Syrta

"He sends a telepathic message across the galaxy, calling on all Drivers to come to Syrta and fight against the Council."
-- The galaxy-wide PSI call of Llewellyn 709 (Booklet 001)

Syrta is the sole planet orbiting the star Reuben-Gel within the REUBEN-GEL System. A colonial world administered by the Kaiser Corporation and patrolled by the Gray Guards, Syrta is the birthplace of the galactic Driver rebellion and the site where David terGorden is first proclaimed the "Heir of Power" -- an event that reshapes the political and cosmic order of the Terran Star Empire. The psionic signals generated on Syrta -- the SCHREI -- propagate far beyond the Milky Way, awakening alien civilizations and establishing the planet as the epicenter of a cosmic revolution.

Syrta is mentioned or serves as a setting in 7 of the saga's 99 booklets, and is referenced in 26 character entries, 12 location entries, 8 concept articles, and 2 organization pages across the Obsidian vault.

Description

Syrta is a human colonial world -- the only planet in the Reuben-Gel system. It functions as an outpost of the Council of Corporations, with day-to-day administration managed by the Kaiser Corporation through its local branch. The planet's capital city is Memphis, which houses the main spaceport (Memphis-Spaceport) and serves as the center of both commercial and military operations on the world.

Corporate Administration

The Kaiser Corporation maintains a substantial presence on Syrta through its branch office in Memphis. The branch is headed by John Schnayder as Manag, with Vanducci serving as security manager and Perks as deputy branch manager. The branch answers to the Kaiser Corporation headquarters on Terra, ultimately under the authority of Max von Valdec, Chairman of the Council of Corporations and General-Manag of the Kaiser Corporation. The branch enforces corporate law, manages trade, and coordinates with the military garrison to suppress dissent.

Military Garrison

The Gray Guards maintain a permanent fleet in the Syrta system. The fleet is commanded at various times by Queen Sari Oon and Queen Ann, the latter aboard the flagship SOLAR. During the crisis period of late 2499, additional Gray Guard forces arrive under Queen Fay Gray aboard the FUGGER, and the system sees a concentration of military assets unprecedented for a colonial world. The Gray Guards also operate a Driver Internment Camp on the planet's surface, where captured Drivers are held as prisoners under brutal conditions.

Resistance Movements

Despite the heavy corporate and military presence, Syrta harbors multiple overlapping resistance movements:

• Fist of Syrta (German: Faust von Syrta) -- An organized rebel group operating within Memphis, led by Vanmellen and including fighters such as Koskov. The Fist conducts urban resistance operations against the Kaiser Corporation administration.

• Don Pietro's Rebel Group -- A separate resistance cell operating outside the capital, led by Don Pietro and Aldo Fahn, with members including Otakar Smeral (who has medical training). This group shelters fugitive Drivers and provides a haven for those fleeing corporate authority. Karel Krystan, a Driver and former member of the Super-Lodge, lives among them.

• Mordicay's Network -- Local rebels who rescue David terGorden when he first lands on the planet, including a woman on a rocket scooter who assists in the initial extraction attempt before Syrtian government troops intervene.

Economic Significance

Syrta's name is also associated with Electronic Syrta, a corporation that -- together with the Dankhorst Financial Trust -- controls the majority of shares in the seven most important interstellar transport companies. This corporate entity suggests that Syrta's significance extends beyond its colonial status into the financial infrastructure of the Terran Star Empire.

History

Prelude: David terGorden's Flight (December 2499)

Syrta's place in galactic history is cemented in December 2499, when David terGorden -- traveling under the alias "Stardust-Dave" and fleeing pursuers who seek to exploit his identity as heir to the Biotroniks Corporation -- seeks refuge on the planet. On Rubin, David has narrowly escaped a trap in the alien city of Bortzynn, where his guide Smellinger was murdered. He joins the crew of the merchant vessel GDANSK, hoping to reach Syrta and find help from Llewellyn 709, a legendary super-Driver known as the "Riemenmann."

However, the Syrtian security service, acting on orders from the Kaiser Corporation, intercepts the GDANSK in space near Syrta and searches for David. He is ejected from the ship in a rescue capsule and makes a crash landing on the planet's surface.

The Rebellion Ignites (December 2499)

On the surface, Mordicay and a woman on a rocket scooter rescue David, but they are attacked by a security glider. David uses his PSI Powers to destroy the glider but is injured in the process and captured by Syrtian government troops. He is brought to the Kaiser Corporation branch in Memphis.

Simultaneously, Llewellyn 709 is captured and interrogated by Vanducci, the security manager at the Kaiser branch. Llewellyn wears golden straps across his body to contain his lethal PSI radiation -- a defining characteristic of a Riemenmann. Despite the interrogation, he is eventually released.

