All-Worlds Steel Consortium

"Anlyka terCrupp plans a nuclear strike on Geneva."
-- Booklet 079, "Dying for Terra"

The Allwelten-Stahl-Konsortium (ASK; English: All-Worlds Steel Consortium), also referred to as the ASK-Konzern, is one of the most powerful interstellar corporations within the Council of Corporations throughout the events of Die Terranauten. Specializing in steel production, heavy industry, and resource extraction across the Terran Star Empire, ASK is led by GeneralManag Anlyka terCrupp, whose ruthless political maneuvering makes the consortium a decisive force in the saga's pivotal political crises -- from the fall of Max von Valdec to the War of the Castes and the eventual dissolution of the Council itself.

ASK is not merely an industrial enterprise. Under terCrupp's leadership, the consortium operates its own security apparatus (the ASK-Garden and ASK-Grauen), maintains military-grade assets including gliders and SD agents, controls colonial estates and entire worlds, and repeatedly violates regulations protecting indigenous intelligences through aggressive resource extraction. Its headquarters in Geneva places it at the physical heart of Council governance, while terCrupp's underground bunker in the Urals serves as a refuge during times of political crisis. In the saga's climactic booklets, ASK allies with the traitorous Warlord Gambelher in an attack on the Council administration that kills Ignazius Tyll and Sarneyke Eloise, and terCrupp orders a nuclear strike on Geneva rather than accept the end of corporate power.

Name and Abbreviation

The name Allwelten-Stahl-Konsortium translates literally as "All-Worlds Steel Consortium," reflecting the corporation's scope as an interstellar heavy-industry conglomerate. The abbreviation ASK (from Allwelten-Stahl-Konsortium) is used throughout the saga and in the glossary. Variant spellings in the source material include Allweltenstahl-Konsortium (without hyphen) and Allwelten-Stahl-Konzern (using Konzern rather than Konsortium). All refer to the same organization.

Structure and Organization

Leadership

ASK is governed by its GeneralManag, Anlyka terCrupp, who holds a seat on the Council of Corporations and wields commensurate political power. TerCrupp personally directs ASK's corporate strategy, political alliances, and military operations. She commands a management staff that includes:

Internal Hierarchy

ASK operates with an internal ranking system. The glossary references an Erste Kategorie (First Category), described as a "leadership level within ASK," suggesting a tiered management structure below the GeneralManag.

Security Forces

ASK maintains its own paramilitary capabilities:

• ASK-Garden (ASK-Guards): Corporate security forces that operate ASK's gliders and provide armed protection for ASK installations. TerCrupp mentions "having ASK-Garden man the gliders" during the War of the Castes.
• ASK-Grauen (ASK-Grays): Gray Guard personnel assigned to or operating in conjunction with ASK operations. The ASK-Grauen are noted searching all travelers in the AUST Region during periods of heightened security.
• SD Agents: Covert operatives employed by ASK for special operations. Frig, described as "an SD agent of the Allwelten-Stahl-Konsortium," is tasked with launching the nuclear missile against Geneva during the War of the Castes (Booklet 079).
• ASK Commando: The glossary records that "an ASK commando attacked an F.F.D.E. Pfuhl (puddle)" in KANAD (the Canadian region), indicating ASK deploys commando-style operations against rebel positions.

Industrial Operations

ASK's primary business is steel production and heavy industrial manufacturing across the Terran Star Empire. Under terCrupp's leadership, the corporation engages in:

• Interstellar resource extraction: ASK operates mining and extraction operations on colonial worlds, "repeatedly violating regulations protecting indigenous intelligences through resource extraction."
• Prospecting: The ASK-Konzern is recorded as "involved in prospecting on planet CC-238."
• Colonial estates: ASK controls an ASK-Latifundie (corporate estate) in the western Canadian forests.
• Colonial governance: ASK maintains administrative representatives on distant worlds, such as Leon Gulager on Maranyn in the Tordrig System (Booklet 069).

Locations

History

Pre-Saga: The Council Era

By the time the saga opens in 2499, ASK is an established member of the Council of Corporations, one of the major interstellar conglomerates that collectively govern the Terran Star Empire. The corporation holds a seat on the Council Assembly, with terCrupp participating in the political deliberations that shape colonial policy, military authorization, and economic regulation. ASK's industrial operations span multiple star systems, and its violations of indigenous protection regulations suggest a pattern of aggressive colonial exploitation that predates the saga's events.

