return to his ship in Space I; reveals he can travel through Space II without a ship (066)
• Contacts San Chornon and inhabits his body to destroy the threshold field generator on Lancia (066)
• Merges with the rainbow vortex, completing a transcendent transformation (066)
• Welcomes Hege Krotzer and Zalia to Shondyke to help repair the space lanes (066)
• Reveals Margit Aacht's true nature as a bomb-carrying Shadow agent on Shondyke (078)
• Lures chrome beetles to Glimmer to restore Urdbrunnen and ecological balance (078)
• Discusses the galactic crisis with Luther Straightwire as a Lenker of the Old Forest (089)
• Arrives on Sarym as a Steersman Novice to warn of the impending Final Strike (090)
• Accompanies Llewellyn 709 and Cantos to Genessos; helps summon Cosmic Spores to heal the planet (091)
• Collapses with a vision urging a return to Genessos to investigate the Tafelberg (092)
• Assists Llewellyn in the confrontation with an Entity at the Galactic Archive (093)
• Sacrifices himself alongside Morgenstern at the Pyramid of Knowledge to stop the Arbitrators through an act of love (095)
• Appears in the Reality Switch, dancing around the glass anemone; reveals to Valdec that he is a prisoner (097)

Relationships

Core Partnerships

Other Key Relationships

Abilities and Traits

• Psyter Powers: Scanner Cloud possesses advanced telepathy, thought-scanning, and mind-influence abilities far beyond those of ordinary Drivers. He can detect concealed identities (Margit Aacht, 078), communicate across vast distances, and fall into visionary catatonic states during which his consciousness operates on multiple planes simultaneously.
• Shipless Space II Travel: By Booklet 066, Cloud reveals that he can traverse Space II without a ship -- an ability virtually unheard of among humans. This marks him as something more than a Psyter and foreshadows his evolution into a Steerer.
• Body Transfer: Cloud can inhabit other beings' bodies with their consent, as demonstrated when he merges with San Chornon on Lancia (066).
• Flora-Symbiotic Merger: As a Steersman Novice and later a Fast-Steerer, Cloud bonds with a florasymbiotic partner, gaining deeper access to the living network of the space roads and the Green Partner ecology.
• Ecological Manipulation: Cloud demonstrates the ability to psionically communicate with and redirect biological organisms, as when he lures chrome beetles from Urdbrunnen to Glimmer (078).
• Tactical Ingenuity: From the holographic deception on Hobo (014) to the manipulation of the Luna revolt (010), Cloud consistently favors clever solutions over direct confrontation.
• Sacrifice as Power: Cloud's defining ability may be his capacity for selfless sacrifice -- first apparent in the Dead Spaces (009) and fully realized at the Pyramid of Knowledge (095), where love itself becomes a weapon against the Arbitrators.

Evolution: From Psyter to Fast-Steerer

Scanner Cloud's transformation across the saga follows a clear arc of transcendence:

1. Psyter and Prisoner (Booklets 009-015): A cunning, manipulative survivor with advanced psionic abilities, willing to exploit personal relationships (Evita Jaschini) and take enormous risks (seizing the MIDAS) to achieve freedom.

1. Telepathic Conduit (Booklets 025-026): Cloud becomes a receiver for transmissions from Yggdrasil, falling into catatonic states during which his mind communicates with cosmic entities. He begins to function as a bridge between the human world and the deeper structures of Space II.

1. Father and Guardian on Shondyke (Booklets 035-036): The revelation of his daughter Abashe doNhor humanizes Cloud and grounds his cosmic journey in personal stakes. His establishment of contact with Baby (the Yggdrasil offshoot) deepens his connection to the tree-based ecology of the space roads.

1. Transcendent Being (Booklet 066): Cloud's merger with San Chornon's body and then with the rainbow vortex represents a fundamental transformation. He is no longer merely a human with enhanced psionic abilities but a being who exists at the intersection of physical and hyperphysical reality.

