Sirdina Giccomo

"Sirdina Giccomo -- A Driver who participates in the lodge and helps drive away the Zoptics."
-- Description from Booklet 014

Sirdina Giccomo is a female Driver and long-serving member of the Terranauts. First appearing in Booklet 009 as one of the prisoners who escapes the Dead Spaces in Berlin, she accompanies Llewellyn 709 across some of the saga's most defining arcs -- from the earliest days of the Driver rebellion through the intergalactic exile aboard the MIDAS, the deadly Hate Plague crisis, and the expedition to the Galactic Archive on Hephaistos, where she meets her death. Across ten booklets spanning the full breadth of Die Terranauten, Sirdina serves as a capable pilot, a psionic combatant in the Driver lodges, and one of the steadfast companions who form the backbone of the Terranaut resistance. Her death aboard the JAMES COOK in Booklet 093, alongside Altamont O'Hale and Serge-Serge Suvez, marks the end of an original cohort of Drivers who had been together since the Dead Spaces breakout.

Biography

Escape from the Dead Spaces and the Rescue of David terGorden (Booklet 009)

Sirdina Giccomo first appears as a Driver imprisoned in the Dead Spaces, a brutal PSI-shielded bunker complex beneath Berlin used by the Council of Corporations to hold captured Drivers. When Llewellyn 709 discovers a potential escape route and leads a breakout, Sirdina is among the group that fights its way through the prison's tunnels. The escapees are attacked by Rosen and his "Dark Ones" -- prisoners driven mad by the psychological effects of the Dead Spaces -- but companions Scanner Cloud, Altamont O'Hale, and Serge-Serge Suvez sacrifice themselves to cover the escape.

Aided by Hanstein, a former Manag turned Noman, the surviving group reaches the outskirts of ruined Berlin. Mater Pernath, a conflicted PSI specialist who has begun to question her loyalty to the Council, provides them with a magnetic glider and directs them to Stojska-Stellar, a spaceport in the Urals. Sirdina and Ishmail Tout discover Pernath's betrayal of the Council and her intention to help them. The group -- Llewellyn, Angila Fraim, Sirdina, and Ishmail Tout -- reaches Stojska-Stellar, boards a freight container, and hijacks a Ringo spacecraft. They attack the energy satellite ES-50, where David terGorden is being held prisoner by Max von Valdec. Ishmail Tout is killed in the assault, but Queen Mandorla helps David fake his death and escape with the Drivers. This daring rescue, in which Sirdina participates directly, is one of the saga's early turning points.

The Moon Dungeons and the Seizure of the MIDAS (Booklet 010)

Following the ES-50 rescue, Sirdina is banished to Luna alongside Llewellyn 709, David terGorden (disguised as Ishmail Tout), and Angila Fraim. They are transported to Lunaport and then to the Moon Dungeons. There, they encounter Scanner Cloud -- who has survived the Dead Spaces and is now leading a prisoner revolt under the alias "the Psyter." Cloud's plan hinges on using Leande, a mentally shattered computer technician, to disable Big Brother, the prison's central computer, and seize the MIDAS, an experimental Kaiser Force interstellar spacecraft hidden on Luna.

Sirdina participates in the revolt that follows. The prisoners overpower the Gray Guards, seize weapons and spacesuits, and capture the MIDAS. David, recognizing the mortal danger of the untested Kaiser Force drive, leaves the ship in a lifeboat. The remaining crew, including Sirdina, activates the drive with catastrophic results: the ship is flung into intergalactic space, most of the crew are killed or transformed into crystalline "Glassy Ones," and the MIDAS is severely damaged.

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

Sirdina survives the Kaiser Force catastrophe and remains part of the MIDAS crew as they navigate the wreckage of their situation in intergalactic space. When Scanner Cloud gambles on a slingshot maneuver around a Black Hole near the green sun Moloch, Sirdina participates in the Driver lodge that provides psionic shielding during the perilous passage. The MIDAS escapes the Black Hole's pull but crash-lands on Hobo, the sole planet orbiting Moloch.

On Hobo, the Terranauts encounter two alien civilizations: the winged Ashras and the colonizing Zoptics. Sirdina participates in the Driver lodge that helps drive away the Zoptics using a combination of MIDAS technology -- holographic projectors and sound inductors -- and Ashra knowledge of the terrain. In Booklet 015, "The Mages' Covenant," Sirdina takes on a more prominent role. She pilots the MIDAS-Zwei, the ship's disc-shaped lifeboat, during the diplomatic mission to the Zoptic continent of Runnevel. Together with Llewellyn 709, she uses her psionic abilities to establish telepathic contact with Siltron, a Zoptic magician. This contact leads to an alliance between the humans, the Ashras, and the Zoptic dissidents.

