Sarym

Sarym is a green, emerald-hued planet in the Norvo System, orbiting the sun Norvo. It forms a double-planet system with the hellish world Arioch. Known by multiple names -- Surin to its native inhabitants (the Surinen), and Equilibrium in the records of the Buds of the Tree -- Sarym is one of the most consequential worlds in the saga of Die Terranauten. Initially a prison planet for rebellious Drivers, it transforms over the course of the saga into the political and spiritual center of the free Driver civilization, the seat of the Driver Council, and the headquarters of the Seed Mastery in the far future.

Physical Description

Sarym is characterized by its lush, green vegetation and unique bio-psionic ecology. The planet possesses at least two major continents:

• The North Continent -- Home to the Surinen villages and the primary settlement areas. It features dense forests of rubbery, variable plants, dangerous wildlife including armored lizards, and infestations of Dream-hooks, dragonfly-like creatures capable of inducing bizarre dreams and visions by connecting to a human's bloodstream.
• The South Continent -- A vast jungle region harboring underground tunnel systems, petrified Yggdrasil trees, and secret research installations. Off its coast lies the Underwater Research Base used first by Hermano Lotz and later by Max von Valdec for super-Driver experiments.

The planet's most distinctive feature is its powerful PSI-Aura, a psionic energy field generated by the Maritime Coral City, a massive coral structure located in the ocean between the continents. This aura is part of a system-spanning PSI-Net that connects Sarym to Arioch and other bodies in the Norvo System. The PSI-Aura serves as both a defensive mechanism and a center of consciousness, housing echoes of past individuals and functioning as the seat of the oracle Lyda Mar and her daughter Aura Damona Mar.

The sun Norvo emits a radiation that suppresses conventional PSI abilities on Sarym's surface, rendering Drivers powerless upon arrival. However, the planet's unique Bio-PSI system allows Mediators -- individuals who can communicate with and influence the planet's plant life -- to operate through an entirely different psionic channel.

The ecology of Sarym was reshaped by the Buds of the Tree, an ancient race of plant intelligences who created the coral cities and the variable ecosystem. Notable flora and fauna include:

• Dream-hooks -- Dragonfly-like parasites born from hard-shelled fruits in the coral cities, capable of inducing hallucinations and visions
• Water-lily Jellyfish -- Enormous organic, jellyfish-like plants used as boats to cross the ocean
• Armored lizards -- Large reptilian creatures (some later revealed to be disguised robots)
• Surin-rats -- Small predatory creatures
• Fluorescence Mold -- A deadly parasite that infects plants, animals, and humans
• Manna trees -- Fruit-bearing trees that provide sustenance
• Cosmic Spores -- Life-form changers that modify organic material, later found ripening in Brood Vaults beneath Sarym's surface

History

Prison Planet Era (c. 2500--2501)

Sarym was initially used by the Council of Corporations and the Gray Guards as a penal colony for Drivers with high PSI potential. The radiation from the sun Norvo that suppressed PSI abilities made it an ideal prison world -- exiled Drivers were effectively stripped of their powers upon arrival.

In Issue #040, the Terranauts Lyda Mar, Ennerk Prime, Suzanne Oh, and Onnegart Vangralen were deported to Sarym after being captured on Naria. Their arrival marked the beginning of the Terranaut presence on the planet.

In Issue #041, the four exiles were dumped on Sarym's shores by Gray Guards aboard the Ringo. They discovered that their PSI abilities had been nullified and encountered the native Surinen, including the Mediators Damon Credock and Aschan Herib. The Surinen called the planet Surin and lived in harmony with its variable ecology, dwelling in living plant houses. The Terranauts proposed using a Lodge of Mediators to transmit a contact pattern and reach the returning courier ship, but the general assembly of Surinen, led by the skeptical Orrogan Gelot, challenged them to first investigate the legendary Maritime Coral City on the southern continent.