Llewellyn and other Terranauts -- including Octopus Swon, Lorilay Franticek, and Buster Gaunarson -- then mount a rescue operation, storming the Kaiser Corporation branch and freeing David. During this rescue, David learns that he is the "Heir of Power" prophesied in the BOOK MYRIAM. He experiences a vision of his mother, Myriam, and Yggdrasil, the primordial tree. Yggdrasil offers him power and safety on Earth, but David chooses to return to help his fellow Drivers.

When government troops move to recapture the group, Llewellyn unleashes the full force of his PSI powers, removing his golden straps and creating a devastating PSI storm that paralyzes the entire Syrtian government force. This act of defiance marks the beginning of open rebellion on Syrta.

Confrontation with the Gray Guards (December 2499)

The Gray Guards, led by Queen Fay Gray, arrive on Syrta aboard the FUGGER with orders from Max von Valdec to suppress the uprising and capture David. Mater Raven commands aboard the FUGGER alongside Fay Gray, and Ringo feeder ships deploy to the planet's surface.

David confronts Fay Gray directly, revealing his true identity and the full weight of his PSI abilities. This confrontation forces the Queen to withdraw -- a humiliation for the Gray Guards that resonates across the Empire. The event demonstrates that David's PSI powers are extraordinary even by Driver standards, sufficient to face down one of the most feared commanders in the Gray Guards.

The Galaxy-Wide PSI Call and the Super-Lodge (December 2499)

In the immediate aftermath of Fay Gray's withdrawal, Llewellyn 709 performs the act that transforms Syrta from a colonial backwater into the most significant planet in galactic history. He sends a telepathic message across the entire galaxy, calling on all Drivers to come to Syrta. This message is not merely a communication -- it is a psionic event of cosmic magnitude.

The assembled Drivers on Syrta merge into a Super-Lodge -- a collective of thousands of Drivers operating as a single psychic entity. The combined psionic output of this Super-Lodge generates the SCHREI (the "Scream"), a psionic signal of such power that it propagates far beyond the Milky Way. Key participants in this first Super-Lodge include Llewellyn 709, Wise Lee, Karel Krystan, and thousands of assembled Drivers.

A massive Driver fleet converges on Syrta from across the galaxy, signaling the beginning of an organized galactic rebellion against the Council of Corporations.

The Declaration of the Heir of Power (2499)

With Drivers assembling from across the galaxy, Llewellyn 709 formally declares David terGorden as the "Heir of Power" via a galaxy-wide PSI message -- fulfilling the prophecy of the BOOK MYRIAM. This declaration transforms David from a fugitive hiding under an alias into a figure of messianic significance for the entire Driver population. It also places an immediate target on him: Max von Valdec escalates his efforts to capture or neutralize David.

David himself is reluctant to embrace this messianic role. Rather than calling for open war, he addresses the assembled Drivers on Syrta and advocates for a pragmatic approach: breaking the Council's mistletoe monopoly rather than engaging in full-scale armed rebellion. The Lodge Masters, though cautious, agree to attend the upcoming Great Festival on Terra.

During this period, David also creates a planet-spanning Hypno-Field -- a PSI-generated suggestion that brings temporary peace to Syrta, demonstrating his extraordinary psionic abilities and his preference for resolution over violence.

David's Departure (2499)

Despite the gathering of Drivers, David insists on returning to Terra. He cannot secure transport through Asen-Ger, who has been exposed as a Terranaut, making it impossible for Asen-Ger to move openly. David therefore surrenders himself to the Kaiser Corporation on Syrta to secure passage aboard the FUGGER, and is taken into custody by Schnayder.

Meanwhile, the Gray Guard Shadow agent Asi Caruga, who has infiltrated Asen-Ger's lodge after murdering a Driver and taking his place, sabotages the FENRISWOLF. This strands Asen-Ger and Llewellyn on Syrta, preventing them from following David to Earth. The Terranauts remain delayed on the planet due to the combined machinations of Queen Mandorla and Asi Caruga.

The SCHREI and Its Galactic Echo

The psionic events on Syrta -- particularly the formation of the Super-Lodge and Llewellyn's galaxy-spanning PSI broadcast -- generate what becomes known as the SCHREI (the "Scream"). This immensely powerful psionic signal travels far beyond the Milky Way. Its effects are discovered later when Llewellyn 709, on the distant planet Hobo orbiting the green sun Moloch, realizes that the Zoptic magicians of Runnevel -- psionic beings analogous to Drivers among the alien Zopten species -- were awakened and radicalized by the SCHREI originating from Syrta. Led by Siltron, the magicians launch their own revolution against the feudal Lores and merchant Leihmanner, a direct consequence of the PSI-Call of the Superlodge on Syrta.

