Luna (Earth's Moon)

"Evita Jaschini, the Cosmoral (commandant) of Lunaport, is in a secret relationship with the Psyter and is concerned about his presence among the new prisoners."
-- Narrator, Booklet 010, Revolt on Luna

"Long since, the nearby Moon Dungeons had been cleared of prisoners and converted into barracks and storage halls. Nothing any longer pointed to the destruction that had occurred during the mass breakout from the Moon Dungeons under the leadership of the Terranauts."
-- Booklet 050, Threat from the Stars

"Valdec's forces launch an attack on Earth, and Chan realizes that Lunaport has fallen."
-- Booklet 085, Valdec's Return

Luna -- Earth's Moon -- is one of the most strategically significant locations in the Die Terranauten saga. Home to Lunaport, the Moon Dungeons, the Kaiser Laboratories on the Moon, and the Cosmomedical Clinic, Luna serves simultaneously as the operational headquarters of the Gray Guards, the Terran empire's primary prison complex, a military research facility, and a critical chokepoint for all space traffic between Terra and the outer system. Luna's history across the saga is defined by a series of dramatic upheavals: the prisoner revolt that launches the MIDAS into intergalactic space, Brak Shakram's martyrdom, the political maneuvering that topples Max von Valdec's first regime, and the Clon infiltration that restores his dictatorship. Control of Luna is, in effect, control of the empire's military apparatus -- and the struggle over this barren world shapes the destiny of humanity across nearly one hundred booklets.

Luna appears as a setting or is significantly referenced in at least 21 booklets of Die Terranauten, and is linked by 48 wiki-references to characters, organizations, ships, and events throughout the saga.

Physical Description

Luna is Earth's natural satellite, an airless world of craters, dust, and rock, orbiting approximately 384,000 kilometres from Terra. In the 26th-century setting of Die Terranauten, Luna has been extensively developed -- not on its surface, which remains largely barren, but beneath it. The Moon's interior has been honeycombed with tunnels, prison cells, barracks, storage halls, and military installations, many of them converted from former mining shafts. The low lunar gravity -- one-sixth of Earth's -- is a recurring detail in descriptions of life on Luna, particularly in the Moon Dungeons, where long-term imprisonment progressively weakens inmates' muscles.

The principal surface installation is Lunaport, a fortified spaceport and military base that serves as the gateway between Terra and the rest of the Sol System. Beneath and adjacent to Lunaport lie the Moon Dungeons, the empire's maximum-security prison complex, and several ancillary facilities including the Cosmomedical Clinic and the Kaiser Laboratories on the Moon.

Key Installations

Lunaport

Lunaport is the principal spaceport, military command centre, and administrative hub on Luna. It functions as:

• The operational headquarters of the Gray Guards under Chan de Nouille, the Great Gray
• The administrative hub for the Moon Dungeons prison complex
• A spaceport and fleet staging area capable of receiving vessels from small Ringo shuttles to major warships
• The political command post from which some of the saga's most consequential decisions are made

Lunaport's key internal systems include Big Brother (the central computer controlling surveillance, communications, and automated defences), the System Defense Central, the Shadow Headquarters of Chan de Nouille's covert intelligence service, and the Lunaport Computer Network. The base also contains hidden ship berths -- most notably the concealed dock that housed the MIDAS, the experimental Kaiser Force spacecraft, prior to its seizure during the prisoner revolt.

Lunaport first appears in Booklet 010 under the command of Cosmoral Evita Jaschini and is featured as a major or minor setting in eight booklets (010, 026, 049, 050, 054, 078, 085, 086).

