Luther Straightwire

"A plant-being disguised as a human. He reveals the history of the Pre-Cosmos and David's role in the Intercosmic Anti-Entropy System."
-- Character description (Booklet 094)

Luther Straightwire, commonly referred to as the Lenker (German: der Lenker, "the Steerer"), is one of the most enigmatic and cosmologically significant characters in Die Terranauten. Appearing across 5 booklets of the saga, Straightwire begins as a seemingly ordinary Driver and lodge member aboard the GDANSK, only to be revealed -- layer by layer, across decades of narrative time -- as an ancient Steerer: a plant-being from the Pre-Cosmos, disguised in human form, who serves as a custodian of the Intercosmic Anti-Entropy System (the Long Row). His arc moves from silent infiltrator to violent operative to cosmic guide, culminating in the pivotal scene at the Old Forest where he reveals to David terGorden the full history of the universe and David's destiny as one of nine Spectra.

Straightwire embodies the saga's deepest theme -- that the most consequential forces in the cosmos are ancient, organic, and hidden in plain sight. He is the bridge between the everyday world of the Drivers and the pre-cosmic architecture that sustains all life.

Biography

The Identity: Relax Luther Straightwire

The human whose identity Straightwire assumed -- Relax Luther Straightwire -- was a Driver who died of a drug overdose approximately twenty years before the events of Booklet 055. The term "Relax" denotes a specific social category in the Terranaut universe. By assuming this dead man's identity, the Steerer was able to infiltrate human Driver society undetected, taking on the appearance and mannerisms of a tall, quiet man who served as what his lodge-mates called a "factor of equilibrium." The real Luther Straightwire's death created an opening that the Steerer exploited -- a gap in human records through which a being of the Pre-Cosmos could slip into the everyday world of space-faring humanity.

The deception was sophisticated enough to fool even experienced Drivers for years. It was Llewellyn 709, the legendary Strapman, who first uncovered the ruse: he discovered that the skull of the man calling himself Luther Straightwire matched that of the individual who had died two decades earlier. This forensic revelation, disclosed to Hadersen Wells and Maury Jacques aboard the GARIBALDI, set in motion the dramatic events of Booklet 055.

The GDANSK Lodge: The Quiet Infiltrator (Booklet 027)

Straightwire first appears as the newest member of Hadersen Wells's Driver lodge aboard the GDANSK. He is described as a tall, quiet man -- a presence so unobtrusive that he functions as a stabilizing force within the lodge's dynamics. Among the boisterous Farewell-Paal, the phlegmatic Dime Mow, the competitive Maury Jacques and Winchinata Jacques twins, and the reserved Tsien-Wan, Straightwire is the member who draws the least attention.

The GDANSK arrives at Onyx after receiving a distress call from a dying Driver aboard the OTTAWA, who mentioned the name "Shondyke." When Queen Zalia orders the destruction of the GDANSK's Ringo shuttle and the Drivers crash-land in the canyons, Straightwire participates in the crew's encounter with the Transmitter Tree -- an ancient alien artifact the Gray Guards have been torturing to manipulate space-time. The Drivers are captured but freed by Hege Krotzer, a defecting Gray Guard scientist. In the chaos that follows, the Drivers reach the Transmitter Tree's transit field and are transported to Rubin.

During these events, nothing marks Straightwire as anything other than what he appears to be: a quiet, competent lodge member. His true nature remains entirely concealed. Yet in retrospect, his presence on a mission that involves the discovery of a Transmitter Tree -- one of the ancient botanical artifacts connected to the Space Roads and the Steerer network -- suggests that he was never there by coincidence. The Steerer was monitoring the Gray Guards' abuse of the space-time stroboscope system, observing from within the very lodge that would stumble upon the truth.

He was also connected to another Driver, Astos-Jonsson, described as "a Treiber who was accompanied by Straightwire" -- suggesting that Straightwire's infiltration of Driver society extended beyond the GDANSK lodge and may have involved earlier associations with other space travelers.