The SCHREI thus proves that the Super-Lodge's psionic output is a cosmic phenomenon, not merely a local tactical tool. It resonated across species boundaries and galactic distances, establishing Syrta as the epicenter of a psionic shockwave that reverberates across the cosmos. This event is formally identified in Booklet 015 as the cause of the Zoptic revolution.

The Arrival of Cantos (2499)

After the main body of the Driver fleet has departed, Syrta remains a world in turmoil. The alien Cantos, a Genessaner from the planet Genessos, arrives at Syrta after detecting a PSI call for help emanating from the planet -- a residual echo of the Super-Lodge's massive psionic output. The Gray Guards under Queen Ann aboard the SOLAR attack his spherical ship, but Cantos's vessel deflects their energy beams and survives torpedo strikes.

On the surface, Cantos makes contact with Karel Krystan, a Driver and former member of the Super-Lodge living among the rebels led by Don Pietro and Aldo Fahn. Karel's heightened psionic sensitivity -- a consequence of his participation in the Super-Lodge -- allows him to sense Cantos's presence, but the telepathic contact overwhelms his mind and causes him to collapse. Through a subsequent telepathic merge, Cantos gains a deep understanding of humanity, including their languages, social structures, and the dangerous experiments with Space II being conducted by the Kaiser Corporation.

Cantos uses his formidable PSI powers to help Tony Arliss, a Gray Driver, turn against his handlers and free the Drivers imprisoned in the Driver Internment Camp. The Gray Guards retaliate by destroying the camp. After negotiations with both John Schnayder and Queen Ann fail to produce genuine peace, Cantos and the freed Drivers -- including Red Hedger, Freier Doug, and others -- infiltrate the Memphis-Spaceport, seize a landing craft using their combined PSI powers, and ultimately capture the SOLAR itself.

Aftermath: The Legacy of Syrta (2499-2504)

The Drivers freed from Syrta continue to play important roles throughout the saga:

• Red Hedger -- Freed Driver and Terranaut; becomes one of Cantos's closest companions, traveling with him during the Oxyd crisis (Booklets 019, 020) and advocating for armed resistance against Max von Valdec.
• Freier Doug -- Driver at the spaceport who assists Cantos; initially skeptical of the Terranauts but ultimately joins them. Described as an individualist who values freedom of thought and action.
• Wise Lee -- Present at the formation of the Super-Lodge on Syrta and later confirmed as a Terranaut (Booklet 019).
• Tony Arliss -- Gray Driver turned against the Gray Guards by Cantos's PSI influence; his defection demonstrates that even conditioned soldiers can be reached through PSI contact.

Cantos and the freed Drivers initially seek refuge with the Terranauts on Io, a moon of Jupiter. Their journey there is fraught with difficulty: during the Oxyd crisis (Booklet 019), Cantos collapses from the psychic shock of sensing Summacum Homan's catastrophic Kaiser Force experiment. Max von Valdec uses propaganda to blame the disaster on Cantos and the Genessaner, framing them as alien invaders. Even when Cantos reaches Io (Booklet 020), the Terranauts -- influenced by Valdec's propaganda -- attack him, though he overpowers them and escapes to continue his mission.

Key Events

Notable Inhabitants and Visitors

Corporate and Military Officials

Rebels and Resistance Fighters

Drivers and Terranauts

Aliens

Other Visitors

Ships Present at Syrta

Political Significance

Syrta occupies a unique position in the power structure of the Terran Star Empire. As a colonial world under Kaiser Corporation administration, it represents the exploitation and oppression that characterize corporate rule over the outer planets. The presence of a Driver Internment Camp where Drivers are imprisoned by the Gray Guards underscores the brutal subjugation of psionic individuals that fuels the rebellion.

The planet becomes the crucible of revolution when Llewellyn 709's galaxy-wide PSI call transforms it into a rallying point for Drivers from across the Milky Way. The events on Syrta -- the rescue of David terGorden, the PSI storm, the confrontation with the Gray Guards, and the declaration of the "Heir of Power" -- collectively represent the moment when the Drivers' scattered resistance coalesces into an organized movement: the Terranauts.

The Cradle of the Heir of Power Prophecy

The proclamation of the Heir of Power on Syrta is one of the saga's defining moments. As detailed in the Heir of Power article, this event establishes the central tension of the entire 99-booklet narrative: David is simultaneously the Drivers' prophesied savior and a young man with no desire to be one. His pragmatic speech to the assembled Drivers -- advocating for breaking the mistletoe monopoly rather than messianic revolution -- foreshadows his recurring resistance to the role of chosen one that persists across the saga's full arc.

