Space II

Space II (German: Weltraum II, abbreviated W-II) is an alternate dimension, counter-universe, or "inter-existential zone" that exists parallel to normal space (Space I). It is the fundamental medium through which faster-than-light travel is achieved in the Terran Star Empire and beyond. The mastery -- and misuse -- of Space II shapes the central conflicts of the entire Terranauten saga, from the Drivers' rebellion against the Council of Corporations to humanity's fraught encounter with galactic supercivilizations.

Overview

Space II is not merely a shortcut through the cosmos. It is a separate plane of existence with its own physics, its own dangers, and its own inhabitants. Normal space, known as Space I or Normalraum, is separated from Space II by dimensional barriers sometimes described as W-II-Membranen (W-II membranes). Where these membranes are thin -- at so-called Thin Thresholds (Dunnschwellen) -- passage between the two realms becomes possible, though never without risk.

Space II is described variously across the saga as a "counter-universe," a "chaotic energy space," and a dangerous alternate dimension filled with unique energies and phenomena capable of altering matter and living beings. It is connected to Yggdrasil, the primordial world-tree whose Mistletoe Blossoms are essential for safe navigation through this dimension.

Nature of Space II

Physical Properties

Space II does not obey the laws of conventional physics. It is characterized by:

• Chaotic energy fields -- The dimension seethes with alien energies that are destructive to unprotected matter and minds. Ships that enter without proper PSI shielding or navigation risk being torn apart or irrevocably altered.
• Amorphous phantoms -- Dangerous entities inhabit Space II, sometimes appearing as shapeless apparitions that can threaten or destroy vessels during transit (Issue #81, Driver Pirates).
• W-II-Geister (W-II Spirits / Banshees) -- Sentient or semi-sentient presences that dwell within Space II. The Baahrsan-Entität is a collective Banshee of the Baahrsans, and similar Soul complexes are associated with Rorqual.
• Tachyon Storms (Tachyonensturme) -- Violent storms of superluminal particles that rage through Space II, posing extreme hazards to ships in transit.
• Red Glow (Rote Glut) -- Materialized foreign energy from Space II that manifests in normal space, a visible sign of dimensional bleed-through.
• Shadow Sun (Schattensonne) -- An energetic counterpart within Space II connected to Black Holes in normal space. The black sun of Rorqual serves as a gateway between the two dimensions.
• n-dimensional threshold fields -- Fields related to the Triadic Monochord that define the boundaries and structure of Space II.
• PSI-Sphere -- Spheres of PSI energy that exist within Space II, sometimes located at nexus points.

Entropic Effects

Space II energy has profoundly destructive potential when it bleeds into normal space. The use of Kaiser Force technology to breach the dimensional barrier causes entropy acceleration -- a process that accelerates the natural decay of matter and energy in the affected region. This entropic effect is one of the primary reasons galactic supercivilizations view humanity's Kaiser Force experiments with alarm and hostility (Issues #76, #89, #90). Spore Clouds (Sporenwolken) have appeared across the galaxy to counteract these entropic phenomena by encapsulating intrusions from Space II.

Relationship to Normal Space

Space II and Space I are two faces of the same cosmic structure, separated by dimensional membranes. Key relationships include:

• Black Holes serve as natural gateways between the two dimensions. The black sun of Rorqual is explicitly described as a passage back to normal space (Issue #22, Cataclysm).
• Contra-transit points (Kontratransit-Punkte) are specific locations where ships can transition out of Space II and re-enter normal space.
• Thin Thresholds (Dunnschwellen) are weak points in the dimensional structure, often resulting from entropy catastrophes caused by Kaiser Force use.
• The planet Genessos exists at a point where the membrane between Space I and Space II is especially thin, giving the Genessans a deep connection to both dimensions (Issue #91, The Swamps of Genessos).

Navigation

The Driver Method

The traditional and safest method of traversing Space II relies on Drivers -- psionically gifted humans who use their PSI Powers in concert with Mistletoe Blossoms from Yggdrasil to sense, navigate, and survive the hostile environment of Space II.