See main article: Lunaport

Moon Dungeons

Moon Dungeons (Mondkerker) -- also known as the Luna Dungeons -- are a vast maximum-security prison complex excavated deep inside Luna's rock. Built from converted mining tunnels, the dungeons are divided into multiple levels, tracts, and cell blocks, including:

• The Haupttrakt (Main Section) -- the primary prisoner block
• Tract Gamma -- a section where notable incidents have occurred
• Individual cells such as Cell II and Cell III
• Airlock A (Schleuse A) -- a main airlock connecting sections
• The Brown Plate (Braune Platte) -- the deepest and most horrifying level, reserved for prisoners whose minds have been destroyed by interrogation

The Moon Dungeons serve as the primary site of incarceration for Drivers, political prisoners, Terranauts, Nomans, and other enemies of the Council of Corporations. Considered escape-proof, the dungeons are equipped with micro-cameras, complex surveillance computers, Servomats for dispensing rations, and PSI-dampening systems. Interrogation methods include the use of Soul Divers (Lerroons) -- toad-like creatures whose hallucinogenic secretions shatter human consciousness -- and surgical operations to strip Drivers of their psionic abilities.

The Moon Dungeons are featured in approximately 20 booklets and are the site of the revolt that launches the MIDAS into intergalactic space.

See main article: Moon Dungeons

Kaiser Laboratories on the Moon

The Kaiser Laboratories on the Moon are secret research facilities operated by the Kaiser Corporation on Luna, separate from both Lunaport and the Moon Dungeons. These laboratories are the site of some of the saga's most unethical experiments, including:

• Human robot experiments on captured Drivers, including Asen-Ger (Booklet 006)
• Biological reconstruction of Brak Shakram, the Noman leader, who receives a new arm grown from his own cells (Booklet 021)
• PSI-removal operations to strip Drivers of their abilities

It is from the Kaiser Laboratories that Brak Shakram escapes during the Oxyd Crisis, transmitting a final message to the Nomans urging resistance before being killed by the Gray Guards -- an act of martyrdom that inspires the Noman Uprising and the later Brak Shakram Command.

Cosmomedical Clinic

The Cosmomedical Clinic (Kosmomedizinischen Klinik) is a medical facility on Luna used for treating and quarantining personnel, including Drivers and prospectors arriving from off-world. During Max von Valdec's return to power (Booklet 085), the clinic becomes a vector for infiltration: the freighter MARTIN LUTHER KING arrives carrying prospectors infected with the Cold Rot, along with hidden Clon agents. Junk, a Driver aboard the freighter, discovers the infiltration at the clinic and manages to alert Lunaport before being captured.

See main article: Cosmomedical Clinic

History

Early Period: Prison and Garrison

Luna's development as a military and penal installation predates the events of the saga. By 2499, Luna is firmly established as:

1. The empire's primary prison complex -- the Moon Dungeons house thousands of political prisoners, Drivers, dissidents, and Nomans
2. A Gray Guard garrison -- Lunaport serves as the military base from which the Guards control lunar operations
3. A secret research facility -- the Kaiser Laboratories conduct classified experiments on prisoners

The Council of Corporations uses Luna as a dumping ground for those it wishes to disappear permanently. When Max von Valdec inspects the Dead Spaces prison beneath Berlin in Booklet 009, he orders all imprisoned Drivers transferred to Luna, which he considers more secure than terrestrial facilities. This transfer marks an escalation from imprisonment to what amounts to extrajudicial annihilation.

Asen-Ger's Escape (January 2500)

The first successful escape from Luna occurs in Booklet 006, when Kristan Percott, a Lodge Master of the Gray Drivers acting on orders from Chan de Nouille, infiltrates the Moon Dungeons and frees Asen-Ger, the Summacum and Terranaut leader who has been subjected to human robot experiments. Percott and Asen-Ger escape in a stolen spacecraft, but Valdec remotely reprograms the ship to fly into the sun. They manage to launch in a glider at the last moment and crash-land near Ödrödir in Greenland.

The Revolt on Luna (c. 2500) -- Booklet 010

The defining event in Luna's history is the prisoner revolt organized by Scanner Cloud, described in Revolt on Luna. This is the saga's most detailed depiction of Luna and its installations.

Cloud, operating under the alias "the Psyter," has spent approximately three and a half years cultivating a secret romantic relationship with Cosmoral Evita Jaschini, the commandant of Lunaport, exploiting her emotional attachment to gain intelligence about the base's defences, security protocols, and the existence of the MIDAS.