The Wreckage Nebula: Revelation and Violence (Booklet 055)

The full scope of Straightwire's deception -- and the lethal purpose behind it -- is revealed during the catastrophic events of Booklet 055. The GARIBALDI, now carrying Llewellyn 709 and Wells's lodge, orbits Veldvald seeking help from Ro Ulema to reach David terGorden, stranded on Rorqual. The Ro Ulema activates a RZS (Space-Time Stroboscope), but instead of reaching their destination, the GARIBALDI is shunted to the Turquoise system -- a graveyard of derelict spacecraft orbiting the planet Glimmer.

Llewellyn reveals to Hadersen Wells and Maury Jacques that Luther Straightwire is an imposter: his skull matches a man who died twenty years earlier. As the crew splits up to investigate the wreck system, Straightwire and Maury Jacques explore the derelict ships together. Straightwire observes that all the wrecks used Kaiser Force drives -- a detail that hints at his deep knowledge of the technology threatening the cosmos. When Maury confronts him with growing suspicion, Straightwire responds with cryptic statements about loyalty and his past before turning violent. He attacks Maury Jacques and escapes in a Ringo shuttle toward the CORTES, a Gray Guard battle cruiser that has been caught in the same RZS field.

What follows is a sequence of shocking ruthlessness. Boarding the CORTES, Straightwire reveals that the ship will disintegrate in 54 minutes. His purpose becomes clear: he has come to prevent the Cosmorality from studying Queen Jenver's anomalous ability to consciously traverse Space II without PSI powers -- an ability that, if understood and replicated, could have profound implications for the balance of power between organic and technological space travel. Lalaja Banimanjaja, a Shadow aboard the CORTES, tries to stop him, but Straightwire overpowers her. He kills Queen Jenver to eliminate the anomaly, then reveals his true nature to Lalaja Banimanjaja -- an act so psychically devastating that it causes her death. Straightwire escapes the CORTES before it disintegrates.

After these events, Llewellyn 709 receives a message from Straightwire revealing the existence of a Potential Amplifier implanted in a Shadow's brain -- information that helps the surviving Terranauts understand the PSI-vampire phenomenon they have encountered on Glimmer. Even in the aftermath of violence, the Steerer provides intelligence that serves the larger cause.

The violence of this episode is jarring in context. Here is a being who will later be revealed as a custodian of cosmic order -- a guardian of the very infrastructure that sustains life -- committing murder with cold efficiency. The saga suggests that the Steerers operate on a moral calculus that transcends individual human lives: Jenver's anomaly, if exploited by the Gray Guards or the Cosmorality, could have accelerated the damage to Space II that Kaiser Force was already inflicting. From Straightwire's cosmic perspective, killing one woman to protect the fabric of spacetime is not murder but triage.

Lenker and Guide on Shondyke (Booklet 078)

By September 2503, Straightwire has abandoned all pretense of being a mere Driver. He is now established on Shondyke -- the former Gray Guard stronghold, now being terraformed by the Clone-Queens and the Green Partners -- operating openly as a Lenker (Steerer) and Guide. He works alongside Scanner Cloud and Morgenstern, who have themselves evolved into Fast-Steerers bonded with Green Partners.

When Morgenstern and Scanner Cloud are sent to Urdbrunnen, a vital node in the space-time stroboscope network, to investigate its failure, they meet Straightwire and Mi Lai, a Clone-Queen whom Straightwire addresses as "Guardian" (German: Huterin) -- a title suggesting that Mi Lai serves a protective role in the Steerer-adjacent hierarchy on Shondyke. Together they work on the repair of the Space Roads and explore the function of the Green Partners within the broader ecology of the stroboscope network.

Straightwire also plays a crucial intelligence role during this period. When David terGorden, now Lord Colonel of the Council, arrives on Shondyke with Margit Aacht -- a Shadow agent unknowingly carrying an antimatter bomb -- it is Scanner Cloud who detects the threat, but it is the broader Steerer network, of which Straightwire is a key node, that enables the response. After the crisis is resolved and Urdbrunnen is restored, Straightwire reveals to David that a Vokus-Ry -- a shape-shifting spy for the Varen Navtem -- is present on Shondyke to transmit a message to the galactic Entities. David uses this intelligence to send a message of apology and a promise to end the use of Kaiser Force technology -- a diplomatic overture that Straightwire has made possible.