The prophecy proclaimed on Syrta ultimately proves to be far more than a political declaration. By the saga's conclusion (Booklets 094-099), the "power" David inherits is revealed to be a cosmic function: he is one of nine Spectra destined to reactivate the Long Row, the Intercosmic Anti-Entropy System built by the Ancients. The galaxy-wide PSI call on Syrta was therefore not merely a political rallying cry but the announcement of a cosmic event.

Cosmic Significance

Syrta's significance extends far beyond the immediate human conflict. The powerful psionic signals generated there (the SCHREI) reach beyond the galaxy, awakening psionic beings on distant worlds:

• The Zoptic magicians of Runnevel on Hobo -- psionic beings analogous to Drivers among the alien Zopten species -- were awakened and radicalized by the SCHREI, leading to their revolution against the Lores and Leihmanner (Booklet 015).
• Cantos of Genessos is drawn to Syrta by the residual PSI call, initiating humanity's first meaningful contact with a non-hostile extraterrestrial civilization (Booklet 013).

In this sense, Syrta is the epicenter of a psionic shockwave that reverberates across the cosmos. The events there set in motion not only the Driver rebellion but a chain of interspecies awakenings and contacts that extend to the saga's very end.

The Circle Closes

The saga begins with Llewellyn 709's galaxy-wide PSI call on Syrta summoning Drivers to rebellion (Booklet 001) and ends with the Drivers forming a Lodge on a transformed Earth and sending a PSI call that the Entities themselves acknowledge (Booklet 099). This structural symmetry -- from Syrta to Earth, from rebellion to renewal -- places Syrta at the origin point of the saga's entire narrative arc.

Appearances

Related Locations

• Reuben-Gel -- The star Syrta orbits
• REUBEN-GEL System -- The star system containing Syrta
• Memphis -- Capital city of Syrta
• Memphis-Spaceport -- The main spaceport on Syrta
• Driver Internment Camp -- Gray Guard prison camp for Drivers on Syrta
• Genessos -- Homeworld of Cantos, who is drawn to Syrta by its PSI call
• Hobo -- Distant planet where the SCHREI from Syrta awakens the Zoptic magicians
• Runnevel -- Continent on Hobo where the magicians launch their revolution in response to the SCHREI
• Terra -- The homeworld of humanity; David's destination when he departs Syrta
• Zoe -- Planet of the Lodge Masters; its Drivers later form their own Super-Lodge inspired by the precedent set on Syrta

Related Organizations

• Kaiser Corporation -- Administers Syrta as a colonial world
• Gray Guards -- Military force patrolling the Syrta system
• Council of Corporations -- The ruling body whose authority the Syrta rebellion challenges
• Terranauts -- The secret Driver resistance organization whose rebellion launches from Syrta
• Fist of Syrta -- Urban resistance group operating within Memphis
• Electronic Syrta -- Corporation associated with interstellar transport shares

Related Concepts

• Heir of Power -- The prophetic title first proclaimed on Syrta
• BOOK MYRIAM -- The prophetic text fulfilled on Syrta
• Super-Lodge -- The massive psionic collective first formed on Syrta
• SCHREI -- The galaxy-spanning psionic signal generated by the Super-Lodge on Syrta
• PSI-Call of the Superlodge on Syrta -- The formal designation for the SCHREI event
• Hypno-Field -- The planet-spanning PSI suggestion David creates on Syrta
• PSI Powers -- The parapsychic abilities central to events on Syrta
• Drivers -- The PSI-gifted navigators whose rebellion begins on Syrta
• Kaiser Force -- The technology whose dangers Cantos investigates after departing Syrta
• Space II -- The alternate dimension whose experiments draw Cantos to Syrta
• Mistletoe Blossoms -- The substance whose monopoly David advocates breaking on Syrta

Key Characters

• David terGorden -- The "Heir of Power" whose arrival triggers the rebellion
• Llewellyn 709 -- The Riemenmann whose PSI storm and galactic call define Syrta's place in history
• Cantos -- The alien who arrives to warn humanity, departing Syrta with freed Drivers
• Karel Krystan -- Former Super-Lodge member and Cantos's first human contact; dies on Syrta
• Asen-Ger -- Terranaut leader stranded on Syrta by sabotage
• John Schnayder -- Kaiser Corporation Manag who administers Syrta
• Fay Gray -- Gray Guard Queen who confronts David on Syrta
• Queen Ann -- Commander of the SOLAR; loses her ship to Cantos
• Norwy van Dyne -- Merchant who rescues David from Syrta
• Asi Caruga -- Shadow agent who sabotages the FENRISWOLF on Syrta

Syrta is referenced in 7 of the saga's 99 booklets and across more than 46 enriched vault entries. It is the single most historically significant colonial world in Die Terranauten -- the place where the Driver rebellion began, where the Heir of Power was proclaimed, where the SCHREI reshaped the galaxy, and where humanity's first meaningful alien contact was forged.