The Valdec Era: Opposition and Possession (2499--2502)

ASK first appears in the saga during the crisis involving the mutated Ebberdyk computers and Max von Valdec's betrayal of the Terranauten, with Anlyka terCrupp listed as GeneralManag of the consortium (Booklet 049). At this point, terCrupp operates under Valdec's dictatorial regime, one of several corporate leaders whose independent power is constrained by Valdec's triple concentration of authority as GeneralManag of the Kaiser Corporation, Lord Colonel, and Council Chairman.

As Ignazius Tyll begins auditing the Kaiser Corporation's finances and Valdec's grip tightens, terCrupp positions ASK within the growing corporate opposition. ASK's Geneva headquarters becomes a center of anti-Valdec plotting, with terCrupp working alongside fellow GeneralManags Wilbert terBarden (Green Hill Corporation), Timian Mira (Export-Kartell), and Lucia Takamahi (Interstellar Wood & Furniture).

The Gorthaur Infiltration (January 2502)

ASK's trajectory is dramatically disrupted when the alien Gorthaur -- a Xaxon survivor seeking revenge for the destruction of his homeworld by Kaiser Force -- infiltrates the corporation. Traveling to Geneva, Gorthaur takes control of Anlyka terCrupp's body and several other ASK managers, using the corporation's headquarters as a base from which to manipulate Earth's computer network. Operating through terCrupp's body, Gorthaur downgrades millions of Relax to Noman status and destabilizes the planetary infrastructure (Booklet 053).

The alien entity inhabiting terCrupp's body then attempts to assassinate Valdec at Kaiser Corporation headquarters in New Berlin, nearly succeeding before being thwarted by the Gray Guards. Gorthaur retreats to the ASK-Zentrale in Geneva, where the Terranauten -- Narda, Llewellyn 709, and Asen-Ger -- confront him. In a moment of realization, Gorthaur recognizes his mistake in condemning all of humanity and sacrifices himself using the Arma to prevent further harm (Booklet 053).

Valdec exploits the Gorthaur crisis to frame terCrupp and the Council opposition for the unrest, using the chaos as cover to dissolve the Council and declare a state of emergency. The ASK headquarters, briefly a site of alien horror, becomes evidence of the opposition's supposed treachery.

Valdec's Fall: The Urals Coalition (2502)

When Valdec dissolves the Council for the second time, terCrupp and ASK's leadership retreat to the corporation's secret base in the Urals. There, they join with fellow opposition members and Manuel Lucci of the Brak Shakram Command, who brings Ignazius Tyll to safety after his escape from the Lord Inspection headquarters. After Chan de Nouille broadcasts evidence of Valdec's illegal deconditioning of Gray Guards and the dictator's support collapses, terCrupp and the ASK-led faction support Tyll's appointment as interim Lord Colonel -- a strategic choice, as an honest bureaucrat with no military base of his own is precisely the kind of leader the GeneralManags can work around (Booklet 054).

The Council Reconstituted: Intrigue and Alliance (2502--2503)

During Ignazius Tyll's approximately eighteen-month tenure as interim Lord Colonel, ASK operates as a powerful corporate faction within the reconstituted Council. TerCrupp leads what is described as the terCrupp Clique -- a distinct political bloc that pursues ASK's interests through shifting alliances and backroom dealing. During this period:

• TerCrupp defends the Terranauten during Council debates on the Terranauts' treaty, likely calculating that supporting Driver space travel serves ASK's commercial interests against the remnants of the Kaiser Corporation's Kaiser Force monopoly (Booklet 060).
• TerCrupp enters into conflict with Lucia Takamahi of Interstellar Wood & Furniture, reflecting internal rivalries within the corporate opposition (Booklet 072).
• The political observer Cosmoral Oolga on Luna is noted as having "connections to ASK, IWF, Export-Kartell, Grune Hugel, and Transport Stellar," indicating ASK's integration into the broader corporate intelligence network.
• ASK is among the "selfish Manags from ASK, IWF, and the Export-Kartell" referenced in the glossary, suggesting an ongoing pattern of self-interested corporate behavior.