This booklet marks Straightwire's transition from solitary operative to collaborative partner. He works within a network of Steerers and near-Steerers -- Scanner Cloud, Morgenstern, Mi Lai -- maintaining the space road infrastructure and nudging human civilization toward the choices that will determine whether the cosmos survives. He is also connected to Lenker Honnk, another Steerer described as being "involved in a discussion with Zalia and Straightwire," suggesting that the Steerer community on Shondyke is larger than the narratives directly show.

Lenker of the Old Forest: The Crisis Deepens (Booklet 089)

By the 2590s, Max von Valdec has declared himself "Kaiser of Berlin" and consolidated tyrannical control over Earth through Kaiser Force technology. The Varen Navtem -- the galactic Entities -- are growing impatient with humanity's recklessness. A Pure Halvcwar, a being of immense power, is sent to Earth as a final warning, but Valdec refuses to yield.

During these events, Straightwire holds the rank of Lenker of the Old Forest -- one of the highest positions in the cosmic hierarchy of the Steerers. He and Scanner Cloud, his fellow Lenker, discuss the escalating situation and "the potential for drastic action." Their conversation on Shondyke frames the galactic crisis from the Steerer perspective: they see not merely a political conflict between Valdec and the Terranauts, but a structural threat to the Long Row -- the anti-entropy system that prevents the universe from decaying into heat death.

This booklet also records one of the saga's most tragic events: Morgenstern's sacrifice on Adzharis to protect the Urbaum (Primeval Tree) from weaponized Drivers sent by Valdec. Straightwire's longtime collaborator gives his life to preserve a node of the very system Straightwire is sworn to maintain. The loss deepens the urgency of the Steerers' mission.

The Elderwood: Cosmic Revelation (Booklet 094)

Straightwire's most significant appearance occurs in Booklet 094, where he fulfills what may be his ultimate purpose: revealing the full history of the cosmos to David terGorden.

David, burdened by the knowledge that he is the Heir of Power, travels with Narda del Drago and Aura Damona Mar aboard the Collector -- a quasi-intelligent plant spaceship -- to the Old Forest. This vast structure, a solar-system-sized collection of intelligent plants surrounding a dwarf sun, is composed entirely of inactive Steerers who have merged into a collective consciousness. David makes telepathic contact with the Old Forest's collective mind but finds them aloof and unhelpful.

The Collector lands on a planet within the Old Forest, where they meet Straightwire. Here, in the heart of the Steerer civilization, he reveals his true nature: a plant-being from the Pre-Cosmos, disguised as a human. He proves his identity as a Steerer to the skeptical David, demonstrating abilities that no human could possess, including the projection of a biopsionic egosphere -- a concentrated psychic energy field unique to Steerer-class beings.

Straightwire then delivers the revelation that reshapes the entire saga. He explains:

• The Pre-Cosmos: A universe existed before the Big Bang, populated by the Ancients -- an intelligent plant civilization whose remnants survive as the World Trees, the Steerers, and the Old Forest.
• The Intercosmic Anti-Entropy System (Long Row): The Ancients created a galaxy-spanning network of World Trees, Steerers, and cosmic structures designed to prevent entropy from destroying the universe. This system has been damaged by humanity's use of Kaiser Force technology, which tears open Space II and accelerates entropic decay.
• The Spectra: The Long Row can only be reactivated by nine beings called the Spectra, who must unite to form the White Star. David is one of these nine Spectra.
• The Connex Crystal: A precosmic artifact containing the accumulated knowledge of the Ancients -- the Old Knowledge -- is essential for David to fulfill his destiny. It is currently in the possession of Jana the Witch, the Lodge Master of the Terranaut expedition.
• Ratatosk: An energy being that feeds on entropy is actively sabotaging the reconstruction of the Long Row. Straightwire warns David that Ratatosk represents a direct threat to the mission of reuniting the Spectra.

