REGENT

"The Steel Fleet embarks on a Kaiser Force transit to the target system."
-- Booklet 097, aboard the REGENT

The REGENT is the flagship of Max von Valdec and the most prominent vessel in his private fleet throughout Die Terranauten. A funnel ship (German: Trichterschiff) of the Atar-class, the REGENT served as Valdec's mobile command center from his years in exile on Lancia through the colonial plundering campaigns of the Rim Worlds, the reconquest of Earth, and the final preemptive strike against the galactic civilizations as the lead ship of the Steel Fleet. The REGENT appears or is referenced in 7 booklets and is mentioned 55 times across the wiki, making it one of the most frequently cited vessels in the saga.

The REGENT is more than a warship -- it is the physical embodiment of Valdec's power and ambition. Where the MIDAS carried the Terranauts into exile and the JAMES COOK carried them toward peace, the REGENT carried Valdec toward conquest. Its trajectory across the saga mirrors his own: from desperate exile to imperial dominion to cosmic annihilation.

Specifications

Design and Layout

The REGENT is a funnel ship -- a large, funnel-shaped vessel originally associated with the Gray Guards but adopted and refined by the Kaiser Corporation for Kaiser Force space travel. Funnel ships are described as Kaiser Force ships capable of breaking the boundaries of the Milky Way, making them the most powerful class of interstellar vessel in the saga.

Known internal features of the REGENT include:

• Medi-Trakt (Medi-Tract) -- A dedicated medical area aboard the ship, used during the exile period for treating crew and prisoners
• Pneumolifte (Pneumatic Lifts) -- An internal transportation system connecting the ship's decks and sections
• Brig / Detention cells -- Used to hold prisoners, including Morgenstern during his captivity (Booklet 068)
• Docking bays -- Capable of housing multiple Ringo auxiliary craft, including at least nine numbered boats (REGENT-One through REGENT-Nine)
• Orbital Container attachment points -- External mounting systems for cargo containers, used during supply operations
• Fighter bays -- Housing Atar-class space fighters, including the REGENT-41

Auxiliary Craft

The REGENT carried a complement of Ringo disc-shaped auxiliary craft, each identified by the ship's name followed by a numeral:

History

Construction and Origins

The REGENT was built at the Ziolkowski-Werft (Ziolkowski Shipyards) in the Crimea, the massive industrial complex overseen by Master Builder Zarkophin where all Kaiser Force vessels were designed and constructed. Along with her sister ships -- the KAISER, the ZIOLKOWSKI, and the later-built GLAUCEN -- the REGENT represented the apex of Kaiser Force naval engineering: a funnel ship equipped with the Zarkophin Shield to contain the dangerous superphysical residual energies produced by the Kaiser Force drive.

Exile on Lancia (c. 2502-2503)

After Max von Valdec's fall from power and his escape from Earth in an Omega-class battle cruiser (Booklet 054), the REGENT became the centerpiece of Valdec's exile fleet, operating from the steel city of Kaisergrad on Lancia in the Calina System. Alongside the KAISER (commanded by Queen Yazmin) and the ZIOLKOWSKI, the REGENT served as Valdec's mobile headquarters while he rebuilt his power base by raiding colonial worlds in the Rim Worlds.

During this period, Zarkophin served on the REGENT's command staff, tasked with analyzing the superphysical phenomena that accompanied Kaiser Force operations and developing the Zarkophin Shield containment system. Frost provided intelligence from the REGENT, and Glaucen served as security manager aboard the vessel (Booklet 066).

The REGENT entered orbit around Lancia and served as the operational hub for Valdec's plundering campaigns. A courier boarded the REGENT in the Jehad Sector, and Kaiser-Gardisten (Kaiser Guards) performed regular computer checks aboard the vessel (Booklet 066).

The Murder Sun Incident (Booklet 066)

When an emergency Kaiser Force transit from Sarym stranded Valdec in Space I, the REGENT suffered significant energy loss. Upon his return, Valdec ordered the ship to proceed to Lancia to seize control of the Kaiser-Lancia Complex and refuel. Valdec, Prometheus 107, and Isis 31 departed the REGENT in the REGENT-41, an Atar-class fighter, heading for Lancia. The fighter encountered PSI interference caused by a transparency effect over Kaisergrad and crashed, forcing the three to proceed on foot.