The revolt unfolds in five phases:

1. Preparation: Cloud tasks Morgenstern with descending into the Brown Plate to retrieve Leande, a former computer technician whose shattered mind holds the key to disabling Big Brother.
2. Reinforcement: New prisoners arrive, including Llewellyn 709, David terGorden (disguised as Ishmail Tout), Angila Fraim, and Sirdina Giccomo -- powerful Drivers who bolster the conspirators.
3. Computer sabotage: Llewellyn and other Drivers psionically heal Leande's mind. She infiltrates and disables Big Brother, crippling Lunaport's surveillance, communications, and automated defences.
4. Armed uprising: Prisoners overpower the Gray Guards, seize weapons and spacesuits, and take control of key facilities.
5. The MIDAS seized: The rebels capture the experimental Kaiser Force ship and launch it from Luna.

The revolt on Luna sets in motion one of the most consequential chains of events in the entire saga: the MIDAS crew's journey through intergalactic space, first contact with alien civilizations, and the discovery of a cutting of Yggdrasil on Argus.

Brak Shakram's Martyrdom (c. 2501) -- Booklet 021

During the Oxyd Crisis, Brak Shakram, the legendary Noman leader, is held in the Kaiser Laboratories on the Moon, where he has been given a new arm grown from his own cells. When the asteroid Oxyd, charged with Space II energies, threatens to destroy Earth, Shakram escapes the laboratories with the help of Summacum Alberti. He transmits a message to the Nomans urging them to resist the panic and trust Cantos, the alien who is trying to save humanity. Shakram is then recaptured and killed by the Gray Guards.

Shakram's death on Luna becomes a rallying symbol for the oppressed. His name lives on through the Brak Shakram Command, the resistance organization that plays a decisive role in the political upheavals of the later saga.

Queen Quendolain's Breakout Attempt (c. 2501) -- Booklet 020

In Comet of Oblivion, Queen Quendolain, a former Gray Guard commander imprisoned on Luna after being altered by Space II, regains consciousness and her PSI powers. She leads a breakout attempt with her surviving crew, aiming to destroy Valdec and end the Kaiser Force experiments. The attempt fails, and Quendolain is recaptured by the Gray Guards.

Chan de Nouille's Headquarters (2500-2504) -- Booklets 050, 054, 078, 085

Following the revolt and Jaschini's reassignment, Luna transitions from a garrison post to a strategic command centre. Chan de Nouille, the Great Gray, establishes Lunaport as her personal operational headquarters -- the seat from which she directs Gray Guard military and intelligence operations across the empire.

Key events at Luna during this period include:

• December 2501 (Booklet 050): Chan de Nouille, based at Lunaport, is contacted by Cantos and David terGorden, who warn of an impending alien attack. She agrees to help the Terranauts plot against Valdec, landing in Geneva with a legion of Guards. By this time, the Moon Dungeons have been cleared of prisoners and converted into barracks and storage halls to support Lunaport's expansion.

• 2502 (Booklet 054): Llewellyn 709, Narda, and Asen-Ger are escorted to Lunaport by Queen Anafee. At Lunaport, Chan reveals Valdec's most dangerous secret: he has been illegally deconditioning Gray Guards for personal loyalty. She broadcasts this revelation across all Guard channels, triggering the institutional revolt that topples Valdec's first regime.

• September 2503 (Booklet 078): Chan de Nouille, still based at Lunaport, plans military intervention on Earth as the F.F.D.E. rebels clash with the corporations. David terGorden, now Lord Colonel, is brought before Chan at Lunaport. He proposes a breakthrough to Shondyke as an alternative, and Chan agrees to postpone the military operation.

• 2504 (Booklet 085): Valdec's Clon agents infiltrate Luna. The Cosmomedical Clinic is compromised. Junk discovers the plot and alerts Lunaport. Valdec's forces launch a coordinated attack, and Luna falls. Chan de Nouille is forced underground.

The Noman Carsen's Retrieval (c. 2501) -- Booklet 073

In The Machines of Ultimate Thule, Chan de Nouille orders Captain Gerna to retrieve Carsen, a Noman prisoner still held in the Luna Dungeons, and bring him to Ultima Thule. Carsen, who was captured during the Noman uprising in Ödrödir, possesses knowledge of the underground complex beneath Ultima Thule.