As David, Narda, and Aura Damona prepare to leave the Old Forest, the collective consciousness of the inactive Steerers refuses to let them go -- the Old Forest, in its aloof way, does not want these visitors to depart with the knowledge they have gained. Straightwire and another Steerer help David's group force an n-dimensional channel to escape, an act requiring a massive exertion of their combined PSI powers. This intervention demonstrates Straightwire's willingness to act against the consensus of his own kind when he believes it serves the Long Row's restoration.

After the escape, Straightwire receives an urgent message: an Entity has attempted to seize the Connex Crystal. He departs immediately to deal with the crisis, leaving David, Narda, and Aura Damona to continue their journey to retrieve the Crystal and begin their search for the other Spectra. The Collector sets course toward the center of the Milky Way.

This is Straightwire's final documented appearance in the saga. His departure to protect the Connex Crystal from an Entity -- one of the galaxy's most powerful supercivilizations -- underscores the cosmic scale of his responsibilities. Whether he succeeded in his mission is not explicitly stated, though the Crystal is later found at the Pyramid of Knowledge on Hephaistos, suggesting that the Entity's attempt was thwarted.

Nature and Abilities

Luther Straightwire is not human. He is a Steerer (German: Lenker) -- a being descended from or created by the Ancients, the intelligent plant civilization of the Pre-Cosmos. The Steerers are responsible for coordinating the Intercosmic Anti-Entropy System (the Long Row), and their existence spans cosmic timescales. Straightwire's human disguise is a shell -- a biological interface that allows him to move through human society, gather intelligence, and intervene at critical junctures.

His known abilities include:

• Human Mimicry: Straightwire maintains a convincing human appearance for years, fooling experienced Drivers and PSI-sensitives. Only forensic analysis of his skull reveals the deception.
• Biopsionic Egosphere: A concentrated psychic energy field unique to Steerer-class beings, which Straightwire can project to prove his identity or to overwhelm opponents. It is this ability that causes Lalaja Banimanjaja's death when he reveals his true nature aboard the CORTES.
• N-Dimensional Channel Creation: At the Old Forest, Straightwire helps force open an n-dimensional escape route through the combined PSI powers of multiple Steerers -- a feat of reality manipulation far beyond any human Driver.
• Cosmic Knowledge: Straightwire possesses a comprehensive understanding of the Pre-Cosmos, the Ancients, the Long Row, the Spectra, the Connex Crystal, and the threats facing the universe. This knowledge, accumulated across potentially millions of years, is what makes his revelation to David in Booklet 094 so transformative.
• Space Road Expertise: As a Lenker, Straightwire maintains and repairs the Space Roads -- the network of space-time stroboscopes that enable interstellar travel. His work on Shondyke and at Urdbrunnen places him at the operational heart of this infrastructure.
• Combat and Infiltration: Straightwire is capable of extreme violence when his mission requires it, as demonstrated aboard the CORTES. He can overpower trained Shadow agents and kill with his psychic abilities alone.

Key Actions (Chronological)

• Infiltrates Hadersen Wells's Driver lodge aboard the GDANSK by assuming the identity of a dead Driver, "Relax Luther Straightwire" (pre-Booklet 027)
• Travels with the GDANSK to Onyx; participates in the crew's encounter with the Transmitter Tree and transport to Rubin (027)
• Investigates the wrecks in the Turquoise system, noting that all used Kaiser Force drives (055)
• Attacks Maury Jacques and escapes in a Ringo toward the CORTES (055)
• Boards the CORTES; reveals the ship will disintegrate in 54 minutes (055)
• Kills Queen Jenver to prevent the Cosmorality from studying her Space II anomaly (055)
• Reveals his true nature to Lalaja Banimanjaja, causing her death (055)
• Escapes the CORTES before its destruction (055)
• Sends a message to Llewellyn 709 revealing the Potential Amplifier in the Shadow's brain (055)
• Operates as a Lenker and Guide on Shondyke, working with Scanner Cloud, Morgenstern, and Mi Lai on space road repairs (078)
• Reveals the presence of the Vokus-Ry to David terGorden, enabling David's diplomatic message to the Varen Navtem (078)
• Discusses the galactic crisis with Scanner Cloud as Lenker of the Old Forest on Shondyke (089)
• Meets David terGorden, Narda, and Aura Damona Mar at the Old Forest (094)
• Reveals the history of the Pre-Cosmos, the Ancients, and the Intercosmic Anti-Entropy System to David (094)
• Explains that David is one of nine Spectra who must reactivate the Long Row (094)
• Warns David about Ratatosk, the entropy-feeding saboteur (094)
• Proves his identity as a Steerer to David (094)
• Helps force an n-dimensional channel to escape the Old Forest when the collective refuses to release David (094)
• Departs to protect the Connex Crystal from an Entity (094)