Navigation through Space II proceeds as follows:

1. Entry Maneuver (Einflugmanover) -- The ship's Driver Lodge initiates the Transition, using their combined PSI abilities to open a corridor into Space II.
2. Transit -- The ship passes through Space II, with the Drivers maintaining a continuous PSI field that shields the vessel and its crew from the dimension's destructive energies. The Drivers use the Mistletoe Blossoms as focal points to orient themselves and perceive the chaotic terrain of Space II.
3. Contra-transit -- The Drivers guide the ship back to normal space at the desired Contra-transit points, completing the faster-than-light journey.

The process of transit through Space II causes Space II Narcosis (Weltraum-II-Narkose) in non-Drivers -- a state of unconsciousness or stupor that affects ordinary humans during the passage. Only Drivers and certain psionically gifted individuals can remain conscious and functional while traversing Space II.

The Ebberdyk Effect

The Ebberdyk Effect (Ebberdyk-Effekt) is a scientific principle that governs navigation within Space II. It is used by the Seekers (Sucher) -- artificial consciousness conglomerates embedded within Kaiser Force ships -- to navigate Space II without the need for human Drivers. The Ebberdyk Effect also played a role in the development of Seeker Consciousness when a Seeker aboard the courier ship BERLIN gained self-awareness after an encounter with a soul conglomerate in Space II (Issue #44, The Escape Vessel; Issue #47, The Hate Plague).

Space-Time Stroboscopes

The Space-Time Stroboscopes (RaumZeitStroboskop, abbreviated RZS or STS) represent an advanced network of n-dimensional channels used for faster-than-light travel that supersedes both Driver navigation and Kaiser Force. These are connected to the Space Roads -- a transmitter system on a PSI basis used by Steerers (plant-human symbiotes) to navigate through space. The STS network, centered on Shondyke, represents a later evolutionary stage of Space II travel technology (Issues #76, #78, #84, #89, #094).

Drivers

Role and Importance

The Drivers' indispensable role in space travel gives them enormous latent power -- and makes them targets. The Council of Corporations under Max von Valdec seeks to control and exploit the Drivers, while the Terranauts fight to liberate them. The Biotroniks Corporation, controlled by the terGorden family, holds a monopoly on the Mistletoe Blossoms that Drivers require, making control of the mistletoe supply a central axis of galactic politics.

Mistletoe Blossoms

The Mistletoe Blossoms (German: Mistelbluten) are organic growths harvested from Yggdrasil, the primordial world-tree located in the Holy Valley in Greenland on Terra. These blossoms are not merely tools but quasi-living amplifiers that focus and channel a Driver's PSI abilities, allowing them to perceive and navigate the otherwise incomprehensible landscape of Space II. Without a mistletoe blossom, a Driver's ability to sense direction and maintain coherence in Space II is severely diminished.

Later in the saga, David terGorden plants a new Yggdrasil seed on Adzharis (Issue #59, A World for Yggdrasil), and additional Urbaum (Primeval Trees) on other worlds also supply mistletoe, breaking the original monopoly.

PSI Powers in Space II

Within Space II, PSI abilities are both amplified and endangered. The dimension's energies can supercharge a Driver's powers but also overwhelm and destroy the unprepared. The legendary Llewellyn 709, known as the Riemenmann (Strap-man), must wear golden straps to contain his lethal PSI radiation -- a condition partly resulting from his extreme exposure to Space II's energies.

The Genessans, an alien species with a deep natural connection to Space II, demonstrate that PSI interaction with the counter-universe is not limited to humans. Their Steerers navigate the Space Roads through symbiosis with plant life, representing a fundamentally different relationship with Space II.

Dangers of Space II

Environmental Hazards

Space II is a fundamentally hostile environment. Its dangers include:

• Dimensional disintegration -- Unshielded matter is subject to dissolution upon entering Space II. Ships require either a Driver Lodge's PSI shield or Kaiser Force containment to survive.
• Amorphous phantoms -- These spectral entities attack ships during transit. Thor von Riglan and Jelina von Riglan experienced a terrifying vision of the STORTIS being destroyed by such phantoms during their first Space II transition (Issue #81). The STORTIS was later actually destroyed by "monsters of Space II" during a subsequent transition (Issue #82).
• Tachyon Storms -- Unpredictable storms of superluminal particles that can overwhelm even experienced Driver Lodges.
• Space II Narcosis -- Non-Drivers who are not properly shielded fall into unconsciousness. Extended exposure can cause permanent mental damage.
• PSI drain -- The dimension can sap PSI energy from Drivers, leaving them weakened or incapacitated.