The Maritime Coral City and the PSI-Aura (c. 2501)

In Issue #042, Lyda Mar, Damon Credock, and Ennerk Prime journeyed to the Maritime Coral City, a structure teeming with Dream-hooks. Lyda became a true Mediator by connecting with the Water-lily Jellyfish, and she and Damon used Dream-hooks to synchronize with the consciousness within the coral city. During this merging of minds, Aura Damona Mar was conceived. They encountered the consciousness of Mar-Estos, a former self of Llewellyn 709, and learned of PSI-experiments being conducted by Hermano Lotz at a secret Gray station on Sarym.

The Kaiser Secret Station and Super-Driver Breeding (c. 2501)

Unknown to the exiled Terranauts, Sarym also harbored a secret Kaiser Corporation research installation, commanded by Hermano Lotz with his cyborg assistant Dor Masali. This station served as the breeding ground for the Alpha-Order -- a clandestine project to create Super-Drivers, genetically engineered humans with artificially amplified psionic abilities.

In Issue #043, the Terranauts were captured by Lotz's forces and subjected to psycho-interrogation to reveal the location of Rorqual, the Terranaut base. The super-Driver test subjects -- Phoenix 17, Isis 24, and Prometheus 93 -- secretly monitored Lotz and sabotaged the interrogation, while Prometheus manipulated Lotz's mind into devising a virus scheme against the Terranauts.

In Issue #044, Lotz infected the imprisoned Terranauts with a virus designed to activate upon contact with Llewellyn 709's PSI signature, then staged a prison break to allow them to escape and unknowingly spread the Hate Plague. Damon Credock died during the escape. The Terranauts commandeered a Ringo and fled Sarym, unaware they carried the viral weapon.

The super-Drivers bred on Sarym -- including Ares 17, Artemis 11, Plutos 23, Prometheus 107, Isis 31, Phoenix 34, and Osiris 84 -- were deployed by Max von Valdec as weapons of conquest throughout the saga. They were enhanced through biochemical and mental treatments, their memories stripped away, and their loyalty secured through the Killer Block, a mental barrier preventing disloyal behavior.

The Hate Plague Revelation (c. 2501)

In Issue #046, after Ennerk Prime, Onnegart Vangralen, and Lyda Mar returned to Rorqual via a Black Hole gateway, it was revealed that Hermano Lotz had orchestrated their escape from Sarym. The virus they carried activated upon contact with Llewellyn 709, unleashing the Hate Plague, which caused hatred and violence in all who were exposed, threatening the entire galaxy.

Valdec's Refuge and the War for the PSI-Aura (2502--2503)

After being ousted as Council Chairman in Issue #054, Max von Valdec fled into Space II aboard an Omega-class battle cruiser, intending to reach Sarym. The planet became his base of operations, where he sought to control the PSI-Aura of the Maritime Coral City using his super-Drivers.

In Issue #061, Valdec established a research station on Sarym and directed Queen Yazmin and Expert Mira to explore the Maritime Coral City. The Terranauts aboard the CYGNI -- including David terGorden, Lyda Mar, and Llewellyn 709 -- arrived to neutralize Valdec's operations. A PSI response from the coral city disabled ships in orbit, causing the CYGNI and a Gray ship to crash on Arioch. Valdec attempted to use the super-Drivers (Prometheus 107, Phoenix 34, Isis 31) and the captive David to force open the Maritime Coral City, but the PSI-Aura neutralized the super-Drivers.

In Issue #063, the conflict escalated into a full mental war. Valdec used David's mind to attack the PSI-Aura, but Prometheus 107 broke free and sought to dominate it himself. Lyda Mar, aided by Aura Damona Mar, transported the Terranauts and super-Drivers to the heart of the PSI-Aura, where the super-Drivers were destroyed. When Valdec ordered a Kaiser Force bombardment of the coral city, Lyda and Aura Damona turned the ship's power against him, causing a shockwave absorbed by petrified Modificators. Lyda and Aura Damona remained in the Maritime Coral City to serve as guardians and oracles of the PSI-Aura, while Valdec escaped once again.