The War of the Castes: Coup and Nuclear Gambit (September--November 2503)

The War of the Castes erupts across Earth in September 2503. As the Action Committee Free Africa rises in Kilimanjaro, the Nomans revolt in New Delhi, and the F.F.D.E. coordinates strikes and resistance, ASK under terCrupp's leadership makes its most consequential -- and most destructive -- moves.

The Plot Against Tyll

TerCrupp leads the GeneralManags in a coordinated campaign to destroy Ignazius Tyll's government:

1. ASK operatives orchestrate the assassination attempt on Manuel Lucci during peace negotiations with David terGorden, deliberately sabotaging the mediation process.
2. TerCrupp and her allies engineer Tyll's formal removal from power during a Council session, using the escalating chaos as pretext.
3. The resulting power vacuum leads to David terGorden's election as Lord Colonel -- a development manipulated by Chan de Nouille rather than terCrupp, though it serves the momentary interests of both (Booklet 076).

Alliance with Gambelher

ASK forges a covert alliance with Warlord Gambelher, a traitorous Gray Guard Cosmoral who turns against Chan de Nouille. The corporation provides support for Gambelher's military coup attempt against the Geneva Council administration, in which Gambelher uses time-distorting technology from Ultima Thule to attack. The assault kills both Ignazius Tyll and Sarneyke Eloise, two of the most important civilian leaders of the transitional government (Booklet 079).

The attack on the Council administration -- ASK's most violent act in the saga -- makes terCrupp indirectly responsible for two of the War of the Castes' most significant deaths, even though she is not present at the battle.

ASK Commandos and the F.F.D.E.

During the civil war, ASK deploys commando operations against the rebel movement. An ASK commando attacks an F.F.D.E. "Pfuhl" (operational base) in KANAD (the Canadian region). ASK's SD agents and corporate forces operate alongside Gray Guard units in attempting to suppress the uprising.

The Nuclear Strike Order

From her underground bunker in the Urals, terCrupp orders the most extreme action in the consortium's history: a nuclear strike on Geneva to destroy the Council administration building and everyone in it. Her SD agent Frig is tasked with launching the nuclear missile. The plan represents corporate nihilism at its most absolute -- if ASK and the corporations cannot control the Council, the Council will be annihilated. The nuclear strike is ultimately prevented (Booklet 079).

The Fall of ASK

As the Shadows -- Chan de Nouille's covert agents -- close in on the Urals bunker, terCrupp attempts to escape. She launches a decoy space ferry piloted by Security Manager Gworsch, who is killed. The narrative leaves terCrupp cornered in the Urals as David terGorden and Manuel Lucci announce the dissolution of the Council of Corporations and the transfer of all corporate assets to worker control. ASK, along with every other member of the Council, ceases to exist as a sovereign corporate entity (Booklet 079).

Aftermath: The Second Reich (2504)

ASK's dissolution does not mean all its personnel accept defeat. When Max von Valdec returns to conquer Earth and establishes the Second Reich of Humanity, former ASK managers attempt to strike back. At the Ziolkowski Shipyards, former managers of ASK use "recessive psionics and an electronic assassin" in an assassination attempt against Valdec. The attack is thwarted by Prometheus, a Super-Driver clone loyal to Valdec (Booklet 090). This final mention of ASK personnel confirms that the consortium's dissolution did not extinguish its people's capacity for violence -- though now it is directed against the new tyrant rather than in defense of the old corporate order.

Key Personnel

Political Role

Within the Council of Corporations

ASK is one of the major corporations that comprise the Council of Corporations, holding a seat at the Council Assembly in Geneva. The corporation's GeneralManag participates in Council deliberations, votes on policy, and engages in the factional politics that define Council governance.

ASK's political trajectory across the saga follows a consistent pattern: opposition to whoever currently holds supreme power, in pursuit of ASK's own supremacy. TerCrupp opposes Valdec when he threatens corporate autonomy, supports Tyll when she needs a controllable figurehead, betrays Tyll when he proves insufficiently pliable, and ultimately attempts to destroy the entire system rather than surrender corporate power.

The terCrupp Clique

The terCrupp Clique is a named political faction within the Council, centered on ASK but extending beyond it. The clique includes terCrupp's allies among the GeneralManags and operates as a distinct power bloc. During Tyll's tenure, the clique competes with other corporate factions for control of Council policy, and during the War of the Castes, it orchestrates the coordinated political and military campaign that removes Tyll and destabilizes the transitional government.