1. Lenker of the Old Forest (Booklets 078-089): As a Lenker -- one of the highest ranks in the Steerer hierarchy -- Cloud manages the space road infrastructure, detects threats (Margit Aacht's bomb), and coordinates ecological solutions (the chrome beetles). He has become a custodian of the cosmic systems that make interstellar civilization possible.

1. Steersman Novice / Fast-Steerer (Booklets 090-095): Cloud and Morgenstern are described alternately as "Steersman Novices," "New Steerers," and "Fast-Steerers" (Fastlenker), indicating their ongoing evolution. The German term "Fastlenker" carries a double meaning -- "fast" (almost) and "fast" (quick) -- suggesting beings who are nearly complete Steerers but also rapid navigators of the space lanes.

1. Cosmic Transcendence (Booklets 095-097): Cloud's sacrifice at the Pyramid of Knowledge and his subsequent appearance in the Reality Switch indicate that death, for a being of his evolution, is not an ending but a further transformation. Dancing around the glass anemone in the Reality Switch, he has become part of the precosmic machinery that governs reality itself.

Appearances (20 booklets)

Themes and Legacy

Scanner Cloud's arc embodies several of Die Terranauten's deepest themes:

Nature Over Technology: Cloud's evolution from human Psyter to flora-symbiotic Steerer mirrors the saga's central argument that biological integration, not mechanical domination, is humanity's true path forward. While Max von Valdec pursues Kaiser Force -- a technology that tears open Space II and accelerates entropy -- Cloud merges with the living systems of the space roads, becoming part of the ecological infrastructure rather than imposing himself upon it. His merger with the rainbow vortex (066) and his final appearance dancing around the glass anemone (097) portray a being who has become indistinguishable from the cosmic systems he tends.

The Redeemed Manipulator: Cloud's early appearances depict a morally ambiguous figure -- a cunning Psyter who betrays his lover Evita Jaschini, manipulates fellow prisoners, and takes enormous risks with others' lives. Over the course of the saga, this manipulative intelligence is gradually transformed by deeper connections: to Yggdrasil, to his daughter Abashe doNhor, to Baby, and to the living network of the space roads. By the time he sacrifices himself at the Pyramid of Knowledge, the manipulation has been transmuted into compassion, and the self-interest into selflessness.

The Power of Love: Cloud's sacrifice at the Pyramid of Knowledge is the most explicit statement of this theme in the entire saga. He and Morgenstern do not defeat the Arbitrators through PSI combat or tactical ingenuity but by demonstrating "love" -- an act that eliminates the creatures' will to kill. This is Scanner Cloud's final teaching: that the highest form of power is not the ability to scan thoughts or traverse Space II but the capacity to love so completely that violence itself becomes impossible.

The Fast-Steerer as Cosmic Custodian: The title "Fastlenker" -- Fast-Steerer -- defines Cloud's ultimate role. He is not a warrior, a politician, or a messiah. He is a custodian: a being who maintains, repairs, and protects the invisible infrastructure that makes interstellar civilization possible. From repairing Urdbrunnen (078) to merging with the space lanes (066) to his appearance in the Reality Switch (097), Cloud serves the roads -- the connections between worlds, between beings, between realities. In a saga defined by the conflict between those who would control the cosmos and those who would serve it, Scanner Cloud represents the purest form of service.

Transcendence Through Sacrifice: Cloud dies not once but multiple times across the saga -- in the Dead Spaces (009), in the rainbow vortex (066), and at the Pyramid of Knowledge (095) -- and each death marks a rebirth at a higher level of existence. His final appearance in the Reality Switch, dancing around the glass anemone beyond the boundary of death itself, suggests that for a being who has given himself completely to the cosmic systems, there is no final ending -- only transformation.

Scanner Cloud appears in 20 of 99 booklets of Die Terranauten. He is the saga's most fully realized depiction of transcendence through service, evolving from cunning prisoner to cosmic guardian across nearly the entire span of the story.