The Driver Council on Sarym

Following the defeat of Valdec and the end of the War of the Castes on Earth, Sarym transformed from a prison world into the political center of the free Driver civilization. The settlement of Neu-Thule became the central administrative hub of both Sarym and the broader Terranaut movement.

The Driver Council was established on Sarym as the governing body of the Drivers and Terranauts. Key members included:

• Asen-Ger -- Deputy chairman of the Driver Council, co-founder of the Terranauts, and elder statesman
• Llewellyn 709 -- Super-Driver and Riemenmann, military leader of the Terranauts
• Claude Farrell -- Driver and Terranaut, council member
• Zandra van Heissig -- Council member
• David terGorden -- Former Lord Colonel who returned to Sarym after resigning his position on Earth (Issue #079)

The Driver Council deliberated on critical matters including:

• The impending Kaiser Force catastrophe and the entropy-accelerating threat to the galaxy (Issue #072)
• The resettlement of Silent Drivers on Sarym and their mysterious illness (Issue #070)
• Relations with Earth, the Gray Guards, and the Council of Corporations
• Negotiations with Frost and Valdec's emissaries regarding mistletoe and lodge support for expeditions (Issue #090)

The Super-Driver Breeding Program

The Alpha-Order, Sarym's most sinister legacy, was a secret program conducted under Hermano Lotz and ultimately directed by Max von Valdec to breed genetically enhanced super-Drivers on Sarym. The program exploited the planet's unique PSI environment and produced multiple generations of clones with tremendous psionic abilities:

First Generation (bred at the Kaiser Secret Station):

• Phoenix 17, Isis 24, Prometheus 93 -- Test subjects who secretly manipulated their captors

Second Generation (deployed by Valdec as weapons):

• Ares 17, Artemis 11, Plutos 23 -- Sent to attack Shondyke (Issues #035 and #036)
• Prometheus 107, Isis 31, Phoenix 34 -- Used in the assault on the Maritime Coral City (Issues #061 and #063)
• Osiris 84 -- Deployed for colony subjugation (Issue #067)

The super-Drivers were controlled through the Killer Block, a mental barrier that made disobedience impossible. Their loyalties were secured through conditioning, and their memories were deliberately erased. The breeding program also produced the technology known as the Sarym Shield (also called the Sarym-Schirm or Sarym Projector), which reflected PSI activity back onto its originator and was widely adopted as anti-PSI defense technology across the galaxy.

The Silent Drivers and the Emerald Sanctuary

In Issue #070, set in 2503, Sarym became the resettlement destination for Silent Drivers -- former PSI-gifted individuals whose powers had been surgically removed by the Council. Thousands of Silent Drivers were transported to Sarym aboard ships like the MIDDLEHAVEN, with the hope that the planet's unique ecology might help them.

A disturbing development emerged: a subgroup of Silent Drivers (Third Category) began exhibiting a strange illness -- catatonia, muscle cramping, and resistance to psychomechanic intervention. The psychomechanic Duryea Ankrum discovered that the Silent Drivers were being drawn by an external force toward a hidden installation of the Buds of the Tree, where they achieved synthesis with plant spores and were healed, becoming Multi-Mediators -- beings integrated into the bio-PSI system of Sarym. David terGorden himself was affected by the Silent Drivers' psychic emanations and fell into a catatonic state before being rescued by Lyda Mar.

The Driver Council subsequently discussed the transformative potential of these spores for healing and reshaping other worlds.

The Cosmic Spore Crisis (2504)

In Issue #083, Sarym faced an existential threat when Cosmic Spores from the first planet's PSI-Aura began infesting the Norvo System. The freighter TAMERLAN, carrying 1500 Silent Drivers in hibernation, was overrun by spores that dissolved its hull and transformed its crew. On Arioch, Change Seeds emerged, decimating the native Hurricane Sailers.