Relationship with the Gray Guards

ASK's relationship with the Gray Guards is complex and ultimately treacherous. The corporation employs "ASK-Grauen" (ASK-Grays) -- Gray Guard personnel operating in conjunction with ASK operations -- and maintains contact with elements of the Guard hierarchy. During the War of the Castes, terCrupp recruits Warlord Gambelher to her cause, providing ASK support for his military coup against Chan de Nouille. Gambelher's attack on the Council administration, backed by ASK's resources and political backing, represents the most dangerous corporate-military alliance in the saga.

Relationship with the F.F.D.E.

ASK is a direct adversary of the F.F.D.E. (Freedom for the Earth) resistance movement during the War of the Castes. ASK commandos attack F.F.D.E. positions in the KANAD region, and terCrupp orchestrates the assassination attempt on F.F.D.E. coordinator Manuel Lucci to sabotage peace negotiations. The corporation views the revolutionary movement as an existential threat to the corporate order.

Themes

Corporate Power as Violence

ASK embodies the saga's argument that corporate power, when stripped of its institutional veneer, is fundamentally an exercise in violence. The consortium's trajectory -- from boardroom politics to commando raids to nuclear strike orders -- traces the escalation that occurs when corporate interests are genuinely threatened. TerCrupp does not begin as a figure of overt violence; she begins as a political operator, an opposition leader, even a supporter of institutional governance. But when institutional means fail to preserve corporate power, ASK reaches for the tools of destruction without hesitation.

The Mirror of the Kaiser Corporation

ASK functions as a dark mirror of the Kaiser Corporation under Max von Valdec. Where Valdec wraps his tyranny in the rhetoric of technological liberation (Kaiser Force as freedom from Driver dependency), terCrupp wraps hers in the rhetoric of corporate opposition and institutional legitimacy. Both, when cornered, threaten nuclear annihilation. Both use covert agents and assassination as instruments of policy. The saga suggests that the difference between Valdec and terCrupp is not one of kind but of scale -- and that the corporate system that produced both is incapable of producing anything else.

Institutional Corruption

ASK's repeated violations of indigenous protection regulations, its manipulation of political processes, and its willingness to deploy lethal force against civilian populations illustrate the systemic corruption of the Council of Corporations. ASK is not an aberration within the Council system; it is the system functioning as designed. The corporation's destruction -- along with the dissolution of the Council itself -- is presented as the only remedy for an institution that is structurally incapable of reform.

Key Events

Appearances

See Also

• Council of Corporations -- The governing body of which ASK is a member corporation
• Anlyka terCrupp -- GeneralManag of ASK and the corporation's driving political force
• Geneva -- Location of ASK headquarters and the Council administration
• Ignazius Tyll -- Lord Inspector and interim Lord Colonel; investigated Valdec, was supported and then destroyed by terCrupp
• War of the Castes -- The civil war during which ASK makes its most violent and consequential moves
• Gray Guards -- The military force with which ASK maintains a complex and ultimately treacherous relationship
• Warlord Gambelher -- The traitorous Gray Guard Cosmoral who allies with ASK against Chan de Nouille
• Gorthaur -- The alien who possesses terCrupp and infiltrates ASK headquarters
• Kaiser Corporation -- ASK's principal corporate rival under Valdec's leadership
• F.F.D.E. -- The revolutionary movement that ASK opposes during the War of the Castes
• Manuel Lucci -- F.F.D.E. coordinator and target of ASK's assassination attempt
• David terGorden -- Lord Colonel who dissolves the Council and with it ASK's corporate existence
• Leon Gulager -- ASK Manag on the colonial world Maranyn
• Gworsch -- ASK Security Manager killed during the War of the Castes
• Sulai San -- ASK Finance Manager
• Lord Inspection -- The Council's oversight body that investigated corporate malfeasance including ASK's violations
• Reconstruction Committee -- The post-Council governing body that succeeds the dissolved corporations
• Second Reich of Humanity -- Valdec's personal dictatorship, during which former ASK managers attempt assassination

The Allwelten-Stahl-Konsortium (ASK) and its personnel appear in Booklets 049, 053, 054, 060, 069, 072, 076, 078, 079, and 090 of Die Terranauten. It is one of the most politically significant corporations in the saga, whose arc from corporate opposition through institutional manipulation to nuclear desperation and dissolution traces the complete failure of corporate governance in the Terran Star Empire.