Relationships

Core Relationships

Lodge and Infiltration

Cosmic Network

Appearances (5 booklets)

The Arc: From Infiltrator to Guide

Straightwire's narrative arc across the five booklets follows a clear trajectory of progressive revelation:

1. The Silent Observer (Booklet 027): Straightwire is introduced as the most unremarkable member of the GDANSK lodge -- the quiet one, the stabilizer. Nothing in his behavior betrays his alien nature. He watches, participates, and waits. The mission to Onyx and the encounter with the Transmitter Tree may not be accidental: a Steerer would naturally gravitate toward ancient artifacts of the space road network.

2. The Violent Agent (Booklet 055): Straightwire's cover is blown, and his response is immediate and lethal. The killing of Queen Jenver reveals that the Steerers are not passive custodians but active agents willing to eliminate threats to the cosmic infrastructure. The revelation of his true nature to Banimanjaja -- an act that kills her -- demonstrates the psychic gulf between Steerer and human: his real form is so alien that merely perceiving it destroys a trained Shadow's mind.

3. The Open Collaborator (Booklet 078): On Shondyke, Straightwire operates without disguise as a Lenker, working alongside other Steerers and near-Steerers. The violence of the CORTES is behind him; now he repairs space roads, mentors Guardians, and provides intelligence that enables diplomacy between humans and the Entities. This phase reveals the Steerer's preferred mode of operation: cooperative maintenance of the systems that sustain civilization.

4. The Cosmic Elder (Booklet 089): As Lenker of the Old Forest, Straightwire occupies one of the highest positions in the Steerer hierarchy. His conversation with Scanner Cloud about "the potential for drastic action" hints at the weight of the decisions the Steerers face as Kaiser Force threatens to destroy the Long Row.

5. The Revealer of Destiny (Booklet 094): Straightwire fulfills what may be his ultimate purpose: transmitting the knowledge of the Pre-Cosmos to the being destined to save the universe. His explanation of the Long Row, the Spectra, the Connex Crystal, and Ratatosk transforms David terGorden from a reluctant leader into a cosmic agent with a clear mandate. Straightwire then departs to protect the very artifact David needs -- the Connex Crystal -- from an Entity that covets it.

Themes

The Alien Among Us

Straightwire represents one of Die Terranauten's most unsettling ideas: that the most consequential beings in the cosmos may be living among us, undetected, pursuing agendas that transcend human comprehension. His years-long infiltration of the GDANSK lodge -- eating, sleeping, and traveling with people who trusted him as a companion -- raises questions about the ethics of cosmic stewardship. Can deception be justified when the alternative is universal entropy?

Organic Intelligence vs. Mechanical Force

As a plant-being from the Pre-Cosmos, Straightwire is the living antithesis of Kaiser Force -- the brute-force technology that tears open Space II and accelerates entropy. He maintains the living infrastructure of the space roads; Kaiser Force destroys it. He operates through symbiosis, disguise, and persuasion; Kaiser Force operates through raw energy. His killing of Queen Jenver, whose anomalous Space II ability could have been weaponized by the Cosmorality, is an act of organic intelligence defending itself against mechanical exploitation.