Valdec's Return and the Fall of Luna (2504) -- Booklets 085-086

The final and most catastrophic chapter in Luna's history occurs during Max von Valdec's return to power.

Infiltration: Valdec's Clon agents -- genetically engineered Super-Drivers loyal to him -- infiltrate Luna, taking over Gray Guard personnel through psionic suggestion. The Cosmomedical Clinic is compromised when the freighter MARTIN LUTHER KING arrives carrying prospectors infected with the Cold Rot, along with hidden Clon agents.

The fall: Valdec's forces launch a coordinated attack. Chan de Nouille realises that Lunaport has fallen. The base that served as the nerve centre of Gray Guard operations for years is conquered. Chan is forced to flee and go underground.

Under Valdec's control (Booklet 086): After seizing power, Valdec repurposes Luna as a base for his regime. Queen Myra oversees the counter-conditioning of Gray Guards at Lunaport, reprogramming them for loyalty to Valdec. The fortress that once served as the command post for resistance against Valdec becomes an instrument of his restored dictatorship.

Administration and Control

Luna's command structure reflects its role as both a military installation and a political power centre.

Chronological Control

Key Personnel Associated with Luna

Strategic Significance

Luna's importance to the saga stems from its position at the intersection of military, political, logistical, and symbolic power:

1. Military Command Centre

Under Chan de Nouille, Luna becomes the de facto capital of Gray Guard civilisation. The System Defense Central coordinates the defence of the entire Sol System. Fleet movements, Shadow intelligence operations, and diplomatic overtures all originate from Lunaport. Whoever controls Luna commands the space between Terra and the outer system.

2. Prison Complex

The Moon Dungeons represent the most extreme expression of the Council of Corporations' authoritarian power. While the Dead Spaces beneath Berlin serve as a terrestrial holding facility, the Moon Dungeons are the ultimate destination -- the place where the regime sends those it wishes to disappear permanently. The PSI experiments conducted in Luna's facilities -- stripping Drivers of their abilities, reducing Summacums to husks, creating human robots -- are among the saga's darkest depictions of institutional evil.

3. Crucible of the Terranaut Movement

Paradoxically, Luna also serves as the crucible in which some of the saga's most important alliances are forged. The partnership between Scanner Cloud and Morgenstern, tempered in the Moon Dungeons, becomes one of the saga's most enduring bonds. Cloud's relationship with Llewellyn 709, which begins in mutual distrust in the Dead Spaces, deepens on Luna into the strategic partnership that sustains the Terranauts through their years of intergalactic exile. The revolt transforms the prisoners into the nucleus of the Terranaut exile community.

4. Orbital Chokepoint

Positioned between Terra and the outer system, Luna commands the primary transit corridor for all interstellar traffic. Ships transiting to and from Earth must pass through its sphere of influence. This geographic advantage makes Luna's System Defense Central the key to Sol System defence.

5. Political Stage

Some of the saga's most consequential political decisions are made on Luna:

• The alliance with the Terranauts (Booklet 050)
• The broadcast that topples Valdec (Booklet 054)
• The debate over military intervention on Earth (Booklet 078)
• The revelation of Valdec's infiltration (Booklet 085)

6. Symbol of Control

Luna's fall to Valdec's forces in Booklet 085 symbolises the collapse of the post-Valdec order. When Luna falls, the resistance loses its most secure stronghold, and Chan de Nouille is forced into hiding -- a fugitive from the world she once commanded.

Notable Events Timeline

Themes

The Fortress That Falls from Within

Luna is never conquered by a frontal assault. Its two great defeats -- the prisoner revolt of 2500 and the Clon infiltration of 2504 -- are accomplished through subversion from within. Scanner Cloud corrupts the commandant through a secret relationship; Valdec's clones infiltrate via diseased refugees brought to the medical clinic. The lesson of Luna is that the most formidable fortress is vulnerable not at its walls but at its trust.