During the climactic Night of Silent Waters, Sirdina and Morgenstern pilot the MIDAS-Zwei over Neuzen Vrest, creating chaos with sonic and holographic projections while Llewellyn unleashes a psionic energy surge. The combined operation results in the overthrow of Zanzin von Vrest and the beginning of political change on Runnevel. This episode showcases Sirdina's dual capabilities as both a skilled pilot and a psionic operative -- a versatile combination that makes her valuable to the Terranauts throughout their exile.

Aboard the MIDAS: The Mini-Universe and Beyond (Booklet 025)

When the MIDAS departs Hobo and attempts to transit back to the Milky Way, Sirdina is among the crew that receives the devastating news: the sun Spilter has become a nova and the planet Zoe -- the Drivers' intended refuge -- has been destroyed. The MIDAS becomes trapped in a mini-universe created by Space II energy released during the nova. During this period, Sirdina remains part of the ship's complement as Scanner Cloud falls into a catatonic state, communicating telepathically with Yggdrasil. The crew eventually escapes and transfers to the CYGNI at Argus.

The Rorqual Years and David's Expeditions (Booklet 029)

On Rorqual, the strange planet in Space II that becomes the Terranauts' base, Sirdina continues to serve as a Driver in the Terranaut community. In Booklet 029, she accompanies David terGorden on an expedition across Rorqual, joining the team that encounters the Ha'adri people, rescues Guy La Ramee, and infiltrates a Green Flyer base controlled by Banshees. Sirdina's inclusion in David's expedition team reflects her status as a trusted member of the Terranaut inner circle.

The Valhala 13 Crisis and the Hate Plague (Booklets 046-049)

The middle saga brings a harrowing ordeal for Sirdina. In Booklet 046, the Riemenmann doppelganger Valhala 13 -- bred by the Gray Guards as a perfect double of Llewellyn 709 -- infiltrates the Terranauts on Rorqual and attacks, seemingly killing several members including David terGorden. Under Valhala's psionic control, Sirdina is taken aboard the CYGNI along with Claude Farrell and Angila Fraim as the imposter attempts to deliver Rorqual's location to the Council of Corporations.

The JAMES COOK Expedition and Death at Hephaistos (Booklet 093)

Sirdina's final appearance comes during the JAMES COOK expedition to the Galactic Archive on Hephaistos, the artificial world of the Entities. As tensions escalate between the Terranauts and Frost, Valdec's secret agent aboard the ship, Silent Chorp uncovers Frost's plan to locate the Entities' central world and transmit its coordinates to Valdec for attack using the Kaiser Force Lance.

When Frost and the Super-Driver clone Isis 31 escape in a hidden Kaiser Force space fighter, the activation of the fighter's drive causes the JAMES COOK to break apart. Sirdina is among those who do not survive. She is killed alongside Altamont O'Hale and Serge-Serge Suvez -- two Drivers who, like her, had been part of the original Dead Spaces cohort since Booklet 009. Silent Chorp and other surviving Terranauts escape the wreckage in a Ringo, leaving behind the bodies of their fallen companions.

Sirdina Giccomo's death marks the end of a journey that began in the bunkers beneath Berlin and ended at the edge of the galaxy's greatest archive. Of the original group that escaped the Dead Spaces with Llewellyn 709, only Llewellyn himself and Angila Fraim survive past Booklet 093.

Key Actions (Chronological)

• Escapes the Dead Spaces prison in Berlin with Llewellyn 709 and other Drivers (009)
• Discovers Mater Pernath's intention to help the escapees (009)
• Hijacks a Ringo spacecraft at Stojska-Stellar and attacks the energy satellite ES-50 with Llewellyn and Angila Fraim (009)
• Banished to Luna alongside Llewellyn, David terGorden, and Angila Fraim (010)
• Participates in the prisoner revolt on Luna and the seizure of the MIDAS (010)
• Survives the catastrophic Kaiser Force activation and the MIDAS's transit to intergalactic space (010)
• Participates in the Driver lodge that shields Scanner Cloud during the Black Hole slingshot maneuver (014)
• Helps drive away the Zoptics on Hobo using holographic and psionic deceptions (014)
• Pilots the MIDAS-Zwei during the diplomatic mission to Runnevel (015)
• Establishes psionic contact with the Zoptic magician Siltron alongside Llewellyn 709 (015)
• Pilots the MIDAS-Zwei during the Night of Silent Waters, creating sonic and holographic chaos over Neuzen Vrest (015)
• Accompanies David terGorden on an expedition across Rorqual, encountering the Ha'adri and the Green Flyers (029)
• Captured by Valhala 13 during his attack on the Terranauts on Rorqual and taken aboard the CYGNI (046)
• Placed in deep sleep aboard the CYGNI during the Hate Plague crisis (047)
• Suffers from the Hate Plague aboard the GARIBALDI; eventually cured with the antidote (049)
• Assists Silent Chorp in searching for the hidden Kaiser Force space fighter aboard the JAMES COOK (093)
• Killed when the JAMES COOK breaks apart during Frost and Isis 31's escape from Hephaistos (093)