The Moral Cost of Cosmic Duty

Straightwire is both a guide and a killer. He reveals the grandest truths of the cosmos to David terGorden and murders Queen Jenver in cold blood. The saga does not resolve this tension. It suggests instead that the Steerers operate on a timescale and at a level of abstraction where individual human lives, however precious, are weighed against the survival of the entire universe. This is not cruelty; it is triage on a cosmic scale.

Knowledge as Obligation

Straightwire's revelation at the Old Forest mirrors the Connex Crystal's function: both deliver knowledge that obligates the recipient to act. Once David learns he is a Spectrum, he cannot unknow it. Once he understands the Long Row, he must try to restore it. Straightwire, as the bearer of this knowledge, is not merely informing David but conscripting him into a mission that will consume the rest of his life. The Lenker is generous in what he gives and ruthless in what he demands.

Notes

• The name "Straightwire" may carry symbolic weight: a wire is a conductor, a straight path for energy -- fitting for a being who serves as a conduit between the ancient plant civilization and modern humanity.
• Straightwire's relationship with Astos-Jonsson, described as "a Treiber who was accompanied by Straightwire," may connect him to the broader Astos network. Astos, Scanner Cloud's former shipmate aboard the SAPHYR, was found to have a cutting of Yggdrasil growing from his grave on Argus (Booklet 026). Whether Astos-Jonsson is related to this Astos is unclear, but the connection suggests that Straightwire has been embedded in Driver society for far longer than the GDANSK assignment.
• The biopsionic egosphere -- Straightwire's concentrated psychic energy field -- is described as unique to his being and is not replicated by any human character in the saga.
• Lenker Honnk, a fellow Steerer mentioned in discussions with Straightwire and Zalia, suggests that the Steerer community on Shondyke includes members not directly depicted in the main narratives.
• Straightwire's final act in the saga -- departing to protect the Connex Crystal from an Entity -- mirrors his earlier lethal intervention on the CORTES: both involve the Lenker leaving his current assignment to confront a direct threat to the cosmic infrastructure. Whether he survived this encounter is never stated.

Related Concepts

• Steerers -- The cosmic beings responsible for the Long Row, of which Straightwire is a member
• Old Forest -- The collective consciousness of inactive Steerers
• Long Row / Intercosmic Anti-Entropy System -- The cosmic infrastructure Straightwire serves
• Spectra -- The nine beings who must unite to reactivate the Long Row
• Connex Crystal -- The precosmic artifact Straightwire departs to protect
• Pre-Cosmos -- The previous universe from which Straightwire originates
• Ancients -- The intelligent plant civilization that created the Steerers
• Ratatosk -- The entropy-feeding saboteur Straightwire warns David about
• Kaiser Force -- The technology threatening the Long Row
• Space Roads / RZS -- The network Straightwire maintains
• World Trees -- Nodes of the Long Row; Straightwire works within their network
• Entities / Varen Navtem -- The galactic supercivilizations; Straightwire intercepts their Crystal-seeking agent
• biopsionic egosphere -- Straightwire's unique psychic energy field
• Potential Amplifier -- Device Straightwire reveals to Llewellyn after the CORTES events

See Also

• David terGorden -- The Heir of Power whom Straightwire guides
• Scanner Cloud -- Fellow Lenker of the Old Forest
• Morgenstern -- Collaborator on Shondyke and at Urdbrunnen
• Hadersen Wells -- Lodge Master of the GDANSK, deceived by Straightwire
• Llewellyn 709 -- Discoverer of Straightwire's false identity
• Maury Jacques -- Lodge-mate who confronted and was attacked by Straightwire
• GDANSK -- The ship where Straightwire first appears
• Shondyke -- The planet where Straightwire operates openly as Lenker
• Old Forest -- Straightwire's home and the seat of the Steerer collective

Luther Straightwire appears in 5 of 99 booklets of Die Terranauten (027, 055, 078, 089, 094). He is the saga's most fully realized depiction of a Steerer -- a being from the Pre-Cosmos who bridges the gulf between ancient cosmic intelligence and the fragile, reckless civilization of humanity, guiding it toward the choices that will determine whether the universe survives.