Back on the REGENT, the crew discovered the extent of the energy loss caused by the transit through the unstable zone. The Guard base on Lancia was eventually dissolved by the superphysical phenomena. Valdec subsequently planned to resume Kaiser Force research on Lancia from the REGENT (Booklet 066).

The Krisan Plundering Campaign (Booklet 067)

The REGENT served as the flagship of Valdec's small fleet during the plundering of colonial worlds beyond 500 light-years from Earth -- worlds abandoned by the crumbling Empire. On Krisan in the Mephisto System, Valdec's forces -- including Super-Drivers Osiris 84 and Prometheus 107 -- dismantled industrial plants and enslaved the local population. The REGENT's Ringo REGENT-Neun, commanded by Queen Shetzan, transported Morgenstern, Myranda Llan, and Can Katzenstein before being destroyed in an ambush.

Valdec used the REGENT as his base while interrogating captured Terranauts on Krisan. When the Electronic Assassin -- a killer computer dispatched to eliminate Valdec -- caused chaos at the governor's palace, Valdec ordered an immediate departure. The IRMINSUL and other Terranaut ships arrived too late to prevent the REGENT's escape (Booklet 067).

Prisoner, Assassin, and Catastrophe (Booklet 068)

The REGENT's most dramatic events occurred in Booklet 068. Morgenstern, recaptured aboard a freighter leaving Krisan, was imprisoned on the REGENT in the Calina System. Security Manager Glaucen -- described as "a fat and cruel man" -- attempted to interrogate him about his supposed accomplice, unaware that the "accomplice" was the Electronic Assassin.

The Electronic Assassin broke free from captivity and caused chaos and explosions throughout the REGENT. It rescued Morgenstern, and the two escaped together in a Ringo. The assassin then pursued Valdec himself, attempting to kill him aboard the vessel.

Simultaneously, a catastrophic Kaiser Force flash -- triggered by Valdec's experiments on Lancia -- erupted in the Aron System, transforming the region into an unstable space-time zone. The flash killed Security Manager Glaucen and turned the Guard base on Frantic into a protoplasmic mass. Queen Yazmin, who was in command of the REGENT during this period, navigated the ship through the crisis.

Valdec escaped the Electronic Assassin in the REGENT-One, his personal Ringo. After the chaos subsided, the REGENT escaped the Aron System and fled -- one of the pivotal events recorded in the saga's timeline. Morgenstern, stranded on a transformed version of the sun Aron, was eventually transported to Shondyke by a Cosmic Spore (Booklet 068).

Valdec's Return to Earth (Booklet 085)

During the preparation for Valdec's dramatic return to power, Queen Myra commanded the REGENT-Vier, one of the REGENT's auxiliary Ringos, supporting Zarkophin's Kaiser Force experiments with the Zarkophin Shield on the remote planet CC-9134/9. These experiments confirmed the viability of the modified Kaiser Force drive for the new generation of vessels.

The Second Reich (Booklets 089-090)

Under the Second Reich of Humanity, the REGENT continued to serve as Valdec's primary warship. By this period, Queen Martha had assumed command of the REGENT, while Queen Yazmin had been promoted to Reichscosmoral and Commander-in-Chief of the Kaiser Guards. Zarkophin held the title of Reich Commissioner for Defense and Fleet Construction, overseeing the production of new Kaiser Force battleships at the Ziolkowski Shipyards -- including the funnel ship GLAUCEN, named after the deceased security manager (Booklet 089).

The Preemptive Strike and the Steel Fleet (Booklet 097)

The REGENT's final recorded deployment was as the flagship of the Steel Fleet -- Valdec's "last levy," an instrument of annihilation assembled for a preemptive strike against what he believed to be the center of the galactic civilizations. The Steel Fleet consisted of:

• Funnel ships: The REGENT, the GLAUCEN, and other Kaiser Force capital vessels
• Starcruiser carriers: Including the SCT MAX VON VALDEC, named after Valdec himself
• Container tugs: Loaded with nuclear weapons

The Steel Fleet embarked on a Kaiser Force transit from the REGENT. But the target was a trap: the entire multi-sun system was a construct of the Reality Switch, a precosmic entity manipulated by the Old Forest and the Entities to neutralize Valdec and his forces. As the fleet approached, the target system vanished. The ships began to pulse and become transparent. The crew was frozen in place.

Valdec, protected by his Super-Drivers, attempted to escape in a Ringo shuttle, but it crashed within the Reality Switch. The REGENT -- and with it the entire Steel Fleet -- was trapped. Its final fate is unrecorded, subsumed into the dissolution of Valdec's "Black" reality during the Duel of Dreams (Booklets 097-098).