Relationships

Abilities and Traits

• PSI Powers: As a Driver, Sirdina possesses psionic abilities that allow her to participate in Driver lodges -- collective psionic amplification formations. She contributes to the lodge that shields Scanner Cloud during the Black Hole maneuver (014) and the lodge that drives away the Zoptics on Hobo (014).
• Psionic Communication: Sirdina demonstrates the ability to establish telepathic contact with alien beings, as when she and Llewellyn reach the Zoptic magician Siltron across a significant distance on Runnevel (015).
• Piloting: Sirdina is a capable pilot, operating the MIDAS-Zwei during both reconnaissance and combat operations on Hobo and Runnevel (015). The MIDAS ship page specifically identifies her as a "Driver, pilot" in the crew roster.
• Combat Endurance: From the Dead Spaces breakout through multiple hostile encounters across the saga, Sirdina proves resilient under fire. She survives the Kaiser Force catastrophe (010), the Hate Plague (047-049), and numerous combat situations before her death on the JAMES COOK (093).

Appearances (10 booklets)

Notes

Spelling Variant: The character's name appears as "Sardina Giccomo" in Booklet 009 and "Sirdina Giccomo" in all subsequent appearances (010, 014, 015, 025, 029, 046, 047, 049, 093). The "Sirdina" spelling is the predominant form and is used consistently across the majority of the saga. Both forms refer to the same character.

The Dead Spaces Cohort: Sirdina belongs to a group of Drivers who first appear together in Booklet 009 during the escape from the Dead Spaces: Llewellyn 709, Angila Fraim, Altamont O'Hale, Serge-Serge Suvez, and Ishmail Tout. This group forms the core of the MIDAS crew and later serves together across decades of the Terranaut struggle. Their collective death on the JAMES COOK in Booklet 093 -- Sirdina, Altamont, and Serge-Serge all perish in the same catastrophe -- effectively ends the original Dead Spaces cohort, with only Llewellyn and Angila surviving.

Role as Pilot: Sirdina's identification as a pilot of the MIDAS-Zwei distinguishes her within the MIDAS crew. While many Drivers are characterized primarily by their psionic abilities, Sirdina combines PSI talent with practical piloting skills, making her one of the more operationally versatile members of the Terranaut core group.

The Runnevel Mission: Booklet 015 represents Sirdina's most prominent appearance in the saga. Her dual contribution to the Runnevel operation -- establishing psionic contact with Siltron and then piloting the MIDAS-Zwei during the climactic Night of Silent Waters -- demonstrates the kind of combined psionic-technical capability that the Terranauts rely on throughout their struggle.

See Also

• Llewellyn 709 -- The Riemenmann and Sirdina's commander from the Dead Spaces through the JAMES COOK expedition
• Angila Fraim -- Fellow female Driver who shares nearly Sirdina's entire arc through the saga
• MIDAS -- The Kaiser Force ship on which Sirdina served during the intergalactic exile
• JAMES COOK -- The Terranaut ship on which Sirdina met her death at Hephaistos
• Dead Spaces -- The Berlin prison from which Sirdina first escaped
• Hobo -- The planet where Sirdina piloted the MIDAS-Zwei and helped forge the alliance with the Ashras and Zoptic magicians
• Hate Plague -- The bioweapon that infected Sirdina during the Valhala 13 crisis
• Valhala 13 -- The Riemenmann doppelganger who captured Sirdina during his attack on Rorqual

Sirdina Giccomo appears in 10 of 99 booklets of Die Terranauten. She is one of the original Dead Spaces escapees who served the Terranaut cause from its earliest days to the expedition to the Galactic Archive, where her journey ended.