The Dead Spaces

The Dead Spaces (Totraume) of Berlin are prison complexes equipped with a PSI-Shield -- an energy field that strips PSI powers from Drivers. While named after the concept of "dead" zones where PSI cannot function, these are physical prisons on Earth rather than regions of Space II itself. However, the concept reflects the feared possibility of areas within Space II where PSI navigation is impossible, stranding ships permanently.

Dead Zones

Dead Zones are artificial Black Holes created by the Cosmic Spores or other cosmic phenomena that consume entire star systems. The Aron System was observed being consumed by such a Dead Zone (Issue #68, The Programmed Assassin). These represent a catastrophic breakdown in the boundary between Space II and normal space.

Entropy Acceleration

The most civilization-threatening danger of Space II is the entropy acceleration caused by Kaiser Force technology. By forcing open breaches in the dimensional membrane, Kaiser Force operations cause localized acceleration of entropy -- the fundamental decay of matter and energy. This effect drew the attention and hostility of the Entities (Varen Navtem), powerful galactic beings who sent Executors to eliminate the Kaiser Force threat (Issue #90, The Ship of Serenity). The alien emissary Alirujana explicitly assessed humanity's entropy-accelerating Kaiser Force as a threat to the entire galaxy (Issue #76, War of the Castes).

Rorqual: A World in Space II

The planet Rorqual occupies a unique position as a world that exists within Space II itself. Discovered by the Terranauts, it serves as their hidden base of operations throughout much of the saga. Key features of Rorqual include:

• A black sun that is actually a Black Hole serving as a gateway back to normal space (Issue #22).
• A strange psionic field that paradoxically blocks PSI activity on the planet's surface, despite it being located in the PSI-rich environment of Space II (Issue #34, The Renegade).
• The planet emits a PSI field that caused the Terranauts' initial crash landing there.
• The dead Drivers Morgan and Terry revealed that Rorqual lies in Space II, confirming its nature as a counter-universal refuge (Issue #22, Cataclysm).
• Soul complexes -- Banshee-like entities similar to the W-II-Geister -- inhabit Rorqual, remnants of beings that existed within Space II.

Alternatives to Driver Navigation

Kaiser Force

Kaiser Force (Kaiser-Kraft) is a technological alternative to Driver-based space travel, developed by the Kaiser Corporation under Max von Valdec. Rather than using PSI-powered Drivers to gently navigate Space II, Kaiser Force technology rips open the dimensional barrier by brute force, using transmitter gates and energy projectors to transport ships through Space II.

Key milestones and characteristics of Kaiser Force:

• The MIDAS experiment -- The first catastrophic test of a Kaiser Force drive, in which the ship MIDAS was destroyed upon entering Space II and most of its crew killed or transformed. Max von Valdec considered the experiment a success despite the losses (Issue #10, Revolt on Luna).
• The Oxyd incident -- Scientist Homan used Kaiser Force to charge the asteroid Oxyd with Space II energy, creating a cosmic catastrophe that threatened Earth. The spacecraft TERRA I was pulled into Space II along with Oxyd. Cantos ultimately sent Oxyd into Space II to avert disaster (Issue #20, Comet of Oblivion).
• Kaiser Force ships -- By the later saga, dedicated Kaiser Force vessels like the CYGNI (DELTA class) and CORTES battle cruisers are operational, using Seekers (Sucher) as artificial Space II navigators instead of Drivers (Issues #47, #55).
• The Kaiser Projector -- A technology used to manipulate Space II from normal space, including freezing the city of Ultima Thule by tapping into Space II energies (Issue #7, The Children of Yggdrasil).
• The Zarkophin Shield -- A later development that reportedly eliminates some of the hazards of Kaiser Force space travel (Issue #98).
• Entropy acceleration -- The fundamental flaw of Kaiser Force. Every use damages the fabric of space-time, accelerating entropy in the affected region. This drew the wrath of galactic supercivilizations and the Entities, who issued ultimatums demanding humanity cease Kaiser Force operations (Issues #76, #89, #90).

Kaiser Force represents Valdec's attempt to break the Drivers' monopoly on interstellar travel and thus their political leverage. However, its destructive side effects ultimately prove it to be an existential threat not only to humanity but to the galaxy itself.