The Modification Submatrix, an ancient program within the PSI-Net, began causing the Norvo System to seal itself off from the rest of the galaxy. Nayala led a team into the Brood Vaults beneath Sarym to destroy the Cosmic Spores, while Aura Damona Mar partially awakened a sleeping Collector -- a giant organic spaceship cultivated by the PSI-Auras -- to reverse the sealing-off process. The Collector departed carrying David terGorden, Aura Damona Mar, and Narda on a mission to find the Buds of the Tree, leaving Sarym with a two-year reprieve before the system would seal permanently.

Sarym in the Far Future

By Issue #098, set in 2549, Sarym's transformation is complete. In the "White" reality -- the hopeful future where humanity cooperates with alien races -- Sarym serves as the headquarters of the Seed Mastery, an organization of space-faring bio-psionic navigators who traverse the galaxy in Organ-Sailers, biologically bred spacecraft. The Seed Masters tend the PSI-Net and the legacy of the Buds of the Tree, ensuring the continued health of the galaxy's bio-psionic systems.

Key Events Timeline

Notable Locations on and near Sarym

• Neu-Thule -- Central administration of Sarym, seat of the Driver Council
• Maritime Coral City -- Coral structure in the ocean housing the PSI-Aura, home to the oracle Lyda Mar and Aura Damona Mar
• Underwater Research Base -- Former Valdecian research station off the South Continent coast, later repurposed for Silent Driver treatment
• Kaiser Secret Station -- Hermano Lotz's facility for super-Driver breeding and psycho-interrogation
• Brood Vaults -- Underground caverns beneath Sarym where Cosmic Spores ripen
• Hall of Eternity -- Colossal structure on Sarym/Equilibrium housing the Manipulator, which controls the Modificators and monitors the PSI-network
• Arioch -- Sarym's twin planet, a hellish world with methane-ammonia atmosphere, crystal cyclones, and the native Hurricane Sailers
• OUTPOST -- Gray Guard surveillance station orbiting the seventh planet of the Norvo System (later destroyed)

Technology Originating from Sarym

• Sarym Shield (Sarym-Schirm / Sarym Projector) -- Anti-PSI technology that reflects psionic activity back onto its originator; widely deployed across the galaxy by both Gray Guards and Terranauts
• Bio-PSI -- The ability to influence living organisms through psionic means, unique to Sarym's ecology and its Mediators
• Storm-sailers -- Living spaceships grown by Aura Damona Mar using the PSI-Aura
• Collectors -- Giant organic spaceships, deep-space probes of the Buds of the Tree, cultivated by Sarym's PSI-Auras
• Organ-Sailers -- Biologically bred spacecraft used by the Seed Mastery in the far future

Significance

Sarym's arc across the 99 issues of Die Terranauten mirrors the broader transformation of the saga itself. Beginning as a place of exile and oppression -- a prison where Drivers were stripped of their powers and subjected to horrific experiments -- the planet evolves into the spiritual and political heart of a free civilization. The PSI-Aura of the Maritime Coral City, the legacy of the Buds of the Tree, and the bio-psionic ecology that suppresses conventional PSI while enabling deeper connections to life itself make Sarym a planet of contradictions: a place where power is taken away and simultaneously where the deepest forms of power are discovered.

The super-Driver breeding program represents the darkest chapter in Sarym's history, producing weapons of terrible destructive potential that Max von Valdec wielded across the galaxy. Yet from that same world came the Multi-Mediators, the oracle Lyda Mar, and the Collector that carried David terGorden toward his destiny as the Heir of Power.

See Also

• Norvo System
• Arioch
• Maritime Coral City
• PSI-Aura
• Buds of the Tree
• Driver Council
• Super-Drivers
• Lyda Mar
• Aura Damona Mar
• David terGorden
• Max von Valdec
• Hermano Lotz
• Dream-hooks
• Surinen
• Mediator
• Neu-Thule