Crew

Command Staff

Military Personnel

Prisoners

Key Events

Sister Ships and the Kaiser Force Fleet

The REGENT was part of a class of funnel ships built at the Ziolkowski-Werft for Max von Valdec's campaigns. Her known sister ships include:

During the final Steel Fleet deployment, the REGENT was joined by additional vessel classes:

• SCT MAX VON VALDEC -- A Starcruiser carrier named after Valdec himself
• Container tugs -- Loaded with nuclear weapons for the preemptive strike
• Atar-class space fighters -- Mass-produced at the Ziolkowski Shipyards

Appearances (7 booklets)

Themes and Significance

The Throne That Moves

The REGENT is Valdec's throne -- literally, his seat of power when he has no planet to call his own. During the Lancia exile, when Valdec has been stripped of every title and position, the REGENT is all that remains of his former authority: a funnel ship orbiting a stolen world, staffed by the last handful of loyalists -- Frost, Zarkophin, Glaucen, Queen Yazmin. The ship's name is itself a statement of intent: a regent rules in the absence of a king, holding power until the true sovereign returns. Valdec named his flagship not for what he was, but for what he intended to become.

The Prison Ship

The REGENT serves not only as a command vessel but as a prison. Morgenstern's captivity aboard the ship -- his interrogation by Glaucen, his rescue by the Electronic Assassin, his escape in a Ringo -- is one of the saga's most action-packed sequences. The REGENT is the place where Valdec's enemies are brought and broken, where the security apparatus of a would-be empire grinds against the resistance of a single Terranaut whose PSI protection renders their methods useless. The ship embodies the paradox of Valdec's power: vast enough to plunder worlds, yet unable to extract information from one man.

The Last Voyage

The REGENT's final appearance -- leading the Steel Fleet into the Reality Switch trap -- is the culmination of every theme the ship represents. Valdec's mobile throne becomes his mobile coffin. The Kaiser Force technology that powers the ship is the same technology that attracted the attention of the Entities and the Varen Navtem, provoking the cosmic confrontation that the Reality Switch was designed to resolve. The REGENT, which carried Valdec from exile to empire, carries him from empire to annihilation.

The Ship and Its Shadows

The REGENT's sister ships trace a dark narrative arc. The KAISER -- named for Valdec's corporate title -- is his ambition made manifest. The ZIOLKOWSKI -- named for the shipyard -- represents the industrial base of his power. The GLAUCEN -- named for the dead security manager -- is a memorial to the casualties of the Kaiser Force program. And the REGENT itself is the empty throne, the regency that never yields to legitimate rule. Together, these four ships are the Steel Fleet's heart: ambition, industry, death, and power without legitimacy.

Related Articles

• Max von Valdec -- Owner and supreme commander
• Steel Fleet -- The REGENT's final fleet deployment
• Kaiser Force -- The technology that powers the REGENT
• Zarkophin Shield -- Containment system developed aboard the REGENT
• Kaiser Corporation -- The organization that built and operated the REGENT
• Funnel Ship -- The REGENT's ship class
• Atar-class -- The REGENT's specific class designation
• KAISER -- Sister ship
• ZIOLKOWSKI -- Sister ship
• GLAUCEN -- Sister ship (later construction)
• SCT MAX VON VALDEC -- Starcruiser carrier in the Steel Fleet
• Frost -- Intelligence officer aboard the REGENT
• Queen Yazmin -- Ship commander during the exile period
• Queen Martha -- Ship commander during the Second Reich
• Glaucen -- Security Manager aboard the REGENT; killed by Kaiser Force flash
• Zarkophin -- Chief scientist aboard the REGENT
• Morgenstern -- Prisoner aboard the REGENT; escaped with the Electronic Assassin
• Electronic Assassin -- Killer computer that caused explosions aboard the REGENT
• Ringo -- Auxiliary craft carried by the REGENT
• Reality Switch -- The precosmic entity that trapped the REGENT and the Steel Fleet
• Kaisergrad -- Valdec's base on Lancia, served by the REGENT
• Lancia -- Planet where the REGENT was based during exile
• Calina System -- Star system containing Lancia

The REGENT appears in 7 of 99 booklets of Die Terranauten and is referenced 55 times across the wiki. It is Max von Valdec's flagship -- the funnel ship that carried him from exile through reconquest to the cosmic trap of the Reality Switch.