Space-Time Stroboscopes and Steerers

The Space-Time Stroboscopes (RZS/STS) and the Steerers represent a more harmonious approach to Space II travel that emerges later in the saga. Steerers are humans who have merged symbiotically with plant life -- a development pioneered by Scanner Cloud and Morgenstern -- enabling them to access the Space Roads, a network of PSI-based transmitter pathways through Space II. This system, centered on Shondyke, offers a sustainable alternative to both Driver navigation and Kaiser Force, working with Space II's natural properties rather than against them (Issues #78, #89, #090, #094).

Seed Masters and Organ-Sailers

In the "White" reality of the saga's climactic duel, Seed Masters aboard biologically bred Organ-Sailers navigate Space II through organic, living spacecraft that are themselves attuned to the dimension. This represents the most advanced and harmonious form of Space II travel, integrating biological, PSI, and dimensional technologies into a unified system (Issue #98, Duel of Dreams).

Key Events Involving Space II

Related Concepts

• Space I -- Normal space, the counterpart to Space II
• Drivers -- PSI-gifted navigators of Space II
• Mistletoe Blossoms -- Organic amplifiers from Yggdrasil essential for Driver navigation
• Lodge / Driver Lodge -- Cooperative groups of Drivers
• Super-Lodge -- Large-scale Driver collectives
• Kaiser Force -- Technological alternative to Driver navigation; causes entropy acceleration
• Ebberdyk Effect -- Scientific principle governing navigation in Space II
• Seeker Consciousness -- Artificial navigator consciousness in Kaiser Force ships
• Space-Time Stroboscopes -- Advanced n-dimensional channel network
• Steerers -- Plant-human symbiotes who navigate the Space Roads
• Yggdrasil -- The primordial world-tree whose mistletoes enable Driver travel
• Rorqual -- A planet located within Space II; the Terranauts' hidden base
• W-II-Geister -- Spirits/Banshees inhabiting Space II
• W-II-Membranen -- Membranes separating Space I and Space II
• Thin Thresholds -- Weak points in the dimensional structure
• Contra-transit points -- Locations for exiting Space II
• Tachyon Storms -- Violent storms within Space II
• Space II Narcosis -- Unconsciousness affecting non-Drivers during transit
• Shadow Sun -- Energetic counterpart in Space II connected to Black Holes
• Transition -- The act of traveling through Space II
• Transit -- A journey or passage through Space II
• Immersion Maneuver -- Entry procedure for Kaiser Force ships into Space II
• Entry Maneuver -- Corridor entry maneuver into Space II
• Red Glow -- Materialized foreign energy from Space II
• Entropic -- Destructive energy forms from Space II
• Lightning Rod Effect -- Research principle for radiating Space II energy
• PSI-Sphere -- Spheres of PSI energy in Space II
• Soul complex -- Banshee-like entities in Space II
• Baahrsan-Entität -- Collective Banshee of the Baahrsans
• Triadic Monochord -- Symbol connected to Space II and its threshold fields
• Cosmic Spores -- Living organisms that repair entropy damage from Space II breaches
• Dead Spaces -- PSI-shielded prisons that negate Driver abilities
• Terranauts -- The Driver resistance movement
• Council of Corporations -- The ruling body that seeks to control Space II travel
• Max von Valdec -- Architect of the Kaiser Force program

Appearances

Space II is referenced in approximately 79 of the 99 issues of Die Terranauten, making it one of the most pervasive and foundational concepts in the entire saga. It appears prominently in:

• Issues #001--010: Establishing Space II as the basis for interstellar travel, the Driver-Council conflict, and the first catastrophic Kaiser Force experiments.
• Issues #020--030: The Oxyd crisis, Rorqual's nature as a Space II world, and the expanding understanding of Space II's dangers.
• Issues #034--055: The Terranauts' operations from Rorqual, the development of Seekers, the Ebberdyk Effect, and Kaiser Force ship operations.
• Issues #059--069: Planting new Yggdrasil, entropy acceleration crises, and the first contact with Space II's native entities.
• Issues #075--098: The Space-Time Stroboscope network, the Steerers, the Entities' ultimatum, and the climactic Duel of Dreams.