Oppression and Resistance

Luna embodies the full cycle of oppression and resistance. The Moon Dungeons represent the regime's capacity for institutional cruelty -- the Soul Divers, the PSI-removal operations, the Brown Plate where the psychically destroyed are left to scream. Yet the same dungeons produce the revolt that creates the Terranauts' intergalactic exile community. Brak Shakram's martyrdom in the Kaiser Laboratories inspires the Noman Uprising and the resistance that eventually topples the Council of Corporations. Luna is both the instrument of oppression and the forge of rebellion.

The Paradox of Centralised Power

As the Gray Guards' operational headquarters, Luna represents the projection of centralised military power across the Terran empire. Yet the base repeatedly proves inadequate to the crises it faces. Its central computer can be disabled by a single technician. Its commandant can be manipulated by a prisoner. Its garrison can be subverted through psionic suggestion. Luna embodies the paradox of centralised authority: it concentrates power in a single point, making it both supremely powerful and supremely vulnerable.

The Seat of Conspiracies

Luna is where the saga's great political conspiracies are hatched. Chan de Nouille plots against Valdec from Lunaport (Booklets 050, 054). She plans military intervention on Earth from Lunaport (Booklet 078). Valdec's agents infiltrate Lunaport as the opening move of his counter-coup (Booklet 085). Luna is not merely a military installation but a political arena -- the place where the empire's power brokers meet, scheme, and betray one another.

Sub-Locations

The following locations on or within Luna have dedicated pages in this encyclopedia:

• Lunaport -- The principal spaceport, military command centre, and Gray Guard headquarters
• Moon Dungeons -- The vast underground prison complex (also known as Mondkerker or Luna Dungeons)
• Cosmomedical Clinic -- Medical facility for quarantine and treatment
• Kaiser Laboratories on the Moon -- Secret research facilities operated by the Kaiser Corporation
• Big Brother -- Lunaport's central computer
• Lunaport Shadow Headquarters -- Covert operations centre for Chan de Nouille's intelligence service
• System Defense Central Lunaport -- Command centre for Luna's defensive systems
• Haupstrakt -- Main section of the Moon Dungeons
• Tract Gamma -- A section of the Moon Dungeons
• Airlock A -- Main airlock within the Moon Dungeons

Related Articles

• Terra -- Earth, the planet Luna orbits
• Lunaport -- The military base and spaceport on Luna's surface
• Moon Dungeons -- The prison complex within Luna
• Gray Guards -- The military force that controls Luna
• Chan de Nouille -- The Great Gray who made Luna the seat of her power
• Max von Valdec -- The antagonist whose forces twice disrupted Luna
• Scanner Cloud -- Mastermind of the prisoner revolt
• Morgenstern -- Cloud's longtime companion, key figure in the revolt
• Llewellyn 709 -- Driver banished to Luna; participant in the revolt
• Evita Jaschini -- The Cosmoral whose compromised relationship enabled the revolt
• Brak Shakram -- Noman leader martyred in the Kaiser Laboratories
• MIDAS -- The experimental Kaiser Force ship seized during the revolt
• Dead Spaces -- The terrestrial prison beneath Berlin, from which prisoners are transferred to Luna
• Kaiser Force -- The dangerous technology whose experimental ship was hidden on Luna
• Drivers -- The primary prisoner population, persecuted for their PSI abilities
• Terranauts -- The resistance movement forged in Luna's dungeons
• Cosmorality -- The governing council of the Gray Guards on Shondyke
• Shadows -- The Gray Guards' covert intelligence operatives, directed from Luna
• F.F.D.E. -- The resistance movement whose leaders sought refuge at Lunaport
• Soul Divers -- Lerroon creatures used for interrogation in the Moon Dungeons
• Noman -- The oppressed caste, some of whom were imprisoned on Luna
• Cosmomedical Clinic -- Medical facility infiltrated during Valdec's return

Appearances

Luna features prominently or is referenced in the following booklets:

Luna appears as a setting or is significantly referenced in at least 21 of the 99 booklets of Die Terranauten. It is the Gray Guards' fortress, the empire's darkest prison, and the political stage on which the balance of power shifts between those who would control humanity and those who would free it.